The Best Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt in Raleigh

Milk Lab - Cary

★★★★☆ 4.4 (540) • $$

"Accept that it's busy and there is minimal indoor seating, and it's a five star experience. I'd recommend order ahead. QR code in the pics. Ice cream is slower than tea. Tried on a Saturday. 4 employees on tea, 1 then 2 on ice cream. Waited 15-20 min. Lost track of time coming out in a corner. Not made. Just waited. Got two. Mango slushy. Real mango with jasmine tea. Fantastic. Would order again. Second was a Hong Kong tea- black tea, cream, brown sugar. Serious caffeine. Kept me up late. I'd order again but only get in the morning. Again, tasty. Super fresh tapioca boba. Lots of outdoor seating. Watched 5 groups leave due to the crowds. Kiosk ordering at door or in person at register."

Fresh Local Ice Cream- Raleigh

★★★★☆ 4.4 (376) • $$

"Fresh Local Ice Cream serves arguably the best ice cream in the Triangle. The base ice cream itself possesses an unparalleled, creamy texture. The flavor of the ice cream tastes buttery and has a touch of malt which adds a subtle, slightly savory note to each bite. My wife, brother in law, and I tried the monthly special flavors of blueberry pancake and salted caramel oreo. The ice cream makers here do not skimp on the mix ins, and each variety was chock full of pieces (pancake batter and Oreos, respectively). As the name implies, the freshness of the ice cream was evident in both taste and texture. While both flavors were fantastic, the unique blueberry pancake won us over the most with plenty of fresh blueberry puree, a buttery base ice cream taste, and addictive pancake pieces in the ice cream. The salted caramel Oreo held its own with a subtle caramel backbone that complimented the chocolatey Oreos quite well. A waffle cone with two large scoops, while a little steep at about $7, was big enough for three of us to share. Plenty of outdoor tables are available for seating. I admittedly don't even like ice cream too much and adored the scoops here. As such, Fresh Local Ice Cream should be the first and last stop for any frozen treat fan in the area."

Maple View Farm Country Store

★★★★☆ 4.4 (351) • $

"Ice cream parlor right on their farm...Very nice and friendly staff. Must try the toasted almond with marshmallow fluff you'll thank me later..Prices are real good, 3 people and total was $14Also sell cheese and milk right from their farm."

Videri Chocolate Factory

★★★★☆ 4.3 (292) • $$

"What a fun place! Protip - before you come here, make sure you follow the instructions on the website regarding getting your parking validated. If you don't, they won't. When you come in, it has a over the counter service feel with a cafe feel on the other side. When it comes o the chocolate, you're allowed to try samples as long as you keep the mini cup they give you. If you don't do this, you're totally missing out on the biggest part of the experience! :) Another thing you need to do is to walk forward to the self-help guide that has videos, explanations, and fun tips about the chocolate process. And while we were there we of course had to try the coffee.... it's about as exquisite as you'd expect. If you're in the area this is definitely a place to visit!Food Taste: 5Overall Service: one person I think was having a bad day.. she gets a 1.. the other person was super friendly.. she gets the 5.Value of food to cost: 4Facility: 5Ambiance: a bit rustic and fun. Provides a great overall experience, can just get a bit crowded if you go in and it's super busy. Repeat customer: yesDog Friendly: no"

Vida Dulce

★★★★★ 4.6 (202) • $$

"It was a hot day and we wanted to cool it up with some ice creams ! Good location in Cary .. they have seats inside to sit and eat. Nice interiors .. service was average . Not much crowd but it takes them time to take orders and deliver . They have lots of options . Ice creams , churros , sweet corn cups , milkshakes , cola sticks , slushy , fried plantains etc .. they were taking orders in Spanish and I didn't know :) asked for a strawberry fresh ice cream but ended up getting a strawberry with cream ! Kid got ice cream and it was good . Wanted to give 3.5 stars but gave a 4 ! Overall a OK experience ."

Locopops

★★★★★ 4.5 (179)

"TLDR: Flavorful, delicious popsicles with unique flavors.Unfortunately I did not get a chance to visit their Chapel Hill and Raleigh stores before they closed. However, some places in Raleigh do sell Locopops. Recently I found them at Riparian. I chose the Mexican chocolate and Key Lime Pie. The flavors are unique and taste delicious. The popsicles have strong flavors and ideal textures. They were pricy, but may be cheaper at the Durham location. Prices are comparable to other local Popsicle stores. The quality is high and exceeds those you can find at grocery stores. Overall, we enjoyed Locopops and recommend these popsicles to others!"

Bumble Tea

★★★★☆ 4.3 (193)

"Came here for a Yelp event and we had a great time! I tried four different boba drinks and all four were good. I think my favorite was the Jasmine or the plain Thai milk tea, but my wife also especially enjoyed the taro. Their Nutella taiyaki was doughy and delicious. We even bought a few macarons to bring home, and my favorite had to be the matcha berry. And the place itself is rather nice inside with plenty of seating. The whole staff was super friendly and helpful, even through what was clearly a stressful night for them. They were quickly taking orders and making dozens of drinks with smiles on their face the whole time. Absolutely top notch service!"

Shake Shack Waverly Place

★★★★☆ 3.6 (264) • $$

"I haven't been here in a while and heard about the chicken sandwich so decided to give it a try on a Sunday afternoon. Got the regular chicken sandwich and a sunset lemonade. Both were very good and I would get both again. The piece of chicken was bigger than the bun and very good. I like the condiment and shredded lettuce and pickles on it. Really makes a nice sandwich. The service was good both at the register and the young man who brought the food. The place was clean and the drink station was clean and well maintained. That's where the napkins and ketchup are too. Drinks are self serve except for tea....you have to go up and ask for it. The music is very loud and I imagine with a lot of people in the room it would be hard to hear anyone at your table. They have outdoor seating but it was not a good day for it. Maybe it's quieter out there. They have computers set up where you can order but you have to use a card to pay."

Milk Lab - Durham

★★★★★ 4.5 (160) • $$

"Milk Lab is a really good place to satisfy my boba cravings! It's located in a plaza with plenty of parking, and they have an online ordering option. I got their brown sugar milk tea. It was ready really quickly, faster than the initial time estimate I was given, which was very nice. The store itself is spacious and clean, with both indoor and outdoor seating.I think that for boba, I make distinctions between a good drink and a good tea. A good drink just has to be harmonious, but a good tea means I am judging the flavor of the brewed tea itself. With that being said, I think my brown sugar milk tea was a fantastic boba shop drink. It was creamy and had that nice caramelized flavor from the brown sugar, without any odd aftertaste. However, I think the brown sugar overpowered the tea in this drink. I got this drink at a reduced sweetness but I still couldn't really taste the tea. I think that does tend to be the case with brown sugar drinks though, so I may opt for a non brown-sugar drink next time I am here. All in all I enjoyed this drink even without a super strong tea flavor, so I am still looking forward to my next trip here."

SipCha

★★★★★ 4.6 (140) • $$

"I've visited the Cary location quite a few times and was excited to see this one close by to where I was today. The Apex location is much bigger and more up-to-date in appearance. It's decently sized and bright, lots of seating and the ambiance is fun. The staff are all friendly and quick, even with it being super busy! At this location, they have their usual drink menu, rolled ice cream, macarons, waffles, and they even have cheesecake (which I only saw after I ordered...next time)! Everything was clean here and the staff had a great system to contain a clean and organized area while making drink after drink. I'm obsessed with the Ube Meets Taro drink after my husband ordered one from the last place. The drinks were made exactly as the last time we had them. I'm a forever fan of Sipcha and really hope they expand to Wake Forest in the future!"

FRESH Local Ice Cream

★★★★☆ 4.3 (137) • $$

"I'm glad FRESH provides a local ice cream shop in downtown Cary. I came with my daughter and she ordered the Cookies and Cream while I tried their seasonal Spiced Cookie flavor.My ice cream wasn't bad - I wish it was a little creamier and had more "spice" flavor in it, but overall I can't complain too much. My daughter liked her Cookies and Cream and was excited that the sprinkles came with the kids scoop.The portion size is generous, and although the pricing is on the steeper side, I can understand why.The parking can be a hassle, especially with construction going on in the area. There was plenty of seating outside, and we at our ice cream outside, in spite of it being a bit chilly.Also - I know this can be controversial and every business has the freedom to make choices for themselves, but as a customer who brought a young child with me, I was disappointed that none of the staff were wearing masks while indoors. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in that they are probably screening employees prior to working and making informed decisions regarding COVID, but regardless - the optics of going maskless when you're serving food while we're still in a pandemic isn't great, even if the town isn't requiring it indoors anymore. That's just my personal opinion, and it honestly didn't affect my star rating for them. Just go prepared that the staff doesn't wear masks (or at least didn't wear them when I came on December 8), if that makes a difference to you as a customer."

Lumpy's Ice Cream

★★★★☆ 4.3 (116) • $

"I can't believe I've never been to Lumpy's! I've had their ice cream at events around town but here they are, only a few miles from other businesses I frequent. I love ice cream and there are definitely many choices at the grocery store, but there is something special about going to an ice cream shop. Does it enhance the flavor? Maybe not, but smell has been known to (science) and Lumpy's smells of waffle cones and vanilla deliciousness.I've gotten away from visiting local and this Lumpy's visit was part of my efforts to improve. On this Sunday around 2pm it was pretty empty which allowed me to feel comfortable asking to sample a couple flavors before committing (which is welcomed anyway). I sampled Anna's Anise, which was so unique and refreshing but I couldn't see eating a cup of it. My husband sampled Montezumas Revenge, a very spicy chocolate. The nice young man serving us did ask him first if he's ok with spice - he was warned. Even my husband who will dump an entire spice tray on his Thai food said it was legitimately spicy! So again, a very intriguing flavor but not up to an entire cup of it. I ended up with hazelnut coffee which was fantastic and he got Apple Pie, also very tasty. The creamy, icy balance stayed perfect throughout. There were so many choices, and from what I understand, they use local, natural ingredients. I will be back to try more of the regular offerings along with seasonal flavors. The inside of the shop is simple, not trendy or themed, just lots of nods to the Lumpy's brand and the Wake Forest area. You can feel the love here. There is a small parking lot and it's also walkable from White Street."

Dairy Depot

★★★★☆ 4.3 (97) • $

"The place in Wake Forest for soft-serve ice cream available in numerous mouth-watering flavors. Park and walk up or drive thru to pick up creamy soft-serve ice cream.Flavors we enjoyed so far:Cake BatterAmarettoPomegranate Pros:- Friendly employees who are all wearing masks- Numerous flavors and options to pick from- Drive thru option- Deals for senior citizens, large groups, and first responders- If you want multiple flavors in the same cup/cone they will swirl them together- Non-dairy options availableCons:- They don't seem to have pint containers for their business so they use soft drink cups.- They were out of waffle cones"

Fresh Local Ice Cream

★★★★★ 4.6 (82)

"Our group was in the mood for late night ice cream. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law live just a few minutes away so we decided to head over to Fresh Local Ice Cream.I decided on a small cup with brookie and birthday cake. Hubby ordered a regular cup with birthday cake and Carolina crunch. All 4 of us loved the ice cream! It was smooth and perfectly sweet. We appreciated their unique and tasty flavors. The birthday cake was the best! Sprinkles and cake crunchies were tough to beat. The brookie was delicious as well, rich chocolate ice cream with brownie and cookie dough pieces. The Carolina crunch was yummy, I will probably get that flavor next time.The staff members were friendly and welcoming. They offered us samples and didn't get cheap with us. My brother-in-law loves samples so he was very happy. He even made another trip later in the week to pick up pints for July 4th weekend. Fresh Local Ice Cream is a must try while in Apex!"

Champloo Desserts

★★★★★ 4.7 (64) • $$

"What a fun spot! After seeing the photos on Yelp, I knew I had to head in with my son. We went on a Saturday early afternoon and they got busy quickly. The only downside was there was only one employee working, I believe he was the owner. So the wait did get really long for folks since he had to do everything at once. Making the rolled ice cream definitely takes a hot minute so it isn't the fastest experience. I love how they put the stools in front of the rolled ice cream window so that kids can watch the fun. My son loved standing up there and seeing his ice cream get made. The owner was great at engaging with my son while he rolled the ice cream. The ice cream itself was creamy and tasty. Our favorite was probably the strawberry! I didn't try any boba tea on this visit, but I would certainly give it a try the next time I am in."

Raleigh Rolls

★★★★☆ 4.1 (84)

"I really do like Raleigh Rolls Ice cream. I have had them several times. This was the first time stopping by this location, the other times were from their food truck. They do have some restaurant creations, or you can create your own. You get three mix ins, and three toppings for each one. They make them right in front of you, and as it it labor intensive, the line can get long.I will say that I made the mistake of getting my daughter her own, because at $7.95 a cup, she wasted over half of it. I just chocked it up to a fun day out, and let it go. But i know for next time. Pick out something we can both share.#467"

Mixed Desserts

★★★★★ 4.7 (62)

"Mixed Desserts is located in MacGregor Village in Cary. The shopping center had plenty of parking and even some 15 minute spots in front of Mixed Desserts. When I walked in it was colorful and inviting with menu boards up and a welcome from the owner. Mixed Desserts offers freshly baked cookies; cookie dough; ice cream; milkshakes; sundaes and cookie sandwiches. Samples are provided of the cookie dough and ice cream. I came for Yelp event but then left with an assortment of cookies and a brownie which have been delicious. The Reeses; Snickerdoodle and Butterfinger are my favorites. I also enjoyed the cookie dough and am looking forward to go back for more as they offer unique flavors."

Yopop Frozen Yogurt

★★★★☆ 4.1 (63)

"Updating my review since it has been a while. We continue to recommend Yopop to others. This frozen yogurt shop is not as modern/updated as similar places in the area. However, it is still serve your own toppings. On one hand this is nice since you can control how much of each topping you want. On the other hand it is less sanitary and increases the chance of cross contamination. Plus, it offers unique frozen yogurt flavors (like taro) and toppings (like mochi). The tarwas running out and one of the toppings was missing a spoon. The employees are friendly and they immediately fixed the taro and got an extra scoop. Prices are about the same as other self serve frozen yogurt establishments. These places are on the pricier end, but okay for the occasional treat. I highly recommend the coconut fro yo and I like that they offer dairy free options. Overall, we continue to have positive experiences here and recommend it to others!"

Captain Cookie

★★★★☆ 4.3 (43)

"Located inside the Transfer Co Food Hall, at the front and to your left, Captain Cookie is exactly what you'd think it would be. They have fresh baked cookies in all the common flavors, sold individually or in price bundles. A popular option is an ice cream sandwich where they take two of the somewhat large cookies of your choosing and stuff a generous amount of house ice cream in the middle. Because the portions were so generous I decided to just get one cookie with a scoop of ice cream which came out to a little over $5. So worth it! I got the valentine's day pink funfetti cookie with, of course staying ion theme, strawberry ice cream. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. I had just had a dank burrito from next door and could only get about half way through the mound of ice cream, so i'd recommend sharing with a friend if given the chance. I love cookies. And i love common cookie flavors. Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel when it's just that good. I appreciate this business and i appreciate their affordable pricing. I also appreciate how freaking kind the guy behind the counter was. If everyone was that nice the world would be full of a lot happier people. I'm very thankful for the great Captain Cookie experience and would come back again for dessert if/when in the area."

Goodberry's Frozen Custard

★★★★☆ 3.6 (53)

"Delicious frozen custard but very expensive. Their min chocolate chip and their no-sugar added vanilla are my favorites but the most incredible sundae is their Snickers Sundae. Always fast service."

Flavors Ice Cream

★★★★★ 4.6 (31)

"Fun, bright and festive decor for the ice cream shop. The polite and welcoming staff here. The staff are helpful and made great suggestions for my unusual request for a cone to go. I appreciated them for accommodating this and thinking quickly on their toes. I enjoyed my two scoops of Birthday Cake. I made a cone once I was home. Nice treat on my patio during a hot summer day. Great tasting ice cream. I plan to revisit Flavors again. I went all in with dairy this day but hoping for vegan choices to be a future option."

The Peach Cobbler Factory - Fuquay Varina

★★★★☆ 4 (27)

"The Peach Cobbler Factory has a location in Fuquay Varina. This spot serves up dessert items which includes cobblers, banana pudding, cookies, cinnamon rolls and shakes. My mom and I split the peach cobbler. The cobblers come with an optional scoop of ice cream, we opted for a scoop but asked that it be served on the side instead of on top. It is pricey but it was good. I'll have to return to try another flavor soon."

Kwality Ice Cream & Bakers

★★★★☆ 3.6 (32)

"I don't have much a sweet tooth, so I decided to take advantage of my random ice cream craving and try out a new ice cream shop. Today's pick? Kwality Ice Cream & Bakers! Looking at the menu can be overwhelming at first, especially if you're not familiar with some more authentic Indian flavors. However they also have a great selection of authentic-yet-more-recognizable flavors, so don't let that intimidate you! However because of COVID, they're (understandably) not offering free samples to try out all the flavors. Their menu is bright and has tons of pictures of their delicious dessert styles that they offer. I opted for two scoops of ice cream - one scoop of Mango and one scoop of Tiramisu. I'm usually not a fan of fruity ice cream (don't even get me started on the generic grocery store strawberry flavor, gross!) but I wanted to try more than one flavor and mango just speaks to me. I was so pleasantly surprised at how creamy and fluffy (is that a word used to describe ice cream? Well it is now!) the ice cream was. Seriously, so delicious! These two flavors were the perfect amount of sweetness for me. The Mango flavor straight up tasted like a real mango and the Tiramisu flavor was delicious with the perfect hint of coffee. Also I didn't think these two flavors would go well together but honestly, not the worst combination, albeit I did eat them separately. Quick tip: homemade ice cream melts a lot quicker than what you're used to, so eat it fast!All in all, great experience. Inside is super clean and bright, with COVID-19 restrictions in place (masks, social distancing, etc). I'm excited to come back and try out their other flavors!"

Morelia Gourmet Paletas - Raleigh

★★★★☆ 4.2 (18)

"Love this concept! Was introduced to this dessert place by a friend. Very clean restaurant with a large variety of ice cream, sorbet and toppings!"

Creamery Family Resturant

★★★☆☆ 3 (28)

"Two ate lunch for $19. So this is a one off, not a chain place. Inside is renovated and clean. My grilled chicken salad was huge, lots of meat and flavorful. My co-worker said his bacon double cheeseburger was one of the best he'd ever had, said very juicy and freshly prepared. Girl who took our order was nice and sweet."

Shake Shack Village District

★★★★☆ 3.5 (17)

"I'm a Shake Shack fan and this was my first visit to the Village District location. I went on a weeknight and it wasn't very busy. I placed my order online ahead of time and while it was a few minutes late, it was hot and correct. My family and I ended up eating outside on one of their sidewalk tables. They had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating while we were there. My son loved the bacon and avocado cheeseburger, while I always opt for the traditional Shack burger. Sometimes simple is just the best! I like their fries, I don't love them. I also do thoroughly enjoy their shakes and love how they have different special flavors every month. Overall a solid spot to grab a burger and order online if you are hoping to cut down on some of the wait!"

Boba N Chai

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (7)

"Pros:Great location next to Harris TeeterEasy parkingFast, friendly serviceThe Mango Kulfi milk tea was outstanding! Loved the creaminess and flavor of the mango ice creamThe chia like seeds and glass noddles added extra crunchiness to the drink They also have pastries and rolled ice creamGood seatingSo many options to mix and match what you likeCons:A little on the pricer side, but worth itHard to see storefront unless you are in the strip mallPro tip:Really enjoyed this place, especially with the Indian flair that made it extra special. I'd definitely try a Kulfi or employee option!"

Duck Donuts

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"Grand opening today and the team are doing a great job of welcoming, answering questions and of course offering delicious options. There is an option to self order or of course order at the counter. The donuts smelled and tasted uhh-mazing! We are excited to have a Duck Donut so close to us!"