Top Ice Cream Shops in Rhode Island – And Ones to Avoid!

Out of all the ice cream shops, most of us listed this as either #1 or #2. The Wright Scoop is a small trailer that serves farm-fresh ice cream. So fresh in fact, you can watch the cows get milked and take note that this same milk will be used in the ice cream you order. They’re coupled with the surrounding farm and bake shop, all owned under the Wright name. And just like their scoop shop, their bake shop is also made with all farm-fresh, homemade ingredients. Most importantly, it’s all set at cheap prices that won’t hurt your wallet!

Their ice cream shop doesn’t have a lot of flavors and frankly, you don’t need them. Their plain vanilla and chocolate for example are something that stands out above any competitor, and don’t get me started about how their more loaded ice creams taste! Do you want homemade cake inside your homemade ice cream? They got it. Prefer homemade chocolate chips in there with it? They can do that too. These guys are the literal definition of homemade and boy, have they perfected it!

One word I can describe their ice cream as is genuine. It tastes like they used a few basic ingredients and somehow brought about each ingredient’s flavor to the fullest. The creaminess and richness brought on by how fresh it is, is truly something to behold and experience for yourself. All the while you enjoy your ice cream, you can watch the cows on their farm get milked and where their milk will soon be used in the very ice cream you’re holding!

I find that the case often with homemade foods is that’s very hit or miss, you could get something that sort of tastes OK or you get something that blows everything out of the water. This is homemade perfection. It comes across as if a professional chef made to suit your personal taste buds. In fact, I couldn’t find a single flaw! Well actually, the only flaw that I could find was they didn’t give me more!

Lincoln Creamery is fairly well-known in Rhode Island to be a top-tier ice cream shop. While their ice cream isn’t homemade like the Wright Scoop and instead sourced from Hershey and Warwick Ice Cream, you know that coming from some of the most well-known ice cream brands around that it’s likely going to be a hit with anyone.

Comparing it to Wright Scoop, these guys are cheating. They don’t make their own ice cream, it seems like they’re hardly putting in any effort! But after taking 15 minutes to order due to their expansive menu, you finally get to taste it, and you know what, you stop caring. You don’t care if they’re cheating. The ice cream is absolutely amazing. It’s a bit on the sweet side but you probably won’t notice until you’ve finished it all and thought, “Hmm, that was a bit sweet… and wait, did they even make it these– ah who cares, I NEED more!”

Another wonderful thing about Lincoln Creamery is the absolutely, positively, enormous portion sizes. Their smalls are large, their mediums are extra large, and their large is American family size. And the price doesn’t reflect that one bit, it’s amazing how much you can get with just a few bucks! You basically pay a low price for what seems to be several heaping scoops of ice cream, everyone wins… except maybe the business! And if you too want to win, go check these guys out, you won’t regret it!

Big Feeling is a place located in Providence that sells their ice cream and sorbets through online orders, popups, events, and other scoop shops. They’ve been around for a few years now. Find out more about them here.

My experience with Big Feeling came from a visit to scoop shop Kow Kow where they were using their ice cream in their specials. Long story short, it was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The coffee one had a strong, bold coffee flavor, and their horchata one tasted like I was eating a (very cold!) sweet horchata. The texture of the ice cream was quite creamy as well.

Gelato isn’t ice cream, I get it, and I even did doubly wrong by getting sorbet at Pompelmo. But both of these places are something myself and everyone in the group thought was a truly special experience and so I’m including it on this list. While Pompelmo is located on a quiet street in Westerly, Cold Fusion Gelato is located in the crowded tourist hub of Newport by the ocean. One has the peaceful, quietness factor and unique shops nearby while the other offers a beautiful view with various activities to do nearby.

When comparing the two shops, we found their competing gelatos and sorbets were very similar to one another, hence this tie. Both places also offer various and interesting combinations that you can’t get anywhere else. Their product quality is also well ahead of anything you can get in stores and makes even the more high-end expensive brands seem like fake knockoffs – step aside Talenti!

Indeed, these places both hand-make their stuff and you can taste it. The dense richness and creaminess is something to experience for any lover of ice cream. These shops are a must-visit if you’re ever in the area, which brings me to my biggest disappointment – these shops are out of the way for most people and you won’t find anything like it in the more main cities of Rhode Island. But, is it worth the trip? The answer is almost certainly, yes!

Owned by Munroe Dairy, a Rhode Island-based company that’s been around since 1881, Sacred Cow is a late 2020 opened ice cream parlor and market located on a quiet street in East Providence. The market has many types of dairy-based Rhode Island foods and the parlor itself sources its ice cream both from Munroe and neighboring state farms. They even handmake some of their own toppings, like their chocolate fudge!

Coming not only with low prices and big portions, the ice cream is tasty, creamy, and if you love ice cream filled with toppings, you’ll get just that. What was especially nice was a built-out shaded nature area containing tables underneath several trees. Eating good ice cream under some trees where you only hear the birds is quite the experience!

Situated on the east side of Providence, home of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, Kow Kow has no shortage of customers. This small, decently sized shop just opened recently. Its branding – or should I say, Hong Kong bubble egg waffle, makes Kow Kow sit above average compared to the competition due to its uniqueness.

Their specials are wonderful, offering interesting combinations of toppings and ice cream. However, their own ice cream is more on the bland side and the toppings can be miniscule (specials usually have their ice cream sourced from another scoop shop which is much better). This is made up by the large bubble waffle which is a nice texture combination with the ice cream. I do wish the bubble waffles offered a bit more flavor as well, however.

The price is $8.50 for one scoop of ice cream in the waffle, sometimes it’s big, sometimes small. That’s a bit high compared to other scoop shops. A takeaway is that while Kow Kow does have amazing specials, they even sometimes donate to various local organizations, unlike other shops.

For a more in-depth review, you can read more about this place and Helado Taiyaki here.

There’s a new heavy hitter on the block and that’s Udder Delights! These guys came out swinging just recently with a reopening which included a newly done-up shop featuring spacious indoor and outdoor seating and good parking for all commuters. Udder Delights stocks tons of unique flavored ice creams sourced from ice cream maker, Pralines. And how do they stack up? Well, I’d say the shops that have been around for decades in Rhode Island should be very, very afraid!

And afraid they should because the ice cream here is both threatening and a treat. The flavors offered are rich and not overly sweet like any other ice cream I’ve tried. In fact, they are the only place I’d recommend to go to if you don’t have a sweet tooth but have a craving for ice cream. On top of all this, the amount of uncommon flavors and toppings will keep anyone entertained and keep you wanting more. The caveat is that I didn’t find their ice cream as traditionally creamy compared to other places. In fact, I found the texture is slightly different than other ice creams, I can’t think of a way you describe it though, it most certainly was a surprising positive though. I guess you’ll just have to find out when you visit!

Located near Iggy’s, Parkleys ice cream shop is a very small storefront serving ice cream near the wharf. They don’t have a lot of flavors, and like Lincoln Creamery, it appears most of them are Hershey and Warwick Ice Cream brands.

However, unlike Lincoln Creamery, their servings aren’t as big, although the prices are on the cheaper side. The ice cream is delicious and the atmosphere and nature compliment it all the more. This place is definitely a shop to check out, especially since the nearby Iggy’s Creamery is substantially worse and more expensive.

I visited this place when it had just opened in 2019 and I had the privilege of visiting again in 2021. Moose Trackers is a medium-sized shop and has a modern cabin-like atmosphere. Along with their ice cream, they have many homemade and high-end confections around the shop. Their ice cream is sourced from The Ice Cream Machine, a company located in Cumberland RI. However, what they’re also known for is their homemade waffle cones, made right in front of you!

The ice cream is above average overall, and it’s especially elevated with their homemade cones – it makes a world of difference! What was also nice was that there were lots of interesting and unique flavors. Both times I went, the atmosphere, good ice cream, friendly staff, and homemade cones made it a place where I’d go again.

When comparing Udder Delights to these guys, well, it’s clear who has the big gray beard. Udder Delights had just opened within the last year or so while Gelina’s has been servicing the community for over 37 years! While Udder Delights has bested Gelinas for now, I’m sure the old man’s experience will surely catch him up.

When it comes to making ice cream, Gelina’s just does it right, there isn’t much else to say. Most of the flavors are standard but it’s all done so well. The biggest thing about it is the creaminess. It’s on another level when compared to most other places and it was something that we talked about the entire time while enjoying their iced creamy delight. It’s similar to Wright Scoop but unfortunately lacks the fresh homemade flavor they offer. Still, overall, we found Gelina’s to be a solid place to visit if you’re in the area.

Clementine’s has two locations in Rhode Island, albeit far from its capitol. They also have popup events around the state which is where I got to try them!

Needless to say, after trying their rocky road-based ice cream, I was amazed at how chunky the toppings were. Often, scoop shops chop their toppings up into tiny bits, but not this shop! Full-sized nuts and mini marshmallows littered the ice cream, it’s really something I appreciated. The prices were also pretty good, especially since it’s made in-house. Overall, the flavor and texture was also pretty good.

Located in the heart of a busy city at the corner of an ever always busy intersection, the large signage by U Scream Ice Cream is hard to miss. You’ll also find there are always several people there enjoying ice cream in their outside area. While their menu isn’t expansive, they do offer options that will both satisfy the curious and the unadventurous.

Indeed, their menu is mostly ice creams you’ve probably tasted but there are a few gems in there that will raise both your eyebrows. On top of this, the flavor and above-average quality of the ice cream is nothing to scoff at. It’s nothing crazy or “holy moly, this is the best ice cream I’ve had” stuff, it’s just pretty good. Overall, it’s a solid ice cream shop that is worth a visit if you want to try something new and want to get a good quality product.

Countryside Creamery is the definition of a cozy ice cream shop. While it’s not the most popular, it is located in a fairly scenic area. Indeed, the picture above shows how truly of a nice spot it is.

When you first arrive at Countryside Creamery, you’ll probably notice the open area with a giant wooden swing and a wooden carving of an ice cream cone. The scenery is nice and definitely sets the mood – ahhh… eating ice cream, rocking slowly in the chair and watching nature… Almost forgot – how is the ice cream?! Well, the ice cream as a whole fairs only slightly above average. Flavors are fairly standard and the texture and creaminess are better than some. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the ice cream to be as good as the scenery, but it was good enough. Overall, it was a great place to enjoy slightly better than average ice cream and perhaps something to check out if you want to enjoy ice cream in a quiet calming area.

Instead of serving up some medicine, these folks offer old-fashioned sodas, ice cream, and treats, all in a store that brings you back a few decades. They have a pharmacy inside near their soda fountain bar, and the small market has a few isles of products. Who would have thought that this place would have better vegan ice cream than actual vegan bakeries?!

I was offered to try one of their few homemade ice cream flavors and coincidentally, they had a limited edition s’mores flavor, so I had to try that! Right away, I tasted it was “different.” Just something about it, it wasn’t bad, and after a few bites, I really got into it. I really, really enjoyed how gooey and chewy the marshmallows were! The flavor and texture were really good compared to other vegan ice creams I’ve had, although still not better than regular dairy ice cream. Nonetheless, this is vegan ice cream you’ve got to try!

These guys nearly won the best ice cream in RI, so why are they down here? Well, let’s set the stage. Black Farm Ice Cream has an ice cream trailer that is located, you guessed it, on their farm. You can watch the cows graze as you sit on a bale of hay while licking away at your ice cream. Blackbird Farm is located along a very long stretch of road but despite this, you can usually find a person or two stopped getting their ice cream fix. Perfect, right?

The long and short of it is that the ice cream isn’t that bad but it isn’t great. I’m also not sure if Blackbird makes their own ice cream like the Wright Scoop considering they’re both farms, but if so, perhaps Blackbird should take some notes. While they they don’t have a big flavor selection and what they offer is nothing out of the ordinary, they make up for it through their above-average quality and creaminess. It’s just nothing to really write home about and seems to be more about the experience of being on a farm eating ice cream instead. So, if you pass by here, I suggest giving this scenic place a go.

Are you someone who enjoys ice cream for breakfast? Three Sisters might be for you! Serving both breakfast and ice cream, and open to fairly late, as well as conveniently located next to the popular Lippitt Park and Blackstone Boulevard, Three Sisters is seemingly both very popular but never too crowded to where you feel uncomfortable. Indeed, this medium-sized shop has a good amount of seating inside and out!

The ice cream is advertised as being primarily homemade, where I found the taste and texture fall around average. This is not to say it isn’t enjoyable, because it is, especially with the large amount of flavors including the vegan ones. The price and serving size are also about average.

So, overall, while the ice cream is average, the fact that they serve breakfast, are open fairly late, and are located next to a park and path make it a nifty place to visit, especially with your friends, loved ones, or family!

As the name suggests, The Family Cake Bakery specializes in pastries and food, specifically Latin American cuisine. And as the image shows, this shop is a vendor for Warwick Ice Cream, perhaps one of the most popular ice cream brands in Rhode Island – Warwick Ice Cream even took first place in 2018’s best RI ice cream event. They’re a Rhode Island staple that everyone and their dogs know about.

The long and short of it is we found nothing special or standout from Warwick Ice Cream. Perhaps it was the flavors they had, but they were all very average at best and the texture was just OK. But, for the sake of being a Rhode Island favorite, you ought to give it a shot and see if it lives up to the hype. Be careful though, after trying, you may start to forget how to pronounce your “r”s!

Frosty Freez and Next To Nowhere Creamery are seemingly popular where they’re located as they’re grounded in places with a small community yet always have a small crowd outside their doorsteps. While NTNC offers a very scenic visit alongside its diner, The Middle of Nowhere Diner, Frosty Freez on the other hand is a small shack-like place that falls on a fairly busy road with no oddly named complimentary diner.

Despite being 11th, Frosty Freez is top 3 for me when I tried their German chocolate flavored ice cream but dropped to almost last on their more standard flavors. The quality of flavors seemed to be a world of difference. It seemed like the German chocolate variant had a lot going for it compared to the others they offered. Indeed, their other flavors were quite bland despite some promising flavor combinations and toppings. Aside from the difference in flavors, everything about the quality of the ice cream was average.

Next To Nowhere Creamery is in a similar boat. But don’t be fooled, while NTNC may offer you a funny Instagram picture with a clever caption, you may want to consider deleting the ice cream part of it. Like Frosty Freez, the overall quality of the ice cream fell on the average line. Nothing fancy, just here’s some decent ice cream and you can be on your way. It was a bit disappointing considering how clever the naming and branding is. Still, it’s an interesting spot to stop at, after all, you are in the middle of nowhere!

These guys are placed here for their average ice cream. It seemed like these shops offered nearly identical flavors and quality. Chelsea’s Creamery is a small shop located on a busy road while Waffle was located in the heart of Rhode Island’s capitol city. Meanwhile, Atomic Blonde is on wheels and stops by various parks to serve ice cream to the locals.

As you may have guessed, the now defunct Waffle specialized in waffles but unfortunately, their ice cream wasn’t waffles. Indeed, their mediocre ice cream left me wanting something better. They offered a few basic flavors and the quality is that of a middle-brand store-bought product. Nothing noteworthy about this place other than the more interesting things on the menu.

Chelsea’s Creamery is in the same boat minus the waffles and instead, they specialize in cakes. But once again, I felt I wished I’d had a piece of cake in front of me instead of their ice cream. The ice cream selection and quality was nearly identical to Waffle. They did, however, offer some good-looking blue Cookie Monster ice cream as seen in the picture – if only it was as good as it looked!

The only thing really going for the Atomic Blonde Ice Cream truck is the weird edgy design of the truck. Aside from that, the ice cream is also similar to the previous two, average, and nothing more. They have a few flavors and very basic toppings, that’s it. Overall, these three places were mediocre and I don’t see myself coming back to any of them.

Diane’s Delectables is a one-woman show that just opened recently while The Inside Scoop has been around for quite a lot longer. Both places are fairly small, however, The Inside Scoop seemed quite popular as it had a good number of people in line waiting for their frozen desserts.

The reason I put both of these 13th is that while both shops make their own ice cream, they unfortunately fall into the trap of homemade products – either it will taste amazing or be very lackluster, and they happen to fall on the latter. Both the ice creams tasted similar and the quality matched. To put it bluntly, it was mediocre. If you want a direct comparison, they both tasted and had the consistency of low-grade store-bought ice cream – not something I particularly enjoy! If I had the choice of coming back, I don’t believe I would.

Opening in 2021, Stella Sweets is a very small shop that offers cakes, crepes, drinks, and other items amongst ice cream. They’re located near a fairly busy main road that can get quite loud. In addition, there is very limited seating inside due to its size.

There isn’t much to say about Stella Sweets because it’s frankly, boring. The ice cream is below average but priced high, and the serving side can be penny-pinchingly small. Toppings and cones are nothing to write home about either.

The famous clam cakes, chowder, and doughboy restaurant located along Warwick Beach also has a creamery. Serving both typical and seasonal flavors, there’s almost certainly something you may find interesting. What is also nice is that you can have ice cream infused with dough boy bits or even get full doughboy sundaes.

After having tried a few of their flavors, I found they were just OK at best. What made up for it was the doughboy bites I got with it, although disappointingly, it was just a few flakes on top, none of it was actually ingrained in the ice cream. It is nice to have ice cream with your doughboy, although there are nearby ice cream shops like Parkley’s that have substantially better ice cream, so I would suggest buying the doughboys here and walking the short distance to the better ice cream shop.

A&W is seemingly famous, especially for its root beer sodas. Not surprisingly, they often specialize in floats and other sweet treats. They have locations around the state as well as products in store.

Needless to say, like many other famous companies, it fetches a high price for mediocre quality. Servings are very small and they dribble just a few pieces of toppings on top. If you want soft serve, most other places would do it better, and cheaper.

Insomnia Cookies is exactly the shop you’d expect. They are less local than most shops, having many locations across the US. Catering to late-night munchies, they pride themselves on having the ability to deliver warm cookies almost 24/7.

It does seem like this cookie chain perhaps should stick to the cookies (which I also find plain and overpriced) because their ice cream is bland, boring, and fetches a high price. It was just underwhelming and with a huge hole in my wallet, I left frustrated and dissatisfied. What didn’t help either is that after visiting twice, I noticed I had been overcharged on top of the already high price for what I had ordered.

Smallish busy shop with nice wall graphics and art. They talk about their food as being inspired by Japanese and Latino based and hope to create a fusion of it in dessert form. Unfortunately, it seems to be a fusion of high prices and bland ice cream.

Immediately, you will note the very small portion size for what you just paid for. Each of these mini cones can be held with a few fingers. The flavors are watery and taste of low quality. Toppings are also scarce. Lastly, just because you added a Maria cookie to a fish-shaped cone does not make it a fusion of anything.

You can read more of my review here.

A small scoop shop with big prices, little flavor, and questionable service. At this shop, expect to be waiting a long time as you watch ice cream makers chop and mix in your ingredients only to be disappointed by the lack of flavor and amount of said toppings.

The ice creams are below average, toppings are rare to come by, and prices are outrageous. Despite Cold Stone making a name for themselves, I’d advise avoiding this scoop shop and looking literally anywhere else.

Eskimo King is on the edge of “in the middle of nowhere” and “in the heart of the city.” Indeed, you probably might drive by it if you’re headed out of town and not keeping an eye out. This shop specializes in soft serve and its 300+ unique flavors make it a standout.

Yes, you read correctly, their menu features over 300 flavor combinations, so be there early because you’ll need an hour or two to make up your mind. After you finally do get your ice cream and take a lick, you’ll probably notice it’s a tier above most other soft serves. The flavors are there and pack a nice punch without being overbearing, and the texture is quite soft and airy. However, we all noticed it wasn’t as perfect as we thought it was since the soft serve started to melt very fast soon after getting it. There doesn’t seem to be much shade or greenery to help with this.

Bringing the point home, the amount of flavor combinations they offer will ensure everyone is happy. It’s a place to go to if you’re a picky eater or don’t know what flavor you’re craving for. Overall, while it wasn’t my personal favorite, it’s a unique place that does flavors that no one else dares to do, and to top it all off, it’s soft serve!