8 Spots For The Best Ice Cream Cones In Chicago
The Windy City is home to countless grab-and-go food spots, including ones that serve frozen desserts that you can carry in an edible container. As we previously highlighted the best places to get an ice cream cone in New York City, it's now Chicago's turn, and we are giving the city's cold, creamy offerings their due.
I grew up in Chicago, and ice cream was a big part of my childhood. While that most frequently meant store-bought quarts from the family freezer, I did get to occasionally enjoy cones from actual ice cream shops — some of which have rightfully made this list. But rest assured that I looked beyond my rose-colored nostalgia glasses while compiling these picks, as I have had ice cream cones from all of these places recently, as well.
We're only highlighting places to get a cone that are exclusively in Chicago, or at least got their start in the city. These places were chosen because they all serve up fresh, creamy, premium ice creams that include flavors both traditional and unique, as well as offer a mix of classic and unusual topping options. Additionally, the focus here is on places that offer the best ice cream in an actual cone, rather than just any spot that happens to have good ice cream or gelato.
Teddy's Ice Cream
You can't miss Teddy's Ice Cream as you're driving down Montrose Street, with its bright pink color scheme, and huge, inflatable, rooftop bear. The original shop isn't too far from my childhood home, and while I would've delighted in seeing such a fun sight on a daily basis, alas, Teddy's wasn't open when I was a kid — it's only been around since 2023. But in the years since, I've probably eaten an entire childhood's worth of ice cream from Teddy's.
While sometimes eateries that offer a lot when it comes to aesthetics don't impress as much when it comes to food quality, that's not the case with Teddy's. From your very first lick of one of Teddy's 28 rotating flavors of premium ice cream, which you can order in a homemade waffle cone, you'll know you're in for a treat. You can choose from a handful of delicious flavors in which they'll dip your cone — I recommend blue raspberry — as well as from an impressive list of toppings both classic and unique, such as the delightfully sweet and sour Visinada, an imported cherry preserve from Greece.
Teddy's has already expanded to the suburbs, opening a second location in Lincolnwood in March 2026, spreading the goodness of its ice creams and Greek pastries across the area.
(773) 275-1331
2000 W. Montrose St., Chicago, IL, 60618
Cone Gourmet Ice Cream
Ice cream might not be something that comes to mind when thinking of Irish desserts everyone needs to try at least once — but after you've eaten at Cone Gourmet Ice Cream, you'll wonder why not. Founded and run by Ireland native Sean McGuire, the shop has been included on lists of the best soft serve in the entire city, and it's certainly one of my favorites. But the quality of the ice cream itself only tells half the story of what makes Cone Gourmet so special.
McGuire has transported the charm of the coastal Ireland town from which he hails into this West Loop shop. From the cozy atmosphere to the friendly staff, and fun "lick me I'm Irish" signage, everything is appropriately comfortable and quirky all at once. But none of that would matter if the product didn't match all that charm, but Cone Gourmet more than delivers there, as well.
You can get that best-in-Chicago soft serve, or, choose from a variety of equally-impressive hard scoop flavors — including expected Irish-themed ones like Baileys Irish Cream, Salty Irish Man, and Erin Go Bragh! Toppings choices such as Lucky Charms, Irish flake (a crumbly stick of chocolate), and graham cracker are also available to take your cone to the next level. No matter what you choose, Cone Gourmet's ice cream always looks as good as it tastes, so get your camera ready for some Insta-worthy shots.
(312) 666-5111
1047 W. Madison St., Chicago, IL, 60607
The Original Rainbow Cone
The compilation of this list just happened to coincide with the 100th birthday celebration of one of Chicago's most iconic ice cream shops, The Original Rainbow Cone. It's tough to actually come up with anything unique to say about the legendary shop that countless articles, social media posts, news reports, and best-of lists haven't already said. But reaching the century mark, with its titular treat remaining the star attraction, says everything that needs to be said about why Rainbow Cone is one of the city's best.
Rainbow Cone is unique in that it offers its signature cone with ice cream that's sliced and stacked in layers on top of a cone, offering a more compact treat than traditional scooping would. In the case of the actual Rainbow Cone, flavors are chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, orange sherbet, and the local Palmer House — described as vanilla, with bits of cherry and walnut. The dessert is nothing short of an iconic tradition that still stacks up, a century later. But you don't have to opt for the original, as you can order other sliced cones such as the Chocolate Obsession, with ice cream slices of chocolate, peanut butter swirl, cookies and cream, and Big Muddy flavors. Or, if you must, you can still order ice cream by the scoop, as well.
(773) 729-9833
9233 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60643
Ciao Ciao Gelato & Café
For my money, I say nobody in Chicago does gelato better than Ciao Ciao Gelato & Café. You might not claim to know the exact difference between ice cream and gelato, but when you go to an actual gelateria and experience the high-quality, freshly-made treat, you'll likely notice that the Italian-style frozen cream has a more pronounced flavor and extra-creamy smoothness than regular ice cream. I say, don't be surprised if you find it hard to go back to regular ice cream, after you experience gelato from Ciao Ciao.
The word "craft" comes to mind when trying to describe the quality of Ciao Ciao's gelato and the nature of its preparation. These are people who know how to serve up the Italian-style treat, offering huge waffle cones that are filled with generous scoops of one of the shop's nearly 50 flavor options, which include Apple Pie and Stracciatella.
The quality and number of flavors would have been enough to count Ciao Ciao as a city-best cone spot, but those offerings are even further elevated with impressive edible toppings like macarons, to fun flourishes such as miniature drink umbrellas — proving the gelateria's attention to its craft, down to the details.
(708) 667-0464
5355 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 60641
Sugar Shack
Meant to evoke the spirit of carnival treats and classic fair foods, Sugar Shack finds itself frequently mentioned as one of Chicago's best ice cream spots for kids. But as we all know, ice cream cones are for actual kids as well as kids at heart, and I can personally attest that adults will also love the fun and wonder that Sugar Shack brings with its delicious desserts.
Truthfully, what Sugar Shack is most famous for is its funnel cake sundae, which consists of a delicious-on-its-own funnel cake, piled high with the ice cream and toppings of your choice. But ice cream cones are also a staple of carnivals and fairs, and Sugar Shack likewise offers a number of delectable options for both sugar and waffle cones. Once you pick your cone, you can choose between soft serve and hard-packed ice creams. While soft serve only comes in vanilla, chocolate, or a swirl of those, the hard packed comes in a number of great flavors — including my personal favorite, banana pudding.
At that point, you can move on to select from over 30 toppings, including a number of fruits, candies, cookies, cereal types, and pretzels, the latter of which gives the ice cream a nice, salty crunch.
(312) 339-6002
630 W. 26th St., Chicago, IL, 60616
Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream
You know an ice cream shop has an exceptional product when even the vanilla is a fan favorite. Likewise, if a place has excellent vanilla, then you must be in for a treat with any of its flavors — and of the many I've tried from Shawn Michelle's, I've never been anywhere in the ballpark of disappointment. From its delicious Blue Moon — the most iconic ice cream flavor in Illinois — to the lunchroom-evoking Butter Cookie that can instantly transport you to childhood, you won't want to stop until you've tried every flavor that Shawn Michelle's offers in its top-tier waffle cones.
Shawn Michelle's also has a handful of delicious curated combos with fun names like Barack Supreme, a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of praline, and Over the Cliff, which consists of Blue Moon and lemon ice creams. On top of that, Shawn Michelle's has a lot of really impressive vegan ice cream options. Although I'm not vegan, I have been talked into trying a few flavors, and can now personally attest to how good their vegan cookies and cream and mango ice creams are, too.
(773) 675-4032
46 E. 47th St., Chicago, IL 60653
Black Dog Gelato
While my favorite gelato shop, Ciao Ciao, lends itself to a very classic Italian café experience, Black Dog Gelato allows itself to be a bit more nontraditional. For instance, the Ukrainian Village shop's Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel flavor might not be something you'd find in a traditional gelato shop, but that's what makes Black Dog so special.
Started by a pastry chef who formerly worked for a highly-rated Chicago restaurant, the rotating list of flavors at Black Dog reflects the owner's culinary background, from flavors like Honey Butter Corn Bread and Sesame Fig Chocolate Chip, to its equally-impressive takes on the classics such as chocolate, vanilla, and mint cookie. If you want to try original flavors for which the shop is known, I recommend the Italian Cookie or Hazelnut Crunch — if you're lucky enough for them to be on the menu on the day you visit, as flavors rotate regularly.
(773) 406-1653
859 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
Margie's Candies
When considering the best ice cream sundae from every state, Margie's Candies is at the tops in Illinois. The ice cream shop, which is over a century old, is certainly known for its sundaes, especially the iconic Royal George — which consists of 25 scoops in a punch bowl, loaded with various toppings and syrups, and crowned with six cones. But if you aren't interested in sharing, or trying to tackle a food challenge, Margie's also has great cone options from which to choose.
Like The Original Rainbow Cone, Margie's remains a standing throwback tribute to old-fashioned ice cream parlors that originated during the first half of the 20th century. Every flavor feels like a blast from the past, with ice cream that's high quality and carefully prepared. The hot sauces — fudge, caramel, and butterscotch — come fresh out of kettles, and go oh-so-well with the housemade ice creams and waffle cones.
If you grew up in Chicago like I did, you've probably had Margie's ice cream, and you most likely enjoyed it. How could you not, with flavors ranging from classic Rocky Road to the tropical Mango Passion Fruit? We're just glad we're still able to visit the institution, for over 100 years, and going strong.
(773) 384-1035
1960 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60647
Methodology
For this list, I drew on both my childhood memories of some of Chicago's older ice cream shops, and my recent experiences with the city's newer spots — as well as revisiting the former to make sure my adult taste buds confirmed my nostalgic feelings. I've been to every one of these places multiple times, and tried a variety of flavors and configurations.
Most important to consider was the quality of the ice cream or gelato itself — and each had to stand on its own, without a cone, or any toppings or mix-ins. The classic flavors needed to be represented well, and places received bonus points for offering unique and original flavors. After these factors were weighed, I then considered the quality and taste of the cones, and the selection and quality of the add-ons.
Finally, I made sure that the total presentation — ice cream, cone, and toppings — all came together for an exceptional experience. If the finished product looked as good as it tasted, that helped to lock the shop's spot on the list.