Highest-rated ice cream shops in Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 14, 2024.
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!
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific ice cream shops listed or the items they serve.
#23. Shake Shack
- Rating: 3.0/5 (90 reviews)
- Address: 776 North Terminal Drive Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: burgers, american, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#22. The Churro Company
- Rating: 3.1/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 28 South State St. Ste 238 Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#21. Iceberg Drive Inn
- Rating: 3.2/5 (258 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3906 South 900th East Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, american
- Read more on Yelp
#20. TCBY Sugarhouse Center
- Rating: 3.2/5 (54 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2274 SOUTH 1300 EAST G17 Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Koi D Bar
- Rating: 3.3/5 (103 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 655 South State St. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, juice bars & smoothies, bubble tea
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Hello Boba
- Rating: 3.5/5 (11 reviews)
- Address: 6191 South State St. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: bubble tea, juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#17. Pinkberry
- Rating: 3.5/5 (45 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1776 North Terminal Drive Concourse C Concourse C Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Franco's Churro House
- Rating: 3.9/5 (97 reviews)
- Address: 2236 South 1300th East Ste D5 Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: desserts, coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Angelito Mexican Restaurant
- Rating: 3.9/5 (33 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1625 West 700th North Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: mexican, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Normal Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.0/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 169 East 900th South Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Normal Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.1/5 (163 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1357 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: food trucks, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Spilled Milk Ice Cream And Cereal Bar
- Rating: 4.1/5 (187 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 907 East 900th South Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#11. The Cereal Killerz Kitchen - Salt Lake City
- Rating: 4.1/5 (14 reviews)
- Address: 153 South Rio Grande St. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Doki Doki
- Rating: 4.2/5 (393 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 249 East 400th South Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: desserts, ice cream & frozen yogurt, creperies
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Space Tea
- Rating: 4.3/5 (206 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1085 South State St. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: bubble tea, juice bars & smoothies, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Hokulia
- Rating: 4.3/5 (18 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3981 South Wasatch Blvd. Olympus Hills Shopping Center Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: shaved ice, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Monkeywrench
- Rating: 4.4/5 (295 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 53 East Gallivan Ave. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: desserts, vegan, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Sweet Rolled Tacos
- Rating: 4.4/5 (195 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 157 South Rio Grande St. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#5. La Bonita
- Rating: 4.4/5 (16 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2470 South Redwood Road Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Auntie Rae's Sweets and Tea Parties
- Rating: 4.5/5 (148 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 4704 South Holladay Blvd. Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: desserts, coffee & tea, ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Dolcetti Gelato
- Rating: 4.5/5 (398 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 902 East 900th South Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt, gelato, macarons
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Rockwell Ice Cream
- Rating: 4.7/5 (50 reviews)
- Address: 115 Regent St. Ste 115 A Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: ice cream & frozen yogurt
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Matcha Cafe Kyoto
- Rating: 4.9/5 (60 reviews)
- Address: 2223 South Highland Drive E5 Salt Lake City, Utah
- Categories: cafes, ice cream & frozen yogurt, desserts
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Chia-Yi Hou, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 237 metros.
