13 shops for the best homemade ice cream, frozen treats around Tacoma and Olympia

We asked readers of The News Tribune and The Olympian to tell us which South Sound shop makes the best ice cream.

The winner might surprise you.

With just shy of 200 tallies, or 38 percent of the vote, newcomer I Screamery has out-scooped the bunch. The Gig Harbor shop opened last year in the back of Brimstone PNW, replacing arcade games at the barbecue restaurant.

In a close second was Tacoma stalwart Ice Cream Social with more than 160 votes, about one-third of the total.

Taking the bronze to the freezer with 14 percent of tallies was Bliss Small Batch Creamery, soon to have four shops in the Puget Sound.

Olympic Mountain, making ice cream for three-plus decades in Shelton, took home fourth with 5 percent of the vote, followed by Gabe’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in fifth with 4 percent.

A few readers selected “other” — note that this particular survey did not include great shops that sell ice cream but don’t make it in-house. Many source from Olympic Mountain, also featured below, or Cascade Glacier out of Eugene, Oregon.

No matter your favorite, we’ve created a guide to homemade ice cream in and around Tacoma, Puyallup and Olympia. Whether you live nearby or you’re on a local road trip this summer, make a point of visiting one of these family-owned and operated shops making ice cream in-house.

I SCREAMERY

▪ 7707 Pioneer Way (inside Brimstone PNW), Gig Harbor, 253-858-2709, iscreamerypnw.com

▪ Thursday 4-8 p.m., Friday 3:30-8:30 p.m., Saturday noon-8:30 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m.

Nestled in the back of Brimstone PNW, Katie Doherty and Thad Lyman’s Texas-meets-Northwest barbecue restaurant in Gig Harbor, I Screamery debuted in late 2021. Why have video games sit idle when we could be slinging ice cream? said Doherty. With the occasional classic sprinkled in, every flavor hints at the creativity behind this culinary team, which also operates Netshed No. 9 and Brix 25. How about some dulce de leche coffee, carrot cake, or ghost pepper chocolate? A year of recipe testing landed on a cream cheese base, a technique popularized by Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream in the Midwest; the additional milk protein lends an almost chewable but silky smooth viscosity.

GABE’S OLD FASHIONED ICE CREAM

▪ 11012 Canyon Road E, Puyallup, 253-507-5184, gabes-icecream.com

▪ Monday-Friday 3-8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 1-8 p.m.

As the name implies, Gabe’s leans on retro tech — namely, an Amish oak churner from Ohio that slowly turns the custard in an aluminum tub, surrounded by ice and encased in a handmade barrel.

“The only thing that’s modern on it is the motor,” said co-owner Todd Moore.

The other important element: no eggs. Known as Philadelphia-style ice cream, it calls simply for milk, cream and sugar, as opposed to the more time-consuming custard method; a few flavors feature a butter base — you can’t make Butter Pecan without butter. The menu leans into that nostalgia: fresh strawberry, rocky road — here with cashews — and salted caramel. Seasonal specialties include blueberry balsamic, mango and malted blackberry. Enjoy a scoop or a sundae at a few tables inside or out, and don’t miss the Star Wars-themed bathroom.

BLISS CREAMERY

▪ 3556 Market Place W, University Place, 253-327-1061, icecreambliss.com

▪ Daily 1-9 p.m. (until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday)

▪ 1520 Wilmington Dr., DuPont, 253-765-5483, open at 3 p.m. weekdays and 1 p.m. weekends

Since opening their first ice cream shop in 2018, sisters Theresa Fouqette and Stacie Leaf have wowed us with flavors like Honey Lavender, Salted Butter Caramel, Grit City Gravel (a coffee base with toffee candy) and seasonal favorites: the cool embrace of Lemon Ginger Poppyseed, a dance with the Sugar Plum, the sweet zip of Peach Honey Habanero. In addition to the flagship in University Place, in 2021 they opened a scoop shop in Snohomish — in the building previously home to the Baskin-Robbins that employed them as teenagers;; this year, a fourth will land in DuPont, and their roving truck stops at events throughout the region. Maybe you dig ice cream cakes and pies, available daily or through custom order. Every month, return for the recent edition of their new “MovieStar” milkshakes, capped with extra goodies, and always take home three pints for the price of two, a daily $20 deal. The Bliss spin on vegan ice cream, most made with coconut milk, is basically a must-order, regardless of your lactose tolerance. (Find detailed ingredients online.)

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

▪ 5107 Main St., Ruston, 253-507-5448, icecreamsocialtacoma.com

▪ 2521 N Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-327-1803

▪ Daily noon-9 p.m.

▪ 1110 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253-327-1660; Friday-Sunday 2-8 p.m.

Like many-a-great food business stories, Ice Cream Social was born at the farmers market in 2012 and blossomed into a trifecta of shops with pints available at local grocers and pre-packed cups at The Grand Cinema. No matter the weather, it seems a line has always formed outside the Point Ruston shop, which opened in 2017, waiting for scoops of Salted Caramel, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Roasted Banana and Valhalla Coffee, featuring beans from Tacoma’s favorite coffee roaster according to a TNT poll. Beloved seasonals range from the nut-free Sunflower Butter Chocolate Chip to Strawberry Sorbet, Spiced Cranberry to Black Sesame, with plenty of dairy-free selections. The original Sixth Avenue location has since closed, but in its stead arrived a production facility in Hilltop with weekend scoops and a full-service spot in Proctor. As they near their 10th anniversary as ICS, what do founder Layla Isaac and business partner Jamie Van De Wege have up their sleeve?

MEDZO GELATO BAR

▪ 612 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, facebook.com/MedzoGelatoBar

▪ Monday 3-8:30 p.m., Sunday & Tuesday-Thursday 1-8:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday 1-9 p.m.

After scooping other brands of gelato at their shop in Burien, in 2016, Jennifer and Fareed Al-Abboud decided to craft their own from scratch, one pan at a time. They studied at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna and took a course at a famed East Coast shop. Medzo Gelato has scooped in Seattle, Burien and Victoria B.C., but in 2023 the enterprise settled down in Tacoma. Flavors rotate regularly (check Facebook and Instagram for updates), from classics like pistachio, stracciatella, gianduja and Amarena cherry to ones inspired by their travels, including baklava, orange blossom and lemon mint. Especially for Tacoma, try the Grit City Gold, in which Almond Roca dots a rich dark chocolate gelato.

GLASS BOTTLE CREAMERY

▪ 17616 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, 206-463-1033, glassbottlecreamery.com

▪ Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Working with raw eggs is tricky business. Glass Bottle is one of the only local makers to have accepted the challenge, creating rich, downy scoops worth the ferry ticket from Point Defiance to Vashon’s attractive town center. As it goes on this bucolic island, local milk from Smith Brothers Farms also stars in the shop’s house recipes: Lemon-Poppy, Thin Mint, Pistachio, Theo Chocolate. Summertime brings unique concoctions such as Black Tea and Marionberry Oat, with cookies baked at owner Samantha Weigand’s sister company, Vashon Island Baking Co. In 2021, the petite shop moved across the street, splitting a building with new teriyaki restaurant and taproom Pop Pop Bottle Shop and adding arcade games for family-friendly fun. Grab an ice cream sandwich to share if available, and bring a cooler to pack a couple of pints.

SWEETLEE’S ICE CREAM

▪ Olympia truck: 2411 Harrison Ave. NW, Olympia, 360-764-0288, sweetleesicecream.com

▪ Monday-Friday 1-9 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 1-9:30 p.m.

▪ Steamboat pint shop: Companion Cove, 6644 Sexton Dr. NW, 360-995-2636, Tuesday/Thursday 2-8 p.m., Saturday 1-9 p.m., Sunday 1-8 p.m.

▪ Lacey Food Truck Depot: 5555 Pacific Ave. SE, 360-995-2367, hours vary

A veritable ice cream truck, Sweetlee’s began as a pandemic project in March 2021, helmed by the Lee family. Local ingredients shine in the Lemon Jam Crumble with tayberries from Johnson Berry Farm, cider from Lattin’s Country Mill in the Spiced Apple Sorbet, and Dancing Goats in the Cougar Coffee Caramel. Flagship favorites include Salted Cookies and Cream, Double Vanilla Bean and Banana Cream Pie, scooped into a homemade waffle cone. The ice cream is egg-free, sourced from Edaleen Dairy; their vegan recipe is made from-scratch. Look for the retro red-and-white logo next to Tacos California daily in West Olympia starting at 2 p.m., and follow along to catch the new second truck at public events. It’s also available to rent for private parties. A scoop shop is also slated to open at the Tumwater Craft District.

SOFIE’S SCOOPS GELATO

▪ 222 Market, 222 Capitol Way N, Olympia, 360-539-6797, sofiesscoops.com

▪ Monday-Thursday noon-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-9 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m.

In a Cattabriga Effe gelato machine imported from Italy, Sophia Landis and partner Christopher Proctor conjure decadent scoops unlike all others in the area. Importantly, they start every batch with raw milk from Tunawerth Creamery in Tenino, pasteurizing in-house — a time and attention-sucking process that most shops outsource to commercial supply. Flavors likewise stand out, whether you’re in for the Cookie Dough (really stracciatella with Theo Chocolate plus the bonus of homemade cookie dough), Elderflower and Vanilla, or the signature Oly Fog, an earthy black tea with whispers of rose. Check Instagram for Pint of the Month and seasonal specialties. Try an affogato with a freshly pulled shot of Olympia Coffee espresso, and on Sundays find joy in a gelato sandwich between two Bread Peddler cookies, perhaps after lunch at one of the other great eateries in 222 Market.

HUMBLE COW ICE CREAM

▪ 4528 Maple Lane SE, Olympia, 360-915-8019, humblecowicecream.com

▪ Daily 2-9 p.m.

Only a few months old, Humble Cow arrived in Olympia this year with more than a dozen everyday flavors — Rocky Road, Minty Chip, Oreo Cookie Cream — plus house spins on Coconut Cream, Salted Caramel and Birthday Party. Seasonals get playful, as in the Fluffy Bunny, a white chocolate-raspberry ice cream with mini marshmallows, or the vegan Pineapple Pina Colada Sorbet. The menu always offers vegan scoops, made here with a blend of coconut and oat milks, and generally leans into down-home ice cream goodness. Think Nostalgic Malt Ball and simply Vanilla. Dog-owners rejoice because you can order a dairy-free treat for your pup, while you taste-test through six mini-scoops served in a colorful egg carton — ask for the Tasters Flight.

JUJU’S FROZEN CUSTARD

▪ 208 4th Ave. W, Olympia, 360-810-2263, jujusicedcream.com

▪ Daily 1-9 p.m.

Midwestern frozen custard is the made-in-house treat to try at Juju’s, an offbeat shop in downtown Olympia with pastel umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, doors on the wall and a retro soda shop-style bar. (It replaced Grandpa’s.) The difference, they say, is egg yolks — and lots of ‘em. The origins of this ultra-smooth style likely dates to the early 1900s in Coney Island, when vendors supercharged their vanilla ice cream with yolks, in part for improved texture but also lower costs during wartime. It’s about simplicity, and Juju’s offers three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and one rotating special. Twist it into your choice of three kinds of cones or a fresh waffle cup; top with sprinkles! In addition to 20 flavors of iced cream, as it’s called here, don’t forget the vegan soft-serve in either vanilla, twist or a featured fruit.

OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN ICE CREAM

▪ 221 W Bambi Farms Road, Shelton, olympicmountainicecream.com

▪ Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

More than three decades later, Olympic Mountain remains a leader of the PNW ice cream scene. In the 1980s, Karl and Bev Black opened their first foray into frozen treatdom, Heavenly Gelato, in Lacey; two years later, they switched to wholesale production near their Shelton home. Since then, the brand has unveiled more than 150 flavors, from Black Walnut to Mango Pistachio, Chocolate Malt to Whiskey Caramel Praline, Red Bean to Thai Tea. They prioritize regional produce — Blueberry-Huckleyberry Cream please! — and there are dozens of sorbets, too, including Lemon Basil, Rhubarb and Tequila Lime. Find scoops at restaurants and pints at retailers up and down the Sound, but consider visiting the storefront to snag a 3-gallon tub for your next party. (Smaller amounts may be available — call for inquiries.)

SUNSHINE SCOOP ICE CREAM

▪ 8640 Martin Way E, Lacey, 360-742-9454, sunshinescoop.com

▪ Sunday & Tuesday-Thursday noon-9 p.m. (8 p.m. Wednesday), Friday-Saturday noon-10 p.m.

Tara and Sam Yoder introduced their ice cream shop in late 2021, replete with a kids’ play area and plenty of tables to enjoy a scoop. Using an egg-free base from Kent’s Medosweet Farms, everyday flavors include fresh strawberry, mint chip and bubblegum featuring colorful Big League Chew candies. Seasonal specialties range from black licorice to caramel macchiato, prickly pear Pucker Punch — a lemon base scattered with sour gummies — to horchata and prickly pear. Looking for a lower-sugar option? Try the vanilla version made with almond milk, heavy cream and allulose, a newfangled calorie-free sugar substitute. The menu also offers several dairy-free options, such as an oat milk strawberry ice cream and cherry chip sorbet.

SWEET D’LICIAS

▪ 22021 7th Ave. S, Des Moines, facebook.com/sweet.dlicias

▪ Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

Head north for the fruit-filled delights at this new Mexican antojitos shop in South King County. Owners Norma and Marco Flores currently feature seven varieties of their homemade ice cream: pecan, strawberry, mango, passionfruit, coconut and soursop, the tangy yet sweet tropical fruit also known as guanabana. This custard apple varietal smells a bit like pineapple but its taste is resonant of strawberry with a whisper of citrus and the texture of a banana smoothie — it’s delicious when frozen. Sample several in modestly sized scoops served in a takeaway beverage tray. Add an order of esquites and scoot over to Des Moines Beach for a breezy, Sound-front, quasi-tropical getaway.

This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.