Ice cream and desserts in Apex: custard, gelato, cookies and cones

Last checked Oct. 12, 2026. Refreshed every three months.

Apex has no single dessert street. Downtown has gelato and desserts at Common Grounds on Salem Street, with Foxtail Coffee’s gelato on nearby Hunter Street. Frozen custard and ice cream come from chains on Kelly Road, Perry Road and Ten Ten Road, Crumbl bakes cookies at Pine Plaza, and Creekside Landing and Sweetwater each have a cafe with sweets.

How we made this list. The places come from OpenStreetMap records inside Apex’s town limits, the same data behind our local directory, checked against each place’s own website on Oct. 12, 2026. We added Common Grounds, Crumbl, Culver’s and Foxtail Coffee from their own sites, each with an Apex address. We left out map entries we could not confirm: Sweet Spoons Frozen Yogurt on West Williams Street, whose site is gone and whose address now has a different permit holder in Wake County’s restaurant inspection data; Sweet Memories Bakery, whose web address is for sale; and Bruster’s and Cold Stone Creamery, which have no Apex page we could load and are not in the county’s current 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

Baskin-Robbins shares its Perry Road store with a Dunkin’, so the posted hours start early. Its page lists seasonal flavors, dine-in and drive-thru service.

Common Grounds Coffee House & Desserts downtown serves gelato and desserts, including a Death by Chocolate Cheesecake, alongside its coffee, its site says. There are tables inside and out front.

Crumbl on Pine Plaza Drive sells cookies and desserts with a menu of flavors that changes each week, for pickup and delivery. Its page lists no Sunday hours.

Culver’s on Kelly Road serves fresh frozen custard and posts a flavor of the day, along with its burger menu.

DQ Grill & Chill on Ten Ten Road is a Dairy Queen. Its location page would not load for us; Wake County lists it as a permitted restaurant.

Foxtail Coffee runs a gelato program with 10 flavors and six affogato pairings at its Hunter Street and Sweetwater shops, its pages say. Both have patio seating.

Sweet Talk Cafe & Desserts on Creekside Landing Drive is a locally owned coffee shop that makes drinks and treats, including croffles, its site says.

Related lists: wings, pizza, Mexican and Tex-Mex, 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 inspection scores.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get ice cream in Apex?

Ice cream and frozen custard inside Apex town limits: Baskin-Robbins on Perry Road, Culver’s on Kelly Road and DQ Grill & Chill on Ten Ten Road. Common Grounds downtown and both Foxtail Coffee shops serve gelato.

Which Apex dessert shops are open late?

Crumbl on Pine Plaza Drive lists 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and Culver’s on Kelly Road lists 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Where can I get gelato in Apex?

Common Grounds Coffee House & Desserts at 219 N. Salem St. serves gelato, and Foxtail Coffee lists a gelato menu with affogato at its Hunter Street and Sweetwater shops.

Where is there dessert in downtown Apex?

Common Grounds Coffee House & Desserts on North Salem Street serves gelato, cheesecake and other desserts from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.