Sweet Rose Creamery Is Santa Monica's Best New Ice Cream Parlor

There are everyday ice cream shops, and then there are ice cream parlors worth driving out of your way for. Sweet Rose Creamery is definitely the latter.

This is to be expected: The Brentwood Country Mart spot is the new dessert-only sibling of Santa Monica's always-packed hubs of seasonal cuisine, Huckleberry Café and Rustic Canyon.

Here everything is handcrafted, with ingredient name-dropping (E. Guittard chocolate, Clover Organic Farms milk) to satisfy the most ardent foodies. Churned in small batches daily, you'll find wonderful flavors like salted caramel–which gets a sprinkle of fleur de sel on every order–malted chocolate with slivers of hazelnut praline, and strawberry that tastes like a bowl of berries and cream.

But there's more than just scoops: The aroma of freshly baked chocolate waffle cones hits you immediately when you walk in; sundaes ($7.50) brim with homemade sauces and toppings like butterscotch and pecan brittle; and shakes ($7.50) are thick enough to eat with a spoon.

Ice cream pies–exactly what they sound like–are true indulgences, especially the one with a brownie crust, gooey caramel and a thick banana ice cream filling (pictured).

Two can share a small pie ($7.50), and the large serves eight to 10 people ($35). Or four to six, depending on your appetite for ice cream.

Sweet Rose Creamery, 225 26th St., Santa Monica, 310-260-2663 or sweetrosecreamery.com