Highest-rated ice cream shops in Washington, D.C. by diners

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July 22, 2025
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Highest-rated ice cream shops in Washington, D.C. 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 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 20 reviews and within a 10-kilometer radius of Washington, D.C. 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.

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#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

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#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

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#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

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#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

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#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

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