Local Ice Cream places in St. Louis
Here are five local ice cream places in St. Louis that you should visit.
Nothing beats ice cream in the hot summer, right? I rarely eat it in the winter, but it’s my weakness in the summer. I just love it! Here in St. Louis, we’re lucky to have plenty of local ice cream places to choose from. When my granddaughter visited this summer, we made it our mission to try as many of these local ice cream places as possible. We take a lot of pride in our local ice cream joints and think of them as our own here in St. Louis. And why not? The ice cream cone was popularized here in St. Louis at the 1904 World’s Fair! Each shop has its own unique flavor, style and experience. Here’s a list of our top favorites.
The Oldest – Crown Candy Kitchen
1401 St. Louis Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106
- Crown Candy
- Waiting outside for a table
- Ice cream made by Crown Candy
Crown Candy Kitchen holds the title of being the oldest, as it opened in 1913 by Harry Karandzieff and his friend Pete Jugaloff from Greece. It is extremely popular with tourists, so expect to wait in line outside for a chance at a table. It is an old-time soda fountain and candy maker. Once you are escorted to your booth, you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported back in time. Start with an old-fashioned phosphate – when’s the last time you had one of those? Then, order lunch and, of course, ice cream which is made fresh. Afterward, before heading out, mosey over to the counter and pick up some of that homemade chocolate candy on beautiful display in the glass counters. Crown Candy Kitchen is an icon in St. Louis and a rare find, well worth the wait in line.
- The oldest soda fountain in St. Louis
- The candy counter
- Inside Crown Candy
The Most Beautiful and Boozy – The Fountain on Locust
3037 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
- The Fountain on Locust
- The Art-Deco design of The Fountain on Locust
- The World’s Smallest Sundaes
When you step inside The Fountain on Locust, you walk right into an art deco movie scene with dark blues, blacks, and gold, and oh! the murals are simply stunning! It has a fantastic atmosphere. Located in an old 1916 building that used to house a car dealership on the historic Automotive Row in the city, the place is meant to give off an old-time soda fountain vibe, complete with old-fashioned phosphates. You can also order food, drinks, and, of course, ice cream. You can even have ice cream with your drink – perhaps an ice cream martini?
Not in the mood for a full-on ice cream? Then go for the World’s Smallest Ice Cream Cone or the World’s Smallest Hot Fudge Sundae. That’s what my granddaughter and I chose, but we mixed it up a bit by going for the espresso ice cream complete with espresso beans. It was delightful!
It’s one of those places where you open the menu, and the dessert and ice cream menu is longer than the food menu! It’s absolutely wonderful. The Fountain on Locust is the original location, but they have expanded to include one more location, The Fountain on Delmar. And if you’re having lunch, don’t forget to try the Dill Pickle Soup!
- Deciding what to order
- The World’s Smallest Sundaes
- Time to enjoy!
The Rootbeer Float – Fitz’s Root Beer SoCo or Delmar
SoCo Location: 5244 S Lindbergh Blvd. St Louis, MO 63126
- A root beer float
- Fresh bottles of Cardinal Cream right off the bottling line
- Frosty mugs of soda
Root beer and ice cream make the perfect combination! This is my granddaughter’s favorite place to visit. These are not your average root beer floats. How about trying a S’mores Float with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, marshmallow fluff, graham cracker, and Fitz’s Cream Soda? Or perhaps a Razzle Dazzle with birthday cake ice cream, a strawberry Twizzler, and Strawberry Pop! They are fantastic and always a challenge to finish, but truly delightful to try!
Fitz’s produces their own assortment of soda pops. Their flagship flavor is root beer, but they also offer Ginger Ale, Cardinal Cream, Pineapple Pop, Orange Pop, Cream Soda, Voodoo, Hip Hop Pop, and Coffee Cola (surprisingly good!), just to name a few . They even have seasonal flavors for spring, summer, fall, and winter, such as Pumpkin Root Beer in the fall. You can watch them bottle their sodas through the glass, and if the conveyor belts are running, head over to the glass window. If you hang around for a minute, they’ll hand you a bottle of whatever flavor they’re bottling at that time for free!
They are also a restaurant, so be sure to fill up on a great burger or salad. But leave room for that float; you won’t regret it.
They have two locations. The original location is on Delmar in the historic Delmar Loop neighborhood at 6605 Delmar Blvd, St Louis, MO 63130.
- These are some major floats!
- Mugs of soda, all made with sugar cane
- Bottle of Cardinal Cream
The Roadside Stand – Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
6726 Chippewa St, St. Louis, MO 63109
- Ted Drewe’s, in St. Louis for over 80 years
- Frozen custard cups
- Creamy custard at Ted Drewe’s
Head back to the roadside stand of yesteryears and treat yourself to a frozen custard from Ted Drewes. This St. Louis staple has been delighting locals and tourists for over 80 years. They are famous for their Concretes, which they invented in 1959, long before Dairy Queen introduced their Blizzard. What’s more, they even serve it upside down!
Prepare for long lines, but don’t worry! The lines move quickly. It’s fascinating to watch the employees take your order without writing anything down. Moments later, you can see the staff whip up your order right before your eyes in just a few minutes.
Ted Drewes has two locations, the second location is 4224 S. Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63111.
The New Shop on the Block – Clementine’s naughty and nice ice cream
Layfayette Square Location: 1637 S 18th Street.St. Louis, Missouri 63104
- The Lafayette Square location
- Maple Bourbon Pecan
- A cup filled to overflowing
If you’re in the mood for unique and fancy ice cream flavors, you should definitely check out Clementine’s. This local ice cream parlor was established in 2014 and offers signature flavors such as Maple Bourbon with Salted Candied Pecans, Manhattan, and Pink Champagne Sorbet (my favorites, of course!). Their motto is “Stop eating average,” and their ice cream certainly lives up to that. They have a variety of unique flavors, including some with alcohol and vegan options. In addition to their delicious ice cream, they also offer flavored cones – you might want to try the lavender cone! With multiple locations in the St. Louis metro area, you’ll have no trouble finding a Clementine’s no matter where you are in the city.
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