The weather in Las Vegas Valley will continue into the 90s for a few more months. The desert doesn’t really cool off until Halloween, which is one reason why people flock to Las Vegas over the winter. By the fall, the weather is perfect.
But, visitors to the desert city can keep cool with five fabulous new ice cream shops. All across the valley, you’ll discover world-class, sinfully delicious frozen treats. From yummy vegan ice cream alternatives to rich, creamy scoops nestled inside warm, decadent donuts, Vegas serves it up. Definitely try the two locally-owned, family businesses we recommend you give those a try.
Afters Ice Cream at 4455 Paradise Road
Following its success at Las Vegas festivals over the last several years, the Huntington Beach-based Afters Ice Cream now has a permanent location at the Virgin Hotel. This is Afters first location outside of its home state of California.
Afters Ice Cream offers creative and unusual flavors, some tinted in crazy, intense colors. Bright blue Cookie Monster, comforting pink Milk and Cereal and subtle Jasmine Milk Tea are just three of the featured flavors.
On the top of the Afters menu is the one-of-a-kind milky bun; this diet-busting confection is a hot, freshly fried donut, filled with two huge scoops of ice cream and sprinkled with toppings.
Every ice cream lover should experience Afters at least once in their lives. But, be prepared for a sugar overdose if you go.
Craig’s Vegan Ice Cream at 3000 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Once you’ve experienced After’s overdose of fat and sugar, pay a visit to Craig’s Vegan Ice Cream at Resorts World. Craig’s serves up natural vegan frozen deserts made with healthy cashews. These smooth, creamy frozen desserts are not only certified kosher and gluten-free, they are absolutely delicious.
The light, yummy vegan treats can be had in traditional flavors like Strawberry, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crunch.
Each scoop at Craig’s can be topped with with your favorite vegan and non-vegan toppings. Or, if you’re on the run, have your frozen scoops blended into a rich, creamy shake. You can also take home pints of Craig’s Vegan Ice Cream, either from the Resorts World shop or, you can even order it online.
Cream Me Ice Creamery at 1203 S. Main St.
Located in the Arts District, this family-owned, Vegas original serves lots of delicious flavors in a candy-colored, old-fashioned soda shop. The local ambience is enhanced with Vegas-style neon, and art by neighborhood artists.
Local favorites include old-fashioned banana spit sundaes and malts, and the original Cookie Butter Me Up sundae; this decadent assemblage features two scoops of cookie butter ice cream, drizzled with hot cookie butter sauce and topped with buttery crushed cookies. Yum!
Cream Me may present a funky, old-fashioned look and ice cream classics, but they do have a few creations you can only get here; for example, the spicy-sweet, Mexican-inspired Mamgonada is made with mango sorbet, spicy chamoy tajin sauce, chili mango chunks and sipped through a spicy straw.
Drill It Creamery at 1000 S. Rampart Blvd., Suite 15
The name says it all; toppings like Oreos and peanut butter are blended into the ice cream with a big drill creating a swirl. Like Cream Me, Drill It is a family-owned, Vegas-based original.
Favorites at this Summerlin establishment include creamy, vanilla ice cream drilled with honeycomb cereal and caramel. Another includes Fruity Pebbles drilled into vanilla ice cream, served up in a waffle cone, and drizzled with marshmallow sauce. Another refreshing, summer specialty is a pineapple float, made with vanilla soft-serve ice cream and pineapple juice.
Finally, the unique creations can also be blended into a milkshake.
Yonutz at 5765 Centennial Center Blvd., Suite 180
Based in Sunrise, Florida, the Vegas location is only the second Yonutz in the country. This fledgling chain is also planning to open up a shop somewhere in Utah.
Yonutz is famous for its Smash Donuts; like Afters, Yonutz takes fried donuts and stuffs them with ice cream, topping it all off with candy, cereal cookies.
The offerings include the bright, pink and blue Unicorn; this creation includes a donut stuffed with hot pink unicorn ice cream and topped with unicorn glitter and cotton candy bites. If you prefer savory over sweet, try the Maple Bacon SMASH Donut featuring Dulce de leche ice cream, and sprinkled with real bacon bits and drizzled with maple syrup.
While these fabulous frozen treats will keep you cool in the heat of the summer, ice cream is good anytime of year.
