Highest-rated ice cream shops in Wilmington by diners

Written by:
July 22, 2025
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Highest-rated ice cream shops in Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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!

#14. Dairy Queen Store

- Rating: 2.9/5 (26 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5901 Oleander Drive Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

#13. Kohl's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 3.6/5 (77 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 92 South Lumina Ave. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

#12. SurfBerry

- Rating: 3.6/5 (62 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 222 Causeway Drive Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

#11. The Fuzzy Peach Frozen Yogurt Bar

- Rating: 3.7/5 (25 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5617 Carolina Beach Road Ste 100 Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#10. The Original Ice Cream Stand

- Rating: 4.1/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3 North Lumina Ave. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#9. Lewis Strawberry Nursery & Farm

- Rating: 4.3/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6517 Gordon Road Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Fruits & Veggies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#8. The Gourmet Market on Front

- Rating: 4.3/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 27 North Front St. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Grocery, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Beer, Wine & Spirits
- Read more on Yelp

#7. Boombalatti's Handcrafted Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.5/5 (436 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1127 Military Cutoff Road Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#6. The Crazy Mason - Wilmington

- Rating: 4.6/5 (51 reviews)
- Address: 3608 Oleander Drive Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Waffles
- Read more on Yelp

#5. Three Friends Coffee

- Rating: 4.6/5 (48 reviews)
- Address: 4719 New Centre Drive Ste D Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Bakeries, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#4. Boombalatti's Handcrafted Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.7/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1005 North 4th St. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#3. Wandering Cone Creamery

- Rating: 4.7/5 (25 reviews)
- Address: 921 Princess St. Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#2. Gelarto

- Rating: 4.7/5 (74 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 18 South Water St. Ste 5 Wilmington, North Carolina
- Categories: Gelato, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#1. Kreamium Frozen Custard

- Rating: 4.8/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 120 Division Drive Leland, North Carolina
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

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