Highest-rated ice cream shops in Durham by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Durham 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 Durham 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!
#19. Cook Out
- Rating: 3.3/5 (87 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2103 Allendown Drive Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Shake Shack Chapel Hill
- Rating: 3.5/5 (27 reviews)
- Address: 1800 East Franklin St. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Yopop Frozen Yogurt
- Rating: 3.8/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1129 Weaver Dairy Road Ste V Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt
- Rating: 4.0/5 (93 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3710 Shannon Road Ste 116 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Frozy
- Rating: 4.1/5 (91 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5324 New Hope Commons Drive Ste 2A Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Juice Bars & Smoothies, Bubble Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Goodberry's Frozen Custard
- Rating: 4.3/5 (94 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3906 North Roxboro St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Simons Says Dip This
- Rating: 4.3/5 (221 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 117 West Parrish St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Lumpy's Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 306 East Wait Ave. Wake Forest, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Pelican's SnoBalls
- Rating: 4.4/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3217 North Roxboro St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice
- Read more on Yelp
#10. The Parlour
- Rating: 4.5/5 (745 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 117 Market St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Vegan
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Milk Lab - Durham
- Rating: 4.5/5 (161 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 West Nc Hwy 54 Ste 265 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Locopops
- Rating: 4.5/5 (183 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2618 Hillsborough Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Pelican's SnoBalls
- Rating: 4.6/5 (36 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 606 Fayetteville St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Shaved Ice, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. The Ice Queen
- Rating: 4.6/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Greensboro, North Carolina
- Categories: Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Pistachio
- Rating: 4.6/5 (31 reviews)
- Address: 2708 Chapel Hill Road Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Two Roosters
- Rating: 4.7/5 (73 reviews)
- Address: 800 Taylor St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Paleteria La Monarca Michoacana
- Rating: 4.7/5 (62 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2000 Avondale Drive Ste P Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Pincho Loco
- Rating: 4.8/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1918 Perry St. Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Salt N Cocoa
- Rating: 4.9/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 1125 NC-54 Ste 204 Durham, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
