Ice cream and summer go together like…well…just about any other match-made-in-heaven pairings you can think of: Peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, Christmas and egg nog, pretzels and beer. As summer of 2021 approaches and a lot of us begin enjoying eased-back mask-wearing mandates, there’s no better time to patronize local Woodland Hills ice cream shops and support small business owners who have endured a hell scape, to say the least, this past year.
In this roundup, the Woodland Hills Magazine staff is sharing our top picks for the best ice cream shops to visit this summer, so gather up the family and be prepared to sing a whole new version of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”
Cup and Cone Ice Cream, at 4874 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, creates homemade small batches of ice cream daily on-premises with fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and supplies. While the shop specializes in seasonal old-fashioned flavors, some of the more popular variants include out-of-the-ordinary takes on Cookies and Cream, Mint Chip, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Espresso Coffee, Tahitian Caramel Brownie, Rocky Road, Birthday Cake, Salted Caramel, Cookie Monster, Saffron Rosewater Pistachio, Honey Lavender, Cotton Candy, Banana Heath Bar and many more.
Afters Ice Cream, with locations throughout the Golden State but situated at 6344 Topanga Canyon Boulevard #1075 in Woodland Hills, is more than just what its namesake suggests…it’s a lifestyle. Here, handcrafted flavors and signature scoops of heavenly bliss represent a foundation that keeps this shop standing apart from all the ice cream chains, with unique variants encompassing Milk and Cereal, Cookie Monster and Jasmine Milk Tea. Of all Afters’ fan favorite flavors, the Milky Bun reigns supreme, rocking taste buds with a mixture of a glazed bun and one of the shop’s ice creams stuffed in between; to seal the deal, the outside of this delectable treat is heated up for an incredible, otherworldly hot/cold effect.
Sloan’s Ice Cream, with locations in Florida, California, Nevada, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but situated at The Village at Westfield Topanga, 6250 Topanga Canyon Boulevard Suite 1560 in Los Angeles, started in 1999 with a goal to create an “ice cream utopia” for the young and young at heart. An array of unique flavors are all made with the finest ingredients, the award-
winning ice cream keeping loyal customers always coming back for more – to say nothing of the heavenly aromas of freshly-baked waffle cones, cookies and brownies in the air. An entire wall of bulk candy, fabulous chocolates, chocolate apples, whimsical gifts and “fluffy friends” surround you, and, like everything at Sloan’s, the décor is over-the-top with pink walls, twinkling chandeliers, moving trains and magical glass rest rooms.
Jeni’s, at 4751 Commons Way Suite A in Calabasas, remains devoted to making better ice creams and bringing people together – the latter being something that is sorely needed right now. Here, incredible ice cream is served in a sparkling and beautiful space, with each and every Jeni’s staff member believing that customer satisfaction is an art form. The ice creams of Jeni’s boast a uniquely smooth texture and buttercream body, with bright flavor and a clean finish, the shop’s ice cream creators refusing to use synthetic flavorings, dyes or off-the-shelf mixes. Straight from the pint or perfectly melted into a fruit pie, birthday cake, crumble, crisp or cookie, Jeni’s ice cream is the perfect accessory for your dessert.
Wanderlust Creamery, with locations throughout Los Angeles, offers flavors inspired by the places its owners have been, the places they long to visit and their own childhood memories, each of the unique and original ice creams formulated with all-natural dairy, balanced butterfat and minimal overrun for an indulgent experience that finishes clean on the palate. New flavors are created each month at Wanderlust, a list that encompasses seasonal offerings as well as signature variants, the latter of which are available year-round. If you’re looking for something a little different from your average ice cream shop, this will surely do.
Magpies Softserve, at 18971 Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, likes to call itself a “scratch recipe” soft- serve dessert shop, its soft-serve mix and all toppings made in-house to exact specifications. Here, you’ll find selections far beyond vanilla and chocolate, and flavors that will immediately bring you back to your childhood the moment you take your first lick of a cone. With three locations in So Cal, Magpies divides its “flavors of the day” menus between these stores, the Tarzana location offering such delicacies as Malted Milk Chocolate, Sweet Cream, Corn Almond, Fresh Banana, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Horchata Latte, Strawberry Hibiscus and Lemon Shortbread. This is one dessert shop that shouldn’t be skipped by any sweets aficionado!
As always, we recommend that you contact any of the above shops to find out about its operating schedule during COVID.
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