Highest-rated ice cream shops in Hartford by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Hartford 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 Hartford 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 Hartford 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.
#22. Carvel Ice Cream Bakery
- Rating: 2.6/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1018 Main St. Newington, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Shake Shack West Hartford
- Rating: 2.9/5 (256 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1445 New Britian Ave. Suite 1385 West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. AC Petersen Farms
- Rating: 3.1/5 (262 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 240 Park Road West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: American, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Shake Shack Evergreen Walk
- Rating: 3.2/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 601 Evergreen Way South Windsor, Connecticut
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Milkcraft
- Rating: 3.3/5 (391 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 967 Farmington Ave. West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Windsor Farms Restaurant & Ice Cream
- Rating: 3.4/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 550 Windsor Ave. Windsor, Connecticut
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Sweet Frog
- Rating: 3.4/5 (47 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1500 Pleasant Valley Road Manchester, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Frisbie's Dairy Barn
- Rating: 3.8/5 (99 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 951 Farmington Ave. New Britain, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. 0 degree Thai Ice Cream
- Rating: 3.8/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 276 Park Road West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Salem Valley Farms Scoop Shop
- Rating: 4.0/5 (23 reviews)
- Address: 2229 Silas Deane Hwy Rocky Hill, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Frisbies Dairy Barn
- Rating: 4.1/5 (27 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2200 Day Hill Road Windsor, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.2/5 (34 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1134 New Britain Ave. West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Desserts, Shaved Ice, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Main Street Creamery & Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (160 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 271 Main St. Wethersfield, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Bloom Hill Farm
- Rating: 4.4/5 (62 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 696 Cottage Grove Road Bloomfield, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Farms
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Kiwi Spoon
- Rating: 4.4/5 (50 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 397 Cromwell Ave. Rocky Hill, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#7. YoYo Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 159 Main St. New Britain, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Praline's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1179 Farmington Ave. Berlin, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Harvey's Cafe & Market
- Rating: 4.5/5 (38 reviews)
- Address: 161 Oakwood Ave. West Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Delis, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Beer, Wine & Spirits
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Mortensen Dairy Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (154 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3145 Berlin Tpke Newington, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Noci Gelato
- Rating: 4.5/5 (33 reviews)
- Address: 281 Main St. Wethersfield, Connecticut
- Categories: Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Italian
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Capital Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (78 reviews)
- Address: 389 Capitol Ave. Hartford, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Grassroots Ice Cream & Street Food
- Rating: 4.8/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 2 Wilcox St. Simsbury, Connecticut
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
