Gelato is not just ice cream with a pretentious, faux-European name. (That's right: We're calling you out, Häagen-Dazs.) Not only does gelato have less fat and sugar than ice cream; it has less air whipped into the mix, resulting in a velvety texture and intense flavor. Frost is the Willy Wonka of gelato shops: With a jaw-dropping array of flavors—each decked out with flowers, spun sugar and fruit—you could spend all day just drooling on the glass. Add to that the super-cool style of the shops' interior decor, the friendly service and the quirky Italian names on the menu (a "spizzico" is a tree of tiny gelato cones), and Frost beats all other purveyors of summer treats.
Runners up:
2. Cold Stone Creamery
Various locations
3. Baskin-Robbins
Various locations
