Highest-rated ice cream shops in San Jose 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 Jose 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. Yopop
- Rating: 4.1/5 (163 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5353 Almaden Expy Ste 90 San Jose, California
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Los Mangitos Paleteria Y Neveria
- Rating: 4.1/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1668 Story Road San Jose, California
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Scoops SJ
- Rating: 4.2/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Orange Sunrise
- Rating: 4.2/5 (120 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2652 Alum Rock Ave. Ste F San Jose, California
- Categories: juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Cre'Me Paris
- Rating: 4.2/5 (83 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2200 Eastridge Lp San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Willow Glen Creamery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1251 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1100 Lincoln Ave. Ste 130 San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Los Barriles Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.2/5 (26 reviews)
- Address: 1650 Mabury Road San Jose, California
- Categories: food trucks, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. San Jose Candy Kitchen
- Rating: 4.2/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 200 South 1st St. Ste 60 San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, candy stores, chocolatiers & shops
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Cup n' Cone icecream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 1600 Saratoga Ave. Ste 111 San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Baskin - Robbin
- Rating: 4.3/5 (137 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 779 Story Road Ste 55 San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Sweet Fix Creamery
- Rating: 4.4/5 (506 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2715 Mckee Road San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Swifty Sweets
- Rating: 4.4/5 (13 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Happiness Cafe
- Rating: 4.4/5 (460 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1688 Hostetter Road Ste C San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, vegan, bubble tea
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Snow Boba
- Rating: 4.4/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6029 Snell Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: bubble tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. The Gelato Shop
- Rating: 4.4/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 87 North San Pedro St. Ste 111 San Pedro Square Market San Jose, California
- Categories: gelato, ice cream & frozen yogurt, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Twisted Chill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (67 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#10. La Original Paleteria Y Neveria
- Rating: 4.5/5 (332 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 273 Willow St. San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Cookies N Cream SJ
- Rating: 4.5/5 (79 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: food trucks, ice cream & frozen yogurt, caterers
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (551 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 999 Story Road Ste 9072 San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, gelato, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Orange Sunrise
- Rating: 4.6/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1597 Meridian Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: sandwiches, juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Bay Area Ice Cream Catering
- Rating: 4.6/5 (37 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Daybreak Donuts & Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3263 Sierra Road San Jose, California
- Categories: donuts, ice cream & frozen yogurt, bagels
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Somisomi
- Rating: 4.7/5 (325 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1477 Berryessa Road Ste 20 San Jose, California
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Cropley Pure Water
- Rating: 4.8/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2673 Cropley Ave. San Jose, California
- Categories: water stores, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Golden State Ice Cream
- Rating: 5.0/5 (20 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 330 Race St. San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Cruisin Creams
- Rating: 5.0/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: San Jose, California
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- 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.
