Ice cream and desserts in Virginia Beach: Oceanfront to Red Mill

Last checked 2026-10-19. Refreshed every three months.

Ice cream in Virginia Beach follows the visitors: Atlantic Avenue at the Oceanfront has three shops within a few blocks. Away from the beach, the local chains Gelati Celesti and Blue Cow have shops at Hilltop, Town Center, Red Mill and on Shore Drive.

How we made this list. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside Virginia Beach’s city limits, the same data behind our local directory, checked against each place’s own website on Oct. 19, 2026. Where a shop has no website of its own, we kept it only if the Virginia Department of Health’s food inspection records show a Virginia Beach inspection in the past 12 months; those rows give the address the state records. That is how we added Be Free, Delicias, Nice Dreams, Pungo Pizza and Ice Cream and Sweet Place. We left out Dairy Queen, Bruster’s, Rita’s, Carvel, sweetFrog, Cold Stone and Splurge Cheesecakes, whose own pages would not load or confirm a Virginia Beach shop and which we could not match to a recent inspection, and ice cream trucks. Doughnuts and cupcakes are on our bakeries list. The list is alphabetical. It is not a ranking or a recommendation, and nobody paid to be on it. Run one of these places? Write to us to correct your entry.

The list

The places

Be Free Craft Ice Cream Cafe on Elson Green Avenue was inspected by the state in September 2026.

Blue Cow Ice Cream is a Virginia ice cream company with two Virginia Beach shops. It calls its Locksley Arch shop the Pungo location; the second is on Shore Drive. Its site posts its flavors and offers catering.

The Cheesecake Factory at Town Center is a full-service restaurant with a dessert menu built around cheesecake, open from 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Delicias Homemade Ice Cream & Popsicles on Newtown Road was inspected in March 2026.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers on Lynnhaven Parkway serves frozen custard alongside its burgers.

Gelati Celesti Ice Cream has three Virginia Beach shops, at Hilltop West Shopping Center, Columbus Village near Town Center and the Shoppes at Hickman Place in Red Mill. It also sells ice cream cakes and pies.

Kilwins on Atlantic Avenue is the chocolate, fudge and ice cream chain’s Oceanfront shop.

Nice Dreams Ice Cream and Sweet Place Crepes Ice Cream and Shakes are on Atlantic Avenue; both have recent state inspections.

Pungo Pizza and Ice Cream on Princess Anne Road in Pungo was inspected in June 2026.

Related

• Bakeries in Virginia Beach
• Breakfast and coffee in Virginia Beach
• Oceanfront and Boardwalk guide
• Kids’ activities in Virginia Beach
• Where to eat in Virginia Beach: every list
• Restaurant inspections in Virginia Beach
• Local business directory

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get ice cream in Virginia Beach?

This list has 11 ice cream and dessert stops inside the city limits, including Gelati Celesti at Hilltop, Town Center and Red Mill, Blue Cow Ice Cream on Shore Drive and Locksley Arch, Kilwins and Nice Dreams on Atlantic Avenue, and Be Free Craft Ice Cream Cafe on Elson Green Avenue.

Where can I get ice cream at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront?

Kilwins is at 2420 Atlantic Ave., Suite 101, open from 11 a.m. or noon to 9 p.m. depending on the day. Nice Dreams Ice Cream is at 2301 Atlantic Ave., and Sweet Place Crepes Ice Cream and Shakes is at 3316 Atlantic Ave., according to state inspection records.

Which Virginia Beach ice cream shops are open late?

Gelati Celesti scoops daily from noon to 10 p.m. at its three Virginia Beach shops. Blue Cow’s Locksley Arch shop is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and its Shore Drive shop to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.