How We Choose
Our promise
Best in Cone lists only the best independent ice cream and frozen custard shops: roughly the top 10% of qualifying shops in each region. Every shop on the list earned its spot the same way, by the rules on this page.
Shops can't pay to be listed or to move up a tier. We pay for everything we eat, and shops don't know we're coming. We started in Wisconsin and add new regions under the same rules.
Our first list. We launched Wisconsin with ten shops picked from our long list. Each one meets all four rules and stood out in ratings, press and awards. We'll visit every one, and a shop earns its cones once we've visited and scored it. Until then it shows "Cones after our visit."
Who qualifies
A shop must meet all four rules before we judge it. A shop that misses one isn't ranked lower; it's simply not eligible.
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Independent | Locally owned. No franchises and no chains. |
| Three locations or fewer | Every storefront under the same owner or brand counts, including licensed shops that use the name. |
| Made in-house | The shop freezes what it serves from its own base, or from a base a dairy makes to the shop's own recipe. A shop that scoops another company's finished ice cream, or freezes a generic off-the-shelf mix, doesn't qualify. |
| Ice cream or frozen custard | Soft serve, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt and shaved ice are outside what we cover. |
How we judge
Each eligible shop gets a score out of 10 on five criteria, weighted into one overall score. Ratings and press help us decide where to go; they never set the score.
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Craft and flavor | 30% | Texture, freshness, balance. We always order the house baseline (vanilla or custard of the day) plus one signature. |
| Place and atmosphere | 20% | The counter, the setting, the feeling of being there. |
| Ingredients and sourcing | 20% | Real ingredients, local dairy, house-made mix-ins. |
| Originality | 15% | Signature flavors and a rotation worth coming back for. |
| Community roots | 15% | History, ties to the town, the people behind the counter. |
The cone tiers
Every listed shop earns one, two or three cones from its overall score. Each region's list is capped at roughly its top 10%.
| Tier | Overall score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Three cones: Worth the drive | 9.0 and up | Plan a Saturday around it. |
| Two cones: Worth a detour | 8.0 to 8.9 | Change your route for it. |
| One cone: Worth a stop | 7.0 to 7.9 | If you're nearby, pull over. |
A shop can score 7.0 or higher and still not be listed if its region's top 10% is already full. A region is a U.S. state or a Canadian province.
How we find and visit shops
- Build a long list for the region from Google and Tripadvisor ratings, regional press, awards and reader suggestions. We don't publish who suggested a shop.
- Check every shop against the four rules. Shops that don't qualify are set aside, with the reason recorded.
- Shortlist the strongest candidates for visits.
- Visit unannounced, pay in full, and order the baseline plus one signature.
- Score on the five criteria and assign a tier.
- Re-review every listed shop at least once a year. A shop that changes owners is reviewed again before it stays on the list.
FAQ
Why don't you cover gelato?
Gelato is its own craft, with its own traditions and standards. We'd rather judge ice cream and frozen custard well than judge everything a little.
What's the difference between ice cream and frozen custard?
Under FDA rules, ice cream must have at least 10% milkfat. Frozen custard meets the same standard and also has at least 1.4% egg yolk solids, which is why it's denser and silkier. (The Kitchn)
Do you include soft serve?
No. We cover ice cream and frozen custard only. Soft serve is a way of serving, not a recipe: there's no federal standard for it, and most is lower in fat than ice cream, around 5%, with more air. (America's Test Kitchen, Consumer Reports)
Why doesn't my favorite old-fashioned parlor count?
If it scoops ice cream made by another company, it doesn't meet our made-in-house rule. A base made by a dairy to the shop's own recipe is fine; someone else's finished product isn't. We love those parlors, but the list is about who makes the best ice cream.
Why the three-location limit?
We want shops where the people making the ice cream are close to the counter. Past three storefronts, a shop usually starts to work like a small chain.
Why isn't my favorite shop on the list?
It may not meet the rules, we may not have visited yet, or it may have scored just outside the top 10%. Tell us about it and we'll take a look.
Can a shop pay to be listed or move up?
No. Nothing a shop pays for, now or later, changes its place on the list.
Do shops know when you're visiting?
No. We visit unannounced and pay for everything.