7 Whimsical Ice Cream Shops New to the Miami Scene

The newest addition to the Wynwood neighborhood, Dasher & Crank have joined forces with local restaurants to introduce a mix of perhaps unheard of ice cream flavors. The chicken-and-waffles flavor is a collaboration with KUSH and includes chunks of the dish made at the craft beer bar and restaurant. There’s also the coffee-and-cinnamon-roll flavor, which combines Per’la Specialty Roaster’s coffee and cinnamon rolls from Knaus Berry Farm. Clad in a blush-pink palette and Scandinavian interior, Dasher & Crank is also well on its way to becoming a blogger favorite.

Taiyaki NYC’s storefront in the Magic City has everyone stopping by for ice cream in a fish-shaped waffle cone. The Asian-inspired ice cream shop, native to Chinatown in New York, makes quirky designs that are 100% photo-worthy, such as their colorful unicorn taiyaki, which is smothered with sprinkles and topped with a unicorn horn.

What’s so cool about MR.Cool? The Thai-style rolled ice cream. The dessert trend has become the new hype in Sweetwater, where they’ve set up their brick-and-mortar shop. At MR.Cool Ice Cream, visitors can DIY their desserts by picking a flavor, a filling, and a topping.

Ice cream coated with cotton candy and edible glitter is the fad at the über-girly Mad Lab in the Miami Design District. The creamery, which is washed in blush pink, offers soft-serve ice cream, Japanese cheesecake, and chocolate bark by Chef Soraya Caraccioli-Kilgore, who uses ingredients grown by independent farmers.

One taste of Flavian’s gelato coppettas, generously topped with whipped cream, will transport patrons to the cobblestone streets of La Citta Eterna. Perched at the Wynwood Block, the ice cream shop gets its name from Rome’s Flavian Amphitheatre, aka the Colosseum. The shop offers authentic Italian gelato ice cream with classic flavors, such as stracciatella and Sicilian pistachio. The menu also features powerful espressos and sweet pingüino pops, and their homemade panna (whipped cream) is a must-try.

With flavors such as coconut strawberry and dulce de leche topped with almond slices, as well as caramel balls and torched marshmallows, there’s a rainbow of mouthwatering popsicles at Cielito’s. Ice cream pops are prepared in-house and made from hormone-free dairy. The shop also offers a seemingly endless array of gluten-free fruit pops, which are also vegan and made from locally sourced fresh fruits. You can even design your own popsicle, should you feel inspired.

Lulu’s on Biscayne Boulevard opened more than a year ago, but its cool nitrogen ice cream process is still a show of its own. Visitors can choose their preferred flavor, which is then frozen with liquid nitrogen, and then the foggy spectacle begins. It’s ice cream with a science experiment all in one. Plus, don’t leave without a whip of their made-to-order milkshakes.