The hits and misses of Charm City's ice cream scene

Good ice cream is no laughing matter. There are no other culinary joys in life besides ice cream that entail the perfect combination of temperature, flavor and texture. As such, our expedition to determine who offers the absolute best ice cream in Baltimore was a serious undertaking that we approached with the utmost gravity.

We crown BMORE LICKS as the best creamery in Baltimore. With over 80 unique ice cream flavors in hard- and soft-serve form, you will never order the same thing twice. The delectable labyrinth of choices of cones, toppings and sizes is overwhelming in the best way possible. There truly is a flavor for everyone at BMORE LICKS, whether you are a chocolate lover, an avant-garde flavor connoisseur or someone who appreciates the simple stuff. And did we mention their generous portion sizes? With locations in Federal Hill and Patterson Park, it perhaps is not the most accessible ice cream shop for Hopkins students. We promise that riding the Charm City Circulator is more than worth it.

Federal Hill truly is the ice cream haven of our city. We continue to sing its praises with Moo Moo Cows, a lovely and vibrant shop with incredible ice cream. It is directly across the street from BMORE LICKS, so if you can’t choose one, get both! Everyone wins at Moo Moo with daily ice cream specials like Sundae Saturday — two large scoops, four toppings and hot fudge for only $5 — or Waffle Cone Wednesday. We enjoyed the vibrant interior, and whoever’s behind the counter will gladly run through the many options offered at this fine establishment.

What it lacks in variety, portion size and competitive pricing, The Charmery more than makes up for with what we deem as its premier flavor: Maryland Mud. Its Hampden location is just a short walk or Blue Jay Shuttle ride from Homewood Campus (there are multiple other locations in Baltimore for anyone who wants to venture out farther), and it is a staple for any student who wants a quick way to satiate their sweet tooth. The Charmery lives up to its name in all of its quirkiness, including the out-of-this-world bathroom, color-changing spoons and the wackiest ice cream flavors you’ve ever seen. While you might be put off by an ice cream that includes butternut squash, salt and vinegar chips or ube, you never know what joys you might find when you eat outside the box.

In the days of prepandemic yore, Taharka Brothers was easily accessible to any Fresh Food Café  or Nolan’s-goer. Luckily, Taharka can still be found at R. House in Remington, which we recommend regardless of whether or not you want ice cream. Taharka ice cream is so positively robust in flavor that even a kiddie-size scoop is enough to fulfill your deepest ice cream wishes. However, Taharka is slightly limited in its flavor scope, given that it occupies a tiny stall in the corner of R. House. Additionally, there are no toppings — but depending on the flavor, like the coffee oreo, you may not miss them much.

Despite the beautiful boardwalk atmosphere of Fells Point, its ice cream scene is a bit lackluster. It is also an inconvenient neighborhood to travel to from campus, so luckily you aren’t missing much. Breaking from our form a bit with a gelatiera, we were disappointed with Pitango Gelato. The smallest available size will set you back more than $6 with not a whole lot of ice cream. We do appreciate the quality ingredients and clear enthusiasm of the shop for its craft, but it didn’t hit the mark for us. After a night out in Fells Point, what you need is a no-frills ice cream that gets the basics right.

The Fell’s Point Creamery is our least favorite among the ones we have visited. It has a Coldstone-style setup where you can pick a flavor and select mix-ins. The ice cream itself is nothing special, and some mix-ins tasted a tad stale. The shop’s charming exterior belies the rather uninspiring vibe indoors that pales in comparison to the vibrancy of Moo Moo or to the classiness of Pitango.