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Exploring Baton Rouge’s Best Ice Cream Shops
Summer is the easiest season to romanticize. In our minds, we envision bright, beautiful beaches, gorgeous people running across the sand, a perfect set of waves crashing on the shore, and other Baywatch-like scenery. The problem is— our fantasy falls apart when the calendar hits June 21st and we realize … it’s freakin’ hot out here!
Here in Louisiana, our summers have been described by locals as “long, hot, and oppressive.” This is because the southern region of the United States is characterized by soaring temperatures and high humidity. In this kind of environment, luxuries like air conditioning, cold showers, and swimming pool access become crucial. That said, there is one method of beating the heat that surpasses them all: the king of sweet treats, the deity of dairy, happiness in a cone, and America’s favorite dessert: ICE CREAM.
Our team here at Chestnut Ridge Apartments in Baton Rouge has put together a list of our favorite local ice cream shops so that when those temperatures start to rise, you know exactly where to go for an icy cold treat! Whether you’re a resident or just visiting the city, please enjoy our curated list of ice cream in Baton Rouge.
Gail’s Fine Ice Cream
Gail’s Fine Ice Cream is a Louisiana-based shop offering the perfect blend of artisanal ice cream and charming, pastel-colored décor. The first location was planted in New Orleans by Nick Hufft and Lon Marchland of Hufft Marchland Hospitality, who own and operate a series of hip, modern eateries that all retain a consistent atmosphere and aesthetic. The NOLA Gail’s Fine Ice Cream was an immediate hit, which led the team to open a second location in Baton Rouge at 3025 Perkins Road.
Located in the Zee Zee Gardens neighborhood, the menu centers around classic, year-long flavors like vanilla bean, mint chip, fresh strawberry, and milk & cookies. Gails’ adventurous flavors, such as the coffee-forward “Cortado Crunch, the tangy “Lemon Icebox,” and the action-packed “Little Monster” shift throughout the year. Most recently, the team at Gail’s brought on baker Sarah Joy Hays for a collaboration, resulting in pastry-inspired flavors like “Unicorn Bar” and “Carnival Cake” to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Gail’s Fine Ice Cream’s mix of charming design and elevated palate makes this one of Baton Rouge’s most unique ice cream shops.
Sweet Society
Sweet Society is a rarity in the world of sweets. It’s a one-stop dessert shop that has built a menu around Asian creations like bingsu, a Korean shaved ice treat, Japanese taiyaki ice cream, and a myriad of boba drinks and milk teas. After traveling throughout Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and other parts of Asia, co-owners Karen Vong and Patrick Wong came up with the concept for Sweet Society. The goal is to showcase Asian desserts inside a sleek and cozy atmosphere. One thing’s for sure— you won’t find flavors like these anywhere else in Baton Rouge.
Being an ice cream blog, let’s take a closer look at the Japanese taiyaki ice cream. Taiyaki is a popular fish-shaped Japanese cake or pastry stuffed with fillings such as anko (sweet red bean paste), chocolate, or custard. In the case of taiyaki ice cream, the fish-shaped, waffly outer layer serves as the cone, while a tall swirl of soft serve protrudes from the fish’s mouth. I know, it sounds crazy, but the combination of pastry and ice cream is outstanding.
If the taiyaki method of eating ice cream is too far from your wheelhouse, Sweet Society also provides standard cups for their artisanal soft serve twists. A rotating cast of flavors like “Ube x Coffee” and “Cherry x Lime” will take your taste buds to places they’ve likely never been before.
And because of their impressive social media engagement and subsequent viral videos, Sweet Society has become a destination for national and international foodies. Lucky for residents of Chestnut Ridge Apartments, the dessert shop is just 10-15 minutes north of the community.
LSU AgCenter Dairy Store
The LSU AgCenter Dairy Store may be the most out-of-left-field recommendation on our list. Why? The Dairy Store, located on the campus of Louisiana State University, is a part of a full-scale farming operation set up to teach agriculture students about the dairy process, from start to finish. The milk used to create each flavor is sourced from cows raised in the AgCenter’s Southeast Research Station in Franklinton, LA, about an hour and a half east of Baton Rouge. Not only do the students gain experience crafting flavors and making ice cream for their fellow students, but they also gain knowledge of how a modern dairy farm operates.
The centerpiece of the menu is the locally famous “TigerBite” flavor, a mixture of blueberries inside of a golden-orange vanilla ice cream that mirrors LSU’s official purple and gold colors. During the highly energized football season, The Dairy Store creates unique flavors based on that week’s opponent— LSU fans can literally “take a bite out of the competition.” Examples include the “Ole Miss Mud Pie” and the “UCLA Blueberry Cobbler.”
Stopping by The Dairy Store is the perfect way to get in your ice cream fix while also supporting Baton Rouge’s cherished LSU Tigers. If that weren’t enough, The Dairy Store also sells fresh meats (beef, pork, lamb, and goat) that were sustainably raised by LSU AgCenter faculty and students.
Bonjour
Louisianians are well aware of the state’s French origins. Our idiosyncratic culture is rooted in French tradition, influencing everything from music to cuisine to the Louisiana Creole language, an amalgamation of French and African dialects. Indeed, our city of Baton Rouge was given its name by a French explorer in the late 17th century.
Bonjour, sometimes referred to with the additional “Pour l’amour du Chocolat” (for the love of chocolate), is the fully manifested vision of Anass Ecacharkaoui, a Moroccan-born, French-educated restauranteur with a serious love for French desserts. After living in Baton Rouge for 4 years, Annas realized that the city was lacking one of his French favorites— sweet crepes. Sure, locals had easy access to savory cheese and meat-filled options, but when it came to sweet variations, there was nothing to be found.
Not being one to sit back and wait, Annas opened Bonjour in September of 2020 to great fanfare across the city. The menu features 10 sweet crepe options, waffles, milkshakes, and of course, some of Baton Rouge’s tastiest ice cream and toppings. Annas’ desserts were even chosen for Food Network’s list of “Best 50 Over-The-Top Treats in the USA,” a prestigious list compiled by some of America’s most recognized culinary experts.
If your sweet tooth starts a-wailing, Bonjour’s extensive menu of desserts has just the cure you’re looking for.
The Cherry on Top
Between the traditional flavors at Gail’s Fine Ice Cream, the Asian-inspired menu at Sweet Society, the hyper-local concoctions at LSU AgCenter’s Dairy Store, and the French-inspired desserts at Bonjour, ice cream aficionados in Baton Rouge are bound to find something to love.
Once you wrap up your ice cream odyssey and successfully defeat the Louisiana heat, please come visit us at Chestnut Ridge Apartments. We provide the city’s finest 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments, designed with the perfect blend of modern comfort, breathability, and a sophisticated sense of style. Our leasing specialists would love to help you discover your next home in the heart of Baton Rouge.