Highest-rated ice cream shops in Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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.
#24. Goodberry's Frozen Custard
- Rating: 3.8/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9700 Strickland Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Raleigh Rolls - North Raleigh
- Rating: 3.8/5 (10 reviews)
- Address: 10750 Wakefield Commons Drive Ste 105 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Goodberry's Frozen Custard
- Rating: 3.8/5 (132 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2042 Clark Ave. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Big League Waffles & Scoops
- Rating: 3.8/5 (13 reviews)
- Address: 411 West Morgan St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#20. The Yard Milkshake Bar
- Rating: 4.0/5 (13 reviews)
- Address: 704 Seaboard Station Drive Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Morelia Gourmet Paletas - Raleigh
- Rating: 4.0/5 (14 reviews)
- Address: 500 North West St. Ste 135 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Raleigh Rolls
- Rating: 4.1/5 (82 reviews)
- Address: 411 West Morgan St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. MILKLAB - Smoky Hollow
- Rating: 4.2/5 (17 reviews)
- Address: 526 North West St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: bubble tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Captain Cookie
- Rating: 4.2/5 (41 reviews)
- Address: 500 East Davie St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: bakeries, ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Two Roosters Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.2/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 4025 Lake Boone Trl Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Two Roosters Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.2/5 (103 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 215 East Franklin St. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Andia's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 2201 Iron Works Drive Ste 129 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Videri Chocolate Factory
- Rating: 4.3/5 (282 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 327 West Davie St. Ste 100 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: chocolatiers & shops, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Citizen Pops
- Rating: 4.3/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Bumble Tea
- Rating: 4.3/5 (187 reviews)
- Address: 3221 Avent Ferry Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt, juice bars & smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#9. The Cookie People
- Rating: 4.3/5 (17 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2237 Avent Ferry Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: desserts, coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Fresh Local Ice Cream- Raleigh
- Rating: 4.4/5 (364 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6033 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Goodberrys Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.5/5 (64 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2421 Spring Forest Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Two Roosters Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (135 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 7713 Lead Mine Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: food trucks, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Flavors Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 2831 Jones Franklin Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, cupcakes
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery
- Rating: 4.6/5 (57 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 100 Dairy Lane Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Pelican's Snoballs
- Rating: 4.6/5 (42 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6701 Fayetteville Road Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, shaved snow
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Champloo Desserts
- Rating: 4.7/5 (60 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8320 Litchford Road Ste 150 Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: desserts, bubble tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. SweetWater Ices
- Rating: 4.9/5 (19 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Raleigh, North Carolina
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, caterers
- 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.
