Purity Ice Cream Co.

🍦 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!

This ice cream has to be some of the best in this town. Vanilla ice cream was so creamy and delicious topped with that salted caramel drizzle just made the apple sundae go over the top. The whipped cream wasn’t very sweet, but the rest of everything in this cup was. The apples were warm and covered in sugar and cinnamon. Very fulfilling definitely will come again.

Decent food & quick service. Place was empty when we visited so we got our food quick. Portions are small & the sandwiches were pretty unexciting and bland. The seasoned fries were really good though! Also tried the ice cream here, and honestly that was the bigger disappointment. It was very low quality & I wouldn't bother coming back for it.

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!!

Ice cream heaven! They had a pumpkin coffee shake, and it was the perfect combination of those 2 flavors. The brownie sunday... delicious! I might have to go here every night during my stay!

Standard flavors but with plenty of unique choices that rotate seasonally to really spice the midweek ice cream cone. The line can get long depending on hours but there is a lot of indoor line space so the 'lovely' Ithaca weather won't be an issue. Ice cream isn't the best in the area, but for sure better than anything from a store.

The salted Carmel ice cream is the best!! Every flavor I've ever tried has been amazing. I love the photos and timeline on the walls. This is a favorite destination every time we are near Ithaca. Parking can be tight, but there is a second lot for additional parking down one of the side streets. Plenty of seating indoors and out.

I came to Purity with a group of around 20 people, and the customer service was amazing! From our initial phone call to inquire about such a large group to the food coming out so quickly, the workers were exceptionally friendly and accommodating. We had a waitress come to our group and take each of our orders, sending them directly to the kitchen and getting the food out in what felt like no time. Everything was seamless, and the waitress was especially proactive in making sure we had everything we needed. Definitely recommend Purity for hosting large groups of people :)

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

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!

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!

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 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.

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

incredibly slow service short line but had to wait 30 minutes to get the ice cream we ordered.

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.

I want to like it, but every time I come the service is totally meh, the food and ice cream average at best, and the place is always dirty. Just depressing really. Go to one the ice cream stands outside town - like Cream at the Top. Cheaper, better, cleaner.

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.

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.

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!

the ice cream is still good but I've noticed a decline in service since the new ownership took over. Also I was in there recently and asked which of the donuts had peanuts in them. The servers said they had no idea. Doesn't seem like this business takes allergies very seriously in my opinion.

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

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!!!

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.

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

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.

Was there this weekend and got the homemade banana ice cream - which had a note next to it that it is small batch. It tasted like nothing. Like they hit the nail right on the head with nothing flavored ice cream. I also had black cherry which was nothing special at all. Wouldn't rush back here.

I'm from the Ithaca area and remember purity ice cream from the time I was 3 years old. We now live in Florida and when we travel through we like to stop for the bittersweet ice cream We stopped for the second time today. The bittersweet ice cream was good but not quite as I remember. Have you changed something in the bittersweet part of ?

I hail from Rochester, but every time I'm in Ithaca, I am SURE to visit Purity Ice Cream. My most recent visit was YUMMY as always -- this time with scoops of Chocolate Debris and Bulldog Crunch. Yum-Yum-YUMMY! Wonderful to sit outside and enjoy inspirational signs made by local children, to lift spirits in this ongoing pandemic. A fantastic reward for hiking Buttermilk Falls. See ya at Purity!

Purity Ice Cream Company, once known for its delectable frozen treats and somewhat affordable prices, has left many consumers disappointed and disillusioned. One of the most glaring consequences of Purity Ice Cream Company's cost-cutting strategies is the noticeable decline in the quality of their products and quantity of. In an attempt to reduce expenses, the company has probably compromised on key ingredients, opting for lower-grade substitutes and artificial additives. This compromise has resulted in a discernible change in the taste, texture, and overall enjoyment of their ice cream. What was once a delightfully creamy and rich dessert has now become a lackluster and disappointing experience.

Went in to try the chicken and fries, because I'd noticed they have offerings beyond ice cream now. On the plus side, the restaurant was cleaner than a lot of fast food places these days. Seems like someone may actually be wiping down the tables occasionally. I ordered chicken nuggets and spicy fries. The nuggets were pieces of breaded, fried chicken breast. They were dry, not juicy, and flavorless, like a first try at chicken nuggets made at home. The fries were crispy but also lacked flavor. Overall, pretty meh for the price: $11.99 for a 20-piece nugget plus an additional $4.99 for fries. Of course, they hit you with the tip screen, even though there's no table service. I wouldn't go back. For fries, Five Guys or McDonald's is the place. Still searching for good chicken in town. Think I'll try Krispy Krunchy next.

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!

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

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!

i came here with my friends because we were craving some milk shakes. the shakes were so delicious and creamy. all their different ice cream flavors can be used to make a milk shake of your choice! I would love to come back.

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

I have been going to purity for years and have noticed the new ownership of purity over the last year has gone down hill. The service is very slow we wait at least 20 minutes for milk shakes even on a slower day. The food such as burgers are small considering the huge price you pay and then extras like French fries cost an additional money. On top of that the upkeep such as cleanliness has gotten pretty bad. The floors are filthy and the windows dirty. The tables are rarely wiped clean between customers. I say all of this because it has so much potential to be better in every way.

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.

Waited over an hour for average ice cream. My friend Matt said it was pretty good but I'd definitely say not worth the wait

Purity's ice cream is the quintessential Ithacan dining experience. Although it's kinda expensive, but worth it.

A really nice spot for a family outing. The grill menu was simple but effective, fresh ingredients in the burgers, soft buns and good portion sizing. We saved just enough room for the ice cream of my husbands childhood dreams: black raspberry, chocolate debris, salted caramel, vanilla and strawberry, all delicious. You can't visit Ithaca without coming here at least once, twice if you're lucky.

A must if you're in Ithaca! There are a plethora of great creameries in the area, but this is one of the gems. Their ice cream cakes are the best and we get them annually when we're in town for family gatherings. Love the raspberry truffle!

Whenever we are in Ithaca, we always try and grab a new flavor here! Every time I go I am never disappointed. Their ice cream is very creamy and extremely flavorful. They are THE place for ice cream in Ithaca and the lines out the door on a hot summer day definitely prove that! We even brought our dog who got to try some of the Matcha ice cream. He definitely gave his paw stamp of approval on this one!

I highly recommend the apple crisp sundae. It has everything you could ever ask for in a sundae: warm apple crisp, rich vanilla ice cream, caramel drip, 3 inches of whipped cream, and candied cherries on top. Surprisingly, the whole gooey package costs less than 6 dollars! Considering the fact that a single scoop of Van Leeuwen's will cost you the same amount, a Purity sundae is truly a steal.

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.

Oh my goodness, a must stop if you're in Ithaca! Grabbed a few scoops and a root beer float for my family and I. Everything was great from the friendly and quick service to the various flavors offered. The root beer float was made with Ithaca's brand of soda and it was refreshing on a warm day. My dogs give their vanilla cone four paws.

Local ice cream shop in Ithaca. Lots of non dairy options for folks who are looking for that. Lots of coffee and chocolate options. Good ice cream but not 5 stars. Not as creamy as I like. Still delicious, just not 5 stars.