Hot Nashville days call for cold treats, and these locally owned ice cream shops deliver big flavor. From nostalgic soda fountains to chef-crafted soft serve and plant-based options, these seven spots are the best places to beat the heat with a scoop (or two!) of Music City's coolest desserts.
It doesn’t have to be summer to enjoy ice cream…but you can’t fully enjoy or embrace summer without the frozen treat at least once. The average high temperature on a Nashville summer day in July is 90 degrees, which can feel pretty steamy if you’re around checking out murals and listening to live music. So, you might as well use it as an excuse for a treat. Wondering where to find Music City’s best frozen desserts? Here’s our list of Nashville’s best ice creams, all seven of which are locally owned:
Fryce Cream: If you’ve been dipping your French fries in your Wendy’s Frosty for years, head to Fryce Cream to see how a chef pulls together these two great tastes. There’s vegan or full-dairy soft serve, including some seasonal varieties, and then you dunk the hot, salty fries into the sweet treat. Fryce Cream has locations in Donelson and 12South.
Bobbie’s Dairy Dip: Since 1951, this charming stand has bewitched Nashvillians with its milkshakes, colorful dipped soft serve cones and other treats. We love it for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the name. Bobbie’s is open seasonally, so when there’s a line out front, we know it’s officially summer. Head to West Nashville to treat yourself.
Tabla Rasa Toy Café: This East Nashville corner is a kids’ dream. It’s a toy store, a skateboard park, a gathering place and a soft serve shop. Grab a chocolate-vanilla swirl with toffee crumbles on top, prepared for you from a reimagined old service station.
Sarabha’s Creamery: Nestled on the second floor of a nondescript building near the Vanderbilt University campus, you’ll find homemade Indian ice creams. Choose from creamy hand-scooped flavors, milkshakes or Kulfi (Indian-style frozen treats on sticks).
Hattie Jane’s Creamery: Tennessee ingredients and a Southern background make this traditional ice cream a local favorite. Seek out seasonal flavors at the outpost in Assembly Food Hall, a few blocks from the Bobby Hotel Nashville.
Elliston Place Soda Shop: If you like your ice cream with a side of nostalgia, this soda shop is for you. They’ve been serving banana splits, milkshakes and sundaes since 1939.
Kokos Ice Cream: Plant-based ice cream is scooped up in the OneC1ty complex seven days a week. Ingredients, including the coconut milk, are organic, and Kokos doesn’t use nuts, so the desserts are allergy-friendly.
