North Jersey Eats Ice Cream Madness champion is crowned
See who wins the North Jersey Eats Ice Cream Madness in this video
- For the past four weeks, you’ve voted to name your favorite ice cream shop in North Jersey.
- The winner of the bracket hails from Morris County, and has been serving the region for nearly 60 years.
The results are in, ice cream-lovers! The competition has been whipped and creamed, leaving Morris County landmark Denville Dairy as the champion of our North Jersey Ice Cream Madness showdown.
According to you, the local legend makes the tastiest frozen scoops in the area.
For the many visitors who have seen the spot’s lines out the door, army of staff behind the counter or take-a-number ordering system (to help organize hungry guests into an orderly crowd), however, this victory might not be the biggest surprise.
Nonetheless, though, the regional favorite has been a cult classic dessert destination since it first opened its doors in the 1960s, and this acknowledgement is a welcome nod to the team’s multiple generations of excellence.
So, raise a cone, eaters, to the (dairy)queen of the scene.
The best ice cream shop in North Jersey; according to you
Denville Dairy is a family-run ice cream shop that’s been serving house-made scoops, fluffy soft serve and hand-crafted novelties (think gourmet chipwiches, peanut butter sundae cups or decadent cakes) to North Jersey residents for over 50 years. Inside its old-world parlor-reminiscent digs, guests savor fresh desserts churned with traditional recipes and infused with notes of nostalgia. Visit on a hot summer night, and watch as kids indulge in oversized scoops of marshmallow-loaded Graham Slam and fudge-ribboned Vanilla Crunch Swirl.
Then recall fondly, of course, the post-baseball practice days when you did the same.
Each operating hour, the shop’s display freezers are stuffed with approximately 28 scooped-to-order flavors, ranging from year-round staples, like Oreo Cream, to seasonal specials, such as the sticky-sweet pumpkin caramel Taste of Autumn. Sherbert, Italian ices and vegan options are readily available, and premium toppings are always an option (of which the chocolate cake crunchies and roasted peanut butter sauce never fail to impress).
And, for those who don’t want to devour a sundae every evening? The team even offers sugar and fat-free flavors, so weekend cones of Swiss Chocolate can be offset by weeknight cups of something healthy(ish).
The Denville Dairy difference
“We take a lot of pride in what we do,” the Fine family (who founded Denville Dairy in 1966 and remains current owners), says. “You can taste the difference in all of our products.”
That commitment to excellence, along with hot fudge that could thaw an icy heart, is likely what swayed the public’s votes, as they clicked — week after week — to name the dessert institution the best of the best.
So, if you have yet to stop in, take this win as a sign to grab your sugar-craving friends and head out for a drippy, melty, irresistible treat of champions.
Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can’t find her in Jersey’s best restaurants, she’s probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.
