Highest-rated ice cream shops in San Francisco by diners
Ice cream is a treat that can be enjoyed all year round, although the volume produced during the hotter months signals otherwise. The majority of ice cream and other frozen desserts in the U.S. are made between March and August, with July being the busiest month of all, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Many Americans have memories of their pastel green mint chocolate chip scoop dripping down their waffle cone at the height of summer or cooling down with their sprinkle-covered chocolate and vanilla soft-serve twist. Ice cream tends to scream nostalgia, but the range of available flavors has evolved since the days when the dessert was mainly limited to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Of course, that doesn't mean those aren't still top-tier choices. According to a May 2024 survey of 2,200 American adults by the International Dairy Foods Association and Morning Consult, the top 10 ice cream flavors today are still the three classics (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, in that order) followed by butter pecan, cookie dough, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, rocky road, and peanut butter or peanut butter cup.
Nowadays, many ice cream shops offer fresh combinations and ingredients you may never have imagined could be made into ice cream, concoctions like black sesame cookies and cream or honey lavender. Some ice cream shops boast flavors with even more unheard-of ingredients and combinations, like the savory tarragon olive oil or pineapple with pink peppercorns.
Ice cream creators have also expanded into rethinking frozen yogurt, soft serve, and vegan options. Dairy-free folks no longer have to order the only sorbet on the menu. There are nondairy milk ice creams made from plant-based milks like oat or almond and other plant-based products like avocado or sunflower butter.
And then there are the toppings, one of the best parts about getting a scoop at your local shop. Pour on the condensed milk or dulce de leche. Sprinkle bits of honeycomb or your favorite childhood cereal.
Ice cream shops everywhere have made it their job to serve up the smoothest, creamiest, and most crave-able options. To find out who's doing the best job of it, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated ice cream shops in San Francisco using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 14, 2024.
Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 10 reviews were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to determine where you'll get your next cup or cone from!
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific ice cream shops listed or the items they serve.
#26. The Pop Nation
- Rating: 4.5/5 (42 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: San Francisco, California
- Categories: street vendors, desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Bi-Rite Creamery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (10157 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3692 18th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Icu Market Deli & Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (33 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 514 Minna St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, delis, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Yomie's Rice X Yogurt
- Rating: 4.5/5 (33 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1401 Powell St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. EA Cafe
- Rating: 4.5/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 735 3rd St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: poke, coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Angie's Pizza
- Rating: 4.5/5 (91 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3228 16th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: pizza, italian, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. apizza & loving cup
- Rating: 4.6/5 (275 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2043 Fillmore St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: pizza, desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Mitchells Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (4830 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 688 San Jose Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, custom cakes
- Read more on Yelp
#18. What's The Scoop
- Rating: 4.6/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 5668 3rd St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#17. The Baked Bear
- Rating: 4.6/5 (453 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2824 Jones St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts, bakeries
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Loards Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (17 reviews)
- Address: 1601 20th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Double Rainbow Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (65 reviews)
- Address: 415 Castro St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Balboa Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (95 reviews)
- Address: 1844 San Jose Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Sweet Chinito Coffee
- Rating: 4.6/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3100 Mission St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: coffee & tea, sandwiches, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Norman's Ice Cream & Freezes
- Rating: 4.6/5 (430 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2801 Leavenworth St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, coffee & tea, juice bars & smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Shaws San Francisco
- Rating: 4.6/5 (48 reviews)
- Address: 122 West Portal Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: candy stores, ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Milkbomb Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (838 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1717 17th St. Ste 105 San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, donuts
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Garden Creamery
- Rating: 4.7/5 (1406 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3566 20th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Miyako Old Fashioned Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.8/5 (469 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1470 Fillmore St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Hila Gelato Caffe
- Rating: 4.8/5 (89 reviews)
- Address: 951 Valencia St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: coffee & tea, desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Freshito
- Rating: 4.8/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 4809 Mission St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: creperies, ice cream & frozen yogurt, mexican
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Banan
- Rating: 4.8/5 (18 reviews)
- Address: 3862 24th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. FroGo Food Truck
- Rating: 4.9/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 900 Avenue D San Francisco, California
- Categories: food trucks, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Bernie Bee's Italian Ices
- Rating: 5.0/5 (87 reviews)
- Address: 2669 Mission St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Gateaux
- Rating: 5.0/5 (39 reviews)
- Address: San Francisco, California
- Categories: cupcakes, bakeries, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Mellis Cafe
- Rating: 5.0/5 (19 reviews)
- Address: 154 Ellis St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: coffee & tea, sandwiches, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Chia-Yi Hou, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 237 metros.
