Once it is scooped, ice cream doesn’t last long, melting away if you don’t eat it quickly enough. So too, do ice cream shops and trends, which can be built up into magnificent displays only to melt in the heat, dripping down your wrist into a puddle on the ground.
These days, it’s rich and small-batch ice creams with a dizzying array of flavors and toppings that attract the most attention — something you can read about in our list of 8 ice cream shops worth screaming about this summer — and although Denver has lost a few cold-treat purveyors, like Ice Cream Riot, many more have newly opened or added locations or offerings.
Here’s what’s new in ice cream in metro Denver for 2024.
High Point Creamery
With flavors like coconut creme brulee and strawberry-and-cornbread, High Point Creamery opened its highly anticipated fourth location in April in a former Cold Stone Creamery in Denver’s Central Park neighborhood. The shop features rainbow sprinkle countertops and whimsical, Instagram-worthy ice cream murals, according to its website.
7473 E. 29th Place, Denver, and three other locations; highpointcreamery.com
Stir-Pan Creamery
Stir-Pan Creamery, which has been making and rolling out Thai-style ice cream for customers in Breckenridge since 2016, opened a new store in Denver late last year. Flavors change daily, but look for delicacies like French toast, chocolate pretzel and banana pudding on a regular basis — or have your own flavor created right in front of you.
1221 S. Pearl St., Denver; stirpancreamery.com
Right Cream pop-up shop
Right Cream, which took over a standalone spot on Denver Beer Co.’s South Downing Street property in 2023, dishing out peanut butter cake batter and Thai tea flavors (just as examples), has opened a pop-up shop at Uncle, the ramen restaurant in West Washington Park. The pop-up is currently operating only on Mondays and Tuesdays from 5 to 9:30 p.m., serving specialties like My Neighbor TotOreo, which is matcha ice cream topped with Oreo toffee and blueberry jam. You don’t have to be an Uncle customer to stop by for a scoop.
Pop-up, 95 S. Pennsylvania St.; original location, 2423 S. Downing St., Denver; rightcream.com
Scoops
Scoops isn’t new, but it moved over the winter from its original location on East 22nd Avenue to a family-centered neighborhood business district in Park Hill. The company, which also runs a food truck for festivals and events, dishes out fun flavors and toppings as well as innovative arrangements, like its homemade waffle cones and crumbled waffle cones served “nachos” style. Oh, and Scoops sells beer and wine, offering happy hour specials.
2247 Kearney St., Denver; scoopsdenver.com
Little Man Ice Cream
Cold treats juggernaut Little Man Ice Cream opened its ninth location in Greenwood Village, earlier this year and is planning a 10th spot in Littleton soon. The Denver is well known for its original LoHi location in the shape of a 28-foot-tall, old-school cream can, not to mention its factory at 4411 W. Colfax Ave., which gets extravagantly dressed for the holidays. The company’s other spots include Fort Collins’ Old Town Churn, which comes in the shape of a 26-foot-tall wooden ice cream churn bucket, and Dang Soft Serve, one of the only such stores in town.
4940 S. Yosemite St., Greenwood Village, and other locations; littlemanicecream.com
Sweet Izzy
Ice cream is one of the hardest treats to give up for people with dietary restrictions, which is why the owners of Sweet Izzy started their company. The shop, which opened its Cherry Creek North location in late 2023, uses an oat milk and coconut milk base. It serves hard-pack and soft-serve ice cream, sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, toppings and cones – all of which are vegan, soy-free and gluten-free. Flavors include raspberry chip, cookie dough and cookies n’ cream.
3003 E. 3rd Ave., Denver; sweetizzy.co
Bonnie Brae Ice Cream
Bonnie Brae Ice Creamisn’t new — the neighborhood favorite opened in 1986 — but it got a new lease on life in May 2022 when it let customers back inside after a two-year pandemic shift that had the store using only a sidewalk window. This year, the shop has teamed up with 7Cellars, a Napa Valley-based winery brand that was co-founded by Denver Broncos Hall-of-Famer John Elway, on three new wine-flavored ice creams: Cabernet Nutella Bliss, made with cabernet sauvignon; Blueberry Noir Indulgence, made with pinot noir; and Chardonnay Apricot Dream.
785 S. University Blvd., Denver; bonniebraeicecream.com
Colfax and Cream
Taking the place of Ice Cream Riot, which closed last year, is a new shop, Colfax and Cream, that serves a variety of ice cream flavors made by High Point Creamery, along with “crafted energy drinks,” espresso and other treats. The family-owned business opened on May 25.
1238 E. Colfax Ave.; colfaxandcream.com
