Highest-rated ice cream shops in Richmond by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Richmond 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 Richmond 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!
#29. Sweet Spot Ice Cream Cafe
- Rating: 4.1/5 (77 reviews)
- Address: 6 North 18th St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#28. Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.1/5 (172 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3600 Forest Hill Ave. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#27. One Way Cream & Goodies
- Rating: 4.3/5 (24 reviews)
- Address: 407 North 1st St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#26. Blue Cow Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.3/5 (25 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 7029 Three Chopt Road Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#25. La Michoacana
- Rating: 4.3/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7808 Midlophian Turnpike North Chesterfield, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#24. E-LOTERIA
- Rating: 4.3/5 (72 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9022 West Broad St. RICHMOND, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp
#23. Ray's Italian Water Ice and Custard
- Rating: 4.3/5 (70 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2416 Old Brick Road Glen Allen, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. NarWhals Rolled Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.4/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3313 West Cary St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.4/5 (28 reviews)
- Address: 5808 Grove Avenue Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Sno To Go
- Rating: 4.5/5 (134 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2229 Richmond Road Williamsburg, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Shaved Ice, Food Trucks
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Soul-Ice
- Rating: 4.5/5 (30 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1011 Hull St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Food Stands, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Tacos
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Dalia's Ice Cream & Bakery
- Rating: 4.5/5 (46 reviews)
- Address: 7310 Staples Mill Road Henrico, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. The Treat Shop RVA
- Rating: 4.5/5 (177 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 6114 Jahnke Road Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Bakeries, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Deluca Gelato
- Rating: 4.5/5 (170 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1362 Gaskins Road Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Vampire Penguin - Twin Hickory
- Rating: 4.5/5 (69 reviews)
- Address: 11345 Nuckols Road Glen Allen, Virginia
- Categories: Shaved Snow, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Smallcakes
- Rating: 4.5/5 (128 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 11516 Busy St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Desserts, Cupcakes, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.5/5 (208 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1400 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Scoop
- Rating: 4.6/5 (269 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 403 Strawberry St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bakeries, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Ruby Scoops
- Rating: 4.6/5 (111 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 120 West Brookland Park Blvd. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.6/5 (26 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9357 Atlee Road Suite 1105 Mechanicsville, Virginia
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Gigi Tea Time
- Rating: 4.6/5 (170 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1355 West Broad St. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Bubble Tea, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.7/5 (236 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8906 A West Broad St. Gold's Gym Plaza Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Spotty Dog Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (58 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2416 Jefferson Ave. Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. jiji frozen custard
- Rating: 4.7/5 (28 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.7/5 (137 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 11805-5 West Broad St. Henrico, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Gelati Celesti
- Rating: 4.7/5 (95 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3004 Stony Point Road Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#3. The Big Scoop
- Rating: 4.9/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 200 Towne Center West Blvd. Ste 601 Henrico, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Hot Dogs, Shaved Ice
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Red Rooster Country Store
- Rating: 4.9/5 (40 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 9582 Chamberlayne Road Mechanicsville, Virginia
- Categories: Delis, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Grocery
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Bubs And Gracie's Ice Cream And Cookies
- Rating: 4.9/5 (36 reviews)
- Address: 7214 Hull St. Road Richmond, Virginia
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
