The Best Regional Ice Creams That Deliver

Forget the tie and get him something that will really make him smile. Ice cream is pretty much guaranteed to brighten his day – plus you get to share it.

Even if he’s not traveling this summer, he can now have pints from his favorite ice cream shops around the country – you know, the ones he always has to stop at when he’s on a trip – delivered right to his door.

Here are the ones I can personally attest to. Not only do they offer unique and incredible-tasting flavors but they are all packed thoughtfully and with lots of dry ice so the only thing that will melt is his heart.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

The gold standard of ice cream, Jeni’s just makes people happy. Super rich and creamy and filled with all kinds of surprising and delicious textures, the Columbus, Ohio-based brand is my number one all-time favorite ice cream. I’ve never tasted a Jeni’s flavor I didn’t adore – including Everything Bagel. Really. For Father’s Day, Jeni’s is featuring three tempting bundles, like the Cool Dad Collection which comes with half a dozen pints: Boston Cream Pie, Brown Butter Almond Brittle, Darkest Chocolate, Buttercream Birthday Cake, Middle West Whiskey & Pecans and – my favorite ice cream flavor ever – Brambleberry Crisp. Simply the best.

Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw is the stuff of legends. With flavors that must be tried to be believed, it’s not surprising that they’re based in a city whose unofficial motto is “Keep Portland weird.” What IS surprising is the sheer deliciousness of innovative flavors like Pear & Blue Cheese (I swear this is incredible) and Arbequina Olive Oil (just taste it!). For dads, the Best-Sellers Pint Pack is a great introduction, featuring Double Fold Vanilla, Chocolate Gooey Brownie, Freckled Mint TCHO-colate Chip (v), Sea Salt w/Caramel Ribbons and Salted, Malted, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Warning: They just may turn him into a Salt & Straw addict.

Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery

This St. Louis favorite serves up handcrafted ice cream made in small batches from 100% natural ingredients in flavors like Carrot Cake, Challah Bread Pudding and Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow (yes, those are all ice creams!). They even offer vegan delights like Vegan Blueberry Crumble and Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip. They take everything to an even higher level, though, with their “naughty” flavors, which include Boozy Banana Rum, Manhattan and Maple Bourbon with Salted Candied Pecans, all of which batch cocktails with real alcohol-infused ingredients as their base for truly intoxicating flavor.

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams

For more than 80 years, this Santa Barbara working dairy (think: happy cows from California) has been living up to its name and churning out top quality made-from-scratch ice cream. In fact, it boasts the highest milkfat content in the industry, which is one reason it’s soooo good. Another reason is flavors like Toasted Coconut Almond Chip, Sweet Cream Caramel Brownie and Eureka Lemon & Marionberries. Try the Dads & Grads Bundle for five of the most popular pints. SOOO good.

Van Leeuwen

They started out in a New York City scoop truck but more than a decade later, Van Leeuwen has a cult following everywhere. Here are a few reasons why: Raspberry Layer Cake, Pumpkin Cheesecake and Brown Sugar Chunk with Cookie Dough, Brownies & Walnuts. Their French ice cream – which means it’s made with eggs for a thick, custardy consistency – is très délicieux but is as American as, well, Peanut Butter & Brownie Chip. Start him out with the Best Sellers, a five-pint bundle that includes Cookies & Cream, Earl Grey Tea, Mint Chip, Sicilian Pistachio and their bee-loved Honeycomb. It’s proof that happiness comes in all flavors.

Milk Bar

Founded by James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, Milk Bar is a New York City icon-turned-global-phenomenon, offering nostalgic comfort food desserts with a modern twist. One of their first – and most ingenious – creations was Cereal Milk Ice Cream, which needs no description – just a spoon. Although it’s still a bestseller, Milk Bar now offers six other custard-style pints, as well, including signatures, Pie and Birthday Cake, and their newest flavors, the long-awaited Chocolate Birthday Cake and Chocolate Mint Cookies N’ Cream, aka Heaven.

The Social

This award-winning Brooklyn-born ice cream counts Oprah and Steven Spielberg as fans and it’s no wonder. Their A (for amazing)-list flavors feature everything from croissants and cookie dough to monkey bread and popcorn lovingly mixed in with the creamiest ice cream for lots of texture and flavor. Don’t know where to start? You can’t go wrong with the Best Seller pack that includes pints of Double the Dough Cookie Dough, Hydrox Cookies & Cream, Morning in Paris Raspberry Croissant and Oh Captain, My Captain Cereal. Yum.

Oddfellows

Another Brooklyn favorite, the aptly-named OddFellows has come up with some truly unique flavors over the past decade (I’m looking at you, BaconEggnCheese). But if your recipient is more of a traditionalist, opt for The Classics Collection, which features half a dozen pints of timeless flavors. There’s Vanilla, Sprinkles, Chocolate Chunk, Cookies & Cream, Cookies & Mint and Coffee Crunch. If you’re thinking they don’t sound overly exciting, you have obviously never tried them. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to the same collection.