# 8 Best Ice Cream Shops in Tampa Bay (2026) A 1947 soft-serve stand, vegan scoops with 50 flavors, and 80-flavor beach classics. St. Pete alone has a long ice cream roster, from a stand open since 1947 to scratch-made vegan flavors. These picks come from I Love the Burg's St. Pete top-10 ice cream list. Spots are numbered for easy browsing, not as a strict ranking. Updated: October 2026. Source: Real Tampa Bay Media, https://realtampabay.com/guides/best-ice-cream-in-tampa-bay ## Spots ### 1. Larry's Ice Cream and Gelatos A St. Pete Beach tradition for 30+ years. - Neighborhood: St. Pete Beach - Address: 6595 Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, FL Larry's has been a St. Pete Beach tradition for over 30 years and offers more than 80 flavors. Highlights: 80+ flavors; 30+ years; Gelato too ### 2. Dairy Inn Serving locals since 1947. - Neighborhood: St. Petersburg - Address: 1201 Dr. MLK Jr. St N, St. Petersburg, FL Dairy Inn has served locals since 1947. Its soft serve sundaes are the main draw, and it is also known for late-night burgers. Highlights: Since 1947; Soft serve sundaes; Late-night burgers ### 3. Paciugo Gelato 40+ homemade gelato flavors. - Neighborhood: Downtown St. Petersburg - Address: 300 Beach Dr NE, #120, St. Petersburg, FL Paciugo serves gelato rather than ice cream, with more than 40 homemade flavors, from its Beach Drive location. Highlights: 40+ flavors; Beach Drive; Gelato ### 4. Plant Love Ice Cream Vegan, made with coconut cream. - Neighborhood: Downtown St. Petersburg - Address: 953 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL Plant Love is a vegan shop making ice cream from coconut cream, with more than 50 scratch-made flavors and a five-flight sampler. Highlights: 50+ vegan flavors; Scratch-made; Flight sampler ### 5. Bright Ice Scoop Shop Original flavors like "Sprinkles and Cream". - Neighborhood: St. Petersburg - Address: 3701 5th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL Bright Ice Scoop Shop is known for original flavors like Sprinkles and Cream. Nine out of ten readers polled by I Love the Burg named it the best ice cream in St. Pete. Highlights: Original flavors; Reader favorite ### 6. Sprinkles Ice Cream Shop 14% butterfat Amish ice cream. - Neighborhood: St. Pete Beach - Address: 6870 Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, FL Sprinkles serves 14% butterfat Amish ice cream. Its Captain Butterscotch flavor includes brownie bites, Heath Bar, Oreos and peanut butter cups. Highlights: Amish ice cream; Captain Butterscotch ### 7. Let It Be Ice Cream Retro shop in Gulfport. - Neighborhood: Gulfport - Address: 3127 Beach Blvd S, Gulfport, FL Let It Be Ice Cream has a retro look with checkerboard tiles and neon chairs. Its Aztec Chocolate flavor includes dulce de leche and brownie bites. Highlights: Retro decor; Aztec Chocolate; Gulfport ### 8. Uptown Snoballs New Orleans-style shaved ice. - Neighborhood: St. Petersburg - Address: 1003 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL Uptown Snoballs is one of the newer dessert spots in St. Pete, serving New Orleans-style shaved ice Snoballs that are soft and fluffy, along with ice cream. Highlights: Snoballs; Soft, fluffy shaved ice ## About this guide Picks are compiled from local publications and public sources and are not a paid ranking. Spots are numbered for browsing, not as a strict ranking. Hours and prices are intentionally omitted because they change; confirm details with each venue. All guides: https://realtampabay.com/guides Header photo: Daniel Oines, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ice-cream_shop_-_Florida.jpg).