The Best Ice Cream Shop In Every State

No matter your age, no single food captures the spirit of summertime like ice cream. While most of us enjoy the sweet treat year-round, there’s just nothing like licking a cone from an ice cream truck, beach or poolside shack, or neighborhood scoop shop to cool yourself off on a sweltering summer day.

That’s why, ahead of National Ice Cream Day on July 17th, Yelp has released their list (below) of the top-rated ice cream shops in every U.S. state.

Reading through the list, I was struck by a couple thoughts. First, how few of my go-to scoop shops didn’t make the list. How could Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams not rank supreme in Ohio, and what about Salt & Straw for Oregon? In New York, how did Morgenstern’s, Van Leeuwen, and Il Laboratorio del Gelato not make the cut? I guess we all have our favorites.

While I can vouch for the deliciousness of a handful of others on the list, like the old-fashioned flavors mint chip or strawberry at Arethusa Farm Dairy in Connecticut, and creative combos like Lemon Poppy Berry Jam or Butterscotch Miso at Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in Bar Harbor, Maine, I realized how many of these amazing ice cream makers I’ve yet to visit for myself. To remedy that, I’ll try to get to Bontà Natural Artisan Gelato in Bend, Oregon and The Social in Brooklyn yet this summer. Next, I’m putting two further-flung ice cream destinations – Wild Scoops in Anchorage Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice in Hawaii – on my foodie travel vision board.

Yelp’s Best Ice Cream in Every State

Did your home state favorite make the list?

Yelp’s methodology was this: they ranked businesses in the ice cream category in the United States and Canada according to a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between April 21, 2021 and April 21, 2022. All businesses were marked open on Yelp and have a passing health score as of May 12, 2022.

For the full list, including Yelp’s top picks for Canada, visit the Yelp blog.