Highest-rated ice cream shops in Columbus 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 Columbus 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!

#11. Shake Shack Easton Town Center

- Rating: 3.1/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4005 The Strand West Space 430 Easton Town Center Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Burgers, fast food, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#10. Shake No Eight

- Rating: 3.4/5 (105 reviews)
- Address: 1537 North High St. Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts
- Read more on Yelp

#9. Simply Rolled Ice Cream

- Rating: 3.7/5 (128 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 968 North High St. Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#8. Ritzy's Clintonville

- Rating: 3.8/5 (217 reviews)
- Address: 4615 North High St. Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Burgers, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Hot Dogs
- Read more on Yelp

#7. Caffé DaVinci

- Rating: 4.1/5 (155 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3080 Tremont Road Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Italian, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#6. CRMD

- Rating: 4.2/5 (227 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1190 North High St. Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#5. Johnson's Real Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.2/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2728 East Main St. Bexley, Ohio
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Juice Bars & Smoothies
- Read more on Yelp

#4. Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.6/5 (136 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1947 Hard Road Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#3. Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery

- Rating: 4.6/5 (119 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1249 North Hamilton Road Gahanna, Ohio
- Categories: Cupcakes, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Custom Cakes
- Read more on Yelp

#2. Diamonds Ice Cream

- Rating: 4.6/5 (224 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 5461 Bethel Sawmill Center Columbus, Ohio
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

#1. Little Ladies Soft Serve

- Rating: 4.8/5 (107 reviews)
- Address: 673 Worthington Road Westerville, Ohio
- Categories: Food Trucks, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp