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South Florida Sun Sentinel
Who scoops the best ice cream in South Florida? The readers have spoken, and the winner is …
By Kari Barnett, South Florida Sun-Sentinel,
15 hours ago
Customers can choose from an assortment of flavors at Lily's Handmade Ice Cream in Delray Beach. Lily's has been chosen by Sun Sentinel readers as the best ice cream spot in South Florida. Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, but where’s the best place to get scrumptious scoops of the cold, creamy dessert?
For National Ice Cream Month, we turned to you, our readers, to find out which ice cream shops in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties cure your cravings for the frozen treat.
This tasty topic in our Best of South Florida Dining series inspired hundreds of ice cream enthusiasts to nominate their favorite spots. They also gave us some ice-cold insight into what tempts them when picking a flavor from the freezer.
The top five most-mentioned ice cream makers, in alphabetical order, were:
After readers churned out hundreds of votes , we can finally put the whipped cream and a cherry on top of the winner … so let’s raise a spoon to Lily’s Handmade Ice Cream!
The shop, at 4900 Linton Blvd., No. 4, is a family affair, with Ronen Gilinsky co-owning the business with sons Ori and Tal Gilinsky.
“Thank you from the bottom of our family’s heart for this incredible honor!” said Ori, who also holds the esteemed title of executive ice cream chef. “We will continue to give back to this incredible community and produce top-notch products for everyone to enjoy.”
The details
First of all, is Lily, the parlor’s namesake, a real person?
Yes! She is Ronen’s daughter and Ori and Tal’s sister, but “she is not involved in the day-to-day in the store and is off studying in school,” Ori said.
The Gilinsky family opened their store — complete with its retro pink-and-turquoise interior, checkerboard floors and neon sign — in September 2020, choosing Delray Beach because of its “small-town, local community feel,” Ori said.
“When we first started, we worked with a mentor who helped us open the shop and teach us the basics,” said Ori, whose foray into the culinary world began as a chef in the military. “(I spent) many hours in the kitchen experimenting and perfecting our classic flavors.”
And there are plenty of flavors to pick from — 20 to 22 on any given day — including no-sugar-added creations and vegan options with a coconut base.
Savor the flavors
“Our ice cream flavors are natural — and all made from scratch,” Ori said. “We use real fruit, never artificial colors or flavors.”
Consider Dusty Monkey with fresh banana, brown sugar and Biscoff cookies, or Mint Chip (Ori’s favorite) that includes spirulina (a consumable type of blue-green algae) extract for a naturally green color.
“The small kick of spirulina separates it from the others,” he said. “It is super fun in a pie, which we also make in-house and can customize any flavor for our guests’ liking.”
Belgian Chocolate is made of Belgian chocolate 54% dark, cocoa powder and sugar.
“The standard in the USA is just cocoa powder and chocolate flavor,” he said.
Living abroad with his family and traveling through Europe and beyond sparked ideas for Ori’s creative concoctions now being scooped at Lily’s, such as:
Kinderella featuring Nutella with Kinder Bueno bars and brownies (Italy)
Stroop Waffle (Amsterdam)
Ube (Philippines)
Baklava Cheesecake (Greece)
But the top seller since Lily’s opened nearly four years ago is named after somewhere closer to home: SOFLO Swamp. It’s a combination that “harmonizes the rich allure of Belgian chocolate-infused Oreos with the decadence of chocolate chips and the nostalgic crunch of Oreo chunks,” according to the description on Lily’s website .
What else is on the menu?
Customers can order fruit sorbets, prepacked gourmet candy, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, banana splits, floats, shakes, coffee drinks, ice cream cakes and pies, and homemade whipped cream, hot fudge and waffle cones.
Lily’s ice cream and sorbets are also available at more than 40 restaurants, country clubs, hotels and markets (such as KC Market in Hollywood and Boynton Beach) throughout South Florida.
All Lily’s ice cream is certified kosher by Sunshine State Kosher, which means it has undergone a rigorous inspection process and adheres to dietary laws outlined in Jewish tradition, including using kosher-certified ingredients, following specific preparation guidelines, and avoiding certain ingredients, according to the Gilinsky family.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to give the kosher community a place to visit, hang out and have a true culinary experience,” Ori said. “The kosher sweets community is limited, as it takes a few extra steps, and we are happy to fill this void.”
What customers say
In her nomination form, Cece Blakemore of Delray Beach said she likes Lily’s chocolate ice cream — in a cup or cone — without toppings.
“It is completely small-batch, homemade ice cream that is deliciously different than any flavors you have had before,” she wrote. “It’s well worth the money it costs today for homemade ice cream!”
Meanwhile, Boca Raton resident Itai Baron wrote that the shop “has the best natural flavors, focuses on quality and has the most innovative recipe.” His favorite flavor is Dusty Monkey in a cup or cone.
“Ever since I tried Lily’s Handmade Ice Cream, I stopped eating at all the other spots,” he wrote. “Massive upgrade from every other ice cream shop.”
Katrina Ayoola, of Fort Lauderdale, praised the vegan options in her nomination form: “It’s some of the freshest, richest vegan ice cream I’ve ever tasted. The consistency is just like regular ice cream. It is incredibly good! And I love how they have top-tier ingredients!”
Lily’s Handmade Ice Cream is at 4900 Linton Blvd., No. 4, Delray Beach. Visit lilyshandmadeicecream.com or call 561-501-4301.
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