Highest-rated ice cream shops in Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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. Shannon Sweet Stop
- Rating: 4.3/5 (12 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3776 Williow Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, custom cakes
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Scoops in Bloomfield
- Rating: 4.3/5 (75 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4806 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, custom cakes, cupcakes
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Sugar & Spice
- Rating: 4.4/5 (54 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5200 Clairton Blvd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, candy stores, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Scoops On Beverly
- Rating: 4.4/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 311 Beverly Road Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, custom cakes, cupcakes
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (44 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 206 South Highland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Churn Homemade Ice Cream & Coffee
- Rating: 4.4/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2000 East Carson St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, coffee & tea, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Waffallonia
- Rating: 4.4/5 (361 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1709 Murray Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Millie's Homemade Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (490 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 232 South Highland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. The Milk Shake Factory
- Rating: 4.4/5 (71 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3612 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: chocolatiers & shops, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. The Milk Shake Factory
- Rating: 4.4/5 (379 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 314 Fifth Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt, chocolatiers & shops
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Millie's - Pittsburgh
- Rating: 4.5/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 207 Oakland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Meccha Matcha
- Rating: 4.5/5 (12 reviews)
- Address: 2000 Murray Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, bubble tea, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Sweet Market
- Rating: 4.5/5 (16 reviews)
- Address: 348 Beaver St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: bubble tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt, chocolatiers & shops
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Happy Day Dessert Factory
- Rating: 4.6/5 (77 reviews)
- Address: 906A Western Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: desserts, custom cakes, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. I Scream Shop
- Rating: 4.6/5 (12 reviews)
- Address: 21 Yost Blvd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Cookie's Creamery
- Rating: 4.6/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 2199 Babcock Blvd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Koala Coffee and Tea House
- Rating: 4.7/5 (26 reviews)
- Address: 820 West Ingomar Road Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: coffee & tea, patisserie/cake shop, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Leona's Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Rating: 4.7/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 774 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, food trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Berry Fresh Frozen Yogurt
- Rating: 4.7/5 (13 reviews)
- Address: 1717 Murray Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Page's
- Rating: 4.7/5 (354 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4112 East Carson St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Alquisiras Paleteria
- Rating: 4.7/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2056 Broadway Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: mexican, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. FRIO Creamery
- Rating: 4.7/5 (76 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4127 Butler St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Antney's
- Rating: 4.8/5 (163 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1316 Poplar St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#4. LaScola's Italian Ice & Custard
- Rating: 4.8/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1218 North Euclid Ave. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt, waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Sugar Spell Scoops
- Rating: 4.8/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1014 North Canal St. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: vegan, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Joezeppi's Frozen Treats
- Rating: 4.9/5 (11 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 915 Mount Royal Blvd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Treat - Ice Cream and Liege Waffles
- Rating: 4.9/5 (105 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 735 Copeland St. 1A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, waffles
- 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.
