Purity Ice Cream Co.

Loved the visit here. Great ice-cream and nice place to hang out. Good customer service too.

The city's famous ice cream shop. The atmosphere of the shop is lovely and warm. There are many flavors of ice cream to choose from. There are many flavors of cupcakes. The shop has a large area with many tables and chairs for customers.

I’ve been here a few times and have had pretty middle of the road experiences. Ice cream is fairly middle of the road, but most recently I ordered what was supposed to be chocolate soft serve with a few added toppings and was handed what looked like to be a thin chocolate milkshake mixed with ice shavings. I tried drinking it with a straw but even then the mixture was just so thin, it almost had the consistency of chocolate milk. I’m not sure what it was but it certainly wasn’t soft serve. Definitely wont be going back. Side note: just wanted to be clear that the picture of the ice cream was taken as soon as I walked from the counter to my car, so there was basically no time for the ice cream to melt.

My husband and I came here during a very hot day and we got ice-creams with chocolate and nuts cones. The portions are very generous and the taste is amazing. I tried pistachio and butter pecan which were delightful , while my husband got double chocolate and coconut. The place is very popular and nice , they also sell ice cream cakes and ice cream jars. They have lots of flavours and the personnel is extremely kind. They helped us decide what flavours to get and made us taste them before buying them. They have plenty of seats indoor and outdoor. Their coffee is also very good ! Recommended.

🍦 Purity Ice Cream – A Sweet Stop in Ithaca, NY Whether it’s a snowy winter day or the heat of summer, I believe there’s never a bad time for ice cream—and Purity Ice Cream in Ithaca proves it every time! With a legacy dating back to 1936, this Finger Lakes gem is an absolute must-visit. This time, I treated myself to their Green Tea Matcha and Coffee flavors, and they were out of this world! The Green Tea Matcha was perfectly creamy and earthy, with just the right hint of sweetness. The Coffee flavor? A rich, bold delight that tastes like the most indulgent iced coffee you’ve ever had—except in scoop form! Purity isn’t just about ice cream, though. Their menu includes everything from juicy burgers and grilled cheese to all-day breakfast (maple fried chicken and French toast sticks, anyone?). Plus, they’ve got vegan and no-sugar-added options, so everyone can find something to love. The cozy, nostalgic vibes inside make it a perfect stop no matter the season, and their friendly staff are always ready to make your visit memorable. Pro tip: Add a fresh cone or topping to your ice cream for the ultimate treat! 📍 Location: 700 Cascadilla Street, Ithaca, NY ⏰ Open early, so you can grab breakfast or coffee with your dessert fix. Ice cream is always the answer—whether it’s freezing or sweltering outside. Purity Ice Cream is a year-round destination that never disappoints!

Purity is a fun little ice cream shop in downtown Ithaca. All of our ice creams were lovely and tasted delicious!

This is a must stop for delicious icecream !! Cool atmosphere old style icecream shop, you can have lunch as well they have a great menu selection !! Stop in here for some great fresh made cones !!

Delicious ice cream with lots of flavors, less sugar and more natural. Its super tough to find a parking spot.

A fun ice cream shop with a wide variety of flavors (including vegan options)! I haven't had ice cream from a shop since the summer, but have been eager to try Purity Ice Cream. Ordering online was fast and simple, as was pickup. There was a dining area available, but I was just in and out. Be aware of potential parking challenges during busier times of the day. I ordered a pint of ice cream for the freezer, and for the road I ordered one scoop of the chocolate raspberry flavor. Wow! So delicious. Perfect balance of chocolate to raspberry. You might look at the price of a scoop and be hesitant, but the portion was very generous. I thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream, and I am looking forward to enjoying the pint in the freezer!

We stopped because we had wanted ice cream and were seriously looking for something that wasn't a chain, and wasn't the "usual suspects" for good ice cream. I went for a unique one - it was a mint chocolate ice cream w/crushed Oreos - kind of made it taste like a Thin Mint. My only complaint was that the paper stuck to the cone so I had to forego the last bite! My companion opted for traditional - it was a brownie sundae - and it was really yummy - and so much that she couldn't eat it all! Our server was quick and knowledgeable and we so enjoyed sitting outside in the sun!

Purity has a great selection of non-dairy vegan flavors. They even have vegan waffle cones dipped with chocolate and sprinkles or nuts, which is pretty rare for a nonvegan place. I like the texture of the ice cream, it felt very close to dairy based ice cream, but unfortunately it was totally lacking flavor to me. The chocolate flavor was so mild. A cold treat hits the spot for me on a hot day, but I just can't give 5 stars for the flavor. It didn't taste bad... it just didn't taste like much anything.

Terrible experience. Kitchen not ready to serve food when though they are open. Told it would take 15 min for things to warm up and be able to serve but wasn't told that till 10 min after ordered. Unfriendly staff and food / sundae was just meh at best. Don't waste you time or money here

So much hype over just ok ice cream. We were in the area and stopped for ice cream. It was just ok and it sadly wasn't worth the ten minute wait. We saw on the way out a bunch of ordering kiosks which had there been a sign pointing them Out we would have used. This is not a place where you can look at the actual ice cream so if you a person that chooses that way this is not the place for you.

Purity has the best ice cream in town. Do not get scared of the line. It moves quick and wellk worth the wait. All the flavors are great and you won't go wrong with what you choose.

Such a huge variety of flavors and toppings and fun choices. The staff was helpful and friendly, the atmosphere is fun and adorable! Decent prices and just a lovely little place!!

While the ice cream here is decent, if you're hunting for the crown jewel of Ithaca's frozen treats, head on right over to either Melissa's or Cayuga Lake Creamery as they hold the scepter in that realm--superior quality that could probably make a grown woman cry tears of joy. But hey, it's not all a frosty tragedy here. The seating is plentiful, and the generous hours make this place a bustling hub for students and families alike, always buzzing like a beehive minus the stings. So, if you're nearby and craving a scoop or two, why not? But would I trek across town for it? Probably not! Been here a few times in the evenings, mostly as a backdrop for hanging out with friends. It's the kind of place you go because it's convenient and you want ice cream, not because you're craving an ice cream revelation.

We heard this was the place to go for ice cream, so we headed on over. The space is divided between the ice cream and desserts with its own display and line on one side, and a separate side to order hot food. The hot food also has kiosks to place the order. In the middle is a seating area. We tried the classic grilled cheese, fries, fried chicken sandwich, cole slaw, and scoops of the Madigan Mint ice cream (chocolate mint ice cream with Oreos). The ice cream was great, and there were a lot of other intriguing flavors we'd be interested to try in the future. The hot food was pretty tasty and hit the spot. A parking lot is available.

Loved the vibe of this place and there are amazing flavor options. Sometimes the wait is long but it's well worth it

I'm not sure why Purity has so much hype. Maybe because of the change in ownership a few years ago by I** H*spitality... (owns ghost kitchens and overpriced restaurants in Ithaca) this place has gone downhill. Don't even bother with the dairy free ice cream here. I've never had an ice cream feel sandy and chalky on my tongue before. The other hard ice cream flavors I've had taste watery and sometimes freezer burned. Head over to the commons for better options!!

When you get past the factory-like, one way service and taste the unique flavors they have for ice cream, you'll realize that this is a place families have been going for generations. I got the Madigan mint, a chocolate on chocolate mint ice cream stuffed with soften Oreo cookie. It was awesome and something I've been searching for. Most mint ice cream is not chocolate based. One scoop in a cup was plenty for me. My family got the chocolate raspberry and black cherry flavors which were great. There's a burger and fries place in the opposite corner which was a little off to me. Plenty of places to sit. I would go back for sure!

Yumyumyummmmmm yum!!! Such great ice cream even in the dead of winter. Go to Purity! Get a cone! Or try a milkshake.

Visited Ithaca for some hiking. Wife and I decided to have lunch at Purity Ice Cream parlor. I had a cheese burger basket and the wife had a patty melt...both were very tasty and juicy. Just the way I like my burger. After eating we had dessert... ice cream! Friendly atmosphere and courteous hospitality. We will visit here again when in the area.

This place is always bustling with students, families, and locals! With a large menu of unique ice cream flavors, baked goods like donuts and cupcakes, and savory items, there's so many choices to choose from. We got a large ice cream (up to 3 flavors) with a wafer cone. We chose Boomberry (black raspberry ice cream with black cherries, blueberries, & strawberries), Madigan Mint (creamy chocolate mint ice cream loaded with Oreos), and Green Tea. The boomberry was very fruity, as expected. But the fruits were all very frozen and icy and and hard to chew through with the ice cream. It wasn't like when you have strawberries in strawberry ice cream where they're soft and accompany the creamy ice cream. If you like berries, a lot, then maybe this is for you. The Madigan mint was not bad with a chocolate based ice cream and somewhat mild in mint and Oreos. The Green Tea was kinda faint in my opinion, could definitely be made stronger. The green tea flavor gets drowned out a bit by the vanilla based ice cream. Overall, decent ice cream but not really worth the hype. I would like to go back and try their coffee flavored ice cream and baked goods next time though!

I'm a huge ice cream fan -- maybe even an expert -- this ice cream is rich and creamy and incredibly delicious. Go treat yo self and the family. You can sit indoors or outdoors. If you can't park in the main lot, there's another lot across the street for customers.

I have had plenty of ice cream across the country, but this hands down goes into my top 5 ice cream spots. I had the s'mores or campfire ice cream, I don't remember the specific name, and the chocolate base was one of the best I've ever had. There was a long line when I arrived, but it went by fast and the girls at the counter kept the flow going. If you had one choice to stop at in Ithaca for ice cream, definitely try purity

BITTERsweet chocolate chip ice cream?? I like sweet on sweet... could bittersweet chips be good?? No... not just good - it is DIVINE. So many tiny chips combining with great vanilla. Mmmm! Great milkshakes too... so, it is busy.

Stopped by for some ice cream one evening and it was really good! I got the happy trails which was vanilla ice cream, fudge swirl, and peanut butter cups. It was pretty good but there weren't many pb cups and when they were there they were just bits of chocolate and not actually peanut butter. My bf got the vegan vanilla bean and he enjoyed it. He wanted the banana split but I guess they didn't have it. We both agreed it had a different consistency than normal ice cream and other vegan ice creams we've had before but it still tasted good. They had a good sized parking lot and seating both inside and out.

My wife and I stopped here for ice cream on our drive back home to Pennsylvania. Parking can be tight in the small lot. The ice cream is excellent. Service is efficient. There is an enormous selection of ice cream flavors. Grab a menu and look while you wait to order.

It is buzzing on a weekend night! Love the ambience and the comfortable and large seating area they have inside and outside the store. The ice cream flavors are very unique. I got pistachio flavor and they had real pistachios bits in it (although it did look a little sus with neon green coloring). Highly recommend the Happy Trails ice cream

The ice cream I received was creamy and tasteful. One complaint is that the peanut butter chocolate ice cream had very large and thick chunks of peanut butter that were hard to get through. Over all there coffe ice cream had a soft and sweet taste, there chocolate ice cream was chewy and delicious and the peanut putter chocolate (though the complaint specified previously) was very thick and scrumptious.

Delicious ice cream, quick service and a large variety of vegan and regular options. The place was spacious, comfortable and crowded, there were few tables for outdoor seating as well. We had vegan sundae, vegan thick shake, hot fudge sundae, black raspberry ice cream and bittersweet chocolate - all of these were spot on. I would highly recommend this place for ice creams / desserts in the area.

The icecream here is pretty good- a mix of fun and usual flavors, as well as fries and other food items. The service is on the slow side during peak hours as they get PACKED. The space itself is rather nice, but on some days can be a little messy. I think this is a great place for large groups due to the space indoors (plus more people to talk too while waiting), but the price being on the higher end knocks it down a little. I enjoy this place but it's not a go-to anymore. Definitely check out Sweet Melissa's if you're on a budget or have a smaller group/want to be outside. Purity does have outside space but it's limited. I will add, Purity sells donuts now that are very sweet, but I quite enjoy them on occasion! Maybe it's the nostalgia talking but I'd say this is a great icecream place if you're willing to pay a little more and wait for the seating space, convenient location, and good flavors

In figuring out what to do in Ithaca, every guide said go to Purity, so we did! I was surprised that it was later in the evening but still pretty busy with a line. They have a huge variety of flavors, but it appeared that some of them were made by a different ice cream operation but sold at Purity. I wanted something Purity so that limited the options. My chocolate chip cookie dough was great and was a nice treat for the end of the night. I was tempted to get some of the other treats but just stuck with my ice cream. Their other fare looks great and if I'm ever back in town I'd love to go back.

Many kind of ice creams. Many flavors. The service was very friendly and patient to explain the difference between the kinds of ice creams

I think folks in Ithaca know how wonderful Purity is.... It's us outsiders, who are in town for a visit, who need to discover its awesomeness. We had a late lunch, so someone suggested ice cream for dinner. Who's going to argue with that? My daughter had some research and wanted to try Purity. Let's just say...it was a little overwhelming. How many flavors do they have? Unfortunately, I committed myself to a shake, so I had to find something that easily sipped thru a straw. Others in our group got to be a bit more adventuresome. Staff was extremely patient with us, can't say the same for the line that quickly formed behind us. Recommendations were offered, especially for one of my daughters who wanted a chai milkshake. He suggested a option to tamper it down a bit. It ended up being perfect. As of our visit (late March '21), COVID restrictions were still in effect. Good for them. There were people eating outside, but we decided to take our treasure home. My youngest and I sipped our shakes as we drove, while the others ate away in the comfort of the vehicle. If you can't find something here for an enjoyable dessert, I'm sorry. This place seems like a gem in Ithaca. If you're visiting the area, don't be afraid to stop here for some high quality ice cream. Oh yeah...my banana milkshake was AWESOME!!!

My girlfriend and I are always on the lookout for good creameries when home or away. My qualifications are a little more stringent than hers as I only eat non-dairy. I love it when I can choose from nut milk varieties instead of having to eat sorbets or Italian ice. Purity had this in abundance. For this, I was happy and grateful. Cute from the outside, it had an "old-timey" feel, which makes sense as it was founded in the 1800s! The staff was lovely and the menu was large. This is where the good stuff ended. Going inside, it had a dingy feeling. I cannot say exactly what, but it felt "depression-era." Where it mattered, Purity failed. The ice cream did not taste good. Not bad, just not good. It tasted bland, as if infused with ice. My girlfriend reported the same for her dairy choice. Go for the history, but no need to come back.

How can you resist purity when you are in town for a visit... Our favorite ice cream ever. They are doing a great job with Covid protocols. And the ice cream flavor selection can't be beat. No indoor seating up at plenty of places to sit outside

Stopped at purity ice cream to get a treat. First off, there definitely needs to be more order in this place. The place was mobbed and was chaos inside. People ordered ice cream and then waited in line forever. I've personally never seen anything like it at an ice cream shop. We decided we didn't want to wait forever in line, so we got a simple bakery item from the case. I got a monster mash cookie. It had m&ms and pretzel pieces. It was pretty good, but definitely not worth $4 for a single cookie.

This place makes zero attempt to accommodate people with food allergies. Besides the aggressive signs that basically say "if you have a nut allergy you shouldn't even enter the building", they also seem completely unaware of what is in their food. I have a soy allergy and asked if a particular sundae had any soy in it; they said "We're not really sure... and we can't guarantee no cross contamination." I asked if they knew the ingredients and they said they didn't, nor did they seem interested in finding out. Also for context, they weren't busy at the time - there were more employees in the building than customers, just standing there. So, I didn't get anything. No big deal - my wife said they weren't anything special anyway. Ps: "Purity" is a funny name where cross contamination is just the norm

Visiting Ithaca stopped by to enjoy local ice cream which is needed on a hot summer day. I initially wanted maple pecan and they were out of. We tried black cherry and butter pecan and enjoyed very much!

We enjoyed their vegan ice cream in waffle cones (most waffle cones aren't vegan so we were very glad these were!). The Triple Threat was great with a chocolate base and chocolate chunks inside. I'd love for them to offer more vegan flavors and source from a creamier brand. This texture is more like sorbet rather than ice cream.

When in Ithaca you have to stop at Purity!!! Homemade ice cream with many different flavors. The portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. I had a small hot fudge sundae and my friend had an apple crisp sundae. Both were to die for.

There vegan ice cream is sooooo good! They were even able to accommodate my cousin who has nut allergies by preparing his ice cream in the back room from fresh containers instead of what was in the front. The only problem is that there is almost always a super long queue and then after you order you queue again to wait for pick up. I wish they had multiple locations.

Black cherry was perfect after a day of hiking. Friendly staff. Parking lot a bit of a mess when busy so be careful.

Yum!!!!! This place was soooooo good! We got two custom milkshakes. Mine had coffee ice cream and Oreos and it was like a dream in a cup! Ice cream is fresh and you can tell the difference from store bought stuff in the first sip!

Disappointed today. "We pack very few quarts of Mint cup and Mocha chip now" but you can either (1 pay more for pints or (2) wait 15 minutes in line for me to pack it.

The ice cream that was provided to me was in the form of a coffee special on a toasted waffle cone. I was quite delicious in the sense that it was very creamy and delectable.

Awesome local spot for excellent ice cream and other treats! The place is pretty big and has a cute diner energy (there's also some diner food available in the back). Service was super nice. The servings are large and the ice cream is very high quality. Highly recommend!

I'm an out of towner...clearly this is the place to go for ice cream on a Friday night. From the time entering the doors to the time we received our ice cream it was about 35 minutes. The wait was well worth it! I got the Cookie Monster shake and it was creamy, chunky, and so good!

Purity Ice Cream is an Ithaca staple. For people visiting from out of town, it's a popular request to stop here... and because it's been around basically fooooorever? I'm not opposed to bringing people to experience it, etc... but having grown up in and around Ithaca, it's just not my first preference for ice cream. Purity has changed a lot since my childhood. It used to be much smaller, but they've since added on the back seating and food service section. I'm all about the additional space, as it means plenty of seating for those ridiculously busy periods. But that's the thing... this place gets SUPER busy. It doesn't help that the parking lot can be a bit of a cluster either. While driving down Rt. 13 the other day, I noticed that Purity was surprisingly quiet, so I opted to stop and see if they had a favorite flavor of mine still available - blueberry cheesecake. Turns out, it's not exactly the same flavor, as it's now blueberry cheesecake muffin. I ordered two scoops in a bowl (too much... after getting my order, I realized one scoop would have been plenty), and my mother, who was with me, ordered a Mexican sundae. The employee at the counter asked "can you remind me what's in that sundae again?"... really? This is an ice cream shop and you have to ask for the ingredients for a Mexican sundae? My mother noted the ingredients, I paid, and then we waited at the pick-up counter... for much longer than I would have anticipated, given so few people in the shop. When we finally got our ice cream orders, we sat down in the extra seating area inside. While having my ice cream, it struck me how sweet my ice cream tasted. Now, mind you, I don't have much of a sweet tooth... but I do enjoy some ice cream or other sweet treats on the rare occasion. This was just a lot of sweetness hitting my tastebuds at once... certainly sweeter than I remember the flavor of my childhood being. I ended up not finishing it... which was a shame, considering it was almost $20 ($18, I think?) for one Mexican sundae and one bowl with two scoops of blueberry cheesecake muffin ice cream (no sprinkles or any other additions... just ice cream). TL;DR I like the idea of supporting local as much as anybody, but Purity just seems overrated to me. You don't actually get an employee until you're at the register, and then THEY'RE asking you how to put together a classic type of sundae? Plus, my ice cream just tasted too sweet. So ultimately, no thanks... I'm in no rush to visit again. Especially not in a rush with how ridiculous it can be to park in their lot, get out into the flow of traffic again when leaving, etc. - not worth it.

I came with 3 of my friends during the weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ice cream. Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy on a Saturday. Although I would recommend to get a waffle cone instead of a regular cone as they give you a lot more ice cream in the waffle.

LOVE the ice cream especially the how fudge brownie sundae. I also love the ice cream cakes for birthdays and special occasions!

What a great place to meet friends and eat the best food in the world, ice cream! I had chocolate bittersweet, another had dreamsickle and the others had various flavors that I cannot remember, nor did Zi remember to take a photo until we all ate our ice cream. What does that tell you about the place? Delicious ice cream available here! I noticed the owners wish to retire and sell their place, so looking for a business? Or stop by and enjoy ice cream!

Amazing food and ice cream absolutely love this place the employees are top notch and super friendly

There was a pretty long line here but it moved decently quickly to order but the wait time for our actual ice cream was longer than expected. I tried the boomberry which was raspberry with fruit. I liked this ice cream better than cayuga lake creamery. They also have sundaes and burgers and milkshakes but i didnt get to try any of those

Yaay for ice cream. Purity had some good flavors. We sampled some and ended up buying a pint of bomberry. Excellent ice cream.

I had such high hopes for this place after reading the reviews, but I don't understand what all the hype is about. Service is not friendly and the ice cream tastes like the value brand you get from the grocery store. Way overpriced for what you get. Giving two stars because the place is clean and menu is extensive. I also like that they are still requiring masks and had outdoor seating.