The Parlour

Cute bakery that apparently only opened to the public a year ago. They sell sample size cake cups…read moreand cookies and small banana bread loafs. I tried the strawberry and the red velvet. I enjoyed the strawberry more than the red velvet. It also didn't have its foto cream cheese frosting which made me like it less, not the best I've had. Owner was very friendly and welcoming. Would pass by and try other items they sell.

They did an amazing job on a Winnie the Pooh cake for a baby shower I was hosting! The process was…read moresmooth all the way through and the cake was beautiful/very flavorful! Definitely recommend and will be using them in the future. Don't walk, run!

Our Cakes Are Pretty in Pink! And All Colors Send Our Team a Message to Find Out More

Eggward is The Cake of a KillerYour Favorite Meme as a Cake

See all

Such a Fun Baby Shower Cake We Create Custom Designed Cakes for All Occasions Send Our Team a Message

Ro Cake Studio

5.0(4 reviews)

2.5 mi

Our family has a new favorite baker! Our usual bakery stopped offering lemon cakes for some…read morereason, so after a quick search, we found Ro and I'm so glad we did! Ordering was easy and her communication was great. My husband's birthday cake looked gorgeous and tastes AMAZING. The cake itself is incredibly tender and flavorful and the frosting was smooth, creamy, and absolutely delicious. We'll be ordering from Ro for every special occasion from now on. Thanks so much!!

The cake was exactly like the picture and it taste great. If you need a custom cake please contact…read moreRo cake Studio

Banana pudding cake

See all

Bull City Bake Shop

4.6(47 reviews)

5.9 mi

Pro tip: We always order a big box of cookies and brownies and they keep very well for the whole…read moreweek if we transfer them to an airtight container. Everything here is amazing. I ordered a personalized cake recently and requested they leave it plain/ugly bc I had bought decorations I wanted to use. Darn them, they still gave me a gorgeous cake!!!! It was a large cake for two people (especially when one doesn't like chocolate) but my partner was brave and destroyed it in 2 days. EVERYTHING is delicious. Try it all.

We stopped in and ordered a few desserts to try…read more Chocolate cake- 4/5 Caramel Blondie- 2/5 M&M cookie -2/5 The blondie and cookie had a weird aftertaste. Maybe it was the refrigeration, I'm not sure but it was off putting. This was our first visit so I'm not sure if this is normal or if this was an off day. The location is easy to find and had plenty of parking. We wanted to love this place but it just missed the mark for us.

Assorted Cupcakes and Cakes

See all

Birthday cake cupcake

Oh My Cake

5.0(12 reviews)

11.7 mi

Locally owned small business. Soooo amazing and delicious. This is a must try. The cupcakes are the…read morebest I've ever had

Ordered the Earl grey maple pecan cake and it's sooooo delicious. The cake is not dry and extremely…read morecreamy. I will definitely order from Apple again.

Creme Brulee dessert

Black forest cake

See all

Miel Bon Bons

4.3(83 reviews)

0.6 mi

Amazingly beautiful truffles that are delicious. Great variety of flavorsHelpful staff. . Will be…read moreback

Miel Bon Bons is a cute little artisanal chocolate shop and bakery nestled within Brightleaf…read moreDistrict! We got a pack of 8 chocolates (admittedly they did cost a pretty penny haha), which ranked from my most to least favorite are: 1. Horchata: So good, the horchata essence hit me as soon as I took a bite. Very cinnamony, very milky & creamy. 2. Passionfruit: I'm a sucker for anything passionfruit. The curd-like filling did not taste artificial at all. 3. Almond cardamom: Topped with a real almond, but more cardamom forward, reminded me of chai. 4. Hazelnut sassy monkey: Distinguished more coffee than banana, but it was there. Also liked the layer of crunch. 5. Raspberry lychee: The raspberry jam was strong and tasty, the floral essence from lychee was subtle. 6. Sesame matcha: Surprisingly citrusy? I did taste some bitterness from the matcha and appreciated the earthy sesame crust. 7. Ube: Sadly did not detect much ube flavor. 8. Earl grey lavender: Definitely the prettiest, but tasted like what I imagine soap would taste like. In terms of whether the chocolate is worth the price: I've never had this experience of trying such diverse and interesting chocolate flavors before so it was for me. Ambiance is nice, I think there was only outside seating. There's good parking nearby in the Brightleaf lots or on W Pettigrew St. Service was fast and friendly. 8/10 would recommend!

Pecan pie

See all

Yuzu lemon and lavender fog

Little Barb’s Bakery

4.2(34 reviews)

0.3 mi

What I recommend: The brown sugar oatmeal cookie…read more Little Barb's Bakery is a small but mighty spot inside the Durham Food Hall. My go-to item every single time is the brown sugar oatmeal cookie. It's thin, crisp, and baked to the perfect level of brittleness while still keeping that classic oatmeal sweetness. When you get the right one, it's absolute perfection. As always, staff is very friendly, and since it's located right at the food-hall, it makes for a perfect spot to grab a sweet treat after your meal.

Love the choices at Littje Barb's Bakery. Got a vegan bar for a friend. Then s'mores bars,…read morecheesecake bar, chocolate chip cookie and a sugar cookie to share. Staff always helpful and nice. Easy to get to in the food hall.

See all

Ninth Street Bakery

4.2(329 reviews)

0.0 mi

This is our favorite bakery in the area for several reasons. There is a wide variety of baked goods…read moreto choose from and nothing is too sweet. They make cookies, pastries, breads (pan loaf and hand-formed ones), soups, hand pies, and sandwiches. The variety is amazing. During the holiday season, they offer larger pies and have various seasonal goods to offer. But what's also wonderful is this bakery gives back to the community in many ways. During the height of the pandemic, they offered free bagged lunch to anyone who needed one. They also were (are?) part of the pilot project for Durham's guaranteed income. It looks to me that the owners/company are concerned about being good citizens of the community and that's a great thing. These days, so many companies get bought out by private equity companies. I hope this bakery continues to be locally owned and operated! (Also, generally this bakery isn't offering the very fancy European/European-ish style pastries which is fine by me. The prices are very reasonable, possibly in part because they aren't trying to make their baked goods a "high end" item. There are other good local bakeries that offer "high end" pastries, but they are also much less affordable and for my taste, too rich.)

The muffins at 9th St Bakery are my favorite. They are not too sweet and have a nice cakeyness to…read morethem. I swing by here for a snack, loaf, or just a sandwich for lunch very often and love their day old bread section as well.

Interior

Chocolate brownie

See all

Chicken & tomato pesto sandwich, Mediterranean tuna sandwich

The French Corner Bakery

4.3(112 reviews)

2.6 mi

The bakery itself is cute, clean, and always a joy to visit. The food is delicious and the…read moreemployees are super friendly and polite! I love coming here even though it's a bit out of my way, it's worth it! Can't wait to try what we got this time! The pastries are great and the mini quiches and cookies are tasty too!

We had been here years ago and I was in the neighborhood at Costco and decided to stop by. I…read moreunderstand it is owned and run by an actual French baker although when I stopped in most of the staff appeared to be Latino. The location is a little hard to find but just GPS it. There were several patrons sitting and eating but there aren't many tables. I got a croissant and sourdough loaf to go. Croissant was good but the sourdough tasted more like refined white bread than the rustic kind that we prefer. We're not in this area too often but I'll need to remind myself this place is here.

Wonderful ambiance. Unique use of old sewing machine tables. Great food!!

See all

Front entrance

Even Dough

4.6(34 reviews)

11.3 mi

The service I received on a Friday, 10 minutes from closing time, was a bright spot to the day. The…read moreyoung woman who assisted me was pleasant, patient with my questions, and considerate with boxing my items. The ambiance was calming and clean. Good service is very difficult to find nowadays, so 'Even Dough' gets an A+ and I will return. ps) the secret garden latte is amazing!

My husband and I came from Raleigh to come celebrate Even Dough's 1st birthday and it was so fun!…read morewe ordered at the counter and the cashier was very nice. We ordered a few different pastries to enjoy there and a sunset matcha. The warmed up our pastries since we ate there. The matcha was SO good and I really could taste the mango which i loved. They gave us some dot cakes to celebrate and they we cake was perfectly sweet and moist! We enjoyed everything we got. There was plenty seating inside and outside. We also picked up some stuff to go. My favorite was the banana and dulce tart. It was sweet and really had a great banana flavor! I am so happy that we got to spend our sunday morning here and it was our first ever in Carrboro!

Beach cake

90th birthday cake

See all

Cupcakes

Myra's Custom Cakes

5.0(1 review)

4.3 mi

Myra created the most delicious and gorgeous wedding cake for us! Her almond cakes were to die for…read moreand her attention to detail when decorating was stunning. Our guests raved about how yummy it was! She was a pleasure working with and made our cake dreams a reality!

See more unrecommended reviews

See all

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

44 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Kristine N.

Elite 26

127

266

2 years ago

After getting dinner downtown, I decided to visit The Parlour for a sweet pick-me-up. This local ice cream shop offers a delightful range of both classic and seasonal flavors, ensuring there's something to please everyone. Service was quick and friendly, adding to the overall pleasant experience. I was particularly impressed with their commitment to sustainability; instead of the usual plastic testers, they use reusable stainless-steel spoons, which is a small but significant touch in reducing waste. I decided to indulge in a scoop of their banana pudding ice cream, and let me tell you, it was a resounding 10/10. The balance of sweetness was spot-on, and the chunks of wafer cookies integrated throughout the creamy base were a nostalgic, crunchy delight. This place has definitely earned a spot on my must-visit list for dessert, and I'm eager to return and try new seasonal flavors! read more

Cait H.

Elite 15

179

292

242

13 years ago

Finally got the chance to stop by the new shop after multiple tastes from The Parlour's truck. I usually go for everything Salted Butter Caramel (in a cup, in a cone, as a shake, between 2 cookies, whatever), but when we visited the shop, I couldn't *not* get Blueberry Cheesecake. This ice cream was a perfect summer-afternoon snack, complete with fresh fruit and graham cracker. Jay tried the Blackberry, which was also amazing and he had to drag me out before I just started buying up all the pints in the fridge to take back with us to Cary. I love the truck. I love the shop. I love The Parlour. Their attention to detail and quality cannot compare with anything else locally and I will be glad to give them all my dollars, whether they're rollin' or I'm in Bull City. read more

Anna G.

11 years ago

My boyfriend and I attended CenterFest and the highlight was our stop at The Parlour. I ordered a Drunken Sailor sundae and it was awesome! I love the how the sweetness of the ice cream and fudge are complimented by the saltiness of the potato chips (yes potato chips!) and chocolate covered pretzels. The staff was extremely busy because of the festival and yet they quickly filled orders with a smile on their face. I can't wait to go back! read more

Carolina B.

7 years ago

A real treat to eat here. It's really unique and very popular so you may want to prepare yourself to wait in line. The ice cream itself is rich and creamy. Very delicious. I mean, who doesn't love ice cream, right ? LoL read more

Nasir K.

5 years ago

Great place awesome service very affordable you will not be disappointed for sure try this place I had a great experience I will be going back it was so relaxing and good conversation very professional love this place! read more

Steven C.

9 years ago

Perfect for date night. Great ice cream with a relaxing downtown environment. Unique flavors with daily specials and to-go pints. A must if you're in the Durham area. read more

Monique F.

11 years ago

If you are willing to wait in the line around the block - then it is worth it!! They always have unique options for all tastes! They even have vegan options. read more

bradley y.

5 years ago

Love everything and it is my favorite place in the world to get ice cream. They have been brilliant during covid and extra safe! Love going here read more

John K.

1 year ago

Allo is one of the kindest humans I've met--thanks for the tip about the house roasted coconut flakes! Next scoops on you Allo! Thank you!

Courtney G.

11 years ago

Worth the drive to Durham just for Icecream! Husband isn't a fan of ice cream and loves the Parlour. Brownie sundaes is are favorite!

Paul S.

10 years ago

Best ice cream in North Carolina, hands down! Definitely try the salted caramel and honey lavender, thought the latter is seasonal.

Kaitlyn A.

Elite 20

355

8 years ago

Not much to say other than it was SOOOO good! It was 10 pm and there was a line. This place is a must for dessert!

Leslie W.

4 years ago

Lines get long but they do a good job of moving it along. Good ice cream with lots of different toppings.

Floyd B.

11 years ago

The ice cream was very good, but not better than others that I had. They did have several unique flavors.

Alyssa W.

146

5 years ago

The flavors are interesting and tasty. The prices are reasonable considering the location. Would return.

Lolethia U.

156

4 years ago

Great ice cream flavors and the seasonal flavors are delicious! The staff is pretty efficient too.

Nikkib P.

7 years ago

Thank you so much for making the best ice cream in town. The people that work here are the best.

Lynn C.

Elite 23

468

603

10 years ago

Had a scoop of banana and a scoop of caramel. Both delicious, but the caramel is life changing!

Michelle D.

6 years ago

The line outside tells it all! This place has amazing ice cream and is worth the wait!

William L.

7 years ago

Second time visiting and both time line out the door, should speak for the greatness.

The Parlour - icecream - Updated September 2026

People who viewed The Parlour also viewed

Pincho Loco

4.8

(197 reviews)

Love the ice cream at Pincho Loco. The staff is always friendly. I love the decor of the parlour…read moreand it is just all around fun. I love the ice cream cakes and flavors available, the smoothies and sweets are also just so good! I do also love that they have to go containers of ice cream!

It was everything we wanted out of a late-night ice cream run! We got their mango ice & lemon lime…read moresorbet. The lemon lime sorbet was especially delicious. Wish that they had had a vegan ice cream (instead of just vegan ices, popsicles, or sorbets), but what they had was good, so I can't complain too much! Service was fast, the inside was cute, and there's a bench outside to sit on if it's a nice day.

Simons Says Dip This

4.3

(238 reviews)

Ice cream. Core flavor. Dip. Sprinkles. What more could you want? I wish I lived closer and could…read morego every day.

Fun soft serve ice cream place in downtown Durham. I had a vanilla bowl with chocolate dip and…read moresprinkles. The dip was not quite sweet enough for me but I loved the soft serve. My husband had the ice cream nachos with butterscotch dip and rainbow sprinkles, Our favorite part of these were the waffle chips. Would highly recommend that dish. The shop is cute but got very busy while we were there and there was only one employee. I felt really bad for her because she got swamped but she handled it well. Definitely give it a try if you are in the area.

Salt N Cocoa

4.8

(73 reviews)

Amazing as always! Customer service is great and the employee even offered to remake my Nutella…read moretaiyaki if it was too dark for my liking - which it wasn't. Their rolled ice cream combinations are tasty but the made to order taiyaki truly takes the cake. Nice and crispy on the outside that gives away to warm and gooey Nutella. It is smoking hot immediately but hard to wait, hence the vanilla ice cream! The space was nice and bright, clean, and welcoming. They have redone their seating to include a couch which is very comfortable and can comfortably seat different parties with space in between. Always a treat and can't wait to be back.

A cute place to have ice cream, boba, or even coffee.. with both indoor & outdoor seating. The menu…read morehas quite a few fun options, including the famous Japanese fish-shaped waffles called taiyaki, with both sweet & savory fillings. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kadak Chai (Indian special tea) & Kashmiri Pink Chai Latte on the menu. Definitely something I'd like to try next time! We ordered the Gulab Jamun Rolled Ice Cream & Falooda. The rolled Gulab Jamun ice cream was good, but the Falooda was AMAZING! Perfectly layered and the presentation was on point for both. Before you head there, two things I'd like to mention...the prices are high! $10 for rolled ice cream feels a bit much & the service is slow. But if you're there to spend time with someone, go ahead & chit-chat until your dessert arrives :-P Because sometimes the dessert takes its sweet time... literally :D

MilkShake Factory Downtown Durham

4.4

(32 reviews)

Let's get right to it... possibly the best milk shake I've ever had. Fun atmosphere and friendly…read moreservice. Jess and Teagan both deserve to be on the employee of the month list! I'd recommend the chocolate peanut brownie milkshake. That, along with some bark or a truffle will give you just enough of a sugar high to make it through throws at you today!

"Great milkshakes right behind the Durham Bulls stadium"…read more Behind the Bulls stadium, next to Moe's, sits this little treat. We came on a Friday evening at around 7pm, and there was no line (though a few people came in right behind us). The place is bright and airy, with some seating, and a great counter showing a selection of chocolate treats and the menu of milkshakes. I was delighted that they had some dairy-free milkshakes, given my lactose intolerance! And 4 choices no less! They of course had fancier flavors in the dairy set, more complex than CookOut (which I love). My girlfriend and I got the lactose-free cookies and cream milkshake. They fixed it on the spot, so we got it in maybe 2 minutes. Service was friendly-- they were patient with the customers behind us who were a bit unruly (more playful unruly than rude). One word-- DELICIOUS. Not too sweet, but just right. I've had some weird dairy-free milkshakes with a grittiness or chalkiness, but this was straight-up like how I remember the real deal. It was thick too, and unlike CookOut, they gave you a thick straw so you can actually drink with it. Why 4 stars and not 5? The price was a bit steep. With a $1 tip, this one shake (which was reasonably sized but far from huge) was over $10. But for the quality and selection, I do think it's "not unreasonable". Worth the try, and worth it for a special treat!

Locopops

4.5

(188 reviews)

After my tour at the Duke Lemur Center, it was recommended that I stop at Locopops before heading…read morehome. A free parking lot is available on the side of the business. There is a large backyard area if you are looking to stay a while and eat your treats. There are also many seating areas on the porch. When you arrive, the available flavors are on the chalkboard menu. I then told the employee at the counter what I wanted, and he even put them in a Ziploc baggie for me to take home. They made the drive okay, even though it took longer than usual, because a big truck decided to go 35mph on a 55mph road. I went with Mexican chocolate, lavender cream, watermelon, ginger limeade and orange mango. They were as delicious as I remembered. I also left with an item from the bakery. I enjoyed every bite of that, too. The Mexican-style popsicles are what Locopops is known for, but they also have ice cream. The locopops come in regular and mini sizes. They offer both dairy and non-dairy flavors. I didn't see the pints of ice cream until I was on my way out, or I would have picked one up too. In their retail area, they also have some non-food items like puzzles, games and cards. I think I saw some soaps and jewelry, too. So you might just find a gift for someone here, too.

This place is a fan favorite of my grand daughters. She loves the pop flavor cookies and cream…read more This is a nice change of pace from ice cream bars or scoops. This is a must stop if near Dukes campus. Service is quick and it's easy to find. They have lots of interesting flavors. No picture as she ate her Locopop pretty quickly.

Yogurt Pump

4.3

(194 reviews)

Love this place. Especially bc there's not a Goodberry's in Chapel Hill (it's the next best ice…read morecream). Delicious frozen yogurt, almost tastes like frozen custard. I love that they add the toppings in the middle so they aren't falling off when you try to eat your ice cream!

Went to this froyo spot after lunch and it did not disappoint! They had a good variety of fun…read moreflavors and the two I got were so creamy, decadent, thick, and perfectly sweet I've never had frozen yogurt that was this similar to soft serve ice cream! Maybe it's even better! The toppings were your basic store bought toppings so I assume with this shop it's mostly about the actually froyo.

Maple View Farm Country Store

4.4

(373 reviews)

First of all, the ice cream is exceptional, well worth the trip, but everything else was great,…read moretoo. The staff is friendly/service oriented, the vibe is laid back.... and did I say the ice cream is exceptional? Also, some local honey was for sale, so I bought some and love it.

This is a lovely farm located in Hillsborough that makes homemade ice creams and sorbets. I loved…read morelocation; the fields are rolling and you can actually see the stars at night out here! I got the banana pudding ice cream, which was decent. I appreciated that it had some texture and some ground-in Nilla wafers. Overall, a fun drive out of the city for some solid ice cream!

Milk Lab - Durham

4.5

(170 reviews)

This place is amazing! I have visited most countries in Asia for reference and live on the West…read moreCoast. So I have a fair amount of boba tea experience. The service is efficient and precise. The ambiance is calm and relaxing with a dent of brown sugar. The ceremonial grade Uji Matcha was the best that I've had outside of Kyoto, hands-down. Additionally, the milk foam on top is perfection, and not too sweet, not too salty, just right. All of the other teeth that I tried were good whether it was fruit tea or green tea. I will definitely return for any of their drinks.l whenever in town.

MILKLAB is a small dessert and tea chain around the Research Triangle Park. They are known for…read moretheir rolled ice cream and boba. The inside was rather spacious and there were some seats in the back for people to do work or study. I found the service to be timely on the day I went. I got the Rainbow Fresh Fruit Tea. It tasted like the name: very fruity with some passionfruit jelly at the bottom. I did get the drink at 70% sweetness, but it tasted like 100% sweetness. Next time, I would get 50% sweetness or less because it was too sweet for me. I did not get the rolled ice cream here, but I am sure it would have tasted amazing as I have gotten it at another location before. Overall, a solid spot for desserts and drinks.

La Vita Dolce

4.1

(117 reviews)