10 Best Ice Cream Shops in Chapel Hill

“We walked in to Ben & Jerry’s UNC with 14 worn out volleyball players and 3 tired coaches. John and Haddie (I hope I got the names right!) showed no fear and gave us the much-needed scoops with smiles! Thanks for reviving our troops with sweet treats and sweet greetings! #gcavolleyball #uncchapelhillvolleyballcamp“

“We made three visits to Chapel Chill in a single weekend…That’s how good it is! The ice cream is delicious, and after trying 6 flavors, I still cannot decide on which one is my favorite because they are all amazing. Chapel Hill Toffee, Banana Pudding with Biscoff, Buckeye (O-H), Mocha Chocolate Lace, Coffee Oreo and Butter Pecan are all winners in my book. My daughters, 8 and 12 yo, also enjoyed the Half Birthday Cake, Cookie Dough, S’mores, Mint Chocolate Chip and the non-dairy Ube…and now I have been told I need to find more ube ice cream. The servings are generous, and who doesn’t love free sprinkles? The scoopers were all lovely, patient (especially with some indecisive kiddos who wanted all the samples), and happy to be there. My only complaint is that we have to drive 500 miles to have it again!“

“The line to get served was long for a Saturday night but the ice cream was good. I wouldn't say it was the best ice cream I've ever had, but it was good enough to leave a smile on my face. I don't know if we will visit again with other choices out there.“

“Best bubble tea place in town :) Milk tea, thai tea and mango-peach smoothie is my favourite! Love it“

“Ahhhh, how could I not love Cold Stone? Their ice cream is rich in flavor and texture, making it all-around satisfying to eat! The Oreo Overload signature creation is my absolute favorite, and I visited Cold Stone on Thursday afternoon due to my craving for it (substituting Sweet Cream with Oreo Crème for maximum effect + added rainbow sprinkles). As always, it tasted amazing!

Albeit I’d like to give a special shoutout to Aleaha, the ice creamer who was working that day! I was the only one in the store when I first entered, and we had a really good conversation as she rung me up and I settled down. Also, Aleaha exhibits quality customer service! When she saw a piece of hair in my ice cream, she immediately remade it and didn’t try serving it to me. I highly respected her for that, because not every ice creamer (or food service worker in general) is observant of that type of stuff.

You can definitely expect great customer service and a real treat if you walk into Cold Stone while Aleaha’s working. Rock on, Aleaha!“

“Delicious chocolate chip cookies!“

“Nice old gritty yogurt shop, a Chapel Hill staple. Yogurt/cones are great. The sloping, hand rail-less, sharp-edged brick steps are a death trap, no idea how this passes any city standards. But the yogurt is good and you get to watch people trip on the steps as they try to get in and out.“

“The best thing here is the gelato. It’s super high end. Smoothies >$7 latte >$7. Served in to go cups. Not a ton of natural lighting, but some seating decent for working. The gelato is really nice actually, esp spicy mango.

Some outdoor seating.

I have had their smoothies and one of their lattes, Rocky Mountain latte. I asked for less sweet and it was still too sweet to finish.“

“Mouth watering 🤤I really recommend“

“Thank the Carolina Blue heavens for getting a Shake Shack in CH!!!! I used to frequent the original in NYC (hat tip to Danny Meyers) and now it’s a 10 minute drive vs a plane trip. And yay for the onion rings sneaking on the permanent menu. I actually did a little jig!

The manager is AMAZING! I can’t say enough good things about her! So kind, generous and compassionate. I even got a hug on an especially bad day. I came in crying, no, sobbing and left with a smile. I applaud her and her staff!“