Downtown Phoenix Ice Cream Shop Ranked No. 1 on Yelp
Ice Cream Shop

Photo courtesy of Maria Orlova.

Desserts in the Desert

Novel Ice Cream in Downtown Phoenix has claimed the top spot on Yelp’s 2025 list of the best ice cream shops in the United States. The popular dessert destination earned an impressive 4.9-star rating from over 1,200 Yelp reviewers, highlighting its widespread customer acclaim. Metro Phoenix’s ice cream scene was further recognized with two additional shops ranking in Yelp’s national top 100 –Dessert In Desert in Scottsdale and LIX Uptown Ice Cream in Phoenix. The rankings showcase a growing reputation in the desert for inventive and high-quality frozen creations.

The Valley’s own Novel Ice Cream comes in at No. 1 on Yelp’s 2025 list of the nation’s best ice cream shops.

Yelp came out with their list on Tuesday with the Valley shop taking the top spot.

Novel has been a Valley favorite since 2017 focusing on “texture-driven, small-batch hand crafted ice cream and their legendary Dough Melt.” They hand craft their ice creams “two pans at a time” while developing each recipe specifically for each individual flavor.

The Phoenix ice cream shop has received 4.9 stars on Yelp from more than 1,200 reviewers.

Novel has three locations across the valley in downtown Phoenix, downtown Mesa and a food truck in Old Town Peoria.

The artisan ice cream shop offers eight staple ice cream flavors and four rotating flavors at a time. Some of their mainstays are Bourbon Toffee Caramel Crunch, Cookie Monster, PB Wasted and many more.

Other Valley ice cream shops on the list

Two other Valley ice cream shops made Yelp’s top 100 list. Dessert in Desert in Scottsdale is ranked 27th, while Lix Uptown Ice Cream comes in at 52 on this list.

Share...

Sponsor Members

Receive Metro Phoenix Business News in your email...
✔ Weekly Updates     ✔ Local Insights      ✔ No SPAM

Tag Cloud

Add as a preferred source on Google
Metro Phoenix Alliance Member Directory Map

Cyclic Materials opened its first commercial-scale rare earth magnet recycling facility in @cityofmesa, strengthening the domestic supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals. The company invested more than $30 million in the 144,000-square-foot facility, which will initially create more than 25 jobs. The plant can process up to 25,000 metric tons of end-of-life products containing magnets each year. Cyclic Materials will recover rare earth magnet concentrate through its Mag-Xtract™ process, along with critical materials such as copper, aluminum and steel. Federal, state and local leaders joined company executives to celebrate the facility’s grand opening. #cyclicmaterials #silicondesert #mesaaz #advancedmanufacturing #metrophx
Heritage Park (@heritageparkgilbert), a new mixed-use destination taking shape in (@downtowngilbertaz) Gilbert’s Heritage District, has announced its first five tenants. The lineup includes Arizona’s first Popup Bagels (@popupbagels), along with La La Land, Hudson House, Salt & Straw, and @solidcore. Construction continues across the development, with the first businesses expected to open in the second quarter of 2027. #gilbertaz #heritagedistrict #heritagepark #townofgilbert #metrophx
Scottsdale-based @barrett_jackson has launched Digital Select Auctions, a premium online marketplace for curated collector vehicles. The platform allows enthusiasts worldwide to bid during exclusive, timed digital auctions. Barrett-Jackson will oversee each transaction, including holding the money and vehicle title, to provide buyers and sellers with greater confidence. The company will also verify completed sales and apply its auction expertise to the process. The first Digital Select Auction will run Nov. 5-12 at Barrett-Jackson.com. #barrettjackson #autoauction #automobilia #scottsdaleaz #metrophx
The Metro Phoenix housing market continues to earn national recognition, with five Valley cities ranking among the country’s 50 best real estate markets, according to a new @wallethub analysis. The Best Real Estate Markets 2026 report determines the best local real estate markets in the U.S. WalletHub compared 300 cities of varying sizes across 17 key indicators of housing-market attractiveness and economic strength. The study places Gilbert at 13, followed by Surprise at 27, Peoria at 42, Tempe at 46 and Chandler at 50.
#metrophx #realestatemarket2026 #gilbertaz #surpriseaz #peoriaaz
Tempe-based Dutch Bros Coffee plans to acquire 51 former Salad and Go locations after the fast-casual chain filed for bankruptcy, with the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak contributing to its collapse. Court documents filed Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court identify a Dutch Bros-affiliated LLC as the buyer of dozens of Salad and Go restaurants in Arizona and Nevada, along with leases for additional former locations in Texas and Oklahoma. #saladandgo #dutchbros #dutchbroscoffee #tempeaz #drivethru
Salad and Go filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday and announced it will permanently close all of its locations, serving its final meals Wednesday. The Gilbert-founded drive-thru restaurant chain submitted voluntary bankruptcy petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.

The company said declining consumer demand, rapid expansion challenges, and rising operating costs made its business unsustainable. Salad and Go also said the Cyclospora foodborne illness outbreak in July hurt sales, even though health officials did not link the chain to the contamination. #saladandgo #gilbertaz #cyclospora #bankruptcy #chapter11
@wallethub has released its 2026 Best & Worst Places to Rent report, ranking more than 180 U.S. cities to help renters identify the nation’s top housing markets. The study places @scottsdaleazgov (No. 1), @gilbertyourtown (2), and @cityofchandler (3) at the top of the rankings, with @peoriaazcam (6), @cityofmesa (16), @glendaleaz (17), @cityofphoenixaz (19), and @tempegov (25) also earning spots among the nation’s 25 best cities for renters. #wallethub #houserental #eastvalleyaz #scottsdaleaz #metrophx
Celebrating 250 Years of Freedom! Happy Independence Day and Cheers to a great, safe weekend. #250 #4thofjuly #usa🇺🇸 #250yearsoffreedom #metrophx
Cyclic Materials opened its first commercial-scale rare earth magnet recycling facility in @cityofmesa, strengthening the domestic supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals. The company invested more than $30 million in the 144,000-square-foot facility, which will initially create more than 25 jobs. The plant can process up to 25,000 metric tons of end-of-life products containing magnets each year. Cyclic Materials will recover rare earth magnet concentrate through its Mag-Xtract™ process, along with critical materials such as copper, aluminum and steel. Federal, state and local leaders joined company executives to celebrate the facility’s grand opening. #cyclicmaterials #silicondesert #mesaaz #advancedmanufacturing #metrophx
Heritage Park (@heritageparkgilbert), a new mixed-use destination taking shape in (@downtowngilbertaz) Gilbert’s Heritage District, has announced its first five tenants. The lineup includes Arizona’s first Popup Bagels (@popupbagels), along with La La Land, Hudson House, Salt & Straw, and @solidcore. Construction continues across the development, with the first businesses expected to open in the second quarter of 2027. #gilbertaz #heritagedistrict #heritagepark #townofgilbert #metrophx
Scottsdale-based @barrett_jackson has launched Digital Select Auctions, a premium online marketplace for curated collector vehicles. The platform allows enthusiasts worldwide to bid during exclusive, timed digital auctions. Barrett-Jackson will oversee each transaction, including holding the money and vehicle title, to provide buyers and sellers with greater confidence. The company will also verify completed sales and apply its auction expertise to the process. The first Digital Select Auction will run Nov. 5-12 at Barrett-Jackson.com. #barrettjackson #autoauction #automobilia #scottsdaleaz #metrophx
The Metro Phoenix housing market continues to earn national recognition, with five Valley cities ranking among the country’s 50 best real estate markets, according to a new @wallethub analysis. The Best Real Estate Markets 2026 report determines the best local real estate markets in the U.S. WalletHub compared 300 cities of varying sizes across 17 key indicators of housing-market attractiveness and economic strength. The study places Gilbert at 13, followed by Surprise at 27, Peoria at 42, Tempe at 46 and Chandler at 50.
#metrophx #realestatemarket2026 #gilbertaz #surpriseaz #peoriaaz
Tempe-based Dutch Bros Coffee plans to acquire 51 former Salad and Go locations after the fast-casual chain filed for bankruptcy, with the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak contributing to its collapse. Court documents filed Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court identify a Dutch Bros-affiliated LLC as the buyer of dozens of Salad and Go restaurants in Arizona and Nevada, along with leases for additional former locations in Texas and Oklahoma. #saladandgo #dutchbros #dutchbroscoffee #tempeaz #drivethru
Salad and Go filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday and announced it will permanently close all of its locations, serving its final meals Wednesday. The Gilbert-founded drive-thru restaurant chain submitted voluntary bankruptcy petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.

The company said declining consumer demand, rapid expansion challenges, and rising operating costs made its business unsustainable. Salad and Go also said the Cyclospora foodborne illness outbreak in July hurt sales, even though health officials did not link the chain to the contamination. #saladandgo #gilbertaz #cyclospora #bankruptcy #chapter11
Metro Phoenix Alliance Member Directory Map