Summer

The best ice cream shops in Boston

Here's where to find the creamiest scoops in the City of Boston.

By Erin Kuschner

June 25, 2021

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The Greater Boston area is a treasure trove of fantastic ice cream, from hyperlocal mom-and-pop shops to regional and national chains. But for those living in or visiting the immediate Boston area, we wanted to narrow down that list, focusing in on the best ice cream shops in the City of Boston.

To compile this roster, we took a look at past reader recommendations and combined them with some of our our own favorite Boston scoop shops. There are well-worn names here, including Ben & Jerry’s (An icon. A legend.), Emack & Bolio’s (any scoop shop that’s good enough for The Cars is good enough for us), and J.P. Lick’s (which has a stellar frozen yogurt selection, too). You’ll also find some more niche spots, like Delini Gelato in West Roxbury, where Viki Petkova uses seasonal ingredients to inform her ever-changing lineup of gelato, and The Scoop N Scootery, which can deliver its ice cream to your home until 2 a.m.

Remember: These are ice cream shops located within the City of Boston, and we’ll be sharing the top places for ice cream in other Greater Boston areas (Cambridge, the North Shore, the South Shore, and more) in the coming weeks.

If you’ve perused the list and still find your favorite Boston ice cream shop missing, let us know in the survey below or e-mail us at [email protected].

Amorino (249 Newbury St.)

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (174 Newbury St., 800 Boylston St., 83 Seaport Blvd., 8 N. Market St.)

Boston Ice Cream Factory (777 William T Morrissey # A)

Caffé Paradiso (255 Hanover St.)

Chill on Park (142 Park St. #1228)

Cold Stone Creamery (94 Belvidere St.)

Delini Gelato (5 Bellevue St.)

Emack & Bolio’s (290 Newbury St., 100 City Square, 100 Legends Way at TD Garden)

FoMu (481 Cambridge St., 617 Centre St., 655 Tremont St., 140 Brookline Ave.)

Gelato & Chill (401 Park Drive)

J.P. Lick’s (1106 Boylston St., 150 Charles St., 659 Centre St., 1618 Tremont St., 173 Newbury St., 24 District Ave., 397 West Broadway St.)

Picco (513 Tremont St.)

Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream & Bowling (1231 Hyde Park Ave.)

The Ice Creamsmith (2295 Dorchester Ave.)

The Scoop N Scootery (75 Linden St., 360 Washington St.)