Restaurants & Bars

CT Ice Cream Shop Ranked No. 2 In The World, No. 1 In U.S.

The Connecticut creamery ranked second worldwide on Beli's 2026 list, finishing ahead of shops in Rome, New York and San Diego.

A Connecticut ice cream shop has earned a sweet distinction, ranking second in the world and first in the United States on a new list of the world's best ice cream and gelato shops.

Ferris Acres Creamery in Newtown claimed the No. 2 spot on Beli's 2026 ranking of the world's top 12 ice cream and gelato destinations, based on more than 140 million ratings from users of the restaurant-ranking app.

The Newtown creamery finished behind only Cremeria Santo Stefano in Bologna, Italy, and ahead of celebrated shops in Rome, Florence, New York City and San Diego.

Find out what's happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Beli, an app that allows users to rank restaurants they've visited, released the list on social media.

Ferris Acres was the highest-ranked American business on the list, followed by An's Gelato in San Diego at No. 4 and Caffè Panna in New York City at No. 5.

Find out what's happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The recognition follows another national distinction for Ferris Acres, which topped Beli's ranking of U.S. ice cream shops earlier this year.

The creamery, a longtime Newtown favorite, is known for its homemade ice cream and its location on a working dairy farm.

The World's Top 12 Ice Cream And Gelato Shops

According to Beli, the 2026 rankings are:

  1. Cremeria Santo Stefano — Bologna, Italy
  2. Ferris Acres Creamery — Newtown, Connecticut
  3. Come il Latte — Rome, Italy
  4. An's Gelato — San Diego, California
  5. Caffè Panna — New York City, New York
  6. Scooper Gelato — Seoul, South Korea
  7. Garden Creamery — San Francisco, California
  8. Lolli Gelato — Madrid, Spain
  9. Artello Gelato — Palma, Spain
  10. Vivoli — Florence, Italy
  11. Cremeria Cavour — Bologna, Italy
  12. Gelateria Gallonetto — Venice, Italy

The rankings reflect ratings submitted by Beli users rather than evaluations by a panel of professional food critics.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.