Mark your calendar, sweet seekers looking to escape another brutal NYC summer–National Ice Cream Day is coming in cold on July 20th, and the city is serving up some seriously cool ways to celebrate. From over-the-top shareables to soft serve masterpieces and BBQ-inspired sweet treats, these standout scoops are redefining dessert in the city that never stops snacking. Whether you're chasing nostalgia, chasing another post to add to your IG feed, or just chasing that perfect bite, these spots have you covered—spoon in hand.

Sweet Graffiti (Herald Square/Koreatown) – Art School Soft Serve, But Make it Dessert
Soft serve gets a designer upgrade at this buzz-worthy new bakery from pastry chef Romina Peixoto (yes, of Eleven Madison Park fame). Their Dubai Ice Cream Sundae is a silky, stunning combo of vanilla soft serve, housemade pistachio cream, golden kataifi, pistachio crumbles, and chocolate syrup. It’s luxe, limited-edition, and basically begging for a photo op. 

Perfect for: Trendsetters, foodies & aesthetic-obsessed sweet tooths. 

Medium Rare (Murray Hill) – Steak Frites, Then Sprinkles
You came for the cult-favorite steak frites, but don’t sleep on dessert. Medium Rare’s Hot Fudge Sundae is an old-school classic done right: vanilla ice cream, warm fudge, whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles. It’s nostalgia in a dish—and yes, you still get complimentary seconds on the steak and fries. Très magnifique, indeed. . 

Perfect for: Date nights & over-the-top dessert lovers.

Virgil’s Real BBQ (Times Square) – BBQ Meets Ice Cream Dream
Fresh off celebrating 30 years of Southern BBQ excellence, Virgil’s is bringing their signature comfort to the dessert table with an ice cream treat worth saving room for. Picture chocolate chip and double chocolate chip cookies layered with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, then drizzled with hot fudge. It’s warm, cold, gooey, crunchy—basically everything you want after a plate of ribs or smoked wings. 

Perfect for: BBQ lovers, cookie monsters & sweet-and-savory fans. 

Carmine’s (Times Square, UWS) – The OG Italian-American Ice Cream Spectacle
When it comes to over-the-top indulgence, Carmine’s doesn’t just serve desserts—they perform them. Celebrating 35 years in NYC this summer, this iconic Italian-American institution is going big with their Titanic Sundae: six scoops of ice cream stacked on a chocolate torta, plus caramelized bananas, strawberries, hot fudge, whipped cream, and hazelnuts. It’s legendary, it’s larger-than-life, and it’s meant to be shared (or not—we’re not judging).  

Perfect for: Theatergoers, big groups & sweet spectacle seekers.