L.A.’s ice cream landscape is rich with creative-bordering-on weird dessert concoctions. Sure, a classic banana split is cool, but have you tried a sundae in a sweet bun? Or soft-serve topped with butterscotch Rice Krispies? These L.A. spots are serving stuff you have to try.
1. The Milky Bun from Afters Ice Cream
Pasadena
The Milky Bun is a warm glazed doughnut-like sweet roll encasing ice cream flavors like jasmine milk tea. Cookie Monster, with cookie chunks, is as blue as its namesake.
2. Avocado Ice Cream from Creams & Dreams
Santa Monica
What would you say to avocado ice cream made with liquid nitrogen? What about the maiz con queso flavor slathered between two M&M cookies? All ice creams are available as affogatos at this Santa Monica scoop shop.
3. Dragon’s Breath from Chocolate Chair
Los Angeles
The K-Town spot offers ice creams, fresh-fruit shaved ices, and coffee drinks. But it’s the Dragon’s Breath—fruity balls frozen with liquid nitrogen—that will have you blowing cold air.
4. Butterscotch Rice Krispies from Magpies
Los Feliz
Warren and Rose Schwartz swirl up flavors that change daily, such as yuzu-honey and vegan corn-almond. Among the childhood-centric toppings at this Silver Lake shop is Butterscotch Rice Krispies.
5. The Babee from Honeymee
Various Locations
This cheerful SoCal chain concocts combinations of creamy soft-serve, fresh honeycomb and drizzles of raw liquid honey. The Babee—a sweet bun filled with soft-serve and a topping of your choice—takes dessert to the next level.
6. Halo-Halo from L.A. Rose Cafe
Hollywood
Ube fudge and cooked saba bananas top the kitchen sink-size halo-halo at this East Hollywood spot. Palm fruit seeds, jackfruit, and dulce de leche ice cream are a texture riot.
7. Cotton Candy Sundae from CottonHi
Koreatown
First, take a picture. After all, this is no ordinary ice cream sundae. It’s a cultural and architectural wonder, brought to you by a bright and airy pastel-hued K-pop parlor—its huge front window plastered in neon-colored liquid-chalk graffiti.
