Disney World’s Best Places to Go if you Love Ice Cream

When you are in Walt Disney World, ice cream tastes even sweeter! Here are the best places to stop if you are craving the classic treat!

Ice Cream in Walt Disney World

The minds behind Walt Disney World know that one of life’s simplest delights is a little jaunt to grab ice cream. Park guests can find ice cream treats in every park on property and in most resort hotels.

From iconic Mickey Bars to sweet Dole Whips and delicious Sundaes, there is a cold creamy treat for every palate. You can grab a quick pre-packaged delight at a snack cart, or you can enjoy a more elaborate treat at one of Disney’s ice cream parlors.

While you can find some form of ice cream almost anywhere in Disney World, if you want the real deal, and you are craving cold, creamy, dreamy hard-packed ice cream, we have the best places for you to head in the parks and at resorts convenient to the parks.

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor in Magic Kingdom

What could be a more charming setting for indulging in an ice cream cone than Main Street in the Magic Kingdom with views of Cinderella Castle and the promise of magic? Does a more perfect accompaniment for ice cream exist than Main Street?

If you want delicious ice cream cones and sundaes, you will find them at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street, across from Casey’s Corner, just before you hit the bridge to Tomorrowland Terrace. It is a popular place for guests to grab treats, especially during the heat of the day.

The ice cream parlor serves ice cream in all its beautiful forms: milkshakes, sundaes, cups, and cones. You can even have cookies or brownies a la mode. Sometimes the Plaza even offers special serving dishes like the Mickey or Minnie pants ice cream sundaes.

My favorite thing to do is order a sundae with peanut butter sauce and chocolate sauce. When I (Katie) last visited, peanut butter sauce was not listed on the menu. However, the Cast Member at the register saved the day by letting us know that I could indeed still indulge in my favorite treat. He recommended I get it served on top of a brownie, and how could I say no? It was as delicious as it sounds.

Beaches & Cream

One of the most popular places to grab an ice cream is Beach Club Resort’s Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. Guests can enjoy a table service meal of sandwiches or burgers accompanied by treats such as sundaes and shakes.

Some Guests go for the food and the treats. Others reserve a time just to eat dessert. While there is a walk-up window available at Beach Club, there is something lovely about sitting inside the soda shop to enjoy ice cream.

Everyone talks about the iconic Kitchen Sink sundae served at Beaches & Cream. The behemoth contains scoops of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chip, smothered in every topping available including an entire can of whipped cream.

However, my favorite treat at Beaches & Cream is the No Way Jose. It is chocolate and vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and peanut butter sauce topped with chocolate and peanut butter chips, whipped cream, and a cherry. We always ask for extra peanut butter sauce. In fact, my husband often requests “an unhealthy amount of peanut butter,” which usually gets a giggle from our server. It also gets an amazing sundae.

It probably is unhealthy, but is it EVER good! If they ever make a No Way Jose Kitchen Sink, I am in trouble.

There are plenty of other delicious ice cream treats to be had as well. Most recently I tried a sherbert float and loved it! But I did miss my No Way Jose.

Boardwalk Ice Cream

I have a little secret for you. If you can’t get a reservation at Beaches & Cream, and you really wanted the ice cream, don’t even worry about it. You can get most of the same menu items over at Boardwalk Ice Cream. While you cannot get the kitchen sink, you can get the Boardwalk version of many of the other treats.

You will find that the treats have different names than they do over at Beaches & Cream. For example, Boardwalk’s No Way Jose equivalent is called Thundering Surf Peanut Butter and Chocolate Sundae. It’s the same thing, but it is served in a waffle cone bowl instead of a glass dish.

This is just the tip of the ice (cream) burg. You can read a full review of Boardwalk Ice Cream right here.

L’Artisan des Glaces in Epcot

The English translation of L’Artisan des Glaces is “the ice cream maker.” This is appropriate as the ice cream here is house-made.

All of the other places mentioned in this review serve Edy’s ice cream. The ice cream at L’Artisan des Glaces is prepared right there in the France pavilion in Epcot, and in my opinion, you can taste the difference.

While I love to indulge in a fancy sundae at the other parlors, having a simple scoop of L’Artisan des Glaces is my favorite way to enjoy ice cream in Walt Disney World. I like the sorbets the best of all.

However, it is often tough to decide which of their unique flavors to order. You can read a full review of this absolute gem right here.

Is there a challenger?

Recently, Disney Springs celebrated the grand opening of a new place to grab an ice cream! Salt and Straw, an Oregon-based ice cream shop, has now expanded its reach to Orlando.

The unique flavors include such things as Cowboy Coffee and Bug Juice. I have not had a chance to try Salt and Straw yet, but it may just belong on the list of best places to head if you are craving ice cream during your next visit to Walt Disney World.

Where is your favorite place to get ice cream in Walt Disney World? Did I miss your number one pick? Tell us about it in the comments below or on our Facebook page. Or keep the conversation going and share them with us in our crew, too!