Review by ReaganGraeve

With summer approaching, so are big decisions. Filling out your college resume and applying for a summer job are important, but the biggest choice is deciding where you’ll get the best scoop of ice cream in Omaha this summer. 

Although this is the last scoop for the Network, we want to make sure you know where you can pick up a scoop in our absence. It may not be an information scoop… but a tasty scoop. 

Omaha has its wide variety of shops selling the cold dessert. According to a Network Survey conducted in April, the most popular place for ice cream is Coneflower, the least popular is Cold Stone, and Ecreamery is tied in the middle. 

At the bottom of the ice cream pyramid, we have ColdStone. Out of the four locations in the metro area, I chose the location on 120th and Blondo to test. Upon walking in, you’re surrounded by a sweet smell of vanilla. However, the scenery is less sweet. The inside of Cold Stone resembles something similar to a Subway. It’s not necessarily the place you’d picture when you think of going to an ice cream store for a sweet treat on a hot summer night with your friends. 

I decided to taste test their featured flavors: blueberry muffin and lucky charms. The lucky charms flavor simply tasted like vanilla ice cream with an excess amount of green food dye. However, the blueberry muffin flavor was surprisingly identical in flavor to a real blueberry muffin. I eventually settled on a birthday cake flavor. It was 6 dollars for their smallest size. Questioning inflation as I tried my ice cream, I came to the conclusion that ColdStone actually has good ice cream. It was creamy and had a decent amount of flavor. Their smallest size came with a good amount of ice cream to be fulfilled. 

Although the ice cream was pleasant, the pleasantness didn’t extend to the scenery. Even when it comes to ice cream, the saying “it’s about the journey and not the destination” holds true. It’s hard to enjoy your ice cream when you’re surrounded by cold tiles, metal chairs and fluorescent lighting. 

If you pass by Coneflower, you’re likely to see a line out the door, and for good reason. Coneflower encapsules the perfect “going out for ice cream” experience alongside highly flavorful and unique ice cream. The cozy brick building is wedged in Omaha’s Blackstone district, a hot spot for food and entertainment popular amongst young people. It’s typical to see people sitting on benches or walking around the historic area with a ConeFlower scoop in hand. Although ConeFlower has made its home in a tiny building, the small aspect adds to the cozy scenery. Yellow lights strung outside against the brick wall makes it inviting. 

With real ingredients comes real prices. Once upon a time senior Elise Rose used to be a sophomore serving ice cream. She’s here to give us the inside scoop. “They use everything from local farmers and everything is made in house from custarzied cream to the melted sugar flavoring,” Rose said. 

I decided on a pint to get the most ice cream for my dollar. As an ice cream connoisseur I was prepared to have a little extra for the next coming days. The employees were very polite with my requests. Rose explains that “The workers know they have unique flavors that you’ve probably never tried before. They are aware that you’re spending five dollars for two scoops so they are aware that you want the best flavor.” 

I decided on butter brickle. Even though I love ice cream and sweet things, I could only have a few bites for it to be enough because it’s very rich. In my opinion, this is a very valuable attribute to ice cream. Ice cream that can satisfy with just a few spoonfuls is well worth the price. It’s the most unique ice cream I’ve had. 

Rose recommends ConeFlower to anyone willing to try it, “I had a scoop every shift,” Rose said. Her favorite flavor is a brown sugar ice cream with a graham cracker crumble and peach jam. “They do the staple flavors really well. But they also do their unique flavors really well. Best ice cream in Omaha,” Rose said. 

Lastly, I traveled to Dundee to get a taste of Ecreamery. The location has a similar feel to Coneflower. Both are local ice cream shops in a historic part of town. But there is more to ice cream than atmosphere. I paid just under four dollars for a small cup of butter brickle ice cream. Out of the flavors I taste tested there, it was the only flavor that really had any flavor. The customer service and scenery were pleasant, but the ice cream was surprisingly bland. 

Although she may be biased, Rose has described a similar experience at ecreamery. “Every time I’ve gone there I’ve gotten huge chunks in my ice cream. It doesn’t taste like they use natural ingredients to me. It doesn’t taste like anything either,” Rose said.

In my eyes, the debate over local versus chain ice cream shops has a clear winner. Local ice cream places give the fun experience of going out for ice cream and are more likely to have better ingredients. Coneflower is not only made with local ingredients, but it’s made with love in a cute building. It truly has the best of both worlds. 

If you want to shop even more locally, consider reaching out to editor Ruthie Barret for her vegan ice cream! @instagram