Report: Tampa, Sarasota rank among top cities in US for best ice cream shops

Tampa has long been known for its beaches and Buccaneers, but a new national ranking says it’s the region’s ice cream shops that are the true cherry on top.

Just in time for summer, baby products manufacturer Chicco released a new study this week that ranks Tampa as the best city in the United States for ice cream shops — a ranking that saw five Florida cities break the top 10. 

According to the study, researchers scraped Google reviews for ice cream shops across the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., collecting ratings and reviews for up to 50 shops per city. Locations were ranked based on weighted averages, factoring in both the number of reviews and review scores, as well as how consistently shops earned high marks for quality across the board, according to a release. 

Tampa led the U.S. with an average rating of 4.71 for its ice cream shops, the release says. The region’s highest-rated ice cream purveyor: Temple Terrace’s Melt N Dip, with an average rating of 4.9 out of 4,779 reviews. 

Miami, Jacksonville and St. Louis all tied for No. 2, with an average ice cream shop rating of 4.68, the study found. Sarasota’s ice cream shops came in a close third with an average rating of 4.67. The city’s standout ice cream shop, with a perfect rating of 5 out of 262 reviews, is Gelateria Degli Angeli at 2665 Mall Drive, in the Gulf Gate area.  

Sarasota and Tampa also crack the top 10 list of cities with the “most consistently good ice cream,” coming in No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. 

“Now, whether it’s the quality of the ice cream or the picture-perfect settings that keep people coming back, we can’t be sure,” the study says. “But one thing is clear: cities all over Florida stand out for ice cream ratings and review quantities.”

According to the study, the highest-rated ice cream shop in each city had to have at least 50 reviews and, in instances where ties occurred, the shop with more reviews was used. 

Other area ice cream shops named the best in their city were Gelato-go Fort Myers, at 15271 McGregor Blvd. and Lakeland’s Mootown Scoops, at 723 E Palmetto St.