The essential Detroit area ice cream shops you should have tried by now

By Alex Washington on Fri, Apr 14, 2023 at 10:39 am

There’s nothing better than a hot summer day and frozen treat to cool you down. While there are some great chain places, nothing beats the smaller ice cream shops dishing out soft-serve and hard scoops on those scorching days.

From dipped cones and banana split sundaes to towering milkshakes and waffle sandwiches, you’re sure to scream for these frozen dessert shops.

Tags:

Scroll down to view images

The Custard Co./Facebook

The Custard Co.

2801 Monroe St., Dearborn; 313-274-1750; thecustardco.com

The Custard Company carries a variety of frozen delicacies including cookie sandwiches, shakes, and their ever popular sweet bun ice cream sandwiches.

Ashby's Sterling of Grosse Pointe / Facebook

Ashby’s Sterling of Grosse Pointe

20081 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods; 313-886-2560; ashbysicecream.com

Since 1984, Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream has been raking in awards and dishing out the goods for their dairy treats. You can turn any of their ice creams into a delicious shake.

1 of 20

Frosty Boy of Harrison Township/Facebook

Frosty Boy

38650 Jefferson Ave., Harrison Twp; 586-465-3322
Conveniently located next to Lake St. Clair Metro Park, Frosty Boy is Harrison Township’s beloved frozen custard spot. They’ve got soft serve, Dole whips, sundaes, shakes, flurries, and banana splits, but most importantly, they offer pup cups so your four-legged friends can get in on the ice cream action.

3 of 20

Treat Dreams/Facebook

Treat Dreams

22965 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-544-3440 | 621 E. 11 Mile Rd., Madison Heights

Treat Dreams rotates its ice cream flavors often, but don’t think you’ll only go and find chocolate or vanilla. You might walk in and see lobster bisque or zucchini bread on the menu. The shop just recently opened a Madison Heights location that is walk-up and drive-thru only.

4 of 20

The Custard Hut/Facebook

The Custard Hut

25947 W. Warren St., Dearborn Heights; 313-278-5577

Who says your frozen custard only has to be served in a cone or a cup? At The Custard Hut you can get your favorite frozen flavor packed between two waffles.

5 of 20

Family Treat/Facebook

Family Treat

2010 Springwells St., Detroit; 313-841-3522
Dipped cones, waffle cones, and sundaes are all classics you can find at Family Treats. If you just so happen to be hungry, you can grab a hot dog or a tac while you’re there.

6 of 20

The Split/Facebook

The Split

532 E. Nine Mile Rd., Hazel Park; 248-571-2064
Just because it’s named The Split, doesn’t mean that’s all it has to offer. The Split not only sells sundaes, but also soft-serve cones, mochi, waffle stacks and more.

7 of 20

Doug's Delight/Facebook

Doug’s Delight

1108, 23110 John R. St., Hazel Park; 248-307-7970
There’s nothing more Michigan than a Sanders bumpy cake and at Doug’s Delight you can get a Bumpy Cake Dougie (their version of a DQ Blizzard).

8 of 20

Screamers/Facebook

Screamers

44666 Mound Rd., Sterling Heights; 586-254-1414; goscreamers.com
Screamers is a family-owned ice cream shop founded in 2010. It might be younger than some of the other shops on this list, but it serves the same great ice cream flavors that we’re used to.

9 of 20

Wally's Frozen Custard / Facebook

Wally’s Frozen Custard

22501 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-552-5038; wallysfrozencustard.net

Michigan loves Superman ice cream, but what about Superman frozen custard? If you’re lucky, it’s a treat you can get when you visit Wally’s Frozen Custard.

10 of 20

Mangonadas Del Barrio/Facebook

Mangonadas Del Barrio

1210 Lawndale St., Detroit; 313-724-6074
A southwest Detroit favorite is home of the Mangonada, a frozen spicy Mexican fruit drink, but it also offers some incredibly over the top frozen treats and ice cream options.

11 of 20

Google Maps

Cold Truth

4240 Cass Ave., Suite 100, Detroit; 313-680-1199; coldtruthsoftserve.com

This Midtown soft serve joint offers out-of-the-box flavors like black sesame with strawberry balsamic drizzle, lavender, and black vanilla, but they always offer non-dairy options.

12 of 20

Ray's Ice Cream/Facebook

Ray's Ice Cream

4233 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 888-549-5256; raysicecream.com

Since 1958, Ray’s Ice Cream has been staying true to the retro soda shop vibe while serving out classic ice flavors like Mackinaw Island Fudge and Cherry Vanilla.

13 of 20

Dairy-O / Facebook

Dairy-O

208 S. Main St., Clawson; 248-916-7700

Dairy-O is the ice cream shop of your childhood dreams. Serving up cones, sundaes, floats, coolers, flurries, glaciers, slushies, and smoothies, all of which can be topped and drizzled upon.

14 of 20

Google Maps

Jim’s Frostie Treats

1528 E. Eleven Mile Rd., Royal Oak; 248-399-7919; jimsfrostietreats.com
Jim’s Frostie Treats has been a Royal Oak favorite since 1969, serving traditional soft-serve flavors, shakes, Dole whip, and more.

15 of 20

Bob Jo's Frozen Custard/Facebook

Bob Jo's Frozen Custard

4071 Fort St., Wyandotte; 734-282-6818

Bob Jo’s has been operating since the 1950s as a classic roadside custard and yogurt haven. There are 25 special flavors available as well as traditional faves like a vanilla-chocolate twist dipped in sprinkles.

16 of 20

Google Maps

Detroit Water Ice Factory

1014 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-888-9106; detroitwaterice.com

Ok, so technically Italian water ice isn’t ice cream, but the shaved ice treat from Detroit Water Ice Factory is the perfect way to cool off while enjoying Downtown.

17 of 20

The Dairy Maid/Facebook

The Dairy Maid

31817 Utica Rd., Fraser; 586-294-1660

This family-owned shop is known for its drive-thru service, which can attracts a long line — but fans insist it's worth the wait.

18 of 20

Google Maps

Taylor Queen Ice Cream Shop

25650 Ecorse Rd., Taylor; 734-776-9999

Not all royalty live in castles, some live in big red barns filled with delicious ice cream. Taylor Queen Ice Cream Shop, which specializes in specialty sundaes like the peanut buster, which is loaded with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, butterscotch, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry.

19 of 20

Google Maps

Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store

32808 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-565-1071 | 6854 Rochester Rd., Troy; 248-250-9574; oberweis.com

Oberweis is a regional Midwestern chain mostly based in Illinois. Their motto? Stop when you smell the waffle cone.

20 of 20