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A boozy dole whip sits in a Blossom Bar branded glass, with a pineapple in the background.
Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar
Blossom Bar [Official Photo]

Save Room for the Ice Cream at These Boston-Area Restaurants

These six local spots have divine entrees as well as excellent frozen treats

by Karen Wilber
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Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar
| Blossom Bar [Official Photo]
by Karen Wilber

This week’s heat wave has made it near impossible to not have ice cream on the mind, and there’s nothing like a frozen treat selection that’s paired perfectly with food that precedes it. Think: some of the best pizza in town followed by two scoops on a sugar cone, or fresh oysters followed by a twist of soft serve. Here are six excellent Boston-area restaurants that pair the perfect frozen dessert with incredible food.

The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here.

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Cha Yen Thai Cookery

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Cha Yen chef and owner Manita Bunnagitkarn makes ice cream in-house at her Watertown Thai food destination, and it’s a must-try. While the flavors rotate, you’re bound to find something that pairs well with your meal, such as jasmine Thai basil, Thai iced tea, or ginger. One rotating weekly flavor is also available at Cha Yen’s sibling restaurant in downtown Boston, Kala Thai Cookery.

613 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 393-0031
(617) 393-0031
Two paper cups of ice cream sit on a wooden table. One ice cream is orange and one is brown.
Cha Yen Thai Cookery’s ice cream
Cha Yen Thai Cookery/Official Site

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Citrus & Salt

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It’s hard to resist the aesthetic of Citrus & Salt’s soft serve mimosas — the perfect swirl of the weekly flavor, topped with bubbles. For brunch, try the chorizo and corn empanadas with taco sauce and jalapeno crema, a delightful contrast to the sweet and bubbly frozen beverage. Sibling spot Buttermilk & Bourbon, also in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, also features a weekly soft serve; there, it’s served on a salted pretzel cone.

142 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116
A glass sits on a restaurant patio table filled with a swirl of pale pink soft serve, with a split of sparkling wine to the side
Soft serve mimosa at Citrus & Salt
Karen Wilber/Eater

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Picco

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South End hot spot Picco (short for Pizza and Ice Cream Co.) makes its ice cream and sorbet from scratch, sourcing its milk from local farms. The pizza is perfection, too. Toppings include a variety of lighter or richer options. For an indulgence, consider the Alsatian pizza with sauteed onions, shallots, garlic, creme fraiche, bacon, and Gruyere, and finish it off with a scoop of the raspberry chip ice cream. 

513 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 927-0066
(617) 927-0066
A scoop of chocolate ice cream and a scoop of mint chip ice cream sit side by side in a big glass bowl on a white plate
Dark chocolate and mint chip ice cream at Picco
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

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Eventide Fenway

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There are many things Eventide is: a date night spot, a tasty stop on a Fenway food crawl, the home of an iconic lobster roll. Add to the list that it serves a brown butter soft serve for which you must always save room. It’s rich but not overbearing, with a bourbon caramel sauce and the most incredibly textured maple pecans. It just makes sense to follow the Eventide brown butter lobster roll, but it’s so good on its own that you’ll notice folks stopping by just to pick up the soft serve to go.

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 545-1060
(617) 545-1060
A brown paper cup with a blue logo reading Eventide sits on a wooden picnic table, holding a twist of soft serve ice cream. In the background, a restaurant exterior with large windows and a blue neon letter E is visible.
Brown butter soft serve from Eventide
Karen Wilber/Eater

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Blossom Bar

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One of the joys of acclaimed cocktail bar and Sichuan restaurant Blossom Bar is that a significant number of dishes come hot and spicy; it’s hard to resist eating bite after bite of the Chengdu dry hot chicken wings and the most comforting “ma paul” tofu. You may want a frozen treat to cool down, and the pineapple Dole whip hits the spot, either on its own or as part of a cocktail with rum, Aperol, and lime. 

295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 734-1870
(617) 734-1870
A boozy dole whip sits in a Blossom Bar branded glass, with a pineapple in the background.
Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar
Blossom Bar [Official Photo]

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P & R Restaurant

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This Roxbury favorite is well-known for grapenut ice cream, a flavor with an interesting story that is the ideal next bite after a savory Jamaican patty. Not only is there an excellent patty selection, but there is also a solid selection of ice cream options, including cherry vanilla, banana, and rum raisin. Try a frappe.

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-2020
(617) 442-2020

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Cha Yen Thai Cookery

613 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472

Cha Yen chef and owner Manita Bunnagitkarn makes ice cream in-house at her Watertown Thai food destination, and it’s a must-try. While the flavors rotate, you’re bound to find something that pairs well with your meal, such as jasmine Thai basil, Thai iced tea, or ginger. One rotating weekly flavor is also available at Cha Yen’s sibling restaurant in downtown Boston, Kala Thai Cookery.

613 Mt Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472
(617) 393-0031
(617) 393-0031
Two paper cups of ice cream sit on a wooden table. One ice cream is orange and one is brown.
Cha Yen Thai Cookery’s ice cream
Cha Yen Thai Cookery/Official Site

Citrus & Salt

142 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116

It’s hard to resist the aesthetic of Citrus & Salt’s soft serve mimosas — the perfect swirl of the weekly flavor, topped with bubbles. For brunch, try the chorizo and corn empanadas with taco sauce and jalapeno crema, a delightful contrast to the sweet and bubbly frozen beverage. Sibling spot Buttermilk & Bourbon, also in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, also features a weekly soft serve; there, it’s served on a salted pretzel cone.

142 Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02116
A glass sits on a restaurant patio table filled with a swirl of pale pink soft serve, with a split of sparkling wine to the side
Soft serve mimosa at Citrus & Salt
Karen Wilber/Eater

Picco

513 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116

South End hot spot Picco (short for Pizza and Ice Cream Co.) makes its ice cream and sorbet from scratch, sourcing its milk from local farms. The pizza is perfection, too. Toppings include a variety of lighter or richer options. For an indulgence, consider the Alsatian pizza with sauteed onions, shallots, garlic, creme fraiche, bacon, and Gruyere, and finish it off with a scoop of the raspberry chip ice cream. 

513 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 927-0066
(617) 927-0066
A scoop of chocolate ice cream and a scoop of mint chip ice cream sit side by side in a big glass bowl on a white plate
Dark chocolate and mint chip ice cream at Picco
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Eventide Fenway

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215

There are many things Eventide is: a date night spot, a tasty stop on a Fenway food crawl, the home of an iconic lobster roll. Add to the list that it serves a brown butter soft serve for which you must always save room. It’s rich but not overbearing, with a bourbon caramel sauce and the most incredibly textured maple pecans. It just makes sense to follow the Eventide brown butter lobster roll, but it’s so good on its own that you’ll notice folks stopping by just to pick up the soft serve to go.

1321 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215
(617) 545-1060
(617) 545-1060
A brown paper cup with a blue logo reading Eventide sits on a wooden picnic table, holding a twist of soft serve ice cream. In the background, a restaurant exterior with large windows and a blue neon letter E is visible.
Brown butter soft serve from Eventide
Karen Wilber/Eater

Blossom Bar

295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445

One of the joys of acclaimed cocktail bar and Sichuan restaurant Blossom Bar is that a significant number of dishes come hot and spicy; it’s hard to resist eating bite after bite of the Chengdu dry hot chicken wings and the most comforting “ma paul” tofu. You may want a frozen treat to cool down, and the pineapple Dole whip hits the spot, either on its own or as part of a cocktail with rum, Aperol, and lime. 

295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445
(617) 734-1870
(617) 734-1870
A boozy dole whip sits in a Blossom Bar branded glass, with a pineapple in the background.
Boozy Dole whip at Blossom Bar
Blossom Bar [Official Photo]

P & R Restaurant

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119

This Roxbury favorite is well-known for grapenut ice cream, a flavor with an interesting story that is the ideal next bite after a savory Jamaican patty. Not only is there an excellent patty selection, but there is also a solid selection of ice cream options, including cherry vanilla, banana, and rum raisin. Try a frappe.

208 Dudley St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 442-2020
(617) 442-2020

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