Highest-rated ice cream shops in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.

1 / 27

#27. MooSa's

- Rating: 3.1/5 (49 reviews)
- Address: 2272 North Lincoln Memorial Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 27

#26. Dairy Queen Ltd Brazier

- Rating: 3.1/5 (24 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 245 East Hampton Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, fast food, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 27

#25. Oscar's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 3.3/5 (109 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7041 South 27th St. Franklin, Wisconsin
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 27

#24. Shake Shack Third Ward

- Rating: 3.4/5 (264 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 220 East Buffalo St. Suite 110 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 27

#23. Gyro Stand

- Rating: 3.4/5 (59 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1110 East Oklahoma Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, American, Greek
- Read more on Yelp

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6 / 27

#22. Oscar's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 3.6/5 (130 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2362 South 108th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 27

#21. Kitt's Frozen Custard Drive-In

- Rating: 3.7/5 (41 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7000 West Capitol Drive Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 27

#20. Big Deal Burgers & Custard

- Rating: 3.7/5 (179 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1440 South 84th St. West Allis, Wisconsin
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 27

#19. Murf's Frozen Custard & Jumbo Burgers

- Rating: 3.8/5 (115 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 12505 West Burleigh Road Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 27

#18. Gilles Frozen Custard Drive-In

- Rating: 3.8/5 (185 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7515 West Bluemound Road Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp

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11 / 27

#17. The Chocolate Factory

- Rating: 3.8/5 (46 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 13475 Watertown Plank Road Elm Grove, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

12 / 27

#16. Lee's Dairy Treat

- Rating: 4.0/5 (53 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 14040 West Greenfield Ave. Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, American
- Read more on Yelp

13 / 27

#15. Dairyland

- Rating: 4.0/5 (38 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 275 West Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 27

#14. Nite Owl Ice Cream Parlour & Sandwich Shoppe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 830 East Layton Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 27

#13. Babe's Ice Cream & Desserts

- Rating: 4.1/5 (117 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2264 South Kinnickinnic Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp

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16 / 27

#12. Cold Spoons Gelato

- Rating: 4.3/5 (73 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5924 West Vliet St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Gelato
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 27

#11. Daddy Yo's Frozen Yogurt

- Rating: 4.3/5 (48 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4874 South 74th St. Greenfield, Wisconsin
- Categories: Desserts, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

18 / 27

#10. Yo Mama!

- Rating: 4.3/5 (130 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1349 Wauwatosa Ave. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

19 / 27

#9. Kopp's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 4.3/5 (874 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5373 North Port Washington Road Glendale, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

20 / 27

#8. Yo Factory

- Rating: 4.3/5 (128 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2203 North Farwell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

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21 / 27

#7. Purple Door Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.4/5 (532 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 205 South 2nd St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

22 / 27

#6. Kopp's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 4.4/5 (889 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 7631 West Layton Ave. Greenfield, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp

23 / 27

#5. Leon's Frozen Custard

- Rating: 4.6/5 (653 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3131 South 27th St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

24 / 27

#4. Archie's Flat Top

- Rating: 4.6/5 (112 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 6922 West Becher St. West Allis, Wisconsin
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

25 / 27

#3. Gordo's Bubble Waffles - Bay View

- Rating: 4.6/5 (84 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2301 South Howell Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Desserts, Waffles, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

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26 / 27

#2. Joy Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.7/5 (46 reviews)
- Address: 8334 West North Ave. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

27 / 27

#1. Pete's Pops

- Rating: 4.9/5 (22 reviews)
- Address: 3809 West Vliet St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp