Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Shop - Ithaca, New York

DELETED U. A. M.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!! Sweet Melissa’s is the best soft serve in town and they don’t mess around with the soft serve and baked goods either. They do specialty flavors for hard ice cream like Thai ice tea, matcha, lemon ricotta and more - they rotate through flavors and often sell out quick so there’s always something new and fun to try. Vegan options for hard ice cream too. Cash only.

Jason B.

Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Ithaca, NY

We tried their Vegan ice cream based on the recommendation of someone we trusted.

We got 2 scoops vegan toasted coconut and vegan gluten-free blonde cookies & cream ice cream.

At this time they are "cash only."

Both of their Vegan ice creams are coconut milk based and didn’t have much flavor. The toasted coconut had more than the blonde cookies and cream. They also had a somewhat rubbery texture, more like melted mozzarella cheese than what one would anticipate from ice cream.

It's outdoor seating only. There's no street visible signage to indicate this business, yet despite that there is a constant line of customers, most likely for their dairy based ice creams and other threats. For us as Vegans, I would not go back except to sometime in the future to give them a second chance. It just wasn't that good.

Ashleigh F.

I've been frequenting Sweet Melissa's since 2011, and it's a real gem. The portions are decent (not enormous like some other ice cream establishments in the greater Ithaca area) and the quality is excellent. I wish they made their own waffle cones, but they probably don't have the room for that. I love the two berry twist, but I love the hard flavors the most. Coconut and coffee have been my favorites. I think they sometimes use different vegan milks for the vegan hard ice creams, because sometimes I love them even more--perhaps that's when they use coconut milk? The location is perfect, the long lines usually move quickly, and carrying some cash isn't a problem. They have punch cards, too! Staff and owners are very friendly and the experience is always a delight. The seating is often unusable because the line runs against it, which is unfortunate when your partner is disabled and needs to sit down.

Mengting H.

Cash only!!!
Double Berry Twist was refreshingly tart on a summer evening and it went well with dipped cone as well. Worth trying when you are visiting Ithaca.

Peter K.

Really enjoy their rotating selection of flavors. The hard ice cream has been good everytime and my girlfriend really likes the vegan options. Apparently their recipe has gotten much better with an improved texture! The cash only operation does kind of keep me away though, only because its 2025 and who carries cash anymore.

Kristen N.

My favorite ice cream shop in the finger lakes area and I take my ice cream seriously! The owners are great people who take such pride in making quality products at reasonable prices. I LOVE their hard ice creams (especially Coffee Toffee, Vanilla Latte, Thai iced tea, and many more!)--these are all made by Melissa in house. And their soft serve is great, too: especially the two-berry twist!

Carolyn K.

Yummy soft serve ice cream. Came here twice- the second time because we enjoyed our first visit so much. 2nd time my mom and I ordered mediums and portions were very small, but I guess it depends on the employee who serves you! Was a bit disappointed by this, but still would come back again.

Jason B.

This was the best soft serve ice cream I’ve ever had — I really mean this. I have never had anything quite like it. It was a silk-like creaminess and that was the perfect amount of sweet. I had their version of the Blizzard with Heath bar and it was divine. I will gladly plan future trips to this part of the country around a stop at this place.

There was no place to sit inside or a bathroom so that was the only negative. Locals said that they all pee around back by the dumpster.