It may come as a surprise to those who know Chicago as a freezing city with the nickname “Chi-beria,” but summer can get pretty hot in the Windy City. For us, a hot summer day is best finished with a cool, tasty sweet treat! And our favorite summer sweet treat is without a doubt ice cream. We know loving ice cream in the summer isn’t that original, but luckily, Chicago has a number of ice cream shops that are!
Here are our four favorite spots to grab some delicious local ice cream in the city…
Margie’s Candies
Margie’s is a Chicago’s classic old school ice cream and candy shop. Old school is maybe even inaccurate, as Margie’s is older than old school, as its original owner (George Poulos) first opened the ice cream shop that would become Margie’s 100 years ago in 1921! The shop was renamed Margie’s Candies in 1933 when Poulos’ son married his love, Margie Michaels.
Margie’s is the place to go if you want an iconic banana split, of which they have several varieties. Our personal favorite is the brownie a la mode. A brownie, delicious ice cream, whipped cream and homemade fudge. I think I have to go get one right now!
Margie’s doesn’t just shine on hot summer days though! There’s that other side of the name, the candies, that you’ll want to pay attention Come Valentine’s Day, Margie’s Candies can be a delectable local touch.
Keep in mind, in the summertime Margie’s can have quite the crowd. For best results, try to sneak in at a lower traffic time for a mid-day treat!
Margie’s Candies is located at 1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 and 1813 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60613.
Lickity Split
This Edgewater gem is serving up some of our absolute favorite sweet treats. Custard. Now, you might be wondering, what actually is the difference between custard and ice cream? The first main difference is the make-up, as custard contains a higher percentage of egg yolk than ice cream. Additionally, when ice cream is churned, it takes on more air than custard, which gives it a lighter, “airier” flavor.
Lickity Split has amazing custard, in strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. They then take that delicious custard, add candy, cookies, brownies, you name it, and make incredible concretes. Our pick is the Sophie’s S’more. We go chocolate custard, which gest blended with marshmallow crème, hot fudge and graham cracker crust. Mic drop.
Lickity Split Frozen Custard is located at 6056 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60660.
Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor
The Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor is a true throwback to the old fashion soda fountains. Opened in 2004 in Forest Park, I don’t think you can drive by without wanting to stop in for some ice cream!
Fun fact, the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor makes homemade root beer. You know what that means? Root Beer floats. A root beer float takes me all the way back to my childhood, as it was a favorite of my grandfathers.
When I stop at Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor, I’ve got one thing on my mind. Ice. Cream. Sandwich. Ice cream smashed between two delicious cookies, rolled in chocolate chips on the side. Warning, this ice cream sandwich is huge! And delicious!
Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor is located at 7347 Madison St, Forest Park, IL 60130.
Scooter’s Frozen Custard
Custard. There is that delicious word again. Scooter’s Frozen Custard, located on the north side of the city and is pretty much guaranteed to have a crowd on a warm summer night. There is a great reason for that, and we bet you can guess what that is.
At Scooter’s you’ve got a tough choice to make, are you going with the Concrete or the Sundae? If you’re feeling super Chicago-y, why not go for the Blackhawk, inspired by that local team that won like 3 Stanley Cups last decade. Strawberries and Oreos are mixed into vanilla custard. Eat it like a champion.
Scooter’s Frozen Custard is located at 1658 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657.
We’re always on the lookout for a new ice cream spot. Let us know your favorites in the comments below!