National Ice Cream Day is here to help you beat the heat.
Ice cream shops across the city on Sunday will be scooping up limited-edition flavors, offering special promotions and dishing out free treats to celebrate the food holiday that comes just once a year.
Don’t miss out on any opportunities to satisfy your sweet tooth on the cheap. Check out our tip sheet:
Freebies and discounts
Buy one soft serve, get one 50 percent off at Godiva
Stroll into one of Godiva’s four New York “boutiques” to nab one of its signature dark chocolate, vanilla, or swirl soft serve flavors in a chocolate- and almond-dipped specialty waffle cone. The specialty is called the “dark chocolate decadence.” Or, order it in a cup. For a limited time only, shops will also be serving mango raspberry soft serve and parfaits. Cups cost $5.95; cones are $6.95. (Multiple locations, stores.godiva.com)
Free scoop at Dylan’s Candy Bar
Dylan’s Candy Bar is giving away one free scoop to anyone who mentions National Ice Cream Day at the ice cream counter on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. (Multiple locations, dylanscandybar.com)
Free flavors at Nutella Café
Nutella Café will give away one free scoop of gelato between 3 and 5 p.m. on Sunday. The café’s deal offers two flavors: Artigianale, gelato made will Nutella, or Fior di Latte, flower of milk. In addition to free scoops, the shop will also give away a frozen Nutella Pop topped with chopped hazelnuts to the first 50 customers who arrive after 3 p.m. (116 University Place, facebook.com/NutellaCafeNewYork)
Free Halo Top pops
Halo Top pop-ups will open across the nation on Sunday, including at Supermoon Bakehouse in NYC. Starting at noon, the pop-up will give away one Halo Top Pop per person, while supplies last, to anyone who shows up. For those who can’t make it to the pop-up location, Halo Top is teaming up with Bumble to offer coupons for one free box of Halo Top pops for those who swipe right on the offer. The deal begins at noon. (120 Rivington St., halotop.com)
FrutaPOP X Whitman’s NYC
FrutaPOP is giving away its alcohol-infused coconut rosé and coconut brosé “poptails” at Whitman’s NYC on Sunday. The giveaway will last until pops are gone; limit one per person. (261 Hudson St., frutapop.com)
Free scoop at Dasher & Crank
The Miami-based ice cream shop’s Gansevoort Meatpacking pop-up will be giving away a free second scoop to anyone purchasing a single scoop to celebrate on Sunday. Known for inventive flavors, like a purple Ube vegan or Zak the Baker Babka N Cream, the shop will be giving out free second-scoops all day. (18 Ninth Ave., dasherandcrank.com)
Free My/Mo Mochi at UNIQLO
Stop by UNIQLO’s Fifth Avenue or SoHo locations anytime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday for free My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream in flavors like sweet mango, ripe strawberry, vanilla blueberry and s’mores. My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream is served in bite-size balls, wrapped in sweet rice mochi dough. (546 Broadway and 666 Fifth Ave., mymomochi.com)
Discounted ice cream at Whole Foods for Prime members
As if Prime Day wasn’t enough, Amazon Prime members will also receive 35% off all frozen treats at Whole Foods through Saturday in celebration of National Ice Cream Month. From Talenti, to packaged Mochi, to Halo Top, all frozen desserts are in on the discount. (Multiple locations, wholefoodsmarket.com)
Free mini cones at Slate NY’s pop-up
Slate will stir up childhood excitement Wednesday through Sunday when its “Cone Club” pop-up serves free mini ice cream cones in vanilla cream, prickly pear, or swirl flavors to anyone who follows @SlateNY and @cone.club. For those who choose not to follow, cones start at $6. (54 W. 21 St., slate-ny.com)
BOGO at Carvel
Stop by Carvel for a cup or cone filled with classic, no-frills attached, soft serve and get another one free at any shop from opening until close on Sunday. (Multiple locations, carvel.com)
Polosud
Polosud, one of Little Italy’s go-to gelato suppliers, will reveal new, surprise flavors created by pastry chef Giacomo d’Alessandro on National Ice Cream Day. The first 30 customers who scoop up the small cones can get a second one on the house. (166 Mott St., polosudnyc.com)
Free mini scoops at Eggloo
Eggloo, home to one of New York’s most Instagrammable waffle cones, is offering free mini scoops with every cone order all day on Sunday. (60 Mulberry St., myeggloo.com)
Discounted cones at Big Gay Ice Cream
Get two vanilla cones for $2 at all Big Gay locations, all day Sunday. (Multiple locations, biggayicecream.com)
Free cups at Milk Cream & Cereal Bar
The first 50 people who arrive at the Milk Cream & Cereal Bar shop will receive free cups of ice cream on Sunday. The shop opens at noon. (159 Mott St., milkandcreambar.com)
Get Tipsy with free scoops
Tipsy Scoop is teaming up with Malibu-brand rum to create a new vegan, rum-infused coconut ice cream. The first 100 customers in line will receive free scoops at both New York “barlour” locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan. (270 Metropolitan Ave. and 217 E. 26th St., tipsyscoop.com)
Ample Hills X Black Tap
These two dessert innovators bring the state fair to NYC with a new corn-based ice cream flavor, mixed with popcorn brittle and caramel swirls. It launches Friday, in honor of the holiday.
At Black Tap, order the new flavor as a CrazyShake topped with a deep-fried twinkie, two fried Oreos, caramel drizzle, whipped cream and a cherry. Or get a CrazySundae from Ample Hills: three scoops of the state fair flavor topped with caramel sauce, a salted chocolate pretzel, a twinkie, caramel corn and whipped cream.
If you buy a State Fair Shake on Sunday, Black Tap will offer you a second CrazyShake for free. The new flavor will be available for purchase through Aug. 18. (Multiple locations, blacktap.com; amplehills.com)
Nougathins at Neuhaus
Neuhaus Chocolate at 500 Madison Ave. will give out free samples of its new, hand-crafted Nougathins with any ice cream purchase. The giveaway lasts through the end of July.
Events
Summer Ice Cream Blizzard
The fourth annual Ice Cream Blizzard by Grand Bazaar — a weekly indoor/outdoor market selling art, jewelry, vintage goods, furniture and food — brings some of New York’s biggest names in ice cream together for National Ice Cream Day. Admission is free, but if you want to treat yourself for a good cause, donations are encouraged. Full proceeds go to neighboring public schools. This year’s vendors include: Stuffed Ice Cream, selling glazed doughnuts stuffed with an ice cream flavor of choice; Bona Bona Ice Cream, with its Italian gelato and American ice cream hybrid flavors; and Minus Celcius, with rolled ice cream. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. (100 W. 77th St., grandbazaarnyc.org)
