Ice Cream Social, Austin

The salty hint of peanut butter contrasts the velvety tang of fresh cream and the bitter spice of dark chocolate and chilies within a scoop of peanut-butter mole. This type of flavor complexity is common at Ice Cream Social, reflecting Lee and Meredith Dockery’s commitment to elevating ice cream from mere dessert to gourmet delicacy. They perch a rotating cast of ambrosial ice creams and sorbets inside chocolate-dipped waffle cones, adorning them with haute toppings such as cardamom-toasted coconut and miniature top hats.

The scoops are all the more striking considering they originate from a modest bus parked on Jessie Street. Once patrons have collected their treats from the window, they can savor them in the surrounding parking lot outfitted with umbrella-shaded tables and the occasional live band.