Highest-rated ice cream shops in San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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.

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#28. Twirl and Dip

- Rating: 4.3/5 (292 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 335 Martin Luther King Jr Drive San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

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#27. San Francisco's Hometown Creamery

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1067 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1290 9th Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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#26. Toy Boat By Jane

- Rating: 4.3/5 (121 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 401 Clement St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 28

#25. The Baked Bear

- Rating: 4.3/5 (801 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 303 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Desserts, Bakeries, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 28

#24. Kiss Of Matcha

- Rating: 4.3/5 (477 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 750 Clement St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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6 / 28

#23. Belly Good Cafe & Crepes

- Rating: 4.3/5 (1445 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1737 Post St. Ste 393 San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Creperies, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

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#22. Mister Softee NorCal

- Rating: 4.4/5 (423 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Fremont, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 28

#21. New Daly City Market

- Rating: 4.4/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 398 Templeton Ave. Daly City, California
- Categories: Beer, Wine & Spirits, Sandwiches, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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#20. Lush Gelato

- Rating: 4.4/5 (373 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 520 Columbus Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Gelato
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 28

#19. Somisomi

- Rating: 4.4/5 (163 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1350 4th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Korean, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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11 / 28

#18. Rocko's Ice Cream Tacos

- Rating: 4.4/5 (165 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Santa Clara, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Food Trucks, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

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#17. Banan

- Rating: 4.4/5 (110 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3862 24th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp

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#16. Powder

- Rating: 4.4/5 (785 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 260 Divisadero St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Snow
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 28

#15. Matcha Cafe Maiko

- Rating: 4.5/5 (360 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3251 20th Ave. Ste 250K San Francisco, California
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 28

#14. Bi-Rite Creamery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (10247 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3692 18th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

16 / 28

#13. Matcha Cafe Maiko

- Rating: 4.5/5 (298 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 756 Grant Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 28

#12. Matcha Cafe Maiko

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1570 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1581 Webster St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

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#11. The Baked Bear

- Rating: 4.6/5 (456 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2824 Jones St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp

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#10. Mitchells Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.6/5 (4944 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 688 San Jose Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp

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#9. Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1866 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3886 Noriega St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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#8. Angie's Pizza

- Rating: 4.6/5 (118 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3228 16th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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#7. Balboa Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.6/5 (112 reviews)
- Address: 1844 San Jose Ave. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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#6. Hila Gelato Caffe

- Rating: 4.6/5 (166 reviews)
- Address: 951 Valencia St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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#5. Sweet Chinito Coffee

- Rating: 4.6/5 (151 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3100 Mission St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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#4. Norman's Ice Cream & Freezes

- Rating: 4.6/5 (456 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2801 Leavenworth St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

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#3. Milkbomb Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.7/5 (880 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1717 17th St. Ste 105 San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Donuts
- Read more on Yelp

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#2. Garden Creamery

- Rating: 4.7/5 (1569 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3566 20th St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Food Trucks, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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#1. Miyako Old Fashioned Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.8/5 (503 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1470 Fillmore St. San Francisco, California
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp