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    Arethusa Farm Dairy

    4.4 (216 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Hours showing open until 9pm.

    Summer hours are posted but they are indeed not open until 9pm. Drove 20+ minutes to get there at 8:45pm and everything was closed up and dark. Just a heads up. Will give another try eventually but not a good experience. Should've stayed local and went to our usual spot. Hope they update it soon!

    View from across the street
    Mary C.

    Stopped here on 4th of July on my way to Hidden Valley Preserve. Got here at 10:45 thinking we'd be the 1st ones there that morning but there were already a few groups outside eating ice cream. The sweet cream w/ chocolate chips and toasted almond coconut were excellent and the waffle cone made it absolutely outstanding. Wish it was closer but it's in a scenic area and well worth the drive.

    The sign
    Ana B.

    Arethusa offers some of the tastiest local ice creams I've ever had. It's been a while since I've been to one of their locations, since the West Hartford location isn't what it once was. Arethusa's home location is in Bantam. Here you may also find their coffee shop as well as their restaurant. It's a whole little community of everything Arethusa. It was very busy when we arrived at Arethusa. The line was long, but moved fast. They have around 8 - 10 in house made ice cream flavors. I forgot how super generous they are with filling your cup, with just one scoop. They will also do half and half scoops. I went with the coffee flavor. Of course, nothing was light about it. From the rich, authentic coffee flavor, to the overflowing scoop in my cup. As much as I enjoyed this flavor for its authentic taste, I should have gone half with coconut or vanilla, just to mellow out the richness a bit. I still enjoyed it so much that I drank the remaining melted ice cream from my cup. For truly the best ice cream in Connecticut give Arethusa a try!

    Bonnie G.

    The real deal. Everything you want in a creamy, dreamy, fresh ice cream straight from a farm. The stuff of Midwest dreams. Loved everything - the peppermint stink with chunks of peppermint, the chocolate with chocolate chunks, vanilla, and sweet cream with chocolate chunks. Every flavor is a win. 5 stars!!!

    Ice cream counter
    Natalie S.

    Fabulous ice cream! Loved the different flavors (chocolate with chocolate chips, vanilla, peach, mint chocolate chip, pumpkin, cherry). I tasted the peach ice cream, real peaches! I ordered the pumpkin and the chocolate & chocolate chip. The chocolate is very rich, so good. You must stop here if you're in the area.

    the front of the building
    Susan K.

    ORIGIN: In 1999 Vice President and President of New York-based Manolo Blahnik shoes, Anthony Yurgaitis and George Malkemus, purchased a 350 acre dairy farm to protect the view from their Litchfield home. The dairy farm, previously owned by the Webster family since the mid-19th century, was named Arethusa after the native pink orchid that grows in boggy areas. In time, the farm's structures and purpose were restored, becoming the home of 350 pampered dairy cows. National awards followed, as did the opening of this storefront in Bantam's former firehouse in 2011. LOCATION: The literal brick and mortar storefront for Aresthusa Farm is located on the primary thoroughfare that stretches across Bantam (Route 202/Bantam Road). A parking lot is located behind, accessible via a turn onto Doyle Road. While there is no seating inside, several wooden benches line the front entrance. CONCEPT: The store sells award-winning and highly regarded products from the Litchfield dairy, including ice cream, cheese, and milk. FOOD and BEVERAGES: Ice cream flavors are limited, with expanded options produced seasonally. For example, during the winter holiday season you will find rum raisin, cranberry and dark chocolate, and pumpkin and ginger molasses cookie flavored ice cream. Ice cream is served in cones, cups, and shakes, as well as through take home containers. Looking for something savory? A variety of cheeses, including Camembert, Gouda, and Cheddar, are sold from refrigerator cases. SERVICE: As noted by other customers, service is not consistent in terms of feeling welcomed. In my most recent visit, the two people working the counter exchanged comments as I took photos for this review. The store was empty at the time, and I had purchased $60 worth of goodies, but apparently efforts to quickly capture the three products I had purchased via store-based photos was annoying. TIPS: Eggnog from the dairy is produced during the winter holidays and is a real treat. The product is sold in old fashioned glass milk bottles with festive painted labels with designs that mark the year. Cloth ribbon adorned boxes of cheese are also available during the winter holiday season -- an easy and likely welcomed house gift. White paper boxes with clear tops are available to create custom gifts, and are able to neatly fit four pints of ice cream.

    Chicken
    Dona F.

    Went to see my grandchildren in New Fairfield. This place came highly recommended to them but unfortunately they didn't research. They were expected "a farm" with animals for the kids. There was none of that. Basically there's 2 standing structures. An upscale dinner place (the menu looks amazing) , an ice cream shop, and the sandwich lunch place. Small menu but everything was good. We had a tuna sandwich, a fried chicken sandwich and the roast beef. All was delish. Really good bread. Grapes on the side. Very clean.

    Tammy G.

    Service was fast and friendly. The store was perfectly clean. The ice cream was very good. I would have given them five stars if they had seating available.

    Peach Ice Cream
    Cheyenne C.

    Delicious ice cream and dairy products! The cheese is always great and they have fun ice cream flavors that are sure to please. Prices are reasonable and everything tastes fresh.

    Coconut with Dark Chocolate Chunks
    Scott G.

    Arethusa ice cream is by far some of the past you'll ever have! The Litchfield (Bantam) location is the original one, with the farm just a short distance down the street. They also have a restaurant (Arethusa al Tavolo) right next door, and a breakfast/lunch cafe (Arethusa a Mano) directly across the street. The ice cream is just simply, amazing. Their selection is not huge, with just about 12 flavors to choose from (Classic, Specialty, and Seasonal). And there are also no toppings available (but honestly, you don't need them!). You can combine two flavors into one scoop if you choose. Besides ice cream, they sell other dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. I went and got the Coconut with Dark Chocolate Chunks in a waffle cone, and it was so creamy and delicious! If you got on a spring/summer weekend day, the line will likely be out the door (or pretty close). But they usually have a lot of staff working and so it moves quickly. The service is very good, they definitely have the process down. There's no seating inside, but a few tables outside in front of the building. Parking is available in a lot behind the building. Arethusa also has two ice cream locations in New Haven and West Hartford and the ice cream is just as good. A spot you need to check out this summer!

    Megan H.

    Worth the drive for the best ice cream, great service and scrumptious dairy products!

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    11 months ago

    The best ice cream anywhere. Second to none. Service is great and ambience for take out ice cream cannot be beat.

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    Delicious chocolate dark chocolate chunk and sweet cream ice cream! My boyfriend loved the old fashioned almond with toasted coconut as well

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    2 years ago

    Great ice cream. So rich. A must stop in Litchfield County. I haven't been to the formal restaurant they have.

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    2 years ago

    The ice cream is good. .... However they let too many "non" service dogs in there which is pretty disgusting.

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    Page 1 of 6

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    Dutch Epicure Shop - Almond Triangles

    Dutch Epicure Shop

    4.7(26 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    "'Til I have the possession of everything she touches 'Til I…read morestep on the brake to get out of her clutches 'Til I speak Double Dutch to a real double duchess" (Elvis Costello) We were chatting about Litchfield County with the attendant at the White Memorial Conservation Center and she mentioned the many "World Class" bakeries in the area. So, when we visited the Dutch Epicure Shop, we had some high expectations. Epicure Shop is a righteous title, because they sell quite a bit of high-end epicure foods -groceries, soups, a huge deli, and a bakery with breads and pastries. They've developed a big reputation for their European pastries, breads, cookies and cakes. Yup, they make everything on the premises. As you walk around their store, you'll see German meats and sausages, Dutch and European cheeses, teas, jams, chocolates from all across Europe, and a selection of Dutch food and Dutch groceries. I was perplexed by the large selection of Indonesian foods here, but when I fired up the old Google Machine for an explanation, I learned that the Dutch ruled Indonesia from 1815 to 1920! Anyway, back to the food. We zeroed in on the bakery choices and picked up three items for $15. Our Blueberry Lemon Scone was pretty large and was topped with a delicate layer of vanilla icing. It tasted more of blueberry than lemon but was super fresh and delicious. The Almond Triangles were sold as a pair for $6. They were fantastic. Hidden between the sliced almond topping and a graham cracker-like crust was a sweet fruit layer that reminded me of apricot jam. These are addictive. The Raspberry Almond Fruit Tart was another layered treat with an almond glazed topping and a thin raspberry jam layer inside the tart. Our bakery treats were excellent and pretty reasonably priced for their home-baked quality.

    The best cheese cake I've ever had. Hard to describe the flavor and texture without mentioning…read moreheaven. After cooking a big Christmas meal, having this dessert made my life so easy. Their Christmas cookies are excellent with a wide variety of flavors. Thank you!

    Photos
    Dutch Epicure Shop - Raspberry Almond Tart cross section

    Raspberry Almond Tart cross section

    Dutch Epicure Shop - Mocha Mice

    Mocha Mice

    Dutch Epicure Shop

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    Arethusa Farm - 1 scoop -- coffee & sweet cream

    Arethusa Farm

    4.6(664 reviews)
    32.9 mi
    $$

    THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Possibly the best ice cream I've everrrr, everrrr had! ++++ Almond with Toasted Coconuts and Sweet Cream with Dark Chocolate Chips - Sooooooo goood and soooo creamy smooth and solid. Loved both flavors, but the Almond with Toasted Coconuts really stole my heart...and tastebuds. One of the best flavors of ice cream I've ever had...period! ++++ Strawberry and Cranberry with Dark Chocolate Chunk - Once again, so creamy for ice cream. These fruity flavors were phenomenal! Not too sweet and so natural tasting. No "artifical-ness" whatsoever. Being the hugely obsessive strawberry ice cream fanatic that I consider myself to be, this might have been the best strawberry ice cream I've ever tasted. + Menu consist of some very delicious-sounding and interesting flavors, including the Almond and Sweet Cream ones mentioned above, Pumpkin with Ginger Molasses and Eggnog. + Two employees were very friendly, engaging and informative about the most popular flavors. + Taste-testing is certainly allowed. + Two benches for customers to sit on inside, but there is plenty of standing room to walk around and admire the farm cow photos on the wall. THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - Like most ice cream shops, there was no restroom available for customers, so make sure to empty those tanks below the belt before arriving. MIXED THOUGHTS --------------------------- = Nada. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = Even on a chilly March Saturday evening at around 6 PM, there were PLENTY of folks willing to freeze their tastebuds off here, so that tells you enough about how good the ice cream is here. = Conveniently located right around the corner from the Yale University campus, so you can enjoy your delicious ice cream with some of the world's brightest minds in your company. = According to their story, all of the ice cream served here is naturally produced from the milk of some of their 300 cows, which are housed at Arethusa Farm near Litchfield, CT, hence why their ice cream is so naturally smoooooooth and refreshing and doesn't have a hint of artificial taste in them. Nuff' said!

    - A true ice cream gem in the heart of New Haven; shop features a black-and-white interior with…read moreframed photos of the cows from their farm displayed along the walls; space is bright, clean, and welcoming - A couple of benches near the entrance make it easy to sit and enjoy your treat inside - Staff are incredibly welcoming, friendly, and patient--happy to let us sample a few flavors before ordering and even sharing a bit of the story behind their ice cream - Servings are very generous - Phenomenal ice cream--rich, creamy, and full of flavor, tasting natural with nothing artificial; everything we sampled was so good it was genuinely hard to choose what to order

    Photos
    Arethusa Farm - Waffle Cone with Toasted Coconut Almond

    Waffle Cone with Toasted Coconut Almond

    Arethusa Farm - Inside

    Inside

    Arethusa Farm - Long queue.. high demand!

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    Long queue.. high demand!

    New Curds on the Block

    New Curds on the Block

    4.4(5 reviews)
    11.7 mi

    "Give me one second, I'll pose for your picture Like cheese,…read morecheese, cheese, cheese" (Snoop Dogg) We registered for and attended a "Meet the Maker" seminar at the Simsbury Library with Kate Truini-Redin of New Curds on the Block. (What a super cool name, don't you agree?) Kate is a "cheese monger", an awesome name for a cheese expert, and she shares her expertise of the New England cheese industry through educational appearances and her own cheese and seafood store in Oakville. So, if you want an expertly made cheese board and shrimp cocktails for your next party, look no further than a trip to Oakville. Kate was a delight. A very gifted, funny, and knowledgeable speaker who shared a ton of information on tasting, pairing, buying, and entertaining with cheese. We sampled five types of cheese and enjoyed Kate's information all five. #1 was a Milky White from Rowland Farms in Oxford, CT. It was in the "Fresh Cheese" family and was soft, spreadable, and without a rind. It was very mild and seemed like it would go with just about any food or drink. Kate warned us that these "Fresh Cheeses" have a very short shelf life, so use them up quickly. #2 was a Crema Alpina from Highlawn Farms in Lee, MA, and was an example of the "Washed Rind" cheese family. That means its orange rind is "washed" to discourage mold growth. It had a strong scent and taste, leading to some funny comments from the crowd - "Smells like a barnyard, stinky foot, and a gym bag" It had a savory earthy taste, and Kate recommended serving with cured meats. #3 was a very popular semi-firm Cornerstone from Cato Corner Farm in Colchester, CT. Kate told us that the cheese's gold color is a direct result of the kerotene ingested by the grazing cows in Cato's grass pastures. #4 was a Gray cheese. Those are a hard, firm, and crumbly cheese made in the style of old-time British cheddars. Some of the tasting noted from the audience included "nutty and butterscotch" #5 was the most polarizing sample of the night, because Blue Cheese is not universally loved. We sampled Middlebury Blue from the Blue Ledge Farm in Salisbury, Vermont. We learned that... yes, the blue veins in the cheese and on the rind are indeed evidence of mold. The comments from the crowd were hysterical - "it smells like the inside of a taxicab", "it smells like a lost pair of headphones", and it tastes like "chewing on a cigarette". Personally, I like blue cheese and though the Middlebury Blue ranked fairly high on the "strong meter", I enjoyed my sample and the one my wife passed to me. We can't wait to visit her store and order a cheese platter for Thanksgiving 2025.

    Kate, it's a tremendous pleasure to have met you! What a phenomenal shop!! Thanks for introducing…read moreme to your Black Ledge Blue, the 3 Milk Gouda and the scrumptious Cachal...o-something, I cant recall the name but your suggestion was on point for my tastes!! I wish you endless success and hope this review reaches the other wine and cheese loving masses. New Curds has my highest recommendation! 10/10 will shop here again!!!

    Photos
    New Curds on the Block
    New Curds on the Block
    New Curds on the Block

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    Bantam Bread

    Bantam Bread

    4.3(68 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    I do not write a lot of reviews, but I absolutely love this place…read more Bantam bread is a phenomenal baked goods shop Breads, dirt bombs (yummy treat), and all the goodies that they sell are simply delicious. The food is Clean, wholesome, healthy and the bakery family owned, it's the only place we buy bread and bake goods for our family. they make food the way it was intended to be made, the old-fashioned, clean and honest way. It's worth the trip every single time and I cannot give them a more positive review. The staff is awesome and kind and knowledgeable. It's simply a tremendous resource for our community. and the prices are very reasonable as well! Treat yourselves and your family and come here. You will not be disappointed! Their breads are unbelievably delicious!

    Since I've been on a Keto diet for the past year, I keep my carbohydrate levels very low, so that…read moremeans "no bread". I broke that rule this week, and dropped into Bantam Bread to purchased a loaf of sourdough bread. Brought it home, had a few slices with butter, it was good. My Mother In Law & wife really liked the sourdough too. All the breads are made there fresh daily, of course. Bantam Bread has a nice selection of baked goods also. Can't say that I'll partake in those anytime soon, but I could always bring some home for the non-carnivores living in the house. Since I pass by this shop four days a week, I know I'll drop in occasionally to pick up more sourdough bread, even if it's not for myself.

    Photos
    Bantam Bread
    Bantam Bread
    Bantam Bread

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    Arethusa Farm Dairy - icecream - Updated May 2026

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