You don’t judge an ice-cream parlor by the lines out the door in the summertime. You judge them by the lines out the door in January. J.P. LICKS lures ice-cream lovers year-round with its roster of homemade, inventive flavors, e.g., Cappuccino Crunch, Cherry Ortiz (née Garciaparra), and Bailey’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (a temporary, Leprechaun-season treat that will be sorely missed.) Classics such as chocolate and vanilla are touch-stones of creamy excellence. Sherbets, hard and soft yogurts, and lactose-free treats round out the menu, and no birthday should be complete without one of J.P. Licks’ ice-cream cakes.

J.P. LICKS | 659 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 617.524.6740 | other locations in Boston, Brookline, Somerville, West Roxbury, and Newton | jplicks.com