{"id":316149,"date":"2026-08-07T17:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316149\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T17:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T17:02:21","slug":"nycs-best-italian-ice-where-to-grab-a-frozen-treat-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/316149\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC’s best Italian ice \u2014\u00a0where to grab a frozen treat this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ice, ice, baby. Every New Yorker has an Italian ice hill they\u2019re willing to die on \u2014\u00a0forget pizza, bagels or chopped cheese. When the mercury hits 90 degrees, loyalties turn frozen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rivalry isn\u2019t just about dessert. It\u2019s about neighborhood pride.<\/p>\n

Italian ice \u2014 inspired by Sicily\u2019s granita and brought to America by Italian immigrants more than a century ago \u2014 has been a Big Apple summer ritual, like Mister Softee jingles and fire hydrants blasting open, for generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gothamites go bananas for ices. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

For today\u2019s Gothamites<\/a>, grabbing one of these tongue-tingling treats isn\u2019t about chasing a trendy dessert \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s about honoring tradition, ideally after a day at the beach, or a walk around the block on a steamy night.<\/p>\n

The Post scoured the five boroughs to come up with five legendary neighborhood faves \u2014\u00a0try one or all of them before summertime runs out. <\/p>\n

The Godfather: Ralph\u2019s Famous Italian Ices<\/p>\n

Across the Verrazzano, the Staten Island Italian ice icon has been cooling off New Yorkers for nearly a century.<\/p>\n

At Ralph\u2019s Famous Italian Ices, the modest corner shop at 501 Port Richmond Ave. isn\u2019t just another neighborhood dessert stop \u2014 it\u2019s the birthplace of one of New York\u2019s most recognizable Italian ice brands.<\/p>\n

With 74 locations across New York, Ralph\u2019s has turned Italian ice into a neighborhood ritual. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

The business traces its roots back to 1928, when founder Ralph Silvestro immigrated from Naples and began making Italian ice by hand in his Staten Island garage before selling it from a truck around the borough. In 1949, he opened the Port Richmond storefront that still operates today.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandfather Ralph Silvestro came here to Staten Island from Naples, Italy as a young man and started making Italian ice in his house\u2019s garage, the old-fashioned way,\u201d co-owner Larry Silvestro told The Post.<\/p>\n

Silvestro said Ralph\u2019s continues to make its fruit flavors with real cane sugar and real fruit, including lemons, oranges, mangoes, guava, cantaloupe and strawberries \u2014 a tradition dating back to his grandfather\u2019s earliest \u201cgranita\u201d recipes.<\/p>\n

While the company has expanded to more than a dozen locations across New York City and beyond, the original Staten Island shop remains the beating heart of the business.<\/p>\n

Ralph\u2019s ices and NY go hand in hand. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

That hometown loyalty hasn\u2019t faded. <\/p>\n

Devyn Kern, 24, of Gramercy Park, called Ralph\u2019s \u201cone of the most tried and true Italian ice spots in the city,\u201d praising its friendly staff, huge selection and loyal following. Her go-to order? Cotton candy water ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s truly something for everyone there, which makes it a solid go-to spot for a sweet treat. Not only is it extremely consistent, but the staff is always so friendly and patient \u2014 especially for people like me wanting to sample a bunch of flavors before deciding,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Meza, 31, of Flushing, Queens, said he loves that Ralph\u2019s is \u201ceverywhere in New York,\u201d making it an easy stop across the city whenever temperatures climb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nearly a century later, Ralph\u2019s still sticks to its old-school recipe, churning out fruit flavors with real cane sugar and real fruit. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what part of the city I\u2019m in, there\u2019s usually one nearby, so it\u2019s become my go-to any time it\u2019s hot out,\u201d he told The Post. \u201cThe ice itself is amazing, consistent every single time,\u201d he added. \u201cMy order is always Rainbow, because it\u2019s a mix of different flavors, so I never get bored of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Silvestro, though, the magic is still found back where it all started.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn a hot day, that\u2019s what you say here on Staten Island, \u2018Let\u2019s go get an Italian ice,\u2019 and luckily, people say that and come to Ralph\u2019s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The franchise favorite: Uncle Louie G\u2019s<\/p>\n

But not every Italian ice icon began in a Staten Island garage. <\/p>\n

What started as one Brooklyn kid\u2019s neighborhood hustle has grown into a frozen dessert empire with more than 60 locations \u2014 all while keeping its old-school roots intact.<\/p>\n

The brand\u2019s namesake, Louie G., began making homemade Italian ices and ice cream as a young Brooklynite, selling his creations directly to neighbors before opening the first Uncle Louie G\u2019s storefront on Coney Island Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The brand later expanded into a multi-state franchise operation while continuing to use its original recipes.<\/p>\n

What started as Louie G.\u2019s Brooklyn stoop-side hustle has since grown into a 60-plus-location franchise empire. Stefano Giovannini<\/p>\n

Today, Uncle Louie G\u2019s has more than a dozen NYC locations, including its Prospect Park outpost at 157 Prospect Park Southwest, where Brooklynites and parkgoers flock for a sweet summer escape.<\/p>\n

Ernie Aiello, director of operations at Uncle Louie G\u2019s, told The Post that the company is proudly woman-owned, with his wife Melissa serving as president.<\/p>\n

The couple first joined the Uncle Louie G\u2019s franchise in 2010, eventually operating five locations before purchasing the company in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSince taking over we have been working hard to rebrand the company and really become a recognizable name and a staple of the New York and New Jersey communities,\u201d Aiello said.<\/p>\n

Uncle Louie G.\u2019s menu runs the flavor gamut, from its rainbow mashup of Blue Razzberry to Louie\u2019s Lemon (above). Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

For Aiello and his wife, Uncle Louie G\u2019s is also a celebration of their own Italian-American New York heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife\u2019s family migrated from Sicily to the Bronx and then up to Yonkers where she lived when I met her. My family migrated to East Harlem back in the 1920\u2019s from Italy and eventually moved over to the Bronx where I was born and raised so we are native New Yorkers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That neighborhood-first approach is exactly what keeps regulars coming back.<\/p>\n

Evonne Gambrell, a longtime customer of the Prospect Park location, told The Post that the shop\u2019s playground-side location makes it an easy family outing \u2014 and the rotating menu keeps things interesting.<\/p>\n

Regular customers Zach and Emily Zierlin and their sons, Hugo and Teddy, are among the many families who keep coming back to Uncle Louie G\u2019s flagship location. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

She also praised the shop\u2019s welcoming atmosphere, saying, \u201cThe people here are really nice and it\u2019s always a very family-friendly experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Zach Zierlin, a frequent customer of the Windsor Terrace location, Uncle Louie G\u2019s stands out for making every family member feel included.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our sons has an allergy and they are always incredibly attentive to it,\u201d Zierlin told The Post. \u201cThere aren\u2019t many places where we can take him and feel safe and that he\u2019ll be taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

The flavor king: The Lemon Ice King of Corona<\/p>\n

Queens has its own frozen crown jewel: The Lemon Ice King of Corona.<\/p>\n

The tiny shop has been dishing out Italian ice since 1944, when founder Nicola Benfaremo started selling homemade treats out of a garage before building what would become one of the borough\u2019s sweetest institutions.<\/p>\n

The Corona landmark became so iconic it even scored a cameo in the opening credits of \u201cThe King of Queens\u201d \u2014 and more than 80 years later, the lines are still forming.<\/p>\n

With roughly 50 flavors on the menu, adventurous customers can dig into everything from peanut butter to chocolate chip alongside old-school favorites like lemon.<\/p>\n

Since 1944, Lemon Ice King of Corona has reigned over Queens with nearly 50 flavors \u2014 from peanut butter to chocolate chip \u2014 and lines that prove this frozen crown jewel still rules the borough. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are initially skeptical when they hear our flavors like peanut butter Italian ice, but then they taste it and change their minds. There\u2019s a big following for flavors like that among our customers,\u201d owner Michael Zampino told The Post.<\/p>\n

Zampino, a Queens native born and raised in Corona, said the shop has \u201cbecome part of the neighborhood\u2019s tradition,\u201d with families making it a must-stop after trips to nearby attractions like Flushing Meadows\u2013Corona Park and Citi Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hear it all the time \u2014 people who grew up coming here are now bringing their own families, so we\u2019ll have three or four generations coming in together,\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

Owner Michael Zampino (above) said the greatest reward is watching longtime customers return with their own kids and grandkids. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

As frequent customer Bonnie Winston told The Post, \u201cI was raised in Queens, New York, where one of life\u2019s simple pleasures was a trip to the Lemon Ice King of Corona.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, the best memories come from the most unpretentious places,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Bronx hidden gem: Teresa\u2019s Gourmet Italian Ices\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teresa\u2019s Gourmet Italian Ices has spent nearly three decades turning first-time customers into regulars.<\/p>\n

The small family-run shop has been serving homemade Italian ice that\u2019s earned a fiercely loyal following, with customers returning for everything from old-school lemon and cherry to cannoli, cappuccino, birthday cake and peanut butter.<\/p>\n

The menu has expanded over the years to include lactose-free and sugar-free Italian ice options as well as ice cream, brownies, cupcakes and coffee, but it\u2019s the colorful cups of Italian ice that keep Bronxites lining up.<\/p>\n

Teresa\u2019s Gourmet Italian Ices serves up a rainbow of creamy non-dairy Italian ices alongside homemade baked goods and chocolates. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the ices are homemade, we make them ourselves. We don\u2019t buy them from anybody and that\u2019s what makes them special,\u201d owner Teresa Darmetta told The Post.<\/p>\n

Among the biggest crowd-pleasers is the shop\u2019s nostalgic \u201cLily with Nuts,\u201d a creamy Italian ice flavored with vanilla, rum extract and toasted almonds that\u2019s become increasingly difficult to find.<\/p>\n

The star of the freezer case? The nostalgic \u201cLily with Nuts\u201d (left), a creamy vanilla Italian ice blended with rum extract and toasted almonds that\u2019s become a rare Bronx treasure. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

Born and raised just blocks away from her current location, Darmetta opened the shop in 1999 after spotting the available storefront next to a neighborhood pizzeria \u2014 a pairing she figured was a \u201cnatural match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started out almost 30 years ago and we started serving children, and now those same children have grown up and come in with their own children, so it\u2019s been so special to serve different generations who all love Italian ice,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n

Even customers who\u2019ve long since left the borough still make pilgrimages back for a scoop of nostalgia \u2014 and, Darmetta said, often tell her they wish she\u2019d \u201copen a shop in their new hometown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kids who once lined up for Darmetta\u2019s Italian ice now return with their own children. Stephen Yang<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when people leave The Bronx and move out, they still make it a point to come back in to visit me for a creamy treat,\u201d she said. \u201cThat means so much.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn\u2019s best-kept freezer secret: Dolly\u2019s Ices<\/p>\n

Across the boroughs, smaller neighborhood favorites have earned equally devoted followings.<\/p>\n

Located between a Dunkin\u2019 and a gas station in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, Dolly\u2019s Ices has built a fiercely loyal fan base the old-fashioned way: one neighborhood customer at a time.<\/p>\n

The cash-only shop at 2317 Ralph Ave. has been a family-owned Brooklyn staple for 33 years, serving homemade-style Italian ices that have turned first-time visitors into lifelong regulars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now run by Canarsie native Nicky Rago and his mother Dolly, the low-key spot remains the kind of neighborhood institution Brooklynites proudly return to \u2014 and happily tell their friends about.<\/p>\n

With its no-frills charm and cult following, Dolly\u2019s proves that some of the city\u2019s sweetest summer traditions aren\u2019t always the flashiest \u2014 they\u2019re the ones locals refuse to let disappear.<\/p>\n

Popular documentary filmmaker Nicolas Heller (@newyornico) recently gave the Brooklyn favorite his seal of approval<\/a>, calling Dolly\u2019s \u201cas quintessential family-owned as it gets\u201d while highlighting flavors he deemed \u201cbangers,\u201d including spumoni, lemon ice, peanut butter & jelly and pancake & syrup.<\/p>\n

Fans flooded the comments with their own nostalgic memories. <\/p>\n

One follower wrote, \u201cClassic Brooklyn staple!!!! I\u2019ve been eating Dollys since I was kid. Only the real ones know.\u201d <\/p>\n

Another added, \u201cI remember as a kid, me and my fam always went and got ices at their previous locations by kings plaza mall\u2026 never forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

When ice meets old-school Italian charm: Pasticceria Rocco\u00a0<\/p>\n

Manhattan\u2019s Italian ice tradition comes with a side of cannoli.<\/p>\n

At Greenwich Village institution Pasticceria Rocco, the frozen treat is a seasonal surprise tucked inside a decades-old Italian bakery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Bleecker Street staple makes its Italian ices fresh in-house each summer, serving classic flavors like lemon, cherry and pistachio alongside its famous ricotta-filled cannoli, pastries, cakes and gelato.<\/p>\n

After arriving from Italy in 1957 and working his way up from dishwasher to pastry chef, Rocco Generoso turned Pasticceria Rocco into a Bleecker Street institution. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Founded by Rocco Generoso, who arrived from Italy in 1957 and worked his way from dishwasher to head pastry chef before taking over the bakery, Rocco\u2019s has preserved the southern Italian traditions of his hometown of Amantea, Calabria, for more than 50 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Food blogger Soe Kabbabe recently named<\/a> Rocco\u2019s Italian ice among the city\u2019s best, praising the bakery\u2019s old-school charm and noting that \u201cthe experience is as important as the flavor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She highlighted the shop\u2019s signature pairing of \u201ccold, fruit-forward Italian ice\u201d with a rich cannoli or espresso \u2014 a combination that proves Rocco\u2019s isn\u2019t just serving dessert, it\u2019s serving a little slice of Italian New York nostalgia.<\/p>\n

At Greenwich Village\u2019s Pasticceria Rocco, seasonal Italian ice gets the old-school Italian bakery treatment. Stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Tripadvisor reviewer Kristin C. admitted <\/a>she was surprised by the Bleecker Street bakery\u2019s icy offering, writing, \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t expect a bakery to have the best Italian Ice but boy does this place do it right!\u201d<\/p>\n

After returning twice just for another taste of the lemon ice, she praised Rocco\u2019s as a must-stop for both its old-school baked goods and its seasonal frozen treat.<\/p>\n

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