Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Since the 1970s, this family-run Chinatown institution has stood on Bayard Street, serving ice cream to a steady crowd that still queues up at the door. A one-in-and-one-out kind of situation, this small slip of a shop still manages to keep it cute with paper lanterns on the ceiling and drawings of its mascot: an ice cream-eating green dragon. You can find all manner of homemade ice cream offerings written on various whiteboards behind the counter, from pints and scoops to go. Shop originals include Black Sesame dotted with sesame seeds, the neon green Pandan and the Almond Cookie that folds in cookies from Famous Fung Wong Bakery. Meanwhile, cheekily named exotics include Chocolate, Cherry Vanilla and Chocolate Chip. Plus, asking for multiple samples is perfectly acceptable, just to try to keep it speedy to keep the line moving. Once scoops are in hand, spooning ice cream on the sidewalk is perfectly acceptable as is trekking it to one of Chinatow's various parks