Ice cream and desserts in Wilmington: the Riverwalk and beyond

Last checked Oct. 11, 2026. Refreshed every three months.

Ice cream in Wilmington clusters downtown near the Riverwalk, where four shops sit within a few blocks of Market and Water streets, with a fifth in the Brooklyn Arts District on North Fourth Street. Away from the river, a homemade ice cream shop is at The Forum on Military Cutoff Road, a chocolate and ice cream shop is at The Pointe at Barclay, and a pizza window in the Cargo District serves soft serve.

How we made this list. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside Wilmington’s city limits, the data that also feeds our local directory, plus places in the Downtown Wilmington dining directory. We checked each one against its own website on Oct. 11, 2026, and checked each address against the city limits with the U.S. Census Bureau’s address lookup. Sugar Shack has no website we could find and is listed from the downtown directory. Bakeries and doughnut shops are on the 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

Boombalatti’s Handcrafted Ice Cream is a Wilmington ice cream maker with two shops inside the city: at The Forum on Military Cutoff Road and in the Brooklyn Arts District. It ships pints nationwide, and its other shops are in Hampstead, in Carolina Beach and on the UNCW campus.

Crispy Cones on Market Street serves soft serve in hand-rolled dough cones grilled rotisserie style, coated in cinnamon and sugar and filled with spreads or soft serve, with a weekly specialty cone. It takes online orders for pickup or delivery.

Gelarto on South Water Street, in the 100-year-old JW Brooks Warehouse building on the Cape Fear River, serves more than 40 flavors of Italian gelato from a small cafe and takes orders for gelato cakes.

Kilwins has two chocolate, fudge and ice cream shops inside the city: downtown on Market Street, where treats are made in the store, and at The Pointe at Barclay.

Salita Pizza is a takeout pizza window in the Cargo District that also serves soft serve.

Sugar Shack Ice Cream and Candy Bar at 278 N. Water St. has no website we could find. It is listed in the Downtown Wilmington dining directory at that address. Call before you go.

Related lists: wings, pizza, Mexican and Tex-Mex, barbecue, breakfast and coffee, burgers, sushi and Asian, bakeries, patios and outdoor dining and every list by category. Also: brunch, date night, the business directory and restaurant inspections.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get ice cream in downtown Wilmington, NC?

Near the Riverwalk, Kilwins is at 16 Market St., Crispy Cones at 120 Market St., Gelarto at 18 S. Water St. and Sugar Shack at 278 N. Water St. Boombalatti’s has a shop at 1005 N. Fourth St. in the Brooklyn Arts District.

Which Wilmington ice cream shops are open late?

Kilwins on Market Street lists 11 p.m. closing on Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. the rest of the week. Both Boombalatti’s shops stay open to 10 p.m. on the days they are open.

Is there gelato in Wilmington?

Yes. Gelarto at 18 S. Water St., in the JW Brooks Warehouse building on the Riverwalk, serves more than 40 flavors of Italian gelato and is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with seasonal changes.

Where can I get soft serve in Wilmington?

Salita Pizza, a takeout window in the Cargo District at 615 S. 16th St., serves soft serve along with its wood-fired pizza.