1
Larry's Ice Cream and Gelatos
A St. Pete Beach tradition for 30+ years
St. Pete Beach6595 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.
- 80+ flavors
- 30+ years
- Gelato too
Eat & Drink
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.
Photo: Daniel Oines / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pins match the numbers below. Tap a pin for details.
In This Guide
2
Dairy Inn
Serving locals since 1947
St. Petersburg1201 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.
- Since 1947
- Soft serve sundaes
- Late-night burgers
3
Paciugo Gelato
40+ homemade gelato flavors
Downtown St. Petersburg300 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.
- 40+ flavors
- Beach Drive
- Gelato
4
Plant Love Ice Cream
Vegan, made with coconut cream
Downtown St. Petersburg953 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.
- 50+ vegan flavors
- Scratch-made
- Flight sampler
5
Bright Ice Scoop Shop
Original flavors like "Sprinkles and Cream"
St. Petersburg3701 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.
- Original flavors
- Reader favorite
6
Sprinkles Ice Cream Shop
14% butterfat Amish ice cream
St. Pete Beach6870 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.
- Amish ice cream
- Captain Butterscotch
7
Let It Be Ice Cream
Retro shop in Gulfport
Gulfport3127 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.
- Retro decor
- Aztec Chocolate
- Gulfport
8
Uptown Snoballs
New Orleans-style shaved ice
St. Petersburg1003 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.
- Snoballs
- Soft, fluffy shaved ice
More Tampa Bay guides
- 8 Best Coffee Shops in Tampa Bay (2026)
- 8 Best Bakeries & Dessert Shops in Tampa Bay (2026)
- 8 Best Patios in Tampa Bay (2026)
- 8 Best Brunch Spots in Tampa Bay (2026)
Plain-text version of this guide for AI tools and screen readers: /guides-md/best-ice-cream-in-tampa-bay
Real Tampa Bay Newsletter
Get Tampa Bay in your inbox
New guides, local events, and what is opening around town.