Highest-rated ice cream shops in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville 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.
#27. OMG Cafe & Tea
- Rating: 4.4/5 (86 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 12192 Beach Blvd. Ste 2 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: bubble tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Mayday Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 90 Riverside Ave. Ste 605 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Whit's Frozen Custard of South Jax
- Rating: 4.4/5 (45 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 12525 Philips Hwy Ste 113 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Mayday Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 725 Skymarks Drive Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Aloha Waffle Bar
- Rating: 4.5/5 (171 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 725 Skymarks Drive Ste 5 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: coffee & tea, breakfast & brunch, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Springfield Scoops
- Rating: 4.5/5 (39 reviews)
- Address: 1807 North Main St. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. San Marco Dreamette Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 1905 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Funnel Cake Spot
- Rating: 4.5/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 5913 Merrill Road Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: desserts, custom cakes, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Guanabana Artisan Ice Pops
- Rating: 4.5/5 (17 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Whit's Frozen Custard of Avondale
- Rating: 4.5/5 (75 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3545 Saint Johns Ave. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Dreamette
- Rating: 4.5/5 (255 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3646 Post St. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Mayday Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (240 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1432 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Tea Poke Spot
- Rating: 4.6/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4076 Belfort Road Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: bubble tea, poke, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Back to the Grind
- Rating: 4.6/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 223 North Hogan St. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: coffee & tea, juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Tasty Creamery
- Rating: 4.7/5 (15 reviews)
- Address: 6625 Argyle Forest Blvd. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Frozen Sweets Truck
- Rating: 4.7/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: shaved ice, ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Whit's Frozen Custard of Mandarin
- Rating: 4.7/5 (101 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11362 San Jose Blvd. Ste 3 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery
- Rating: 4.8/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 13740 Beach Blvd. Ste 113 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: bakeries, cupcakes, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Hershey's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.8/5 (61 reviews)
- Address: 11018 Old St. Augustine Road Ste 113 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Malachi's Ice Cream Bar
- Rating: 4.8/5 (35 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1661 Riverside Ave. Ste 128 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#7. The Dolly Llama
- Rating: 4.8/5 (18 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11025 ETown Pkwy Ste 204 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: desserts, waffles, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Whit's Frozen Custard of Kernan Square
- Rating: 4.8/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 12620 Beach Blvd. Ste 20 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts, gelato
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Dreamette Ice Cream Springfield
- Rating: 4.8/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1401 North Main St. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Milkster Nitrogen Creamery
- Rating: 4.8/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3853 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Waffle Cone
- Rating: 4.9/5 (42 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 822 Post St. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Mayday Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.9/5 (13 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4853 Big Island Drive Unit 3 Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery
- Rating: 5.0/5 (12 reviews)
- Address: 10111 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, Florida
- Categories: bakeries, ice cream & frozen yogurt, cupcakes
- 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.
