Location: 3214 P St. NW
Readers’ pick: Baked & Wired

To scoop up the best dessert in the District, head to Thomas Sweet Ice Cream in Georgetown.

When you step into this ice cream shop, you will be overwhelmed by the extensive menu, variety of desserts and the sugary sweet smell that permeates the shop. Thomas Sweet offers more than 40 ice cream flavors and generous portions – where a large will get you an ice cream cone almost the size of your head. On top of the big portions and delicious scoops, the shop wins The Hatchet’s pick for best dessert because of the homestyle, no-frills atmosphere.

Customers – including families, students and even politicians like former Vice President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama – find their inner child at Thomas Sweet by designing their own flavors with blend-ins. Priced at $6.50 for a regular and $7.50 for a large, these cups combine ice cream with up to three of your favorite toppings, ranging from cheesecake bites to cookie dough.

The fresh, made-in-store ice cream offers a wide variety of flavors, including fan favorites like coffee Oreo, cookie dough and cookie monster with Oreos. For a guilt-free alternative, the soft serve frozen yogurt is offered in fat-free or sugar-free varieties, including popular flavors such as Snickers bar, Oreo and strawberry. Prices for ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet range from $4.70 for a small to $5.85 for a large.

Thomas Sweet also crafts their own chocolate, including fudge for $14.99 per pound and chocolate-covered Oreos from $20.99 per pound. And while the shop specializes in ice cream and chocolate, it also boasts a variety of baked goods like cookies, flourless chocolate cakes, mini cheesecakes and cupcakes.

In addition to its Georgetown location that opened in 1984, Thomas Sweet has four storefronts in New Jersey.

More than just an ice cream shop, Thomas Sweet’s plethora of dessert options curb any hankering for a sugary snack. Even though the line can stretch down the street, it’s worth the wait.