Scooping Up the Best: A Guide to Finding the Perfect Local Ice Cream Shop

Uncovering the Cream of the Crop: The 4 Key Questions to Ask When Evaluating Your Local Ice Cream Shop

You’re new in town. You’ve recently moved to the area after years of contemplating whether the city was the right place for you. You’ve had your eye on a few locations, nothing crazy, but one day you got an email; Price Drop: 1 Main Street, Dreamtown, USA.

You call the realtor. Not a lot of reviews, but they seemed nice enough. Anyway, they showed you the place. You liked it enough to throw in an offer because, hey, what the hell, right? There’s no way they’ll accept your offer, right? Well, wrong! They accept your offer!

You spent the last month packing your belongings, bribing your friends with big SUVs and trucks to help you move out of your apartment. Now you’re in your new home. It’s beautiful. Natural sunlight fills the bedroom in the morning. Cool, evening breeze strolls through your backyard at night. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a home, in a neighborhood, and before anything gets unpacked, to commemorate this beautiful step in your new life, you’ve got to try that ice cream spot the realtor told you about.

How do you know if this ice cream shop is any good? Well, you can look for a few things when trying a new spot. I’ll list them below:

Where was the ice cream made?

This is helpful for a few reasons.

First reason: if the ice cream is made on-site, it’s likely made using local ingredients, thus tasting a bit better as the assumption is the dairy is closer to the source, the ingredients are closer to the creation date, etc. This isn’t a foolproof theory but a pretty good sign.

Some of my favorite shops have multiple locations within a short distance and will use one of their shops to make the ice cream and transport it to another place immediately after it’s made. So don’t use this as the end all be all to whether the shop is any good, but the shop is likely to be better if it’s made in-house… which leads me to reason two…

Second reason: if the ice cream is made in-house, the staff is expected to be invested in the flavor and your general experience in the shop. As you look at the menu, the person behind the counter will give better and more honest recommendations because they either a. made it or b. saw it getting made. Either way, they had something to do with creating the product you’re about to enjoy, so on top of the flavor probably being better, the recommendation you’re about to receive is top-notch.

No knock on the shops that receive their ice cream from other locations, but if I’m working there, I’m not as excited to scoop your big batch ice cream onto a pre-packed waffle cone. I mean, I’m happy for you, don’t get me wrong, but let’s complete this transaction, okay?

Where is the owner?

Again, not the end all be all to whether the shop is good. Salt & Straw is a great shop, and as many times as I’ve visited, I don’t think I’ve ever been there at the same time as their founder. They’ve got a lot of locations. But if we’re talking small batch, small town, one or two shops, where’s the owner?

A shop owner typically has a lot riding on their business; therefore, logic and common sense say their ice cream should be excellent. One of my favorite shops is Sweet Scoops in Sonoma, CA. I first found the shop as Allie and I were looking for spots to take out pregnancy announcement photos for Raegan. We knew we wanted to do something with ice cream. We made a sign that said, “Kiddie Cone coming August 2016,” which only works if we eat ice cream next to it.

Anyway, we stumbled upon Sweet Scoops, which had been open for maybe less than a year at that point. Looking at the storefront, you knew the ice cream was going to be incredible, but once we walked in, the first person we saw was the owner, and that’s how I knew this shop was going to be amazing… which it clearly was and still is.

What are the vibes?

You know, how are you feeling as you’re walking up to the shop? Are you excited? What’s the aesthetic? Is the outside of the shop maintained well? They don’t have any lights out in their sign, do they? For some reason, the same vibe checks don’t work equally across all food establishments. For example, I’m not eating at an ice cream shop that looks like it struggles to pass food safety audits. But put me in front of a BBQ or taco spot you know has failed an audit once or twice? Well, sign me up because you know their food is delicious.

Vibe checks are highly underrated, mainly because there’s no way to measure them. A vibe to me may not be a vibe to you but when it comes to ice cream shops, are other people inside? Does it feel cozy? It doesn’t look like the walk around sterilizing the shop every hour, does it? Is anything handwritten? See? Vibes…

Now, most importantly, we know where the ice cream is made. We’ve seen the owner. The vibes are immaculate. But let’s get to it…

How many flavors did they have?

Tough decision, right? Now I’ll say, generally speaking, and totally not scientific, but shops with fewer flavors are just better. They are! I said it’s not scientific, but that’s a lie. Science shows there is such a thing as decision fatigue. Not only can it apply to life, but it can apply to food spaces as well, like when you go to the Cheesecake factory, and they place the menu on your table, and you’re like, “is this the bible?” and they’re like “no, it’s our 100,000 item menu for you to choose from. I’ll be back in five minutes to take your order.”

First of all, nobody can cook that many dishes well. Second… is it fresh? Don’t tell me the Maine lobster is fresh. It’s February, and we’re in Iowa. The same goes for ice cream (kinda, it’s frozen, so it’s supposed to keep longer but still). If a shop currently offers 10–12 flavors, then you know what you’re scooping is significantly closer to its creation date than shops with 31 flavors (no knock, but it’s true). And when we’re talking food, the closer to its creation date, the better… unless it’s wine… or some cheese… and maybe some other food products, but one thing I know for sure is aged ice cream is not good.

I know I’m a walking contradiction. Some of my favorite ice cream on the planet is Stewart’s Shops which has dozens of flavor options and can be found in literally hundreds of gas stations in Upstate NY. But that’s both a regional and nostalgic thing which are VERY important regarding food. Not to mention, Stewart’s refuses to sell outside of Upstate NY and parts of Vermont because they won’t compromise their flavor.

Ice cream shops that take their time crafting specific flavors using in-season ingredients to preserve freshness must be supported and treasured. Why? Not only are these shops providing the freshest product to their customers, but they’re likely supporting their neighbors by buying locally. This keeps their money local and benefits small businesses and community members who work tirelessly to support their families.

Sure, you may pay a couple of extra bucks for a scoop of ice cream. Still, that investment goes far in your community, allowing local shops to source better ingredients, make better ice cream, and continue providing exceptional service to your community. That’s what makes your neighborhood feel more like home by the day.

So how can you tell if your local ice cream shop is good?

Ask the person behind the counter what their favorite flavor is.

Are they excited to tell you about their favorite flavor?

Do they push you to try a flavor you didn’t ask for?

Do they ask you questions about what you like or don’t like?

Here’s the biggest question… do they care? Do they care about the shop? Do they care about the product? Do they care about their community?

If the answer is yes, yes, yes, then you’ve found a fantastic shop. Tell everyone you know, become a regular with the staff, and enjoy your new neighborhood because you’ve got a good one.