{shortcode-92c20c9cb2b6c1f7506cad912e2b62c9119d23b0}(Tl;dr, go to Van Leeuwen or J.P. Licks.)
Harvard Square has so many ice cream places. And now that Van Leeuwen has finally opened, it really has SO MANY ice cream places. It’s been eight years since Flyby last definitively ranked these ice cream locales, so as Flyby’s outgoing leaders, we (ESJ and HRO) considered it our final and most important duty to try each and every place so we could determine once and for all where you should spend your hard-earned money on the sweetest of treats.
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The Methodology
We visited seven places: Van Leeuwen, Lizzie’s, Taiyaki NYC, Ben & Jerry’s, Amorino, J.P. Licks, and Berryline. We selected these as the seven places in Harvard Square where the primary offering is a frozen treat. (Sorry, Shake Shack and Insomnia Cookies.) At each location, we asked for the “best regular flavor” (d) and the “best dairy-free flavor” (v). Don’t worry, we tipped a lot for being so annoying. Because our priority was avoiding death by ice cream overexposure, we got the smallest size available that would let us get two flavors. We noted any extremities in price, but these places are changing their prices all the time, and we didn’t get consistent sizes, so the prices will not be listed. Instead, we are evaluating texture, flavor, meltiness, variety, novelty, and for dairy-free, how much you can tell it’s dairy-free.
Each location will feature our observations, our individual ratings of each flavor, and situations in which these ice cream spots would shine (dates, post-performance treats, summer generally). At the end, we will offer our final ranking.
Our predictions were that HRO would prefer Van Leeuwen, and ESJ would prefer Lizzie’s. One of us was correct; the other was blinded by novelty… and it’s not the one you would expect…
Van Leeuwen (8.25/10)
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Great for: dates, post-Loeb celebrations, pretending you’re a New Yorker.
We started out at the new arrival for purely geographical reasons. The very informative ice cream connoisseur behind the counter recommended Brown Butter Cookie Dough Brownie (d) and Banana Bread Pudding with Fudge Swirls (v). We then sat in the spacious front area to eat our first of many ice creams of the evening. The night was young; we were hungry.
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Brown Butter Cookie Dough Brownie (d): All the named flavors came through in this very sweet concoction. It was a smooth experience, with nothing awe-inspiring but no disappointments. Because we had both had Van Leeuwen before, neither of us thought it was necessarily the best flavor. But we had to stick to our methodology that we had made up on the sidewalk outside five minutes prior.
ESJ rating: 7/10
HRO rating: 8/10
Banana Bread Pudding with Fudge Swirls (v): We were, quite frankly, shocked at how rich this non-dairy ice cream was. The banana was banana-ing. It didn’t taste vegan, though the more xanthan-gummy, icier texture gave it away. No matter. This was a great start to the night.
ESJ rating: 9/10
HRO rating: 9/10
Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream (5/10)
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Great for: hometown vibes, finding ads for local tutors, avoiding stomach aches if you have to run a marathon afterward.
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Spirits were high as we arrived at Lizzy’s ice cream. Our glasses fogged up in the warm interior, and we had the tiny place to ourselves as we tested out the recommended Butter Crunch (d) and Mint Chip (v) while standing at a side counter and discussing the flavors in hushed tones. This was ESJ’s first time trying Lizzy’s in four years at Harvard, and expectations set by friends was high. But we were disappointed. Maybe we caught them on a bad day.
Butter Crunch (d): This flavor is described as “butter almond toffee pieces in a rich buttery base.” The toffee was either great or not great, depending on who you ask, but we agreed that the base was actually not too rich for mass consumption. The ice cream, though creamy, was very melty and we had a little crisis about it. But that just showed how homemade the homemade ice cream really was!
ESJ rating: 7/10
HRO rating: 4/10
Mint Chip (v): A mint chip hater and lover agreed: it’s giving toothpaste, just a bit. It had the trademark non-dairy aftertaste and not a lot of chocolate chips. Not an ideal situation.
ESJ rating: 6/10
HRO rating: 3/10
Taiyaki (4.5/10)
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Great for: the Instagram story, Asian-flavor lovers.
Our stomachs were now gradually making that mind-body connection that we were eating way more sugar at night than we probably should. After trying an insistent sample of the hojicha, we paid a hefty $9 for the “Straight Outta Japan” (hojicha and matcha swirl ice cream with a red bean base). Don’t worry, we got an Instagram-worthy picture to make up for the money we spent. Our first location with no non-dairy option!
Straight Outta Japan (d): The ice cream was less sweet than the other flavors we tried that night, which was a welcome delight, but overall there was very little variety in flavors available. Also, we got tired of the ice cream pretty quickly, though we urge you to take that with a grain of salt because we were slowly feeling the intestinal consequences of our lofty mission. The Taiyaki cone was a bit stale because it wasn’t fresh, but we suspect it was just because we visited during a slow hour. Overall, it’s a place that you probably don’t need to come back to after you got one good pic for the ’gram.
ESJ rating: 4/10
HRO rating: 5/10
Ben and Jerry’s (5.25/10)
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Great for: interestingly named flavors, an option close to the river.
Not great for: your wallet.
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We were feeling a little better as we walked off some of the sugar during the trek from Taiyaki to Ben and Jerry’s. That good feeling quickly turned to shock when we realized that Ben and Jerry’s charges $8 for a small cup. We quietly hoped that the taste would justify the high price point. After obtaining our recommended scoops of The Tonight Dough (d) and Change the Whirled (v), we huddled in a corner near the exit to taste test.
The Tonight Dough (d): A very classic flavor when you think about Ben and Jerry’s. Cookie dough is always a great option, but it was nothing revolutionary — certainly not worth $8. We recommend going down the street to any supermarket and getting a pint of cookie dough ice cream there instead.
ESJ rating: : 4/10
HRO rating: 5/10
Change The Whirled (v): We’ve been noticing a considerable amount of stretchiness (xanthan gum?) in many of our non-dairy options, and this was no exception. Again, nothing revolutionary and tastes noticeably of oat milk. We don’t see a reason you would go out of your way to get this scoop (unless you are also pursuing a comprehensive ranking of ice cream in the Square), but not a bad pick-me-up for the middle of finals.
ESJ rating: 6/10
HRO rating: 6/10
Amorino (8.25/10)
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Great for: a date night (a lot of seating)
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Onto our third to last spot! An air of romance permeated through the air as we entered Amorino, known for its rose-shaped gelato cones. After Ben and Jerry’s, the prices were looking mighty fine, and a readily available gender-neutral bathroom and drinking water was a pleasant plus to the whole atmosphere. We armed ourselves with the pistachio (d) (ESJ’s favorite flavor) and mango sorbet (v). After a series of chocolate and caramel flavors, this was a great way to get some fiber into our bodies.
Pistachio (d): So. So. Creamy. The unassuming scoop packs a punch of flavor, but is also decadent and light. Our eyes widened. Our taste buds were happy.
ESJ rating: 9/10
HRO rating: 8/10
Mango Sorbet (v): Two syllables. MAN. GO. The flavor was so fresh and transported us back to summer when everything was better and the world wasn’t so complicated.
ESJ rating: 8/10
HRO rating: 8/10
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J.P. Licks (8.4/10)
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Great for: bringing your family and visiting friends, getting a classic taste of Massachusetts.
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Expectations were high and spirits rose, especially for ESJ who claims J.P. Licks as a place of childhood memory. Located in a central location within the Square, J.P. Licks is notably popular among tourists and tutors organizing study breaks. We found a table to sit down with our scoops of Brownie Brownie Batter (d) and Peanut Butter Chip (v) and dug in.
Brownie Brownie Batter (d): A creamy, delightful spoonful of chocolate, as advertised. This flavor is ESJ’s childhood favorite, which brought back warm nostalgia for her and a newfound appreciation for HRO.
ESJ rating: 9/10
HRO rating: 8/10
Peanut Butter Chip (v): The ice cream enthusiast behind the counter informed us that all of the non-dairy scoops had a coconut base, and they certainly weren’t kidding. The peanut butter compliments the coconut beautifully to create a refreshing mix. However, it lost points because the chocolate chips were not chocolatey, and didn’t add anything to the ice cream other than a different texture every now and then.
ESJ rating: 8/10
HRO rating: 8.5/10
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Berryline (3.4/10)
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Great for: A pick-me-up, late-night bite
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You only really come to Berryline on two occasions: when you’re in the trenches or when you’re getting to know someone for the first time, so you say “I know a place.” We had both only come here for the froyo, so we were curious to see if the ice cream could be good as well. The price was pretty cheap (we were still traumatized from Ben and Jerry’s). For a Monday evening, the place was packed, so we took our cookies and cream (d) and mango (v) to the outside seating.
Cookies and Cream (d): They should’ve just called it Cookie because we didn’t get the cream part in any of those bites. The ice cream was pretty tasteless and the cookies didn’t really taste like Oreos either. If we came to Berryline for a sweet treat and unassumingly got this, we would certainly be upset.
ESJ rating: 2/10
HRO rating: 1/10
Mango (v): Icier and sweeter than the mango sorbet we tried at Amorino’s. It left a certain residue on our tongues and was pretty good but not amazing. We’d also like to note that the person serving us had tried to politely tell us that the non-dairy ice cream was better. She was very correct.
ESJ rating: 5/10
HRO rating: 5.5/10
The Final Ranking
1. JP Licks (8.4/10)
2. Van Leeuwen (8.25/10)
3. Amorino (8.25/10)
4. Ben and Jerry’s (5.25/10)
5. Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream (5/10)
6. Taiyaki (4.5/10)
7. Berryline (3.4/10)
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We both went home with full stomachs, two cups of ice cream each, and the conclusion that we’ll probably stay away from ice cream for the next two business weeks. You’re so welcome that we provided this comprehensive list of ice cream places for your next date, parents’ visit, or sweet treat.