Ice cream, everyone loves it but no one knows the best spot to get it, until now. Over the course of this year we went to a variety of ice cream places. We rated them on their ice cream quality, looking at a range of qualifications, like flavor, texture and mix-ins. We also rated them on the ice cream shops environments, we were looking for cleanliness, welcoming service and decor.
For each ice cream place we visited we attempted to try as many flavors as possible to get a full grasp of their quality and worth. While we tried each flavor, we thought about how it was compared to our previous ice cream experiences. We then graded each flavor on a 1 – 10 scale.
Next, we snooped around and thought about what would make a first class atmosphere in an ice cream shop. With these classifications we ranked each place. Try our top three this summer!
Ice cream awards
Best environment: Ivanna Cone
Dexter’s favorite flavor: Monster Cookie (9/10) – 402 Creamery
Alex’s favorite flavor: Chocolate (8/10) – Ivanna Cone
Best bathroom: Scoops
Closest to LHS: 402 Creamery + La Carreta de Nataly
402 Creamery # 1
330 S 21st St Suite 101, Lincoln, NE 68510
Monday – Friday 7am to 9pm – Saturday + Sunday 10 to 11
402 Creamery is a top tier ice cream place and wins first place because of its proximity to LHS in addition to their first-class ice cream. They have a wide variety of homemade flavors, with rotating seasonal options. From the flavors we tried from left to right, Corn This Way, Big Red Delicious, monster cookie, and dark chocolate we decided, monster cookie was the best.
Many of the flavors at 402 Creamery accommodate dietary restrictions such as dairy free, gluten free or vegan. The ice cream is on the more expensive side but it is completely worth it. The atmosphere of this shop is nothing crazy but definitely checks all the boxes. It is a cleanly environment, there is nothing unpleasant to look at, the service is exceptional and there is even free water!
Ivanna Cone #2
701 P St #101, Lincoln, NE 68508
Monday – Thursday 12–9 PM – Friday + Saturday 12–10 PM – Sunday 1–9 PM
Ivanna Cone is also a top tier ice cream place. They have a decently large selection of frequently rotating flavors. Similarly to 402 Creamery, Ivanna Cone has unique flavors including blueberry goat cheese (7.5/10) and coffee KitKat (7/10) ice cream. Initially, when we saw these flavors we did not have high expectations for them but they both turned out to be exceptional. Both Ivanna Cone’s chocolate and strawberry ice creams were above average and we were both pleasantly surprised by their piquant pistachio ice cream.
The atmosphere of Ivanna Cone was well deserving of the best environment award because of its interior design and decoration, as well as its lighting and customer service. The workers were friendly. It had relevant and pleasant decor and was well-lit with natural light, but not blinding.
Freezing Thai Rolled Ice Cream #3
210 N 14th St #6, Lincoln, NE 68508
Sunday – Thursday 12 – 9:30PM – Friday + Saturday 12 – 10 PM
Freezing Thai Rolled Ice Cream offers a unique experience because of their rolled ice cream. Rolled ice cream is made by pouring a liquid ice cream base onto a cold metal surface or a cold slab and mixing in toppings. Then they roll it up quickly using a spatula. We tried Sweet Heart (8.5/10)(16) and Reese’s cup (9/10)(17) which we thought were both great options with a unique texture and delicious taste with toppings which made wonderful combinations.
While this shop is also on the more expensive side, like 402 Creamery, the quality of the ice cream and the experience makes it worthwhile. The environment was nothing to brag about but definitely not anything to complain about either, plus they always have music playing on quality speakers!
La Carreta de Nataly – Mentioned for proximity to LHS
810 S 27th St Suite B, Lincoln, NE 68510
Monday – Sunday 10 PM – 10 PM
While not placing on our top three ranking, La Carreta de Nataly is near to our hearts and LHS and offers a number of different drinks and snacks, such as popsicles, sandwiches, tacos and horchata, but we went for the ice cream. We only tried three flavors but all of them tasted delicious. I, Dexter, said that the bubble gum (8/10) and cotton candy (8/10) flavors are just “to die for!!!” Alex said that he has doubts. This place is a great place to go if you are looking for quality ice cream or snacks after school since it is quite close and has a great variety of options.
Scoops – Mentioned for its unique experience
2840 S 70th St, Lincoln, NE 68506
Monday – Friday 2 – 9 PM Saturday + Sunday 12 – 9 PM
Scoops, while not top tier, gives a unique experience: their cubical ice cream scoops. They had a large selection of flavors but not many accommodated dietary restrictions. We were happy with their chocolate (7/10) and peanut butter (7.5) flavors but their flavors were overall sub par such as strawberry pretzel which we rated a 3.5/10. As mentioned in the awards, they did have impressive bathrooms. They were clean and decked out in decor which made using the bathroom a fun experience.
The atmosphere of the shop was noteworthy and it was very clean. It’s a great place to bring your younger siblings, they have a selection of games and also slushies!
Although we put 402 Creamery in the number one spot, it was a close competition. Both spots had a variety of unique flavors. We both agreed that Ivanna Cone did a better job with their flavors, especially the weird ones, but that 402 had a wider variety of overall better flavors. Due to the fact that 402 Creamery is a lot closer to Lincoln High, we gave them the first place spot. Frozen Thai Rolled Ice Cream was a strong 3rd place, with an overall great, albeit expensive, experience.
We thought all of these places had great ice cream, with scoops having the weakest flavors. If you’re looking for quality ice cream, any of the top three are good options.
