Highest-rated ice cream shops in New Orleans 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 New Orleans 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.
#28. Sidney's Snowballs
- Rating: 4.1/5 (15 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 767 North Claiborne Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: shaved ice, desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Mister Apple
- Rating: 4.1/5 (219 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 201 North Peters St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: desserts, candy stores, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Rodney's Snowball Stand
- Rating: 4.2/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9231 Lake Forest Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#25. The Fudgery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (82 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 631 Decatur St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: desserts, candy stores, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Fat Boy Pantry
- Rating: 4.2/5 (338 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1302 Magazine St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, sandwiches, coffee & tea
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Baby's Snack Box
- Rating: 4.3/5 (19 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2025 Orleans Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: burgers, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Imperial Woodpecker Snoballs
- Rating: 4.3/5 (68 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3511 Magazine St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: shaved ice, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Sno-la Uptown
- Rating: 4.3/5 (100 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 8108 Hampson St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: desserts, shaved ice, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Louie's Kitchen
- Rating: 4.3/5 (23 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5609 Read Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: fast food, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. The Creole Creamery
- Rating: 4.4/5 (201 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6260 Vicksburg St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Pontilly Sno
- Rating: 4.4/5 (18 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3968 Old Gentilly Road New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: shaved ice, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Plum Street Snoball
- Rating: 4.5/5 (200 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1300 Burdette St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Hansen's Sno-Bliz
- Rating: 4.5/5 (606 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4801 Tchoupitoulas St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, shaved ice
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Creole Creamery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1036 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4924 Prytania St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Abbott's Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.5/5 (53 reviews)
- Address: 628 Toulouse St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Popbar - New Orleans
- Rating: 4.6/5 (54 reviews)
- Address: 207 North Peters St. Ste 2B New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: gelato, ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Stop Jockin Snoballs
- Rating: 4.6/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3600 St. Bernard Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: fast food, ice cream & frozen yogurt, shaved ice
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Parish Parlor
- Rating: 4.6/5 (113 reviews)
- Address: 1912 Magazine St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Red Rooster
- Rating: 4.6/5 (37 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2801 1/2 Washington Ave. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, fast food, sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Ro-Bear's Snowballs & Soft Serve
- Rating: 4.7/5 (52 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6869 Jefferson Hwy New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Ice Cream 504
- Rating: 4.8/5 (157 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2511 Jena St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#7. New Orleans Ice Cream Company
- Rating: 4.8/5 (11 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Sunset Slush NOLA
- Rating: 4.9/5 (21 reviews)
- Address: 1832 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Rahm Haus Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.9/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 1133 Margaret Place New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Park Island Brew
- Rating: 4.9/5 (67 reviews)
- Address: 1688 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Lucy Boone Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.9/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3918 Baronne St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Sweet Saint
- Rating: 4.9/5 (111 reviews)
- Address: 710 St. Louis St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Big O's Original Pops
- Rating: 5.0/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 3300 Royal St. New Orleans, Louisiana
- 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.
