No longer is a simple ice cream sundae considered an indulgence. Whether they’re building exaggerated milkshakes that reach skyscraper heights or smooshing scoops between two churros for an ice cream sandwich, these shops are taking ice cream over the top from coast to coast.

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer

Sure, Humphry Slocombe churns savory flavors like "foie" and "beer nut," but these are no gimmick. The chef-driven ice cream shop has become a major player in San Francisco’s top-tier food scene with flavors that taste good. The bromance leading the operation — Jake Godby and Sean Vahey — opened their first shop in 2008. Godby, who worked in top kitchens as a pastry chef, uses impressive techniques for each flavor. For the foie gras, he explains: "We make a caramel and sear the foie gras in it and then puree it with cream before straining it and adding salt." Another cult favorite is Secret Breakfast — the bourbon-and-cornflake-cookie combination that was named one of the best ice creams in America by Top 5 Restaurants. The shop now has a second location in the Ferry Terminal Building and ships to all 50 states.

Photo courtesy of Sean Vahey

10Below is on a roll. Ever since Richard Tam and his partners opened the shop in July 2015, there’s been a snaking line to try their Thai-inspired ice cream. The science-minded team creates ice cream in two minutes by spreading a thin layer of creme Anglaise dairy custard (made in-house daily) on an electrothermal cold plate set at (you guessed it) 10 degrees below zero. Using metal trowels, they scrape the instant ice cream into rolls and then allow guests to extravagantly adorn them with unlimited toppings. "It has a very smooth, creamy texture," Tam says. "It tastes like ice cream fresh out of the ice cream maker when you make it at home." That’s because there are no stabilizers or preservatives. Channel a night around the campfire with S’mores Galore, or get a buzz from the coffee-chocolate I Love You a Latte.

Photo courtesy of Dara Elass

Gravity-defying, rainbow-colored bonanzas of sugar and ice cream, Black Tap’s insane Extreme Milkshakes are 3-D culinary extravaganzas. Chef-Owner Joe Isidori says not only are most patrons capable of finishing one of these $15 extreme treats, but they’ve likely downed a burger too. (Rightly so, since Black Tap won the people’s choice award at Burger Bash 2015.) "We’re Americana on speed," he jokes. Isidori affixes candy to an old-school soda fountain glass, using cake frosting as glue. The result is a shake with Empire State Building height that takes 10 minutes to make. It comes in four flavors: Sweet n’ Salty, The Cookie, Cotton Candy or Sour Power. What started as an Instagram teaser has become a cotton-candy-flavor phenomenon. "Oh my god, what did we just do?" Isidori asks. "It was 1 million percent by accident."

Photo courtesy of Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer