If you’ve read any of my other missives on this site related to anything culinary, you may have picked up on the fact that I’m more of a cake girl.
But every now and then, the moment just calls for ice cream—and strangely, those moments aren’t all during the summertime…at least in my experience.
So thankfully, not all ice cream shops in Portland, Maine, are seasonal—apparently, they understand that it doesn’t need to be 89 degrees and stupid humid for one to crave a waffle cone topped with a teetering, three-scoop tower of Moose Tracks ice cream (no soft serve for this girl).
Like lobster rolls, folks can be very opinionated about what style (hard- or soft-serve) and flavor (classic versus inventive) is best—but that’s okay because Portland has it all. You just may have to trek a bit further to get exactly what you want.
Map of Portland Ice Cream Spots
If you find yourself “screaming for ice cream,” this handy map lists all of the Portland ice cream places in this article, so you can jet over to your next sweet treat:
Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream
Beal’s pops up on every single “Best Portland Ice Cream” list out there, and for good reason. Their list of house-made, hard-serve flavors is extensive and generally stays within the “classic flavors” boundaries—although they do have some unique offerings, like Teaberry, or German Fudgecake.
Beal’s also has other homemade ice cream products; their cakes, pies, and pizzas (Yup—ice cream pizzas. You read that right.) are hugely popular, and they also have frozen yogurt, sugar-free ice cream, and sorbet—all made in-house.
Locations: 12 Moulton St, Portland, ME 04101 (seasonal), 18 Veranda St, Portland, ME 04103
Website: Beal’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
This shop is seasonal (alas), but it gives you something to look forward to, especially during those final weeks of the long, Maine winters.
Dubbed one of the “Best Ice Cream Shops in America” by Men’s Journal, MDII crafts their artisanal product from scratch—literally (they scrape their own vanilla beans).
If there are cookies, brownies, or cake involved with any of their craft flavors, they bake them in-house.
Their menu is constantly changing, but to give you an idea of what sort of place this is, here are a few flavors you might see on rotation: Nectarine Champagne, Blueberry Basil, Cantaloupe, and Lemon Lemongrass.
In other words, non-traditional…but no less fabulous.
Location: 51 Exchange St, Portland, ME 04101
Website: Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
Captain Sam’s Ice Cream
Open all year, this family-owned and operated local favorite makes all their hard-serve ice cream right there in their Old Port shop.
Their offerings are a nice blend of both classics and trendy flavors—I’m a fan of their Pumpkin Gingersnap.
They also have a host of toppings available, including Heath Bar, M&Ms, cookie dough bits, and gummi lobsters (of course—when in Maine…).
Location: 136 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101
Website: Captain Sam’s Ice Cream
Red’s Dairy Freeze
Red’s is a seasonal, soft serve-only establishment, providing creamy, swirled, dairy magic to happy customers since 1952.
Offering both soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt, Red’s sundaes are a thing of beauty…but it’s their signature Nor’easters that really make me smile: Soft serve ice cream mixed with the candy of your choice and topped with a cloud of whipped cream (either Andes Candies or peanut butter cups blended in chocolate soft serve is my jam).
Location: 167 Cottage Rd, South Portland, ME 04106
Website: Red’s Dairy Freeze
Willard Scoops
Another sadly seasonal shop, Willards has been crafting their gourmet ice cream in-house for 13 seasons now.
And while their most popular signature flavor is their Salt Caramel, Willard Scoops has a bunch of rotating flavors that are SO worth the trip—just a few of my go-to options are Pumpkin Cheesecake (because cake), Apple Crisp (because pie is like cake), and Brandied Brownie (because brownies are cake-like).
Location: 429 Preble St, South Portland, ME 04106
Website: Willard Scoops
Gelato Fiasco
There are those that would argue that this is a review of ice cream, not gelato…but if Down East Magazine considers it ice cream (named Maine’s Best Ice Cream by readers six times), then so can I.
Gelato Fiasco has more than 1,500 (yes—that’s fifteen HUNDRED) flavors of gelato (milk-based rather than cream) and sorbetto (water-based) to wade through, and I’m not talking vanilla and chocolate, here.
Stuff like All I Want is More (brownie batter base, chocolate-covered pretzels, house-made chocolate truffle, and brownie batter bites) or Bailey’s Cheesecake Chip Gelato (cheesecake and chocolate chips with Bailey’s base) are just the tip of the ice cream berg (had to).
Location: 425 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101
Website: Gelato Fiasco
Gorgeous Gelato
Offering options for these trying times, you can pick up your order at Gorgeous Gelato, place a next-day delivery order, or have up to six pints shipped anywhere in New England or New York.
Their amazingly smooth and creamy gelato is homemade and all-natural; they also have dairy-free and vegan options.
Along with classics like chocolate, strawberry, and Oreo, Gorgeous Gelato also features creative concoctions on their daily-rotating menu like Tiramisu, Panna Cotta & Caramel, and Ricotta Cheese & Fig.
Location: 434 Fore St, Portland, ME 04101
Website: Gorgeous Gelato
Lib’s Dairy Treats
Family-owned and operated since 1969, this hard-and-soft-serve local fixture is seasonal…but they do open up now and again in the off-season during their annual Christmas Tree sale, or for pop-up events (Valentine’s Day, for example).
Along with their traditional-style sundaes, shakes, and parfaits, Lib’s also has several intriguing menu options I have yet to try (like Tony’s Donut Sundae or Tony’s Donut Stuffer, for example)—but believe me—I will. Donuts and ice cream—together? A match made in heaven, if you ask me.
Location: 32 Auburn St, Portland, ME 04103
Website: Lib’s Dairy Treats
Down Front
As Peaks Island is part of Portland despite the fact that you need to take a ferry to get there, I felt it only right that I mention Down Front here.
Offering Maine’s own Gifford’s hard-serve as well as soft-serve options, Down Front has a faithful following, especially for their Maine-centric flavors, like Moose Tracks, Maine Black Bear, Deer Tracks, Muddy Boots, and Caramel Caribou.
And no, I’m not going to tell you what each of those delightful flavors involves…because you really need to get out there and try them on your own.
Location: 20 Welch St, Peaks Island, ME 04108
Website: Down Front
And now we’ve reached the inevitable moment when I need to wind down—so here are a few spots I just couldn’t bear to leave out.
Portland Twist is actually a truck; unfortunately, they only truck about in-season…but they have a “Where’s Twist?” tab on their website.
This means you can track down the truck when you need your Pebbles the Redhead fix—Fruity Pebbles cereal twisted into vanilla ice cream, topped with magical freeze-dried strawberry dust and more Pebbles.
Sticky Sweet is a great option for you plant-based, GF peeps—it’s crafted by two sisters that claim “our ice cream will make you forget all about dairy.”
And last but not least is Gross Confection Bar—and while not an ice cream shop specifically, this is a dessert restaurant and bar—it’s about freaking time, I say—and there are ice cream-related creations on offer, like their Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cremeau (honey gelato, curried peanuts, black sesame micro-cake, and cocoa nib nougatine—OMG).
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