Highest-rated ice cream shops in Boston by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Boston 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 Boston 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!
#30. The Ice Creamsmith
- Rating: 4.0/5 (109 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2295 Dorchester Ave. Dorchester, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#29. Amorino Gelato
- Rating: 4.0/5 (600 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 249 Newbury St. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Macarons
- Read more on Yelp
#28. Lizzy's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.1/5 (257 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 29 Church St. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#27. J P Licks - Boylston Street
- Rating: 4.1/5 (272 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1106 Boylston St. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Christina's Homemade Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.1/5 (834 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1255 Cambridge St. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#25. Sullivan's Castle Island
- Rating: 4.1/5 (443 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2080 Day Blvd. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. Honeycomb Creamery
- Rating: 4.1/5 (455 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1702 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp
#23. New City Microcreamery
- Rating: 4.1/5 (279 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 403 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Taiyaki NYC - Boston
- Rating: 4.1/5 (735 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 119 Seaport Blvd. Ste B Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Japanese
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Rancatore's Ice Cream & Yogurt
- Rating: 4.1/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 36 Leonard St. Belmont, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. C Fruit Life
- Rating: 4.1/5 (263 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 171 Brighton Ave. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Pizza
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Dairy Freeze
- Rating: 4.2/5 (111 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 635 Adams St. Quincy, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, American, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#18. The Scoop N Scootery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (345 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 112 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Tipping Cow
- Rating: 4.2/5 (120 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 415 Medford St. Somerville, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. LimeRed Tea House
- Rating: 4.2/5 (246 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1092 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Bubble Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. White Mountain Creamery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (223 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 19 Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Chaji Creamery
- Rating: 4.2/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 293 Newport Ave. Quincy, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Kyo Matcha
- Rating: 4.3/5 (142 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1010 Beacon St. Brookline, Massachusetts
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bakeries
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Far Out Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (189 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 419 Harvard St. Brookline, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. The Scoop N Scootery
- Rating: 4.3/5 (144 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 75 Linden St. Allston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Soc's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 67 Lynn Fells Pkwy Saugus, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. BerryLine
- Rating: 4.4/5 (667 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3 Arrow St. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Toscanini's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1931 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 159 First St. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Bravo Pizzeria
- Rating: 4.4/5 (222 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 531 Washington St. Quincy, Massachusetts
- Categories: Pizza, Salad, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. FoMu
- Rating: 4.4/5 (339 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 655 Tremont St. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bakeries, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Frozen Freddies
- Rating: 4.5/5 (102 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 435 Washington St. Quincy, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. The Bittersweet Shoppe on Newbury
- Rating: 4.5/5 (142 reviews)
- Address: 257 Newbury St. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Cafes, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Cha Yen Thai Cookery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (483 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 620 Mt Auburn St. Watertown, Massachusetts
- Categories: Thai, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Matcha Café Maiko
- Rating: 4.5/5 (281 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 115 Jersey St. Boston, Massachusetts
- Categories: Bubble Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Natural FruttiBerri
- Rating: 5.0/5 (126 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 127 Mt Auburn St. Watertown, Massachusetts
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Soup
- Read more on Yelp
