5 Best Restaurants in Seattle, Washington

Sample gelato in seasonal flavors like honey lavender and fig vanilla at this small, sweet family-owned shop. Locals in the know skip the big lines at other local chains and come here instead for a quick and delicious frozen treat.

Grab a handcrafted ice-cream cone at Husky Deli, a Seattle icon. This grocery store opened in 1932 and retains its old-fashioned feel. It does quite nice sandwiches and soups, making it a good stop for a picnic lunch to take to Alki or Lincoln Park. But the real draw is the friendly service and classic ice cream at the counter.

A neighborhood favorite that now has two additional locations, this artisan shop isn’t quite a trip to Italy but the gelato is the real deal, including stracciatella, pistachio, and other classic flavors, all with high-quality ingredients. The namesake-for-a-reason Nutty Squirrel swirls salty peanut butter with dulce de leche caramel and chocolate chips. 

Though the Portland-based ice-cream chain has since opened stores up and down the West Coast, it found a welcoming home on Capitol Hill, where its "farm-to-cone" style of ice cream is respected, and the creative, sometimes a little out-there monthly specials don't scare anyone.

After working her way through school at a chain ice-cream shop, UW graduate Lois Ko bought the space and opened up an independent local ice creamery, committed to making each ice cream from scratch daily using organic, local ingredients whenever possible. The passion for quality ice cream shows both in standard flavors like sweet cream and salted caramel, and in the originals, like makgeolli (Korean rice beer) or kettle corn. Plenty of vegan options round out the selection, and the cones and cookies for ice cream sandwiches are both baked in-house.