Whether you like yours piled high in a waffle cone or served in a simple tub, there are plenty of great places in the US to go for delicious ice cream. From old-school parlors to farm shops and local hot spots, we've picked the best place to get your frozen fix in every state and Washington DC.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the US ice cream parlors that are a scoop above the rest.
Our selections are based on genuine user reviews, awards and accolades, and the first-hand experience of our team. They're also regularly checked and updated.
The colorful and cozy Matt’s Homemade Alabama Ice Cream parlor serves more than 40 flavors of house-made ice cream, including blueberry cheesecake, mint chocolate chip, and Cookie Monster – a blue ice cream with cookies in it. Choose your flavor, then decide if you want it in a cone, tub, or in one of the many splits, shakes, floats, and sodas on the menu.
Wild Scoops in Anchorage regularly creates new, inventive flavors in its test kitchen, much to the delight of its loyal customers. Exciting flavors on the menu include This Pretty Planet (a vanilla butterfly pea flower base with matcha almond cookies), plus ginger limeade freezer pops, cold brew floats, and baked Alaska. There are three locations, as well as regular pop-ups at farmers' markets.
At Sweet Republic, everything that goes into the artisan ice cream is prepared with care; we're talking handmade marshmallows and freshly baked chocolate brownies, for a start. The parlor also peels, pits, and chops ripe whole fruit to make sorbets. This attention to detail is one of the reasons it was awarded a James Beard Entrepreneur Fellowship. Popular flavors include cherry cheesecake, brownie fudge swirl, strawberry buttermilk, and coconut sorbet. Sweet Republic has locations in Scottsdale, Phoenix, and Tempe.
Cute ice cream parlor Loblolly Creamery makes everything from scratch, down to the brownie chunks and marshmallow fluff that goes into its ice creams. There's an array of flavors and plenty of vegan and dairy-free options, plus macarons, cookies, and whoopie pies, if you want even more of a sweet treat. Customers love the ice cream flight, where you can try up to 12 flavors at a time.
Your chosen ice cream is made right before your eyes at Smitten Ice Cream – in 90 seconds flat. It's all thanks to the parlor's patented Brrr Machine. There are seven flavors on the menu, including classic vanilla, chocolate ganache, and strawberry cream, and there's a variety of toppings and sauces available. Ice cream is served either in a cone, as a sundae in a waffle bowl, or as a two-scoop float with drinks such as orange soda.
Chic gelateria Smith+Canon specializes in award-winning gourmet ice cream and freshly roasted coffee, which can be enjoyed together as an affogato. Flavors include Thai tea, Honey Hotness, salty caramel, and peanut butter cup, and the place receives rave reviews, with many customers saying it's the best ice cream they've ever tasted. They also praise the friendly service.
You know you’re getting the real deal when you’re greeted by grazing cows and the smell of waffle cones cooking. Rich Farm Ice Cream Shop serves an array of flavors, which change daily, but customers particularly love the black raspberry, chocolate chip, and peanut butter-based options. There are two other locations in Connecticut, plus one in California.
Customers rave about the family-owned Woodside Farm Creamery, which dates back to 1796. Pay a visit to see its beautiful Jersey cows and taste some incredible ice cream, with flavors including chocolate peanut butter, cookie dough, and Motor Oil (coffee ice cream with caramel and fudge). Woodside Farm also hosts regular community activities like story time for kids, jazz performances, and art and craft shows.
Mount Desert Island Ice Cream has one store in Washington DC, two in Maine (one of which was visited by the Obamas), and two in Japan. The small chain is known for its menu of unusual flavors, such as blueberry sour cream crumble and coriander lemon curd. It revamps its offering regularly, though, meaning each visit offers a new experience.
Proper Ice Cream combines both imported Italian and local ingredients to make its range of artisan ice creams, soft serves, frozen custards, vegan ice creams, and sorbets. Also served in several restaurants and markets across the state, there's a huge range of flavors available; popular choices include chocolate honeycomb, butterscotch cocoa brownie, and cherry sorbet. If you can’t decide what to have, opt for the ice cream flight.
Sweet-Stack Creamery calls itself an 'odd but fun inspired dessert bar' and serves a menu of hand-crafted ice creams and cookie and donut sandwiches. Regulars love the innovative flavors, such as Cuban coffee cream and Sweet Dreams (vanilla ice cream with strawberry purée and sliced strawberries). There's a selection of vegan options on offer too, including the popular Let The Man Go (mango).
San Francisco restaurateur Walter Lappert’s dream of spending more than two weeks a year in Hawaii led to him founding his own gourmet ice cream shop on the island state. Now with three locations on Kauai, plus one on Oahu and one on Maui, Lappert's Hawaii also roasts its own premium coffee and has an onsite bakery. But it's the ice cream that keeps people coming back for more, with signature flavors including Kauai Pie (coffee, coconut flakes, dark chocolate fudge, and macadamia nuts), banana fudge, and green tea.
An acronym for The Sweetest Things in Life, The STIL opened in Boise in 2017 to rave reviews, and its ice cream is now sold in several grocery stores in the area. Customers love the award-winning flavors, all named after the sweetest things in life, including Easy Like Sunday Morning (espresso and caramel), Licking the Spoon (brownie batter), and the alcohol-infused, Margarita-inspired Somewhere in Mexico.
Situated in Forest Park, a village on the outskirts of Chicago, The Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor is a firm favorite among locals. This old-fashioned soda fountain has served handmade ice cream, as well as pastries, cakes, and pies, since 2004. Made using locally sourced ingredients, top flavors include apple cider donut, cheesecake, and coffee toffee. It's a popular place, so you may well find customers lining up outside waiting to get their ice cream fix.
Family-owned Wyliepalooza's first location in Irvington is now under new ownership, but the original mother and daughter founders can be located at the Sobro store, serving up a delicious range of ice cream flavors such as peach, pumpkin, and lemon poppy seed. Intriguing dairy-free options include black cherry soy and espresso Oreo soy.
The Outside Scoop serves mouth-watering ice cream flavors made from scratch using local ingredients, all presented in handmade waffle cones, as sundaes, or in shakes or soda floats. Flavors are featured in rotation, but favorites include apple crisp, white chocolate strawberry cheesecake, blueberry lemonade, and raspberry lemonade sorbet. There are stores in Ankeny and Indianola, plus pink ice cream trucks serving the Des Moines metro area.
Sylas and Maddy's opened in 1997 and has remained a firm favorite with locals ever since. The ice creams and waffle cones are made fresh daily, and the family-run ice cream parlor loves hearing flavor ideas from customers. The sundaes are particularly popular; choose your ice cream flavor and the staff will do the rest, adding toppings, sauces, and fixings galore.
When people started visiting their family-run restaurant Thai Orchid Cafe just for the coconut ice cream, Toa and Mark Green knew they were on to something. They quickly started making more ice cream – fast-forward 10 years, and they now run two hugely popular Crank & Boom parlors in Lexington. Signature flavors include blueberry lime cheesecake, banana and chocolate, and strawberry balsamic sorbet.
The Creole Creamery serves colorful ice cream in refreshing flavors, with seasonal options available alongside sorbets and sherbets. Popular choices include lavender honey, cotton candy, matcha, blueberry Mojito, and rosemary peach tea. Customers say the portions are big, the prices are reasonable, and the service is spot on. There are three locations in New Orleans, and one in Mississippi's Bay St. Louis.
Owned by Italian couple Mariagrazia Zanardi and Donato Giovine, who moved to Portland from Milan in 2011, Gorgeous Gelato is one of the top-rated dessert shops in the state. The parlor uses fresh, natural ingredients to create both vegan and dairy gelato in flavors like amaretto, hazelnut, and stracciatella, and customers say it's the best gelato you’ll find outside of Italy.
Serving the best ice cream in Annapolis for the past 20 years or so, the Annapolis Ice Cream Company is a must-visit for fans of the frozen stuff. Popular flavors include oatmeal cookie, cherry pie, mint brownie, and strawberry lemonade. You can also order decadent milkshakes, such as coffee chocolate chip topped with whipped cream and extra chocolate sauce.
Established in 1981, Toscanini’s is a long-time Cambridge favorite. Over the years it's received glowing reviews, including being touted as serving 'The World's Best Ice Cream' by The New York Times. Customers agree, describing it as smooth, rich, and creamy. Choose from classic and unusual flavors such as French vanilla, burnt caramel, churro, and chocolate orange chunk. You can also order custom-made ice cream cakes for special occasions.
Traverse City's Moomers Homemade Ice Cream is located on a dairy farm complete with grazing cows, so you can see where the milk used to make the ice cream comes from. Moomers offers more than 150 flavors, with 20 on the menu each day. Favorites include banana bread, bubble gum, chocolate malt, and caramel sea salt. There's also a menu of frozen yogurts, sorbets, sundaes, and ice cream cakes.
Sebastian Joe's was founded in 1984 by three Italian brothers, and it now has two stores – one in Uptown, and one in South Minneapolis. It's stood the test of time, with flavors such as chocolate amaretto, raspberry chocolate chip, and blueberry mint sorbet. You can have your ice cream in a homemade waffle cone or in a tub, plus the menu also offers affogato, ice cream sandwiches, cakes, and smoothies.
Small-batch artisan ice cream shop Area 51 serves interesting flavors, with new creations regularly added to the menu. Previous menu highlights include peach lemonade sorbet, bourbon butter pecan, cherry vanilla, and salted dark chocolate. The parlor works closely with Hernando Farmers Market to ensure it uses the freshest possible local ingredients.
The brainchild of Tamara Keefe, who as a kid couldn't afford weekly trips to the ice cream parlor like her friends, Clementine's has six locations in the greater St. Louis area. Tamara's love of ice cream developed when her mother bought the family a $2 hand-crank ice cream maker. Today she's known for her innovative flavors, including alcohol-infused and vegan versions. Menu highlights include pink Champagne sorbet and gooey butter cake ice cream.
Big Dipper never disappoints, with seriously creamy homemade ice creams in flavors like cardamom, maple walnut, tangerine sorbet, and huckleberry (a customer favorite). There's a variety of toppings available, including Oreos, peanuts, strawberries, and chocolate chips, plus milkshakes, sundaes, and floats. There are two stores in Missoula, plus locations in Helena and Billings. Look out for the bright-yellow ice cream truck traveling around Missoula, too.
Regulars say that retro-style ice cream parlor Ivanna Cone in Lincoln serves the best scoops in the area, and they love the excitement of trying its ever-rotating flavors. There are typically more than 15 flavors available each day, with highlights including cinnamon, fresh strawberry, Dutch chocolate, and sweet cream vanilla. The ice cream is served in cups, cones, and waffle cones, and regulars say it's reasonably priced as well.
Handel's has been wowing customers with its 100-plus flavors of ice cream since 1945, with at least 45 of these available in store each day. Customers highly rate the strawberry chunk cheesecake, blueberry cobbler (complete with sugar cookie gems), and Graham Central Station (Graham cracker–flavored ice cream with cracker ripple and chocolate-covered crunchies).
Lago’s Ice Cream, which dates back to 1981, is known for its exceptional service as well as its delicious sweet treats. There's a long menu of ice cream flavors, including dairy-free, no added sugar versions, sherbets, and frozen yogurts. Lago's original flavors include Monkey Mess (chocolate banana ice cream with a Nutella swirl) and Salty Sailor (salted caramel ice cream with chocolate-covered pretzels).
Torico has been a popular spot since it opened in 1968, so you can expect a line snaking down the street. Customers say it moves quickly, though – and, if anything, they appreciate having a little extra time to decide which of the 65-plus flavors they want to try. As well as the traditional favorites, Torico serves tropical flavors such as lychee and pineapple coconut, a range of sorbets, and seasonal options like chocolate cinnamon brownie.
Chef-owner Joel Coelman spent time in kitchens all over the world before deciding his heart lay in opening an ice cream parlor. The result is La Lecheria – a trendy spot serving innovative, locally inspired flavors such as red chili honey, black sesame, and prickly pear Margarita sorbet, as well as classics like vanilla bean and chocolate sea salt.
This much-loved parlor serves small-batch ice cream with flavors devised by owner and founder Nicholas Morgenstern. It's a chic spot that also serves burgers, if you want a full meal – but it's the wide range of ice cream flavors that keeps people coming back for more. Bestsellers include Rockiest Road, peanut butter cup, and raspberry black sesame. The flagship parlor is in Greenwich Village, and there's a Lower East Side location, too.
As well as an impressive list of regular ice cream flavors, The Local Scoop serves a great menu of non-dairy versions including birthday cake, mint chip, and coconut, available in waffle cones or a pint tub to take home. The parlor also sells ice cream cakes and runs a special offer every day where, if your name is selected, you get a free scoop.
Scoop N Dough Candy Co. is a one-stop shop for sweet treats, serving popcorn, cookie dough, floats, and milkshakes alongside an impressive list of ice cream flavors. Customer favorites include blueberry, bubblegum, and cotton candy. You can also add toppings such as peanut butter cups, gummy bears, and hot fudge. Customers say you can't go wrong here; the quality is great, the service is friendly, and the prices are good.
Honey Hut Ice Cream has two locations in Cleveland, plus one in Brecksville and one in Solon, and it has remained family operated since it first opened in 1974. There are 13 regular flavors, with extra specialty ones rotating every two weeks. The parlor is famous for its honey pecan, chocolate peanut butter, and orange blossom flavors, with seasonal favorites including pumpkin pie, blackberry, and chocolate-covered strawberry.
Roxy’s Ice Cream Social has two outposts in Oklahoma City serving cones, ice cream floats, ice cream sandwiches, and sundaes. Classic flavors include Graham cracker, salted caramel, cherry, and coconut, plus there are eight seasonal rotating flavors. Customers especially love the Donatello sundae – pecan ice cream with hot fudge and caramel sauce, topped with whipped cream, candied pecans, and a cherry.
Opened in memory of the owner's mom, with many flavors inspired by her favorite desserts, Cloud City Ice Cream in Portland is loved for its varied menu, friendly staff, delicious ice cream, and vegan options. Flavor highlights include honey lavender, caramelized banana, sea salt cookie dough, and vegan Thai coconut.
Artic Scoop specializes in Asian-inspired ice creams with fun toppings, served in Thai coconut bowls, Hong Kong–style egg waffles, flavored cones, and cups. Favorite ice cream flavors include pandan, taro, and lychee rose, while the toppings menu features strawberries, banana, coconut flakes, Teddy Grahams, and sprinkles. Customers love the decadent dessert creations and interesting choice of flavors.
At Tricycle Ice Cream, it’s all about ice cream sandwiches, waffle tacos, drumsticks (ice cream in a cone), and push pops. Customers love the dessert creations, such as dulce de leche ice cream sandwiched between two brownies, and tart lemon ice cream on vanilla cookies.
Off Track Ice Cream believes ice cream tastes better when the ingredients are simple and natural. All its ice cream starts off with four key ingredients – cream, milk, eggs, and cane sugar – before real foods and clean ingredients are used to create flavors. There's also a great list of vegan ice creams, made with raw cashews, organic coconut cream, sunflower oil, and cane sugar. Flavors include chocolate fudge brownie, blackberry honey, and peppermint chip.
Family-run Leones’ Creamery serves hand-crafted ice cream to customers from its to-go window. Flavors change regularly – recent options include dark chocolate, cherry chip, and vegan coconut with strawberry swirl – and they're all made with ingredients sourced from nearby farms and businesses. There's also a selection of ice cream sandwiches and popsicles.
Mike’s Ice Cream and Coffee Bar is a popular spot in downtown Nashville, regularly staying open past midnight to make sure customers get their fill of ice cream and gourmet coffees. Recent ice cream flavors include banana pudding, coffee fudge, and orange sherbet. Customers particularly love the fresh, tasty waffle cones.
Lick Honest Ice Creams prides itself on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients to make its interesting selection of craft ice creams, with flavors such as roasted beets with fresh mint, dark chocolate, olive oil and sea salt, and goats' cheese, thyme, and honey. Everything, including the waffle cones, is handmade, plus there's a selection of dairy-free and vegan flavors, and ice cream sandwiches. Customers praise the friendly, helpful staff.
Up there with some of the oldest vendors in America, Aggie Ice Cream has been in business since 1888. Located at Utah State University and used by food scientists to hone their craft, the parlor offers a range of flavors including Aggie Blue Mint (mint ice cream with white chocolate and cookies), lemon custard, huckleberry, and chocolate cherry. Aggie's ice cream is praised for being super creamy, and it's famous throughout the state and beyond.
You’ll find soft serve, regular ice cream, waffle bowls, sorbets, sundaes, ice cream cakes, shakes, and smoothies on the menu at friendly ice cream shop The Village Scoop. Located in Colchester, it has great reviews from customers, who love its personable servers – not to mention flavors including maple walnut, strawberry, and sea salted caramel truffle.
More than just an ice cream parlor, Doumar’s Cones and Barbecue in Norfolk is an all-American diner and drive thru. The first Doumar ice cream stand opened in 1905, and its founder claims to have created the world’s first ice cream cone. The diner's mighty floats and tasty sundaes come loaded with whipped cream and cherries, but the real draw of the place is the nostalgia.
Frankie & Jo’s, which has three locations in Seattle, has created a menu of vegan, plant-based options, all served in gluten-free waffle cones or in tubs. Flavors include brown sugar vanilla, chocolate date, and salty caramel ash, and customers say they're just as creamy and delicious as dairy versions.
Austin’s Homemade Ice Cream opened in 1947 and has built up a big fan base, with people happily lining up to get their fix, and customers traveling from all over just to try the ice cream. Popular flavors include grape pineapple, black walnut, lemon custard, and the award-winning vanilla and chocolate.
The Kelley family’s Fond du Lac farm has been around since 1861, but it only started producing ice cream in 2011. Now customers come from far and wide to sample a taste, and to soak up the relaxing farm atmosphere. Flavors include banana cream pie, blueberry, and carrot cake. There are picnic tables overlooking the farmland, or you can bring your own lawn chairs, and there's a viewing window where you can watch the ice cream being made.
The award-winning wild huckleberry flavor from Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream is a must-try for anyone visiting Jackson. However, there are tons of other exciting options to choose from, such as blood orange, lemon honey, and chocolate roasted almond. There's also a selection of alcohol-infused ice cream for adults, including chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon and Jameson whiskey pecan.