It’s no secret that spring has officially kicked off over the past couple days, with warm weather and the undeniable urge to hang around outside. The good news is that there is a plethora of spots right outside your door waiting to serve you some of the best ice cream, water ice and gelato the city has to offer. So grab your kids, grabs your dates, throw on some shorts and live like it’s July already with these sweet treat spots.
1. Bredenbeck’s Bakery – Bredenbeck’s has served the community for over a century and is still going strong. Though Bredenbeck’s is most renowned for its wedding cakes, there are plenty of treats to go around in this classic bakery, and its ice cream parlor is hard to beat. The parlor, which has existed here since 1986, is open seasonally and offers all the classics, from hand-dipped cones to banana splits and everything in between.
Location: 8126 Germantown Ave.
2. Trolley Car Ice Cream – The Trolley Car Ice Cream Shoppe, as stated on its website, is hard to miss as you’re driving along Germantown Ave. This ice cream spot, which operates out of the trolley car, is a great family spot and offers 16 different flavors of Edy’s ice cream, six homemade water ices a few flavors of real soft serve. They’ve got shakes, sundaes and more, and if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, take the kids and get yourself a hot dog or soft pretzel.
Location: 7611 Germantown Ave
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3. Roller’s Express-O – Roller’s Expresso-O on the Ave. isn’t just a great, quick breakfast and lunch spot anymore. Home of Basset’s ice cream, this restaurant is just one of the handful of Roller’s restaurants with a stone’s throw of each other in Chestnut Hill. Stop in and grab some lunch, and top it off with some delicious ice cream or milkshake treats.
Location: 8341 Germantown Ave.
4. – It’s true, the Chestnut Hill Farmer’s Market has everything you could be looking for, from Indian cuisine to fresh produce. And, of course, some phenomenal gelato. Poppy’s Bakery, which sits smack dab in the midst of the market, is also home to a gourmet coffee shop and a gelato shop right next door. What better way to augment a day of grocery shopping than with a fresh scoop of Italian desserts?
Location: Behind the Chestnut Hill Hotel at 8229 Germantown Ave.
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5. Video Library: SCOOP at the Video Library next door in Germantown Ave. is a great spot to check out some interesting movies titles and grab some ice cream. Another proud supporter of Bassett’s, SCOOP offers an array of sundaes, milkshakes, egg creams and more that is sure to leave your mouth watering at the end of the day. The video library used to be part of a drug store, so the old-timey soda fountain feel still rings true.
Location: 7141 Germantown Ave.
