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Best Ice Cream in Panama City Beach: 10 Local Picks

Few things capture the feeling of a Panama City Beach vacation quite like a melting cone in one hand and warm Gulf breeze brushing past your shoulders. Whether you have just climbed off a beach chair, finished a round of mini golf, or are wandering Pier Park after dinner, ice cream in Panama City Beach is part of the rhythm of every summer day.

At Dolce Vita Getaways, we have spent nearly two decades helping families settle into PCB. Over those years, our guests keep asking the same question: where is the best ice cream nearby? So we put together this local guide to the most-loved ice cream shops, gelato counters, frozen yogurt spots, and specialty dessert bars along the beach. Some are tucked into walkable resort areas, others are hidden along Front Beach Road, and a few are well worth a short drive.

Here is where to go, what to order, and how to make sweet stops part of your perfect day in Panama City Beach.

Classic Ice Cream Shops in Panama City Beach

These are the go-to scoop counters in town. Big flavor lists, generous portions, and the kind of waffle cones that smell like vacation the second you walk through the door.

Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar

Locally beloved and consistently ranked among the very best in PCB, Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar delivers a true beach parlor experience. The shop is bright, cheerful, and packed with 40+ rotating flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and sherbet. Don’t miss the signature Pink Pelican Special, a heaping creation loaded with peanut butter cups, Oreo, brownie, Heath bar bits, and a ribbon of butterscotch. They also make their own fudge in-house, roast their own nuts, and hand-craft waffle cones daily.

  • Rating: 4.7 stars (1,116+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 543 Richard Jackson Blvd, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Hours: Daily, 12 to 10 PM
  • Phone: (850) 249-5576
  • What to order: The Pink Pelican Special, Butterscotch Bomb, or a Dole Whip soft serve for a lighter, fruity option
  • Open in Google Maps

Riviera Creamery

Tucked into Front Beach Road, Riviera Creamery has built a loyal local following with its rich, premium scooped ice cream and a full case of gourmet chocolates. The vibe is part classic creamery, part boutique chocolate shop, which makes it a great pick for couples or anyone in the mood for something a little more elevated than a typical beach cone. Expect a steady flow of 5-star reviews and ice cream so creamy it almost feels like gelato.

  • Rating: 4.7 stars (560+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 12700 Front Beach Rd #105, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Phone: (850) 249-0419
  • What to order: A signature flavor in a fresh waffle cone, paired with a hand-dipped truffle for after
  • Open in Google Maps

Beach Cow Creamery

A true Front Beach Road staple, Beach Cow Creamery is the spot a lot of our guests stumble into after a long day on the sand. The friendly, beachy atmosphere matches the vibe of the coast, and the menu sticks to what works: classic hand-dipped flavors, sundaes, milkshakes, and waffle cones. It is the kind of place where families end up coming back two or three times during a single trip.

  • Rating: 4.6 stars (236+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 10612 Front Beach Rd, Panama City, FL 32407
  • Hours: Daily, 11 AM to 10 PM
  • Phone: (850) 238-8830
  • What to order: A double-scoop waffle cone after the beach, or a hand-spun milkshake to walk with
  • Open in Google Maps

Hershey’s Beach Ice Cream Shop

A favorite among families with kids who want recognizable flavors and big portions, Hershey’s Beach Ice Cream Shop carries 40 flavors of Hershey’s ice cream right in the heart of the beach. The location on Thomas Drive makes it an easy walk for guests staying nearby, and the menu of sundaes, banana splits, and waffle cone creations rarely disappoints. It is a confident, no-fuss pick when you want something the whole crew will recognize.

  • Rating: 4.6 stars (1,737+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 8815 Thomas Dr A, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
  • Phone: (850) 708-1840
  • What to order: A double scoop of cookies and cream, or build your own sundae
  • Open in Google Maps

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream

If you are after something that tastes truly homemade, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream churns its small-batch flavors right at the shop. Beyond the regular lineup, they offer sherbet, vegan oat-milk options, and Italian ice, which makes it one of the most flexible stops in town for groups with different dietary needs. Kids love watching the flavor board change with the seasons.

  • Rating: 4.4 stars (654+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 7101 Coastal Palms Blvd, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
  • Phone: (850) 249-2544
  • What to order: A scoop of the weekly featured flavor, or a Banana Pudding Sundae
  • Open in Google Maps

Hand-Rolled and Specialty Frozen Treats

If you want something a little more creative than a scoop in a cone, Panama City Beach has a growing scene of rolled ice cream, sno-balls, and chocolate-forward dessert shops. These spots are also great for older kids and teens who want a little show with their treat.

Mr. Puff’s Hand-Rolled Ice Cream

Mr. Puff’s Hand-Rolled Ice Cream brings Thai-style rolled ice cream to PCB, where the staff pour your liquid base onto a freezing-cold plate, mix in your toppings, then scrape it into Instagram-perfect spirals. The result is colorful, customizable, and fun to watch. Located on Thomas Drive, it is a short stroll from many east-end resorts and makes a great post-dinner stop.

  • Rating: 4.3 stars (534+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 8721 Thomas Dr, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
  • Phone: (850) 588-9228
  • What to order: Build your own rolled creation with strawberries, Nutella, and crushed Oreos, then top with whipped cream
  • Open in Google Maps

David’s New Orleans Style Cafe & Sno-Balls

David’s New Orleans Style Cafe has become a near-cult favorite in PCB thanks to its New Orleans-style sno-balls, served with finely shaved ice that is more like fresh snow than a traditional snow cone. Choose from 60+ flavored syrups and try the legendary Stuffed Sno-Ball, which packs a layer of ice cream right into the middle. With nearly 2,000 five-star Google reviews, this is one of the highest-rated dessert stops on the entire Emerald Coast.

  • Rating: 4.8 stars (1,993+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 13913 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach, FL 32407
  • Phone: (850) 236-1998
  • What to order: A Stuffed Sno-Ball with vanilla ice cream and wedding cake syrup, or any of the 12 ice cream flavors
  • Open in Google Maps

Kilwins Panama City Beach

Right in the heart of Pier Park, Kilwins is the kind of dessert shop that smells like buttery sugar from a block away. They serve super-premium hand-dipped ice cream alongside fresh Mackinac Island fudge made daily on a marble slab in the window. You will also find caramel apples, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and the wildly trending Dubai Chocolate bars. Take your cone and stroll the open-air shops.

  • Rating: 4.5 stars (1,255+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 821 S Pier Park Dr #100, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
  • Phone: (850) 230-4177
  • What to order: Sea salt caramel ice cream in a hot waffle cone, plus a slice of Mackinac Island fudge
  • Open in Google Maps

Marble Slab Creamery

Also at Pier Park, Marble Slab Creamery lets you watch your scoop transform on a frozen marble slab as the staff fold in unlimited free mix-ins. It is interactive, customizable, and gives kids a real sense of control over their dessert. They also make excellent ice cream cakes and milkshakes if you want to take something back to your rental for later.

  • Rating: 4.0 stars (1,407+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 600 Pier Park Dr #120, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
  • Phone: (850) 233-4770
  • What to order: Sweet cream ice cream with brownie chunks, strawberries, and graham cracker mixed in
  • Open in Google Maps

Lighter Sweets and Local Traditions

Not every dessert needs to be a heaping sundae. These two stops give you a lighter, more wholesome way to end the day, and one of them has been a multi-generational beach tradition since the early 1970s.

sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt

When you want something lighter (or just want to skip the meltdown over flavor decisions), sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt is a smart move. The self-serve setup lets everyone in the group pile on their own yogurt and toppings, and you pay by weight. Kids love the freedom, parents love the price control, and the rotating flavors keep it interesting trip after trip.

  • Rating: 4.7 stars (465+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 15500 Panama City Beach Pkwy Unit 460, Panama City, FL 32413
  • Phone: (850) 588-6539
  • What to order: Build-your-own with tart yogurt, fresh fruit, mochi, and a drizzle of caramel
  • Open in Google Maps

Thomas Donut & Snack Shop

A true beach institution, Thomas Donut & Snack Shop opened in 1971 and added a full ice cream shop in 2015. With more than 6,400 Google reviews and a 4.6-star rating, it is one of the most reviewed dessert stops in PCB, and for good reason. Generations of families have walked up to the counter for warm glazed donuts in the morning and creamy hand-dipped scoops in the afternoon. The walk-up window means you can grab your treat and keep moving toward the beach.

  • Rating: 4.6 stars (6,497+ Google reviews)
  • Address: 19208 Front Beach Rd, Panama City Beach, FL 32413
  • Phone: (850) 234-8039
  • What to order: A glazed donut for breakfast, then come back for a scoop of strawberry or chocolate at sunset
  • Open in Google Maps

Tips for the Best Ice Cream Crawl in Panama City Beach

After 18+ years helping guests explore PCB, here are the little tricks that make ice cream stops easier and more fun.

  • Go after the sand, not before. Most shops are busiest between 7 and 9 PM after dinner. Aim for a 4 to 5 PM pre-dinner cone if you have small kids, or a late-night walk after sunset for a quieter visit.
  • Pier Park is your sampler platter. Kilwins, Marble Slab, and other dessert stops are clustered together, so you can walk between several in one evening.
  • Use Front Beach Road for variety. Pink Pelican, Beach Cow, Riviera Creamery, and Thomas Donut are spread along Front Beach Road, making them easy to combine with other beach-day errands.
  • Bring cash for the local spots. Most shops take cards, but smaller walk-up windows sometimes go cash-only at peak times.
  • Plan for melt time. PCB summer afternoons are hot. Eat your scoop close to the shop or order it in a cup if you have a longer walk back to the car.

Live La Dolce Vita, One Cone at a Time

The best ice cream in Panama City Beach is more than a treat. It is part of the rhythm of a slow, sweet vacation, the kind we built Dolce Vita Getaways to deliver. Whether you are grabbing a Dole Whip from Pink Pelican on your way back to the condo, watching Mr. Puff’s roll your dessert into spirals, or carrying a Kilwins waffle cone through Pier Park, every stop adds another small memory to your trip.

Ready to plan a stay that puts you steps from your next scoop? Browse our Panama City Beach vacation rentals and start living la dolce vita on the Emerald Coast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best ice cream in Panama City Beach?
Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar and Riviera Creamery are two of the highest-rated and most consistently recommended ice cream shops in Panama City Beach, both scoring 4.7 stars on Google. For specialty desserts, David’s New Orleans Style Cafe earns a 4.8-star rating from nearly 2,000 reviewers, making its sno-balls and stuffed creations a clear local favorite.

Where can families find ice cream near Pier Park?
Pier Park is one of the easiest spots in PCB for ice cream. Kilwins, Marble Slab Creamery, and Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt are all within walking distance of each other, so families can sample several without moving the car.

Is there rolled ice cream in Panama City Beach?
Yes. Mr. Puff’s Hand-Rolled Ice Cream on Thomas Drive specializes in Thai-style rolled ice cream made fresh in front of you. Riviera Creamery also offers hand-rolled options alongside its scooped ice cream menu.

Are there dairy-free or vegan ice cream options in PCB?
Several local spots cater to dietary needs. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream offers vegan oat-milk options, sherbet, and Italian ice, while Pink Pelican carries vegan and sugar-free choices alongside its main flavor list.

What is the most unique dessert to try in Panama City Beach?
The Stuffed Sno-Ball at David’s New Orleans Style Cafe is one of the most distinctive desserts on the Gulf Coast. It is a New Orleans-style shaved-ice sno-ball with a layer of ice cream packed into the middle and a flavored syrup poured over the top. The Pink Pelican Special, a layered creation with peanut butter cups, Oreo, brownie, Heath bar bits, and butterscotch, is another bucket-list pick.

What time do ice cream shops in Panama City Beach close?
Most shops stay open until 9 or 10 PM during peak summer season, with some Pier Park locations open even later on weekends. Pink Pelican and Beach Cow Creamery typically run until 10 PM daily. Always check Google Maps for current hours before heading out, especially in the off-season.