Highest-rated ice cream shops in Chicago 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 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 20 reviews and within a 10-kilometer radius of Chicago 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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1 / 25

#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

2 / 25

#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

3 / 25

#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

4 / 25

#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

5 / 25

#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

6 / 25

#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

7 / 25

#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

8 / 25

#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

9 / 25

#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

10 / 25

#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

11 / 25

#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

12 / 25

#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 / 25

#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

14 / 25

#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

15 / 25

#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

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16 / 25

#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

17 / 25

#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

18 / 25

#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

19 / 25

#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

20 / 25

#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

21 / 25

#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

22 / 25

#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

23 / 25

#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

24 / 25

#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

25 / 25

#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

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