Highest-rated ice cream shops in Washington, D.C. by diners
Highest-rated ice cream shops in Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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!
#23. Shake Shack
- Rating: 3.0/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1500 South Capitol St. Southeast Nationals Park Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. Shake Shack 14th Street Logan Circle
- Rating: 3.0/5 (187 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1400 14th St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Shake Shack The Wharf
- Rating: 3.1/5 (190 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 975 Wharf St. Southwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#20. Milk Bar
- Rating: 3.2/5 (379 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 1525 15th St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Desserts, Bakeries, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Shake Shack Navy Yard
- Rating: 3.3/5 (153 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 54 M St. Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Fast food, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Shake Shack Union Station
- Rating: 3.3/5 (369 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 50 Massachusetts Ave. Northeast Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Larry's Homemade Ice Cream
- Rating: 3.4/5 (520 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1633 Connecticut Ave. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Cupcakes, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Shake Shack Dupont Circle
- Rating: 3.4/5 (1464 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1216 18th St. Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Shake Shack F Street
- Rating: 3.6/5 (878 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 800 F St. Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Thomas Sweet
- Rating: 3.7/5 (729 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3214 P St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. The Peach Cobbler Factory
- Rating: 3.7/5 (208 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1010 Massachusetts Ave. Northwest Ste 100 Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Waffles
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Jetties
- Rating: 3.8/5 (330 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1609 Foxhall Road Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Sandwiches, Salad, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. FroZenYo
- Rating: 3.9/5 (120 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3000 Connecticut Ave. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#10. 1789 Restaurant & Bar
- Rating: 4.2/5 (824 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 1226 36th St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: American, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Bars
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Pitango Gelato & Coffee
- Rating: 4.2/5 (1057 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 413 7th St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Captain Cookie and the Milk Man Food Truck
- Rating: 4.2/5 (371 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Desserts, Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Malai
- Rating: 4.2/5 (108 reviews)
- Address: 1407 T St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Bacio Pizzeria
- Rating: 4.3/5 (378 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 81 Seaton Place Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Ice Cream Jubilee
- Rating: 4.3/5 (665 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 301 Water St. Southeast Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Ice Cream Jubilee
- Rating: 4.4/5 (388 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3333 M St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Dolci Gelati
- Rating: 4.4/5 (268 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1420 8th St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Gelato, Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Mount Desert Island Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.6/5 (196 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3110 Mt Pleasant St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Everyday Sundae
- Rating: 5.0/5 (108 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 713 Kennedy St. Northwest Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
