The inside scoop on Buffalo's ice cream scene

We’ll go out in a blizzard to get a (Dairy Queen) Blizzard—or our local favorite’s equivalent. We’ll wait in long lines on hot sidewalks for an ice cream cone that starts to melt as soon as we receive it. We’ll call in the morning to see what the flavor of the day is and then show up at opening to buy it.

Though it’s clear Buffalonians don’t need any particular reason to want an ice cream, every shop has something a little different going for it. Here are five local favorites and what makes them unique.

Sweet Jenny’s

Sweet Jenny’s Ice Cream in Williamsville is located along the gorgeous Glen Falls, inside a charming 1811 mill, which previously processed just about everything from wood to grain to corn to apples. Now it cranks out small batches of ice cream and other sweet treats. But the shop could have easily faced a very different fate.

“These buildings were falling into disrepair and in danger of being torn down,” says Sweet Jenny’s co-owner Howard Cadmus. “My wife, Tara, and I made a public bid to purchase these buildings for our ice cream, chocolate and confections shop.”

The couple brought a real sweet tooth skill set to the table too. Howard grew up making ice cream and chocolate downstate, while Tara studied desserts in Europe. Sweet Jenny’s now offers over 30 flavors of delicious ice cream that are all handmade fresh on-site. The not-so-secret secret is that the shop uses a micro-batch freezing technique that prevents air from whipping into the cream, which makes it so thick and rich that it has to be hand-packed for optimal enjoyment.

It’s one of the touches that Howard is most proud of—in addition to their decision to add more butter.

“Our butter content is very high. If not the highest, one of the highest,” he says. “Our cream comes from local upstate farms too. Quality is very important to us. It’s not so much following trends but listening to our customers and what they want.”

Social media: @sweetjennysicecream

Must-try flavor: Salted Caramel Truffle, a rich chocolatey base with sweet and subtle caramel undertones.

Alethea’s Ice Cream Parlor and Dessert Cafe

With Alethea’s, the cherry on top is really the cherry on top. All of their inventive Chocolate Shop Sundaes are heavy on the toppings, which are entirely made on-site. From house-made caramel and marshmallow sauces to freshly whipped cream to gourmet confections made in the chocolate shop next door, these finishing touches start off every sundae on a delicious note.

“Our namesake, Alethea, made confections going all the way back to her hometown of Kozani, Greece,” says Joanne Mitchell, marketing director with Alethea’s Chocolates and Ice Cream Café. “And before we were known as Alethea’s, we were The Garden of Sweets on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. In 1979, the Tassy family purchased this historic estate in Williamsville to consolidate the store and factory into one location, and we’ve been open here since 1985.”

When you walk in, you’ll be transported to a malt shop in Greece. Cozy white tables with heart-shaped chairs fill the dining room that is outlined with the Greek key pattern. A bright pink neon sign on the window reads, “Ice Cream Parlor.”

The experience doesn’t end there—even the vessel that your ice cream is served in is part of the show.

“We serve everything out of glass or metal dishes,” Joanne says. “We don’t serve anything out of paper, unless it’s takeout. It’s how ice cream should be eaten.”

Social media: @aletheaschoco

Must-try sundae: Sponge Candy Crazy. Vanilla ice cream with a homemade chocolate sauce and crushed sponge candy is topped with whipped cream, bittersweet drizzle and a whole piece of Alethea’s legendary sponge candy.

Fran-Ceil Custard

Fran Ceil Custard in Blasdell isn’t in the business of monkeying with tradition.

“Way before I was born, Fran Ceil Custard opened in 1951,” says owner Joe Dzialak. “The original owners were two brothers who were married to two sisters, Francine and Celia. So they named it Fran Ceil’s (pronounced fran seal) after their wives.”

The Dzialak family took over when Joe’s parents bought Fran Ceil when it was for sale in 1980. Joe eventually took over and has owned it for 20 years. He is modest when I ask how he achieves optimum creaminess in his custard.

“There’s a couple of factors when making ice cream,” Joe says. “The cream you start with. The air you put into it. The temperature you serve it at. Everything is adjustable. My father learned from the original owners and passed onto me.”

The secret must be to know when you’ve got something good. And Fran Ceil definitely does.

The stand has 12 rotating custard flavors, and people are always clamoring to know what’s on now and what will be on next. So much so that Joe developed a free mobile app that can send a push alert when a new flavor is available. The most popular is pistachio, which is sweet and subtly nutty.

Fran Ceil also offers sundaes, shakes, hard scoop, artic swirl (a Blizzard equivalent), soda floats, sprinkles and dips, banana splits, puppy cups and homemade sherbet.

“It’s like working at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory,” Joe laughs. “This is where the magic happens.”

Social media: @FranCeilCustard

Must-try flavors: Fan favorite Pistachio Twist, a creamy twist of vanilla and subtly nutty and sweet pistachio custard. Don’t miss the homemade Loganberry Sherbet, either. It’s light and refreshing with a distinct berry flavor.

Lake Effect Ice Cream

“I teach art and Erik (Bernardi) teaches biology at Lockport High School,” explains Jason Wulf, co-owner, along with Erik, of Lake Effect Ice Cream. “We were hobby ice cream makers with no food service experience. But we knew we didn’t want to make copies of other ice creams in the area. We wanted to make things that people have never seen before.”

With hard scoop flavors like London fog, Frank’s Red Hot and Paula’s glazed donut, it’s safe to say: mission accomplished.

After doing the festival and market circuit, the duo opened their first brick and mortar shop in Lockport in 2013, then a second in North Buffalo in 2017. Flavor development is a tag-team of their unique skill sets.

“Inspiration comes from absolutely everywhere, and we aren’t afraid to experiment either,” says Jason. “When making our birthday cake flavor, we stuffed an actual ice cream cake in the machine, too.”

The menu has roughly 24 hard ice cream flavors on at a time, with 10 to 15 of those being regulars. The rest are rotated at will. You can also find artisan sundaes, ice cream bars, popsicles, boba milk floats, ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cakes.

Social media: @lakeeffecticecream

Must-try flavors: Paula’s Glazed Donut. It features generous bits of Paula’s donuts with a glazed donut ice cream base.

Nick Charlap's Ice Cream, Inc.

Milk and cream runs through Nick Charlap’s veins. The owner of Nick Charlap’s Ice Cream, Inc., he started learning the dairy and ice cream business from his father when it was still Charlaps Dairy Incorporated, a wholesale business that served the Western New York area.

Nick eventually decided to ditch that model in favor of brick-and-mortar ice cream stands.

“When people have an ice cream cone in their hand, they have a big smile. That’s enough for me,” he says.

Nick opened his first location in 1998 and is up to six total. You can find Nick Charlap’s Ice Cream in Angola, Boston, Buffalo, Hamburg and West Seneca. Known for premium hard ice cream, the business offers over 40 flavors including cinnamon, bourbon praline pecan, and butter crunch. Nick understands that every flavor is someone’s favorite and shows appropriate reverence.

“My dad always drilled consistency into me,” he says. “If you’re making cherry vanilla, does it have enough cherries? If you’re making cashew caramel crunch, are there cashews in every bite? We keep it simple and consistent. People will come back for that.”

Social media: @nickcharlapsicecream

Must-try flavor: Butter Crunch, a butterscotch base with tiny butter crunchies.