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Chill Out: Sacramento's 5 Favorite Frozen-Dessert Shops

With sweltering summer temperatures come irresistible cravings for frozen treats. But where to find the perfect snack to turn a day from oppressive oven to tropical tranquility?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top frozen-dessert shops in Sacramento, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to venture next time you're on the hunt.

1. Gunther's Quality Ice Cream

PHOTO: BRITTNEY K./YELP

Topping the list is local favorite Gunther's Quality Ice Cream. Located at 2801 Franklin Blvd. in Curtis Park, the longtime fixture for ice cream and sandwiches is the most popular parlor in Sacramento, boasting 4.5 stars out of 1,971 reviews on Yelp.

Yelpers recommend its signature ice creams in flavors like butter pecan, lemon custard, and Thai tea, as well as fruit freezes, with choices like mango, raspberry and guava. The parlor also offers frozen yogurt, no-sugar-added ice creams, sundaes, milkshakes, Hawaiian shaved ice and more.

2. Devine Gelateria & Cafe

PHOTO: KIMTHY D./YELP

Next up is Midtown's Devine Gelateria & Cafe, situated at 1221 19th St. With 4.5 stars out of 683 reviews on Yelp, the café and bakery offering gelato and more has earned plenty of fans.

Though the gelato flavors change often, reviewers recommend the chocolate chocolate chip, the honey lavender, and seasonal flavors like blackberry crème fraise.

3. Osaka-Ya

PHOTO: SING S./YELP

Midtown's Osaka-Ya, located at 2215 10th St., is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the Japanese-style shaved ice and sweets shop 4.5 stars out of 479 reviews for its mochi, manju, and shaved ice.

During the summer the shop stays open longer to take advantage of lingering daylight and high demand for its shaved ice treats, offered in flavors like root beer, pineapple, and bubblegum, and customized with such toppings as green tea powder and condensed milk.

4. Danny's Mini Donuts

PHOTO: SYLVIA Y./YELP

Danny's Mini Donuts, a spot to score doughnuts and ice cream in Old Sacramento, is another much-loved go-to, with 4.5 stars out of 276 Yelp reviews. Yelpers praise its affordable prices on ice cream in kid-friendly flavors like cotton candy and cookie dough. Head over to 900 Second St. to see for yourself.

5. Vampire Penguin

PHOTO: VAMPIRE PENGUIN/YELP

Finally, check out Vampire Penguin, the Sacramento-based chain for Taiwanese-style shaved snow which has since expanded to the Bay Area and Southern California. The location at 3620 N. Freeway Blvd., Suite 300 has earned 4.5 stars out of 169 reviews on Yelp.

Vampire Penguin's specialty desserts include towers of shaved snow, fruit and toppings like the Mexican Candy: mango shaved snow with fresh watermelon, caramel sauce, chamoy and chili powder.

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