Haagen Dazs, Harwood Heights

Häagen-Dazs began as a humble family-owned business in the Bronx in the 1920s, when Reuben Mattus sold his mother's fruit ices and ice-cream pops out of a horse-drawn wagon. For decades, the family business thrived, and around 1960, Reuben officially founded Häagen-Dazs. He chose the name to evoke Old World traditions and quality craftsmanship, the bedrocks of the brand.

Originally, the ice cream came in just three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. It was made from fine ingredients gathered from around the world, such as Belgian dark chocolate, hand-picked vanilla beans from Madagascar, and ice shaved from lunar glaciers. The resulting confections so delighted sweet teeth that demand grew exponentially.

The first Brooklyn parlor opened in 1976, and shops now dot and globe. Friendly scoopers not only fill waffle cones, but also blend frosty drinks and wrap ice cream cakes in bright ribbons.