5 Best Ice Cream Shops in Chicago (2026)

Legend Tasty House is an Asian dessert cafe in Chinatown serving rolled ice cream alongside boba tea and Asian-inspired sweets. It's the most-reviewed ice cream stop we compared in the city, built on made-to-order rolled ice cream in flavors like Yakult Mango and Pineapple & Coconut. Reviewers describe the rolling process itself as part of the appeal, with families lingering to watch each order made fresh.

Ghirardelli's Michigan Avenue shop pairs its San Francisco chocolate heritage with hot fudge sundaes made from fudge prepared fresh daily in-house. It's the busiest single location we compared by total review count, sitting right on the Magnificent Mile where tourist and local foot traffic overlap. Reviewers keep coming back for the World-Famous Hot Fudge Sundae and the free chocolate square handed out at the door.

This Lincoln Park location of Cold Stone Creamery mixes made-to-order ice cream with cakes, cupcakes, and milkshakes on a build-your-own model where staff fold in toppings on a frozen stone. It carries the highest rating of any shop we compared for this list, and reviewers consistently describe fast, friendly service even during busy stretches. One longtime regular calls it the only spot in the area with chocolate tacos year-round.

Amorino brings its Paris-founded gelato format to Michigan Avenue, letting customers combine multiple flavors shaped into a single gelato rose. Reviewers consistently call out the presentation as much as the taste, and the shop also serves macarons and crepes alongside its core gelato menu. It's a frequent late-night stop for visitors near the Art Institute and Millennium Park.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams runs a West Loop scoop shop built on rotating small-batch flavors like Brambleberry Crisp and seasonal specials alongside year-round staples. It's a craft ice cream brand with multiple Chicago locations, and reviewers describe staff offering samples freely to help narrow down a flavor pick. The West Loop shop keeps some of the latest closing hours on this list, open past midnight on weekends.