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If at first you don’t succeed – try another flavor: Philadelphia Ice Cream

Here is what you always wanted to know about ice cream but were too bored to ask. Wait a sec – that doesn’t make sense. If you’re too bored, why would you think of asking? I don’t know. I’ve written myself into a logical black hole and here I am not even out of the first paragraph yet.

To borrow a phrase from Nirvana’s sterling album …nevermind.

The United States is the number one consumer of ice cream in the world, followed by New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, and Belgium. Each American consumes an average of 23 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices, and other commercially produced frozen dairy products.

The most popular flavor of ice cream is vanilla (29%), followed by chocolate (9%), butter pecan (5%), strawberry (5%), and neopolitan (4%).

More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any day of the week.

Too many statistics make your head hurt.

Philadelphia has really great ice cream parlors. I’m going to tell you about a few of them now, so pay strict attention. If you don’t go out for ice cream within three days of reading this article you’re officially weird.

Bredenbeck’s Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor
(8126 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, PA, Tel:215.247.7374)
Bredenbeck’s bakery has been alive and well in Philadelphia since 1889! That’s one-hundred and nineteen in cake years. The ice cream parlor side of things is sort of a Johnny-come-lately, having opened in 1985 but the selection will make you…wait for it…wait…SCREAM! Yes, I did say scream for ice cream. You knew it had to happen at least once.

The parlor serves hand-dipped sundaes, milkshakes, and cones, and features a magnificent selection of Haagen Dazs and Bassett’s ice creams, as well light Dannon frozen, soft-serve yogurt. People come from miles around to savor the flavors.

Bassett’s Ice Cream
(1211 Chestnut Street, Suite 410, Philadelphia, PA, 215.864.2771)
Holy double-dipped chocolate waffle cones! Bassett’s is even older, established in 1861 by Lewis Bassett, a Quaker school teacher and farmer. He used a mule-turned churn to make his ice cream. Hat’s off to you, and your little mule too, for your dedication, Mr. Bassett.

For more than five generations, Bassett’s has produced one of the finest super premium ice creams in more than one hundred different flavors. Care to taunt your palate with such tongue quivering favorites as yellow tomato or borscht? No? How about double chocolate, cinnamon, butterscotch vanilla, or rum raisin (must be 21+ to get this one)? I don’t know about you but any ice creamery that thinks single chocolate just ain’t enough is okay in my book.

The Franklin Fountain
(No. 116 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215.627.1899)
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” That quote from Benjamin Franklin is posted prominently on The Franklin Fountain’s website.

Hail to the scribe, baby. Ben knows of what he speaks.

In a cyber-style ripped straight from colonial times, you know this is gonna be good from the first click – er- lick. It was a chilly January night in 2003 that the Berley boys, Ryan and Eric, decided to build an authentic ice cream parlor and soda fountain in a turn-of-the-century building the family owned on Market Street in the heart of Old City.

Eric heads to New York to study ice cream making under an expert chef. Eight solid months of construction ensued. The Franklin Fountain was ready to sneak into the public eye the last week of summer 2004.

Go taste what joyous marvels the boys hath wrought. That BF quote hangs in their store for a reason.

Capogiro Gelato Artisans
(119 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, Tel: 215.351.0900)
AND
(117 S. 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA, Tel: 215.636.9250)
You want people serious about selling ice cream? How about this quote from Stephanie at Capogiro, “As a result of kicking some serious farmer ass, I am getting the first of the season’s strawberries weeks early WEEKS!”

Nice job, Stephanie. Farmers beware.

I’m betting those fresh enough to slap strawberries will shortly be finding their way into some sort of ice cream product. Just a wild guess.

With an idea conceived while on vacation in Italy, John and Stephanie Reitano made it their mission to bring Italy’s national treat to America. Following Italian tradition, Stephanie looks locally for seasonal produce and hand crafts gelato in small batches each morning. What the heck is gelato?

Look at their website and try not to drool on your keyboard.

Scoop DeVille, an Exotic Ice Cream Parlor
(1734 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, Tel: 215.988.9992)
Here’s an ice cream parlor that delivers within three square blocks of the store, with a $10 minimum order! Man, good idea.

They’ve got candy blends, an entire line of decadent flavors, shakes, cakes, pies, and an extensive list of personal dessert inventions. I could do my job and list them all here but then I’d have to go to the hospital and have my carpal tunnel examined. Why don’t you just visit their website instead and pretend like I told you about it? Thanks.

I’m sure this is not all there is to know about ice cream in Philadelphia but if you check out these five parlors I can’t imagine anyone not having a belly-dragging good time. And if you want to be the proud owner of even more startlingly useless facts about ice cream, go here: Ice Cream Trivia.

Find more Philadelphia ice cream events on our calendar.

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