Six places for ice cream, gelato, doughnuts and cakes inside Manassas city limits: three downtown, plus Mathis Avenue, Sudley Road and Liberia Avenue.

Last checked 2026-10-23. Refreshed every three months.

Half of Manassas’s ice cream and dessert stops sit within a few blocks of each other in Historic Downtown Manassas, on Center and Main streets near the train depot. The rest are a seasonal soft-serve stand on Mathis Avenue, a diner on Sudley Road and a doughnut shop on Liberia Avenue.

How we made this list. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside the Manassas city limits, the same records that feed our local directory, checked against each place’s own website on 2026-10-23. Jitterbugs and Millie’s have no website of their own; we kept them because the downtown district’s own Historic Manassas Inc. dining directory lists both. The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking or a recommendation, and nobody paid to be on it. Hours are copied from each place’s own site. If your entry is wrong, write to us.

Name Address Hours as published Phone
Jitterbugs Ice Cream Cafe (no website) 9125 Center St. Not posted Not posted
Juke Box Diner 8637 Sudley Road 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 703-330-0850
Krispy Kreme 9870 Liberia Ave. 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday 703-368-1434
Millie’s Gelato and Sorbetto (no website) 9078 Center St. Not posted Not posted
Nathan’s Dairy Bar 8948 Mathis Ave. Fall hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Monday. Open early March to the first Saturday of December 703-335-9051
The Lemonade Bakery 9410 Main St. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday 571-229-9054

The places

Jitterbugs Ice Cream Cafe. A 1950s-style ice cream shop on Center Street downtown. Its Historic Manassas Inc. listing says it serves Gifford’s ice cream, gourmet sandwiches and hot dogs, and gives the quarters from its jukebox to local youth sports and groups.

Juke Box Diner. A 1950s-themed diner on Sudley Road with its own desserts and ice cream menu: sundaes, a banana split, a waffle sundae, milkshakes, root beer floats, cheesecake, pies and peach cobbler.

Krispy Kreme. The doughnut and coffee chain’s shop on Liberia Avenue, with a drive-thru. It opens at 6 a.m., the earliest of any place on this list.

Millie’s Gelato and Sorbetto. A gelato shop on Center Street downtown. Its Historic Manassas Inc. listing describes artisan Italian gelato made fresh in the store in small batches.

Nathan’s Dairy Bar. A seasonal soft-serve stand on Mathis Avenue, founded in 2001 by a Manassas local and named for his son. It serves soft-serve flavors and sherbets and posts the day’s flavors on its Facebook page. Its site says it opens in early March and closes on the day of the Manassas Christmas Parade, the first Saturday of December, and sells pumpkin ice cream pies around Thanksgiving.

The Lemonade Bakery. A bakery on Main Street downtown whose cakes, cupcakes and cookies are peanut, tree nut and egg free. Its site asks for four days’ notice on orders placed online, for pickup or delivery, and its Historic Manassas Inc. listing says customers can also stop in.

Hours change with the seasons; check before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get ice cream in Manassas?

Inside the city limits: Jitterbugs Ice Cream Cafe and Millie’s Gelato and Sorbetto on Center Street downtown, Nathan’s Dairy Bar on Mathis Avenue, and the dessert and ice cream menu at Juke Box Diner on Sudley Road.

When does Nathan’s Dairy Bar close for the season?

Nathan’s says it opens in early March and closes on the day of the Manassas Christmas Parade, the first Saturday of December. Its fall hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Monday.

Is there a nut-free bakery in Manassas?

The Lemonade Bakery at 9410 Main St. says everything it bakes is peanut, tree nut and egg free. It is closed Monday.

Where can I get dessert late in Manassas?

Krispy Kreme on Liberia Avenue posts hours to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Juke Box Diner is open to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.