Summer in Chicago is marked by the buzz of cicadas, sunny skies, and often intense heat. In those few fleeting months of the season, the city’s frozen desserts are one of the most delicious summer traditions. Whether you catch a roving paleta vendor in your neighborhood or you head out to an ice cream shop, the city is chock full of cool and sweet refreshments.

Soft Serve From The Freeze - Logan Square

Soft serve is a true staple for all ice cream lovers. A perfectly formed swirl placed in a cone is the ideal portable summer treat. If you want to try a straightforward classic take on soft serve, The Freeze in Logan Square is a good place to start. This ice cream hotspot dates back to 1950, and it remains a Logan Square summertime favorite.

Just a short walk from the CTA’s California Blue Line stop, this casual joint is easily accessible for those who live in the neighborhood and anyone coming to visit. Come for a classic cone (vanilla, chocolate, or swirl), or indulge in a sundae, shake, or malt. If you want to make a meal of it, The Freeze also serves burgers, hotdogs, and sandwiches.

Rainbow Cone From The Original Rainbow Cone - Beverly

A person holds two Chicago Rainbow Cones of multi-colored ice cream
The Original Rainbow Cone is known for its many colors and flavors. / Photo by Julie Corsi / CC BY-2.0

The Original Rainbow Cone is a longtime Chicago establishment, first opening its doors in 1926. Today, it remains a family-owned business. While the city may have changed around the ice cream shop, it has remained a neighborhood staple. Beverly, a family-friendly neighborhood, is an ideal spot to enjoy ice cream while taking a summer evening stroll.

Of course, the Original Rainbow Cone is known for its signature creation: a colorful mountain of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio, and orange sherbet flavors. If your tastes run contrary to that blend, the Original Rainbow Cone also does classic flavors like butter pecan, cookie dough, and mint as well as shakes and sundaes.

Italian Ice From Mario’s Italian Lemonade and Miko’s – University Village/Little Village, Logan Square, and Irving Park

Italian ice is a lighter, dairy-free alternative to ice cream—a simple blend of ice and fruit. Though a Chicago classic, different spots in the city serving the dessert each have their own take.

Mario’s Italian Lemonade on Taylor Street is small but hard to miss. It’s cheerily painted counter draws the eye, while its Italian ice keeps loyal customers coming back during its open season. While more than your average lemonade stand, this family-run business keeps that simple spirit of serving something great to customers alive and well. Mario’s has been in University/Little Village since 1954.

The original Miko’s Italian Ice location closed in Bucktown in 2019, but its sister locations remain open in Logan Square and Irving Park. Easily recognizable by the cheery green and yellow exterior and customers lined up on the sidewalk, this Italian ice spot has a rotating menu of flavors during the summer months that can easily become a habit. Customers can try a single flavor or mix and match.

Sundaes From Margie’s Candies - Bucktown and Ravenswood

A large ice cream sundae in a shell-shaped bowl with a side of chocolate sauce from Margie's Candies in Chicago
These shareable sundaes make Margie's Candies a Chicago staple. / Photo by Lisa Harbin / CC BY-SA 2.0

Margie’s Candies certainly sells its fair share of candy, but it's more often associated with its formidable ice cream menu. Margie’s does shakes, malts, floats, and sundaes. For diehard ice cream lovers, this shop does jumbo creations that are more than enough to share.

With inventive creations and homemade fudge sauce, Margie’s has unsurprisingly amassed a dedicated fan base over the years. Open since the 1920s, Al Capone and the Beatles were supposedly customers. This ice cream shop has locations in Bucktown, right off of the Western Blue Line stop, and further north in Ravenswood, near the Montrose Brown Line stop.

Paletas From La Michoacana - Avondale

Paletas are Mexican popsicles that come in all manner of flavors. Many neighborhoods have a local vendor who walks residential streets, selling paletas from a cart. But, you don’t have to keep watch by the window to find a good paleta. La Michoacana in Avondale is a tried and true source for this icy treat. La Michoacana, home to plenty of paleta flavors, is on Belmont, right next to the Belmont Blue Line stop. Its location makes it a tempting stop-off for commuters streaming out of the train station after work.

Gelato From Black Dog Gelato - Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, and West Loop

Gelato may hail from Italy, but it has been welcomed with open arms around the world as well as in Chicago. Creamier than ice cream, this frozen treat is a contender for summertime cravings. If you want to go somewhere that's all about gelato, try Black Dog Gelato, which has locations in Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, and the West Loop.

Opened in 2007, Black Dog may be a more recent addition to Chicago’s frozen dessert scene, but it's a welcome one. Pair a sultry summer day with a signature flavor, like chocolate or pistachio, or try one of the more inventive flavors that changes on a monthly basis.