Today we will be filling you in on the best places to buy ice cream, cakes, and cookies in Milwaukee. There are plenty of great dessert shops selling sweets around town and this guide will try to focus on the best of the best.
There is no better way to get the ball rolling than with a list of the best ice cream shops near you. Frozen yogurt, gelato, malts, and ice cream cakes are found with ease here.
Contents
Once the frozen delights are out of the way it will be time to pivot to bakeries where you can buy cakes, cookies, pastries, and all kinds of sweet treats. Then we will get into some specific things like donut shops, where to buy cupcakes, candy stores, and chocolate and fudge shops too.
Healthy dessert options in Milwaukee like gluten free bakeries and smoothie shops are easy to find as well. And our final topic will be all about restaurants that are known for must have desserts in your area.
Stick around for our map that has all these spots that we are mentioning throughout the post pinned on it. For more of our Midwestern local sweets guides check out that link.
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
When you are craving the best ice cream in Milwaukee or want some healthier frozen yogurt try:
- Purple Door Ice Cream at 205 S 2nd St
- Babes Ice Cream & Dessert at 2264 S Kinnickinnic Ave
- Scratch Ice Cream at 2238 N Farwell Ave
- Nite Owl Ice Cream Parlour & Sandwich Shoppe at 830 E Layton Ave
- Fro Zone Gourmet Rolled Ice Cream at 1320 E Brady St
- Yo Factory at 2203 N Farwell Ave
- My Yo My at 100 S Water St
You can choose from 32 types of chocolates and up to 110 premium ice cream varieties at Babes including non dairy, soy based, Italian ice, non fat Greek yogurt, caffeinated, sherbet, and plenty more. They have one of the widest selections of the best ice cream cakes in your area as well as vegan cakes.
Scratch has 10 signature flavors and their most popular options include salted caramel, fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter fudge. Nite Owl sells sandwiches, ice cream, and burgers.
Rolled ice creams in a variety of flavors as well as boba teas and other beverages are offered at For Zone. More than 60 delicious toppings that can be added to your local frozen yogurts, smoothies, acai and dragon fruit bowls, and frozen coffee drinks are available at Yo Factory.
More options for great ice cream in Milwaukee include Niemann’s, Red Elephant Chocolate, and On the Bus from some different lists.
Bakeries In Your Area
Expect to find great cakes, cookies, pastries, and more at the best bakeries near you:
- Peter Sciortino’s Bakery at 1101 E Brady St
- Miss Molly’s Cafe & Pastry Shop at 9201 W Center St
- Johanna’s Cakes & Desserts Café at 1239 S 11th St
- Scordato Bakery Inc at 5011 W Howard Ave
Peter Sciortino Bakery carries a variety of baked goods including gourmet local cookies and breads in addition deli meats. Freshly baked pastries, cakes, desserts, made to order sandwiches, fritters, Puerto Rican rice, and plenty of great sweets near you are served along with good coffee at Johanna’s.
Scordato specializes in a wide variety of Italian cookies, pastries, cakes, fresh breads, and rolls. Babes, Classy Girl, C. Adam’s Bakery, and Gigi’s are other places mentioned throughout the post that will be great for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Local Donut Shops
These donut shops are a great way to start your morning:
- Lakeside Bakery at 1100 E Oklahoma Ave
- Donut Squad at 2264 N Prospect Ave
- Cranky Al’s at 6901 W North Ave
- Grebe’s Bakery at 5132 W Lincoln Ave
Lakeside is an Italian deli and bakery that is known for its fresh breads, donuts, and baked ham rolls. Friday fish fries, pizza, donuts, and breakfast sandwiches are some of Cranky Al’s menu items.
Since 1937 Grebe’s has been specializing in handcrafted pastries, classic American breakfast and lunch fare, and an extensive donut selection in addition to being well known for their Milwaukee style crullers.
Where To Buy Cupcakes
There are some really good cupcake shops in your area:
- Classy Girl Cupcakes at 825 N Jefferson St
- C. Adam’s Bakery at 400 N Water St #5513
- Gigi’s Cupcakes in Wauwatosa at 2751 N Mayfair Rd #G
Classy Girl makes some of the best cupcakes and cookies near you as well as decorated cakes and truffles. Hundreds of cookies, bar pies, and cake varieties are produced daily at C. Adam’s Bakery who introduces 5 new cupcake flavors every month.
Gourmet cupcakes and cookies stuffed with frosting are sold at Gigi’s.
Candy Stores Near You
Local candy stores should have a wide variety of sugary treats to choose from:
- Niemann’s Homemade Candies & Ice Cream at 7475 Harwood Ave
- Burke Candy at 3840 N Fratney St
- Half Nuts at 9617 W Greenfield Ave
Niemann’s has been offering homemade ice creams, chocolates, and all kinds of sweet candies in your area since 1919. Burke is a family run candy shop selling chocolates, caramels, and other confections.
One of the widest selections of nuts, candies, and chocolates can be found at Half Nuts where they mainly feature nostalgic, color coded, sugar free, raw, and unsalted candies. Both Freese’s Candy Shoppe and Burke Candy from our next list offer a wide range of candies too.
Chocolate & Fudge Shops
Great homemade chocolate and fudge can be found at these shops:
- Freese’s Candy Shoppe at 7312 W Greenfield Ave
- Ultimate Confections at 820 N 68th St
- Indulgence Chocolatiers at 211 S 2nd St
- Red Elephant Chocolate at 333 N Broadway
Since 1928 Freese’s Candy Shoppe has been selling handcrafted and hand dipped chocolates, nuts, and other old fashioned treats that are all made from scratch. Red Elephant Chocolate is a chocolatier, bakery, and coffee shop with outdoor tables and glass ice cream and confectionery counters.
A wide selection of handmade chocolates are also available at Burke Candy. Other places in this post selling quality chocolates in your area include Babe, Scratch, Niemann’s, Burke, and Half Nuts.
Gluten Free Bakeries
For a healthier alternative try one of these gluten free bakeries:
- East Side Ovens at 5430 S Packard Ave
- MOR Bakery at 2018 S 1st St Unit 102
- Blooming Lotus Bakery at 2215 E North Ave
East Side Oven is a gluten free bakery using all natural ingredients for their delectable baked and deli goods.
Blooming Lotus Gourmet Bakery’s products are free of grain, dairy, sugar, and egg. They only use ingredients with no added oils nor fats, high in protein and fiber, and low in carbohydrates.
Smoothies
Smoothies can be a great tasty and healthy snack:
- Juiced! at 640 S 5th St #2
- Krazy Kitchen at 5266 S 27th St
- On the Bus at 400 N Water St
- Jamba at 544 E Ogden Ave #300A
On the Bus’ menu includes seitan sandwiches, acai bowls, date shakes, smoothies, avocado toast, and homemade vegan ice cream.
Local Restaurants With Great Desserts
Many would agree these restaurants have great desserts:
- Le Reve Pâtisserie & Café at 7610 Harwood Ave
- AJ Bombers at 1247 N Water St
Le Reve Pâtisserie and Café offers French cuisine, pastries, and some of the best desserts near you like their raspberry dacquoise. Delicious local frozen custards are served at AJ Bombers in addition to burgers, roasted peanuts, and much more.
By the way we have also written about:
Enjoy Ice Cream, Cookies, & Cakes In Milwaukee
We wish we had more to share but for now that is all we’ve got. After reading about all these local shops to buy ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, cakes, pastries, other bakery items, cupcakes, donuts, chocolate, fudge, candy, gluten free baked goods, smoothies, and even restaurants with can’t miss desserts in your area finding your next sweet indulgence shouldn’t be too hard.
Please use the comments to let us know if any shops have closed down, or if we posted anything that is incorrect. Now have fun eating your ice cream, cookies, and cakes in Milwaukee.