Purity's strawberry milkshakes are the gold standard, but if you live in or near Cortland Doug's Fish Fry's are every bit as good.

Known for their ice cream, but they have excellent food as well. Highly recommend the chicken nuggets and spicy fries!

Came in yesterday and Trinity was the only one working at the time but she still managed to keep a smile and be polite while also taking orders and serving ice cream in a timely manner...and the icecream was AMAZING, this is my new go to place thank you Trinity and thank you purity!! read more

Ordered the extra thick milk shake worst milkshake ever watery and tasteless I'm sure my review won't hurt their business. Should have ask for a refund. My fault,Very disappointing . read more

We were really excited to try this place based off the line we saw, the retro vibes, and the good reviews. It was hard to decide on a flavor because they all sounded delicious. The staff were patient and helpful. However, we were very disappointed to find the hard ice cream lacking in flavor, with one of mine also having a fairly icy texture, instead of creamy. My waffle cone also had a stale aftertaste. Maybe this was a one off experience, based on the many raving reviews, but we unfortunately will be looking for another ice cream spot to satisfy our sweet tooth next time we visit the area. read more

I'm not sure why Purity has so much hype. Maybe because of the change in ownership a few years ago by I** H*spitality... (owns ghost kitchens and overpriced restaurants in Ithaca) this place has gone downhill. Don't even bother with the dairy free ice cream here. I've never had an ice cream feel sandy and chalky on my tongue before. The other hard ice cream flavors I've had taste watery and sometimes freezer burned. Head over to the commons for better options!! read more

It is buzzing on a weekend night! Love the ambience and the comfortable and large seating area they have inside and outside the store. The ice cream flavors are very unique. I got pistachio flavor and they had real pistachios bits in it (although it did look a little sus with neon green coloring). Highly recommend the Happy Trails ice cream read more

Purity Ice Cream - Pistachio and happy trails - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Ice cream had a great consistency and taste. However, I ordered a vanilla malt. When I got the shake I could not taste the malt. I spoke to an employee who said that malt was added. He offered to add more. I still didn't taste any malt. Either they have an inferior malt product or the staff doesn't know how to make a proper malt. Still, I recommend the business overall. Just don't order a malt. read more

I think folks in Ithaca know how wonderful Purity is.... It's us outsiders, who are in town for a visit, who need to discover its awesomeness. We had a late lunch, so someone suggested ice cream for dinner. Who's going to argue with that? My daughter had some research and wanted to try Purity. Let's just say...it was a little overwhelming. How many flavors do they have? Unfortunately, I committed myself to a shake, so I had to find something that easily sipped thru a straw. Others in our group got to be a bit more adventuresome. Staff was extremely patient with us, can't say the same for the line that quickly formed behind us. Recommendations were offered, especially for one of my daughters who wanted a chai milkshake. He suggested a option to tamper it down a bit. It ended up being perfect. As of our visit (late March '21), COVID restrictions were still in effect. Good for them. There were people eating outside, but we decided to take our treasure home. My youngest and I sipped our shakes as we drove, while the others ate away in the comfort of the vehicle. If you can't find something here for an enjoyable dessert, I'm sorry. This place seems like a gem in Ithaca. If you're visiting the area, don't be afraid to stop here for some high quality ice cream. Oh yeah...my banana milkshake was AWESOME!!! read more

Purity Ice Cream - So true... - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

How can you resist purity when you are in town for a visit... Our favorite ice cream ever. They are doing a great job with Covid protocols. And the ice cream flavor selection can't be beat. No indoor seating up at plenty of places to sit outside read more

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Terrible experience. Kitchen not ready to serve food when though they are open. Told it would take 15 min for things to warm up and be able to serve but wasn't told that till 10 min after ordered. Unfriendly staff and food / sundae was just meh at best. Don't waste you time or money here read more

In figuring out what to do in Ithaca, every guide said go to Purity, so we did! I was surprised that it was later in the evening but still pretty busy with a line. They have a huge variety of flavors, but it appeared that some of them were made by a different ice cream operation but sold at Purity. I wanted something Purity so that limited the options. My chocolate chip cookie dough was great and was a nice treat for the end of the night. I was tempted to get some of the other treats but just stuck with my ice cream. Their other fare looks great and if I'm ever back in town I'd love to go back. read more

delicious food and ice cream, fast service. always full of people -- vibes are on point

Delicious ice cream, quick service and a large variety of vegan and regular options. The place was spacious, comfortable and crowded, there were few tables for outdoor seating as well. We had vegan sundae, vegan thick shake, hot fudge sundae, black raspberry ice cream and bittersweet chocolate - all of these were spot on. I would highly recommend this place for ice creams / desserts in the area. read more

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My wife and I stopped here for ice cream on our drive back home to Pennsylvania. Parking can be tight in the small lot. The ice cream is excellent. Service is efficient. There is an enormous selection of ice cream flavors. Grab a menu and look while you wait to order. read more

Stopped at purity ice cream to get a treat. First off, there definitely needs to be more order in this place. The place was mobbed and was chaos inside. People ordered ice cream and then waited in line forever. I've personally never seen anything like it at an ice cream shop. We decided we didn't want to wait forever in line, so we got a simple bakery item from the case. I got a monster mash cookie. It had m&ms and pretzel pieces. It was pretty good, but definitely not worth $4 for a single cookie. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Visiting Ithaca stopped by to enjoy local ice cream which is needed on a hot summer day. I initially wanted maple pecan and they were out of. We tried black cherry and butter pecan and enjoyed very much! read more

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So many options, milkshakes were delicious. Would definitely go back again. Great ambiance

The ice cream I received was creamy and tasteful. One complaint is that the peanut butter chocolate ice cream had very large and thick chunks of peanut butter that were hard to get through. Over all there coffe ice cream had a soft and sweet taste, there chocolate ice cream was chewy and delicious and the peanut putter chocolate (though the complaint specified previously) was very thick and scrumptious. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

We enjoyed their vegan ice cream in waffle cones (most waffle cones aren't vegan so we were very glad these were!). The Triple Threat was great with a chocolate base and chocolate chunks inside. I'd love for them to offer more vegan flavors and source from a creamier brand. This texture is more like sorbet rather than ice cream. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Vegan ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Stopped by for some ice cream one evening and it was really good! I got the happy trails which was vanilla ice cream, fudge swirl, and peanut butter cups. It was pretty good but there weren't many pb cups and when they were there they were just bits of chocolate and not actually peanut butter. My bf got the vegan vanilla bean and he enjoyed it. He wanted the banana split but I guess they didn't have it. We both agreed it had a different consistency than normal ice cream and other vegan ice creams we've had before but it still tasted good. They had a good sized parking lot and seating both inside and out. read more

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My girlfriend and I are always on the lookout for good creameries when home or away. My qualifications are a little more stringent than hers as I only eat non-dairy. I love it when I can choose from nut milk varieties instead of having to eat sorbets or Italian ice. Purity had this in abundance. For this, I was happy and grateful. Cute from the outside, it had an "old-timey" feel, which makes sense as it was founded in the 1800s! The staff was lovely and the menu was large. This is where the good stuff ended. Going inside, it had a dingy feeling. I cannot say exactly what, but it felt "depression-era." Where it mattered, Purity failed. The ice cream did not taste good. Not bad, just not good. It tasted bland, as if infused with ice. My girlfriend reported the same for her dairy choice. Go for the history, but no need to come back. read more

The icecream here is pretty good- a mix of fun and usual flavors, as well as fries and other food items. The service is on the slow side during peak hours as they get PACKED. The space itself is rather nice, but on some days can be a little messy. I think this is a great place for large groups due to the space indoors (plus more people to talk too while waiting), but the price being on the higher end knocks it down a little. I enjoy this place but it's not a go-to anymore. Definitely check out Sweet Melissa's if you're on a budget or have a smaller group/want to be outside. Purity does have outside space but it's limited. I will add, Purity sells donuts now that are very sweet, but I quite enjoy them on occasion! Maybe it's the nostalgia talking but I'd say this is a great icecream place if you're willing to pay a little more and wait for the seating space, convenient location, and good flavors read more

When in Ithaca you have to stop at Purity!!! Homemade ice cream with many different flavors. The portions are generous and the prices are reasonable. I had a small hot fudge sundae and my friend had an apple crisp sundae. Both were to die for. read more

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Purity Ice Cream is an Ithaca staple. For people visiting from out of town, it's a popular request to stop here... and because it's been around basically fooooorever? I'm not opposed to bringing people to experience it, etc... but having grown up in and around Ithaca, it's just not my first preference for ice cream. Purity has changed a lot since my childhood. It used to be much smaller, but they've since added on the back seating and food service section. I'm all about the additional space, as it means plenty of seating for those ridiculously busy periods. But that's the thing... this place gets SUPER busy. It doesn't help that the parking lot can be a bit of a cluster either. While driving down Rt. 13 the other day, I noticed that Purity was surprisingly quiet, so I opted to stop and see if they had a favorite flavor of mine still available - blueberry cheesecake. Turns out, it's not exactly the same flavor, as it's now blueberry cheesecake muffin. I ordered two scoops in a bowl (too much... after getting my order, I realized one scoop would have been plenty), and my mother, who was with me, ordered a Mexican sundae. The employee at the counter asked "can you remind me what's in that sundae again?"... really? This is an ice cream shop and you have to ask for the ingredients for a Mexican sundae? My mother noted the ingredients, I paid, and then we waited at the pick-up counter... for much longer than I would have anticipated, given so few people in the shop. When we finally got our ice cream orders, we sat down in the extra seating area inside. While having my ice cream, it struck me how sweet my ice cream tasted. Now, mind you, I don't have much of a sweet tooth... but I do enjoy some ice cream or other sweet treats on the rare occasion. This was just a lot of sweetness hitting my tastebuds at once... certainly sweeter than I remember the flavor of my childhood being. I ended up not finishing it... which was a shame, considering it was almost $20 ($18, I think?) for one Mexican sundae and one bowl with two scoops of blueberry cheesecake muffin ice cream (no sprinkles or any other additions... just ice cream). TL;DR I like the idea of supporting local as much as anybody, but Purity just seems overrated to me. You don't actually get an employee until you're at the register, and then THEY'RE asking you how to put together a classic type of sundae? Plus, my ice cream just tasted too sweet. So ultimately, no thanks... I'm in no rush to visit again. Especially not in a rush with how ridiculous it can be to park in their lot, get out into the flow of traffic again when leaving, etc. - not worth it. read more

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What a great place to meet friends and eat the best food in the world, ice cream! I had chocolate bittersweet, another had dreamsickle and the others had various flavors that I cannot remember, nor did Zi remember to take a photo until we all ate our ice cream. What does that tell you about the place? Delicious ice cream available here! I noticed the owners wish to retire and sell their place, so looking for a business? Or stop by and enjoy ice cream! read more

Purity Ice Cream - This is the place! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Awesome local spot for excellent ice cream and other treats! The place is pretty big and has a cute diner energy (there's also some diner food available in the back). Service was super nice. The servings are large and the ice cream is very high quality. Highly recommend! read more

Purity Ice Cream - Storefront - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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There vegan ice cream is sooooo good! They were even able to accommodate my cousin who has nut allergies by preparing his ice cream in the back room from fresh containers instead of what was in the front. The only problem is that there is almost always a super long queue and then after you order you queue again to wait for pick up. I wish they had multiple locations. read more

Disappointed today. "We pack very few quarts of Mint cup and Mocha chip now" but you can either (1 pay more for pints or (2) wait 15 minutes in line for me to pack it. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Yum!!!!! This place was soooooo good! We got two custom milkshakes. Mine had coffee ice cream and Oreos and it was like a dream in a cup! Ice cream is fresh and you can tell the difference from store bought stuff in the first sip! read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Whenever we are in Ithaca, we always try and grab a new flavor here! Every time I go I am never disappointed. Their ice cream is very creamy and extremely flavorful. They are THE place for ice cream in Ithaca and the lines out the door on a hot summer day definitely prove that! We even brought our dog who got to try some of the Matcha ice cream. He definitely gave his paw stamp of approval on this one! read more

Purity Ice Cream - Matcha Ice Cream for a great pup! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Third time coming here in person. Finally giving this place a review after a good experience today. Ice cream: Yum, they have so many different kinds of flavors. I was surprised to see vegan options since I'm somewhat lactose-intolerant, so decided to give the French Vanilla a try. Service: Fantastic. I remember not having a great experience the first time, but this time, the ice cream wasn't dripping. The lady who gave me the ice cream was extremely kind. Despite the long lines, ordering and getting the ice cream did not take long. Price: Great prices. I got the junior scoop on a regular come and the portion size was huge. I think they have amazing prices for the portion sizes. Ambiance: It's not the best, but the atmosphere is nice. Inside is fairly clean and the decorations are a good addition. I really like this place for ice cream. It's definitely a little bit far from Collegetown, but I highly recommend it if you're in Ithaca. It is overhyped, but it's well-deserved for the wide diversity of flavors, fantastic service, and prices. read more

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I highly recommend the apple crisp sundae. It has everything you could ever ask for in a sundae: warm apple crisp, rich vanilla ice cream, caramel drip, 3 inches of whipped cream, and candied cherries on top. Surprisingly, the whole gooey package costs less than 6 dollars! Considering the fact that a single scoop of Van Leeuwen's will cost you the same amount, a Purity sundae is truly a steal. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Apple Crisp Sundae - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I had such high hopes for this place after reading the reviews, but I don't understand what all the hype is about. Service is not friendly and the ice cream tastes like the value brand you get from the grocery store. Way overpriced for what you get. Giving two stars because the place is clean and menu is extensive. I also like that they are still requiring masks and had outdoor seating. read more

Best chocolate brownie hot fudge sundae ever! She had the same thing only with chocolate ice cream. Yum Yum! read more

Purity Ice Cream - My aunt and I enjoying our afternoon in Ithica. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

This place makes zero attempt to accommodate people with food allergies. Besides the aggressive signs that basically say "if you have a nut allergy you shouldn't even enter the building", they also seem completely unaware of what is in their food. I have a soy allergy and asked if a particular sundae had any soy in it; they said "We're not really sure... and we can't guarantee no cross contamination." I asked if they knew the ingredients and they said they didn't, nor did they seem interested in finding out. Also for context, they weren't busy at the time - there were more employees in the building than customers, just standing there. So, I didn't get anything. No big deal - my wife said they weren't anything special anyway. Ps: "Purity" is a funny name where cross contamination is just the norm read more

Purity Ice Cream - If you have any food allergies, beware - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Oh my goodness, a must stop if you're in Ithaca! Grabbed a few scoops and a root beer float for my family and I. Everything was great from the friendly and quick service to the various flavors offered. The root beer float was made with Ithaca's brand of soda and it was refreshing on a warm day. My dogs give their vanilla cone four paws. read more

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When I saw mint chip as the top Yelp mention, I felt like Travolta in Pulp Fiction, "you don't put bourbon in it or anything?" But it succeeds even without reinventing the genre. I opted for slightly more exotic fare in the other 2/3 of my triple scoop. Chai Chai Again was a knockout, earning the exclamation point on the menu. Meanwhile, the abundant cherries lent intriguing texture to the Boomberry. read more

I came with 3 of my friends during the weekend and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ice cream. Surprisingly, it wasn't that busy on a Saturday. Although I would recommend to get a waffle cone instead of a regular cone as they give you a lot more ice cream in the waffle. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Such great ice cream! Flavors rock! Loved my chocolate peanut butter and the vanilla with reese's. Sooooooo tasty! And the waffle cones are very fresh. Plenty of outdoor seating for you with COVID restrictions. read more

Purity Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ithaca, New York