Highest-rated ice cream shops in Chicago by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Chicago 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 Chicago 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!
#25. Village Creamery
- Rating: 4.1/5 (291 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8000 North Waukegan Road Niles, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Ain't She Sweet Cafe
- Rating: 4.1/5 (333 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 526 East 43rd St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#23. KURIMU
- Rating: 4.1/5 (347 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1159 West Taylor St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Bubble Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Margie's Candies
- Rating: 4.1/5 (640 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1813 West Montrose Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Chocolatiers & Shops
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Black Dog Gelato
- Rating: 4.2/5 (669 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 859 North Damen Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Charmers Cafe
- Rating: 4.2/5 (121 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1500 West Jarvis Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Cafes, Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Dairy Star
- Rating: 4.2/5 (254 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3472 West Devon Ave. Lincolnwood, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#18. La Michoacana Premium
- Rating: 4.3/5 (252 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1855 South Blue Island Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Legend Tasty House
- Rating: 4.3/5 (344 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2242 South Wentworth Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Thai
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Annette's Italian Ice
- Rating: 4.3/5 (405 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2009 North Bissell St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Fruit Paradise
- Rating: 4.3/5 (136 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2355 North Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Acai Bowls
- Read more on Yelp
#14. 26th Street Sugar Shack
- Rating: 4.3/5 (251 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 630 West 26th St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Shawn Michelle's
- Rating: 4.3/5 (194 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 46 East 47th St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor
- Rating: 4.4/5 (475 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7347 Madison St. Forest Park, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Scooter's Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.4/5 (676 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1658 West Belmont Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Pretty Cool Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (224 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2353 North California Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Massa Cafe Italiano
- Rating: 4.4/5 (398 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7434 West North Ave. Elmwood Park, Illinois
- Categories: Italian, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Forever Yogurt
- Rating: 4.5/5 (177 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5309 N. Clark St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Hole in the Wall Custard Shoppe
- Rating: 4.5/5 (140 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 901 1/2 South Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Lickity Split Frozen Custard & Sweets
- Rating: 4.5/5 (689 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6056 North Broadway Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.5/5 (456 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5337 West Devon Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Lickity Split Frozen Custard & Sweets
- Rating: 4.5/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7000 North Western Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Candy Stores
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Vaca's Creamery
- Rating: 4.6/5 (181 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1436 West Blackhawk St. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (103 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4041 Dempster St. Skokie, Illinois
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Paulo Gelato & Chocolate
- Rating: 4.8/5 (104 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1058 West Chicago Ave. Chicago, Illinois
- Categories: Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
