Highest-rated ice cream shops in Durham by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Durham 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 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 20 reviews and within a 10-kilometer radius of Durham 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.
#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
