Best ice cream? These five North Carolina shops rank among the nation’s favorites
Whether you like your ice cream topped with sprinkles or stuffed into a cone, you may not have to travel far for a satisfying frozen treat.
That’s because North Carolina is home to five of the nation’s best places to go for the dessert, according to results that the review website Yelp published in June. The places that made it onto the list of “Top 100 Ice Cream Shops”:
- Surfin’ Spoon in Nags Head at No. 15
- Sugar Koi in Cary at No. 17
- Ozzie’s Ice Cream in Greensboro at No. 20
- Boombalatti’s Homemade Ice Cream in Wilmington at No. 44
- Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream in Cary at No. 81
To create the list, Yelp studied ice cream shops across the country and ranked them “using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews” that customers left from January 2022 through March 2023. For ice cream shop chains, the website told McClatchy News in an email that it focused on the highest-rated location.
What makes the NC ice cream shops special?
Among the North Carolina shops that made it onto Yelp’s list, Surfin’ Spoon ranked the highest, which might not come as a surprise given that it was named the state’s best place for ice cream in 2022. Yelp users have given the Outer Banks shop praise for its ice cream sandwiches, which come in flavor combinations that range from chocolate and coffee to lemon and blueberry-lavender.
“Grab a seat on the porch, at a picnic table, or inside at the U-shaped bar, where you can catch a surfing flick on the flat-screen and admire surfboards hanging from the ceiling,” Yelp wrote, adding that customers also should expect to see dollar bills wedged in the shop’s walls before they’re donated to an annual coastal event called Surfing for Autism.
Also landing spots on the list were two Triangle-area favorites, Sugar Koi on Kilmayne Drive and Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream on Green Level Church Road. The shops in Cary — west of Raleigh — both received rave online reviews for their scoops and cones, helping them earn more than four out of five stars on Yelp.
Rounding out the fan-favorite North Carolina destinations were Ozzie’s Ice Cream in Greensboro and Boombalatti’s Homemade Ice Cream on Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington. On Yelp, several customers said they loved the shops’ customer service and flavor choices.
If ice cream isn’t your go-to treat, there may still be a way to satisfy your sweet tooth in North Carolina. In May, five of the state’s doughnut shops ranked among the best in the United States, McClatchy News reported.
On the more recent list, the nation’s No. 1 place to get ice cream was Coneflower Creamery in Omaha, Nebraska.
This story was originally published July 6, 2023 at 3:38 PM.
