Highest-rated Ice Cream Shops in Hartford by Diners

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Highest-rated ice cream shops in Hartford 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 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 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!

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#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

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#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

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#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

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#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

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