Highest-rated ice cream shops in New York City by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in New York City by diners
Nothing makes people quite as happy as a trip to the ice cream shop. Thankfully, there are endless options offering enough goods to tantalize anyone's palate. Across the U.S., nearly 17,800 ice cream shops serve up tasty treats to satisfy Americans' cravings.
While most of us would agree that there's no such thing as bad ice cream, there are still elements that keep customers coming back to one ice cream shop over another. A sense of newness and surprise are two big draws. Shop owners aim to please by using quality ingredients to experiment with new mashups—consider the rising trend of ice cream combined with pie. Some put unique spins on global treats, like Japanese mochi and Italian gelato. Others create giant Instagram-ready concoctions that become the highlight of social media.
Consumers have learned that smaller scoop shops may be more adaptive to real-time reactions, which means embracing new concepts, such as delicious dairy-free options. They can also ditch chemicals and give plant-based food coloring a try to see how it resonates with their customers.
But where artisanal shops really shine is in their ability to push the envelope to create amazing new flavors and limited-edition offerings that have customers eager to not miss out on what's next.
Seasonal ice creams feature fresh ingredients and flavors that evoke a particular time of year. Partnerships with local businesses can result in crave-able combinations highlighting local specialties. Many local shops also dabble with exotic flavors—savory ice cream, anyone?
To find out who's scooping up the best options, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated ice cream shops in the New York City area using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 24, 2025.
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 20 reviews and within a 10-kilometer radius of New York City were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included.
#29. Surreal Creamery
- Rating: 4.4/5 (475 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 538 2nd Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#28. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (570 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 152 West 10th St. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#27. Soft Swerve
- Rating: 4.4/5 (107 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 379 3rd Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Matcha Cafe Maiko
- Rating: 4.4/5 (223 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 132 Bowery New York, New York
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Tipsy Scoop
- Rating: 4.4/5 (152 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 270 Metropolitan Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Island Pops
- Rating: 4.4/5 (130 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 670 Nostrand Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Wowfulls
- Rating: 4.4/5 (329 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 90 Kent Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Desserts, Waffles, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Wafels & Dinges
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1561 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: New York, New York
- Categories: Waffles, Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Seed + Mill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (344 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 409 West 15th St. Chelsea Market New York, New York
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gluten-Free
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Ample Hills Creamery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1671 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 623 Vanderbilt Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Aubi & Ramsa
- Rating: 4.5/5 (123 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1165 Broadway New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Sugar Hill Creamery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (321 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 184 Lenox Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Taiyaki NYC - Williamsburg
- Rating: 4.5/5 (319 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 294 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Smoove Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (276 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 279 Grand St. New York, New York
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Caffè Panna
- Rating: 4.5/5 (604 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 77 Irving Place New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Ray's Candy Store
- Rating: 4.5/5 (508 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 113 Avenue A New York, New York
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Figo Il Gelato Italiano
- Rating: 4.6/5 (597 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 178 Mulberry St. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Patisserie/Cake Shop
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Sam's Fried Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (485 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 37 Orchard St. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Anita Gelato
- Rating: 4.6/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 207 West 45 St. & 7th Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Gelato, Waffles, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Anita Gelato
- Rating: 4.6/5 (549 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1561 Second Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Gelato, Waffles, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Anita Gelato
- Rating: 4.6/5 (410 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1141 Broadway New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Sundaes Best
- Rating: 4.6/5 (274 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 315 5th Ave. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato
- Read more on Yelp
#7. A La Mode Shoppe
- Rating: 4.6/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 360 East 55th St. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Party & Event Planning
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Aubi & Ramsa
- Rating: 4.6/5 (144 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 38 Little West 12th St. New York, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Stick With Me
- Rating: 4.7/5 (357 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 202A Mott St. Ste A New York, New York
- Categories: Chocolatiers & Shops, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Bread & Joe
- Rating: 4.7/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 618 4th Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Bubble Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Ample Hills Creamery
- Rating: 4.8/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 816 Washington Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Donuts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Sweet Dynasty
- Rating: 4.8/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5918 5th Ave. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Lady Moo Moo Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.8/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 365 Chauncey St. Brooklyn, New York
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
