The Best Date Night Restaurants in Fort Worth Right Now
Fort Worth date-night restaurants worth returning to, from intimate Italian rooms and sushi counters to river views, polished neighborhood dining, and four drink-focused bonus stops.
The Best Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Spots in Fort Worth Right Now
[UPDATED JULY 2026]
Fort Worth summers are serious business. When it’s 100 degrees and the humidity is making everything worse, a great frozen treat stops being a nice idea and starts being a necessity. The good news is that Fort Worth also has a great local ice cream scene with small-batch creameries, authentic Mexican paleterias, Philly-style Italian ice, and a few national names that do a great job supporting Fort Worthians through the summer.
This is the full list of where to go when the heat really kicks up a notch:
Fort Worth’s own small-batch ice cream brand, started on Magnolia in 2014 by Kari Crowe-Seher and now spread across three locations in the city. The flavor menu rotates constantly, everything is made with natural ingredients, and the Joy Factory kitchen bakes every cookie, sauce, and topping in-house. It’s about as locally and house-made as it gets.
There are three Fort Worth locations: Near Southside (1201 W. Magnolia), Downtown (700 Main St.), and Stockyards (122 E. Exchange Ave.).
Ice Creams to Try: Cup of Texas, Yellow Birthday Cake, and whatever seasonal flavor just dropped.
A South Main institution since 2020, Morgan’s makes daily small-batch ice cream with an obsessive focus on quality and no artificial dyes. They don’t do samples because they’re so confident in the product they produce being some of the best you’ve had. Seven rotating core flavors plus four new ones each month, all made from real ingredients with generous mix-ins. Follow their Instagram for monthly mystery drops.
Ice Creams We Love: Wookies Cookies, Strawberry Magic, and Fudged Up Brownie.
A family-owned gem in far west Fort Worth with homemade ice cream made fresh to order, customizable sundaes, shaved ice, banana splits, and fresh mini donuts. Mostly outdoor seating with a drive-thru, which makes it one of the more practical summer stops in the city. Rated 4.8 on Google across hundreds of reviews.
Ice Creams We Love: Classic Banana Split, Mexican Vanilla, and Texas Praline.
A Camp Bowie institution since 2002. Fresh daily custard in a short rotating lineup, dog-friendly patio, and some of the most reasonable prices left in Fort Worth. The Parker County Peach in July is the one people plan their summer around.
Frozen Treats We Love: A classic vanilla with your favorite toppings, the Parker County Peach (when it’s in season like right now), the Texas Tornado Sundae, the Dirt Cup Sundae, or the Very Berry Concrete.
The best paleteria in Fort Worth, operating on East Seminary since 2009 with everything made in-house from fresh fruit and quality ingredients. Homemade paletas, mangonadas, horchata, and corn in a cup, all at prices that make it an easy weekly habit. Mostly grab-and-go, limited seating, $5 card minimum.
Frozen Treats We Love: Guava with lechera, the mangonada, and the corn in a cup.
Note: Closed Tuesdays. $5 minimum for card purchases.
A husband-and-wife food trailer on Camp Bowie serving Philadelphia-style Italian ice, three ingredients only: fresh fruit, sugar, and water. The flavors rotate weekly and the Philly-style ice cream side is equally serious. One of the more genuinely unique frozen treat operations in the city.
Frozen Treats We Love: Whatever the weekly Italian ice special is, and the Checkmate ice cream if it’s available.
Note: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only, 5-10PM.
A boutique ice cream and coffee shop just off Sundance Square, run by owner Lisa with elevated small-batch flavors like Bourbon Black Chocolate, Strawberry Sweet Note with pomegranate swirl, and rotating seasonal drops. Personal service, small space, genuinely great product.
Ice Creams We Love: Bourbon Black Chocolate and whatever seasonal flavor is running.
Note: Closed Sunday and Monday. Weekday hours end at 3:30PM, Saturday at 4:30PM.
National Brands with Local Spots:
These aren’t Fort Worth originals, but each has earned its place in the city’s frozen treat landscape with great ice creams and other frozen treats.
Salt & Straw
The Portland-born artisan ice cream brand has recently landed in Fort Worth and it’s quickly made a splash as a new go-to for locals. Known for rotating seasonal menus with genuinely creative flavor combinations, including collaborations with local producers and ingredients you won’t find anywhere else. The Fort Worth location keeps the same quality and small-batch ethos that built the brand’s reputation nationally.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream
Van Leeuwen started as a yellow truck in New York City in 2008 and has become one of the more respected artisan ice cream brands in the country. The Fort Worth location is at Westbend, serving their signature French-style ice cream, made with double the egg yolks for a richer, creamier result, alongside a solid vegan lineup made from cashews, oats, and coconut. Flavors like honeycomb, Earl Grey tea, and strawberry shortcake are the ones worth ordering first.
Amorino Gelato
Amorino was founded in Paris in 2002 and is known for one very specific thing: the gelato rose. Every order is shaped petal by petal into a flower on top of your cone, in as many flavors as you want. The gelato is made from natural ingredients with no artificial coloring or flavoring, and the flavor range covers everything from pistachio and Amarena cherry to lime basil and blood orange sorbet. The Clearfork location also serves Belgian waffles, French crepes, gelato-filled macarons, and hot chocolate. Open daily from noon, until midnight on weekends.
Central Market Gelato
Central Market’s in-house gelato counter is one of Fort Worth’s most underrated dessert stops. Made fresh on-site daily, the flavors rotate constantly and follow the seasons, with quality that stands up well against dedicated gelato shops. Grab a cup or cone at the gelato counter and take it to the outdoor seating area. A simple, affordable, tasty frozen treat.
Final Thoughts
Fort Worth’s frozen treat scene is growing in size and has a great reputation, especially as the heat ticks up into the high 90s and 100s. From a family paleteria that’s been going since 2009 to a Philly-style Italian ice trailer that only opens on weekends, the variety here is real. Wherever you are in the city on a hot afternoon, one of these spots is worth the detour.
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