Where to Find the Best Soft-Serve Ice Cream in Greater Boston
These scoop shops and restaurants have the sweetest, creamiest cones.
Soft-serve ice cream at Buttermilk & Bourbon. / Courtesy photo
If you’re generally looking for the best ice cream in Boston, we’ve got you covered here. Sometimes, though, it’s specifically soft serve that you’re craving—the lightest, smoothest stuff you can lap off a cone or scoop out of a cup. When those hankerings hit, please turn your attention to the handful of top spots below. It was hard to narrow ’em down, but they’ve got the best soft serve in town.
This guide was last updated in August 2023; watch for periodic updates.
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Broadway Dairy Maid
Neither snow nor early sunsets nor subarctic temperatures will stop us—hardy Bostonians will eat ice cream any time of year. Which is why we’re always a little sad that this retro-style stand in Everett (look for the blue-and-yellow awning!) is a seasonal operation that usually shutters by the end of October. We want more time to snatch the swirls of banana/strawberry, pistachio/coffee, and other soft-serve flavor combos that have made Broadway a local star since 1981.
960 Broadway, Everett, 617-389-3433, facebook.com/broadwaydairymaid.
Soft-serve ice cream at Buttermilk & Bourbon. / Courtesy photo
Buttermilk & Bourbon
As a chef, blue-haired Hell’s Kitchen star Jason Santos has a rep for crowd-pleasing playfulness of the Guy Fieri sort. It’s no surprise, then, that the soft serve featured at his New Orleans-inspired restaurant, Buttermilk & Bourbon, comes in rotating “soft serve of the day” varieties that sound straight out of Flavortown: peanut butter and jelly, Fruity Pebbles, and cotton candy, to name a few. At Buttermilk & Bourbon, they’re typically served in salted pretzel cones; at Santos’ other Boston restaurants, Citrus & Salt and Nash Bar, meanwhile, soft serve is—even better!—dispensed in drinking glasses as a base for brunchtime mimosas.
160 Commonwealth Ave., Back Bay, Boston, 617-266-1122; 100 Arsenal Yards Blvd., Watertown, 857-760-7128; buttermilkbourbon.com.
Celebrity Pizza
Cheesecake, tutti frutti, egg nog, bubble gum—a Watertown icon for over 30 years, Celebrity Pizza is known for its huge selection of soft-serve ice cream flavors. Get yours dipped in a chocolate or cherry shell to kick things up a notch. (Pizza and fried seafood round out the menu.)
684 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, 617-924-0009, celebritypizzainc.com.
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Chaji Creamery
This Quincy shop highlights ube, pandan, Thai tea, and brown sugar milk tea soft serve—try them on their own, or get a colorful swirl of ube and pandan or a buzzy hit of caffeine with the two tea flavors twisted together. There are loads of toppings, too, from popping boba to Pocky sticks. Don’t want to make too many decisions? Chaji makes it easy with a few pre-designed sundaes. The ube option, for example, is topped with mochi, corn flakes, white chocolate pearls, and a condensed milk drizzle. Coming from Boston? Chaji is steps from the Wollaston station on the Red Line.
293 Newport Ave., Quincy, 617-992-4653, chajicreamery.com.
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Dairy Joy
Frankly, the fried clams, lobster rolls, and hot dogs already give us plenty to be happy about here. That said, at this charming roadside stand in the suburbs—a walk-up window with a smattering of picnic tables, basically—the truly unbridled joy is definitely saved for dessert: soft-serve ice cream in signature flavors such as creamsicle and javaberry (coiled swirls of coffee and raspberry). Oh, and despite the name, there’s a strong selection of dairy-free options to cheer up the cream-free set.
311 North Ave., Weston, 781-894-2600, facebook.com/dairyjoyweston.
Eventide’s brown butter soft serve. / Photo by Zack Bowen/Knack Factory
Eventide Fenway
The Boston outpost of Portland, Maine’s lauded Eventide Oyster Co. only serves a couple flavors of soft serve, and that’s all you really need, especially when one is brown butter drizzled with bourbon caramel and studded with maple candied pecans. (Hint: Order it as a follow-up to the famous brown-butter lobster roll.) It’s a singular sensation—and one you won’t even find at Eventide’s original Pine Tree State restaurant. Fenway for the win.
1321 Boylston St., Fenway, Boston, 617-545-1060, eventideoysterco.com.
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Far Out
Okay, okay—if you want to get technical, Far Out ice cream isn’t soft serve by strict definition. Ultimately, though, if you’re looking for the same kind of lightly luscious texture, you’ll find it in Far Out’s New Zealand-style “real fruit ice cream”: hard-packed ice cream that has been machine-blended with (what else?) fresh fruit. The result, offered at this Brookline shop in flavors like mango, pineapple, and “kookaberry,” is supremely sweet and delicious soft serve…in spirit.
419 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-487-8102, farouticecream.com.
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Honeycomb Creamery
The first thing to know about one of Boston’s best ice cream shops is that you should show up on a Tuesday: That’s when Honeycomb doles out its famous ice cream tacos (!) on a first come, first served basis. The second thing to know is that the soft serve is no side project here. Sure, Honeycomb only offers two rotating flavors at a time—caramel and sweet corn are currently on the agenda—but they’re made with the same small-batch care and super-fresh dairy (sourced from Mapleline Farm in Hadley) as the hard-packed stuff.
1702 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-714-3983, honeycombcreamery.com.
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Lakon Paris Patisserie
Best known for its over-the-top weekend croissant specials that draw hours-long lines, Lakon has added a vanilla soft-serve-stuffed croissant to its specialty lineup. Watch for it to make appearances on Saturdays and Sundays (Newton location only)—keep an eye on Instagram for the current roster.
1169 Walnut St., Newton, 857-297-2181, lakonparispatisserie.com.
Soft-serve frozen yogurt topped with a treat at La Saison. / Courtesy photo
La Saison Bakery
This Cambridge favorite makes—among other things—exemplary croissants, chocolate cake, and sourdough bread. Watch for soft serve, too—technically frozen yogurt here, but we’ll allow it! When available, it comes in flavors like saffron, cardamom, rosewater, chocolate, and vanilla. Better yet, you can order it in a cake cone or croissant if a standard cup isn’t exciting enough for you. What doesn’t this little bakery do?
407 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-0009, lasaison-bakery.com.
Matcha and vanilla soft serve at Matcha Café Maiko. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Matcha Café Maiko
Matcha lovers, this one’s for you: Matcha Café Maiko is a Hawaii-based chain and a love letter to Japan—particularly its matcha, which Matcha Café Maiko sources from the Japanese city of Uji. At the Fenway location, find vanilla and matcha soft serve with toppings like mochi, chestnuts, adzuki beans, and even gold leaf if you’re feeling fancy.
115 Jersey St., Fenway, Boston, 617-322-5360, matchacafe-maiko.com.
Maple and vanilla soft-serve ice cream at Momma’s Grocery & Wine. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Momma’s Grocery & Wine
Momma’s, which opened in mid-2023, is your friendly neighborhood grocery store for all things local, plenty of smiles, and soft-serve ice cream with a nod to Vermont—maple! “Maple is like our vanilla; we will always have it,” says owner Danielle Pattavina. “I’m a big fan of maple creemees.” (Accordingly, the milk and cream Momma’s uses for soft serve comes from the Green Mountain state.) Currently, find maple alongside either chocolate or vanilla, depending on the day. “Our soft serve is high fat, 10%!” notes Pattavina. “That’s unique and makes it so creamy and custardy.”
2304 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge, mommasgrocery.com.
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Pagu
What better way to follow up a hearty meal of ramen or braised pork belly bao or suckling pig than with cool, creamy soft serve? Pagu’s version lets you choose matcha or maple—or twist!—with toppings of caramel and candied sunflower seeds. (Adorable pug not included in purchase.) And while you’re enjoying dessert, you can feel extra satisfied knowing you’re supporting a restaurant that supports its community.
310 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, gopagu.com.
Vanilla soft serve at PlantPub. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
PlantPub
This cozy and casual Kendall Square joint features comfort food that’s entirely vegan, from pizza to fried “chicken” sandwiches to dessert. The soft serve, which is made with an oat milk base, comes in vanilla or chocolate (or swirl), with the option to add rainbow sprinkles or Oreos. Or, add it to root beer for a classic float.
675 West Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge, 617-714-5452, plantpub.com.
Taiyaki NYC soft serve. / Photo courtesy of the Boston Seaport
Taiyaki NYC
A New York-founded entry in Boston’s soft serve scene, Taiyaki stands out for its namesake fish-shaped cones, a popular street food in Japan. Here, those waffle-like fish mouths are filled with flavors like chocolate, matcha, and strawberry-mango, as well as fit-for-TikTok toppings like unicorn sprinkles, whole cookies, and rainbow mochi. There are two local locations: one in the Seaport and one in Harvard Square, with the latter being a combo location with mochi doughnut shop the Dough Club.
119 Seaport Blvd., Seaport District, Boston, 617-531-3514; 6 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, taiyakinyc.com.
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Tenderoni’s
This Fenway spot from restaurateur Tiffani Faison is where it’s at for “big disco energy,” two-and-a-half-foot-long pizzas, and Hungry Hungry Hippos. The fun-loving crowds can end their meals with one of several soft-serve sundaes. There’s the Malibu Barbie, for example, with vanilla soft serve, coconut cream, brown sugar rum pineapple, and pink sprinkles, or the Whatchamacallit with chocolate soft serve, peanut butter caramel sauce, chocolate fudge, and caramel peanut butter rice crispies.
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Vinal General Store
This marvelous, modern spin on an old-school sandwiches-and-sundries shop—a sibling operation to neighbor Vinal Bakery—gets a lot of love for its soft serve in particular. Not only does this general store offer excellent renditions of classic flavor swirls, such as black raspberry with vanilla, but it spruces them up with New England-made products pulled from its shelves: You might find the ice cream covered in crumbled maple potato chips from Vintage Maine Kitchen, for instance, or used in floats with Worcester-made Polar soda.
220 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville, 617-718-0568, vinalgeneralstore.com.
