The ice cream scene in Los Angeles has changed enough in the last five years that it warrants a guide, or at least an opinionated overview from someone who has made the rounds. This is not a comprehensive list of every artisan scoop shop in the city. This is the places we have taken Charlotte and Madeline, and the places I go when the girls are in school and I want something interesting without having to share it. Here are four shops worth the drive, what makes each one different, and exactly where to find them.
Salt & Straw: Chef-Driven Flavors That Rotate Monthly
The Portland-based creamery that expanded into Los Angeles a few years ago builds a rotating monthly flavor menu around collaborations with local chefs, farmers, and producers. The combinations are more interesting than they read on a menu board, and the seasonal specials have included things I have thought about for days afterward. Their honey lavender and their sea salt with caramel ribbons are classics for a reason. The lines can be long on weekends, but they move quickly and the staff is generous with samples, so it is worth it. If you are the kind of person who likes to taste your way through five flavors before committing, this is the shop that welcomes it.
- Where to go: The Abbot Kinney flagship in Venice (1357 Abbot Kinney Blvd) is the original LA shop. There are also Westside-friendly locations in Brentwood (11640 San Vicente Blvd), Larchmont (240 N Larchmont Blvd), and Studio City (12180 1/2 Ventura Blvd), among others.
- Hours: Generally 11am–11pm daily (some locations open at noon).
- Order this: Whatever the monthly special is, plus a scoop of sea salt with caramel ribbons as your reliable anchor.
- Good to know: Weekend evenings are busiest; go on a weekday afternoon if you want the samples without the wait.
Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams: Family-Owned and Made Daily
Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams is a family-owned shop on the Westside, and the ice cream is made fresh in the kitchen every day. That daily, small-batch approach shows in the precision of the flavors, which taste like someone is genuinely thinking about each one rather than churning out a catalog. The standout is the Rouge Chocolate, a red bean chocolate that is unusually high in fat, which gives it a deep, rich chocolate intensity you do not get from a standard chocolate scoop. It is the kind of flavor that rewards ordering something a little outside your usual lane, and it is exactly the sort of place I want to support: a real family operation making something distinctive rather than chasing a trend.
- Where to go: 12550 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066 (Mar Vista / Culver City area).
- What makes it special: Family-owned, made in-house daily, with flavors you will not find at the bigger chains.
- Order this: The Rouge Chocolate (red bean chocolate) if you want the richest chocolate on the Westside.
- Good to know: It is a neighborhood spot, so it pairs well with a low-key afternoon rather than a crowded weekend outing.
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams: A 1949 Classic on the Promenade
McConnell’s has been making ice cream in Santa Barbara since 1949, and that longevity comes through in the approach. The dairy is local and the flavor philosophy is more classic than trend-driven, which means the pistachio is exceptional and the chocolate is the kind of reliable pleasure that does not need to be innovative to be excellent. Madeline has gone through several phases of McConnell’s loyalty and is currently in an active one. When I want ice cream that tastes like a refined version of what ice cream is supposed to taste like, this is where I go. The brand makes its base from scratch and leans on quality dairy rather than gimmicks, and you can taste the difference in something as simple as the vanilla.
- Where to go: The Santa Monica shop is on the Third Street Promenade (1456 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica 90401). There is also a location at Grand Central Market in Downtown LA (317 S Broadway) and one in Studio City (12073 Ventura Place).
- Hours: Santa Monica is open roughly 11am–10pm (until 11pm Friday and Saturday); Grand Central Market runs 11am–9pm daily.
- Order this: The pistachio, or the salted caramel chip if you want a classic done right.
- Good to know: The Promenade location is an easy add-on to a Santa Monica afternoon, with plenty of strolling to walk it off afterward.
Sweet Rose Creamery: Small-Batch and Organic at the Brentwood Country Mart
To round out the guide, Sweet Rose Creamery is the small-batch, organic option that leans into whimsical, nostalgic flavors made with thoughtful, locally sourced ingredients. The flagship at the Brentwood Country Mart is one of the more pleasant places in the city to eat a cone, with sunny outdoor seating and a shaded patio that makes it an easy stop while you stroll. The seasonal menu changes often, and the quality of the dairy and the restraint in the recipes is exactly what you want when you are in the mood for something handmade rather than flashy. It is the kind of place where the setting is half the appeal, which makes it a natural stop with kids in tow.
- Where to go: Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th Street, Suite 51, Santa Monica 90402. There are also Colony Cooks locations in Santa Monica (11419 Santa Monica Blvd) and Venice (401 Lincoln Blvd).
- Hours: Brentwood Country Mart is open 12pm–10pm Monday–Thursday and 12pm–11pm Friday–Sunday.
- Order this: Whatever the seasonal flavor is, since that is where the kitchen shows off.
- Good to know: The Country Mart has shops and casual food too, so it works as a longer outing rather than a quick stop.
Build Your Own Westside Ice Cream Crawl
Because three of these four shops cluster on the Westside, you can build a very respectable ice cream crawl out of them in an afternoon. A natural route: start at Sweet Rose at the Brentwood Country Mart, drift south to Salt & Straw on San Vicente in Brentwood, swing over to Ginger’s Divine on Washington in Mar Vista, and finish at McConnell’s on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica with a walk along the water. Order a single scoop at each rather than a double, share where you can, and you will get a genuine cross-section of how different LA’s best scoop shops really are, from trend-forward to classic to family-run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which shop is best with kids? Sweet Rose at the Brentwood Country Mart, thanks to the outdoor seating and the surrounding shops, and Salt & Straw for the generous sampling that keeps indecisive kids happy.
Which has the most adventurous flavors? Salt & Straw, by design, with its rotating chef collaborations, followed by Ginger’s Divine for the unusual Rouge Chocolate.
Where should I go for the classics? McConnell’s, which has been perfecting traditional flavors since 1949.
How to Choose
If you want adventurous, ever-changing flavors, go to Salt & Straw. If you want something rich and a little unexpected from a family-run kitchen, go to Ginger’s Divine for the Rouge Chocolate. If you want a refined take on the classics, McConnell’s has been perfecting them since 1949. And if you want small-batch organic in one of the prettiest settings in town, Sweet Rose at the Brentwood Country Mart is the move. The good news is they are all close enough together on the Westside that you do not really have to choose just one, which is exactly the kind of research I am happy to keep doing.
