I love this place! My dad and I visited after our fish fry last week although I have been here a few times before as well. Big Dipper is very inviting with plenty of seating. It is open late and offers handmade ice cream! Unfortunately, the prices are a bit steep in my opinion but there are plenty of options for you to choose from (i.e., Italian flavors, soft serve, my go-to: cookie dough and cotton candy, Sundaes, etc.). You can get your ice cream in a bowl, a cone, specialty cone, etc. They even have "pup bowls" if your pup enjoys ice cream, too! A perfect summer spot and the service has been great every time I've been; they are very efficient so don't let a long line turn you away! read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor - One scoop cookie dough and one scoop cotton candy - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Dunkirk, New York

See all

This place was SO cute! We came in pretty late, within about 30 min of close, and the worker was so nice and sweet. It took us some time to decide because there are SO MANY OPTIONS. Everything looked so good and they literally had any toppings you would want! She made our sundaes SO BIG it was wild, for the price point, we were not expecting that size. The location itself reminds me somewhere I would have loved as a kid. A little corny, but in a cute way. Either way, I will definitely be back. read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor is the destination for premium ice cream in the greater Fredonia metropolitan area. Time and time again, BD's frozen product reigns supreme among jaunts both local and truthfully global. This review is provided in consideration of the aforementioned premium quality frozen cream. Taste? Best I've ever had. Quality? Premium. Creaminess? Next to none. This is THE spot for genuine fine grade frozen cream - we promise You. Service on the other hand not so great. read more

The Big Dipper we visit every time we come to the lake. This is my fifth or sixth trip up to lake Dunkirk and each time it has been awesome! Their customer service has improved each year I have been too! I am always impressed with their gelato, ice cream and topping selection! They also have cookie, cake and other bakery items. Definitely a fun retro stop with yummy treats!!! My only negative input is that we went yesterday and it was an interesting experience. There was an older lady working the register. I asked for a gelato flavor on a medium waffle cone. She corrected me and said their is only a medium waffle cone because the small ones are actually cake cones. I was like okay well I want a medium waffle cone with gelato (flavor was like a Nutella). The lady then repeated what she just said. I was like okay well whatever you want to call it that's what I want. It was weird because the sign for the "medium waffle cones" literally says "medium waffle cones". So I said the right name but she just kept correcting me for no reason... it was frustrating and rude. Even my husband and our friend were confused on why the lady was acting that way. read more

See all

Bumping down to three stars because of my recent experiences here. I have found throughout my almost 30 years of Big Dipper experiences that the employees are consistently rude. This attitude clearly comes from the top. The ice cream is always good, and it keeps me coming back. Unfortunately the normally happy experience of a cone on a summer night is always dampened by bad attitudes and general gruffness. Our latest issue is Hannah, one of the managers. She is always rushing customers out 20 minutes prior to close. I was looking at the cookies and pastries they have on display (around 8:45pm) and while doing so, Hannah made a show of turning the display light off right in front of me. It would easier if she just had told us to get out. The time before, while we were deciding what we wanted, she rudely demanded "do you know what you want?" in an obviously irritated tone. If I was management I would be mortified! Lids cover the ice cream options up to a half an hour before close always, and we always seem to leave feeling shamed for coming in so close to the early 9pm closing time. And on a Friday night in the summer! While eating our (admittedly delicious) cones in the car because we felt unwelcome inside, we noticed the employees turn off the dining room lights while customers were still inside. They had to walk out in the dark because these women cannot stand to be in their place of employment for a second longer than necessary, it seems. Overall - go here for the delicious sundaes and soft serve, but do be wary of the horrible customer service. read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor - a hand holding an ice cream cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Dunkirk, New York

I'll always have very fond memories of coming to this ice cream spot with my pals! And the memories I'll have of the ice cream will be amazing as well! All of their hard ice cream is homemade and their soft serve is really flavorful as well. They have a huge menu full of different flavors, sundaes, and milkshakes so there's certainly something for everyone in your group. The inside is cute and makes me feel really nostalgic! Lots of bright colors and cute wall hangings. My only real gripe is that it's a little on the pricier side. I understand why, however, since a lot of their menu is homemade. It hasn't deterred me from going in the past, as I really only go with my friends once in awhile. read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor - Vanilla soft serve w chocolate sprinkles :-) a classic - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Dunkirk, New York

The only problem we had was making a decision! So many amazing choices. Luckily, the woman working was extremely patient and let us have samples. She also gave suggestions and told us which flavors are the most frequently ordered (cookie monster--lots of kids come here, and almond joy was a big seller today). Ice cream is homemade in classic flavors such as cookie dough or cookies and cream as well as more unique flavors such as lemon raspberry and carmel pecan cheesecake. Every flavor that we sampled was delicious. The restaurant was decorated with cute signs and tons of sundae options with pictures. Other options were ice cream cakes and cookies. The parking lot was spacious and hassle free. Note: there was a sign on the door, no pets allowed. read more

See all

My favorite place on planet earth to get ice cream since I was a kid. It doesn't change much because it's perfect! The ice cream is handmade, and there's no where on earth you can find a better tasting selection. read more

I can't believe I didn't know about this SHRINE to all things ice cream while I went to school waaaaaaaaaaay back when in Fredonia (though it's probably for the best!!!) Sooooo many choices; you'll want one of everything!! This is a classic small town ice cream joint, you know the type, with 1,001 tempting, creative flavors of standard, soft, and gelato (!!) ice creams, along with plenty of ooey, gooey, too yummy to worry about the calories creations!! I'm sure generations of hungry WNY'ers have come here for their "fix" and their biggest worry was how to narrow it down to just one (or seven...) delicious choices!! Mmmmmmmm!!! read more

Went here twice in two days over 4th of July weekend. On the first trip, I had a tiramisu sundae, which has coffee ice cream, hot fudge and caramel, chocolate covered nuts, and whippped cream. Others in the party had lemon cake and mint chip. It was all good. They sure do have a lot of interesting flavors (+1). And it looks like they're all homemade (+1). So is the whipped cream (+1). And on the second trip, I had a special request. See, my all-time favorite and my childhood ice cream parlor is a place, also called The Big Dipper, in Prospect, CT, although there is no relation to this parlor. What I always would get at my hometown Big Dipper was called a Meteor Milkshake, that is a milkshake with a scoop of ice cream on top. So I made a special request at *this* Big Dipper for an Irish cream milkshake with a scoop of Italian pronto chocolate on top. They took care of my special request (+2) and it was awesome. Five stars. read more

Cute, retro looking ice cream place. They have tons of ice cream flavors here (including fun and unconventional ones like bubble gum and pistachio), and also a variety of smoothies, shakes, and other beverages. Stopped by here while visiting a friend at Fredonia, and it was definitely worth it. The women that work here are very friendly and helpful with explaining the menu items. This place is certainly popular, but not too crowded, and the line moves fast, so don't be discouraged it it gets long! I'm also unsure as to why this place is marked with four dollar signs, indicating that the price range is "Ultra High-End", since you can get an ice cream cone or a milkshake for about $4? Just look at the menu online. read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor - Business card. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Dunkirk, New York

My girlfriend and I have made it a tradition to go here at least once a semester. Their ice cream is delicious, and the portions are generous. The waffle cones are amazing and always fresh, and the chocolate dipped ones are the best I have ever had! The building has an old-fashioned malt shoppe feel and when we are there the workers are always nice, but we usually go at a non-busy time. I suggest the mint chip and eclair flavors as I think thy are the best but there is not bad ice cream This place is one of the best places in the area and one of the few havens during my time in college. read more

Fantastic, more choices great flavors. Can't wait to go back. Check out the super sundaes while you're there read more

The Big Dipper is a staple in the area. I the ice cream is okay. Nothing that will knock your socks off but pretty good nonetheless and homemade. I get ice cream based on my mood. I do like the chocolate PB however I suggest the pb topping for this as the can skimp in the PB in it. It is a great place to bring our daughter. I wished they played music in there as sometimes you are sitting in dead silence when it is slow and it's weird. But overall good experience also they are offer gelato now which I haven't tried yet !! read more

They certainly give you a decent serving but honestly for such a classic feeling I've cream store I greatly expected better tasting ice cream. read more

I call them as I see them and feel so bad about this review since it is from my home town. Years ago Big Dipper was thriving and packed every day. Now, you barely see anyone in there. Why? Me thinks I can tell you! The staff? The girl that served me just turned and went back to talk to her co-worker. And they are slow and I mean slow! The Ice cream? I have had the basic ice cream and it is good. I can't have sugar and opt for the WowCow. It's ok at best. On this trip the WowCow was some flavor like Lemon and I didn't want it. They had yougart and I asked if it was sugar free. She said, "It's low sugar." "Well, how low sugar?" "I don't know, just low sugar." "Is there somewhere you can check it?" "Nope" "Fine, I'll have a small" "Can you have it in a cup? Because it's too soft to put in a cone." SERIOUSLY? I REMEMBER THIS FROM 2 YEARS AGO! I WAS ON MY WALK AND THEY WANTED TO PUT IT IN A CUP! WHAT AM I TO DO WITH THE CUP? You think that they would have fixed the problem by now!!!!! Anyway, I got my almost liquid, tasteless yougart in a cup. My husband gave his order (regular hard ice cream) and she said, "Cone or cup" to which he replied "Cone" As she handed him his CUP of hard ice cream. She was too distracted, wanting to go in the back that she didn't even notice the looks on our faces. My husband said to forget it. The Price? OVER $6 for a small CUP and a medium CUP of ice cream! Insane! They use to have something called Only8 and it was great! You could get past the slow service and high prices, but they replaced it with that Wowcow. We will keep with our regular plan and make the 18 mile trip to get our ice cream. If we are in a hurry, then just to the one that is 5 miles away. Never again. Actually, I could go on, but I really do feel bad about this review. I wish they would go back to the way they use to be. :( read more

Really disappointed to find extremely overpriced, barely mediocre ice cream. After deciding on a sundae, we were a little shocked to find that whipped cream was an additional $.70. That's a lot for a tiny squirt on top of my already pathetic looking $4.19 small sundae. Never again... read more

Big Dipper Ice Cream Parlor - $4.19+tax spend your money elsewhere - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Dunkirk, New York

Great ice cream so many to pick from.Reasonable priced. Staff friendly. Also wonderful ice cream cake. Took one for a cookout on a hot day,it was gone as soon as it was cut. read more

Ice cream is good but sadly expensive but to be expected when it's all made in house. Still this is a definate staple of dunkirk and if your in town you should stop by read more

Okay, so I was visiting Fredonia and was told that I needed to try this ice cream shop as the ice cream here is the BEST. Well, it's good, yes, but far from the best I've ever eaten. I got the special sundae and the ice cream had ice chips in in, which makes me crazy. Now, for me, top-notch ice cream is as creamy as creamy can get. This is not that type of ice cream. It's good, but not the spectacular gourmet ice cream I have had from other specialty shops that make their own ice cream. They do have an amazing array of flavors and various types of sundaes. read more

The ice cream at the Big Dipper is awesome. The staff is great as well. Never had a issue EVER, that's hard to say about a place I've been to over 50 times in the last 5 years! read more

(Review admittedly based on one menu item only.) Last year they offered a brioche ice cream sandwich that was unique in my experience, unusual and delicious. Just stopped in for the first time this season looking for it- saw a 'panini sandwich', assumed they had just made a tweak to the item I was looking for. For $4.99, I got what appeared to be a hamburger bun with about a McDonald's hamburger thick slice of ice cream and some chocolate sauce. Cost of ingredients- around 50 cents? Not sure what happened here but a treat I'd looked forward to has morphed into a complete rip-off. read more

The girls that work here are always miserable and not very pleasant. I waited in line for 10 minutes because I was craving a cappuccino milkshake ... got in my car to find straight vanilla. Very disappointing read more

I hadn't been to Big Dipper in a while so I decided to stop on my way through between Jamestown and Buffalo. It is a brightly colored, family oriented place with room for families, sports teams, and friends to meet up and enjoy a sweet treat. They have a variety of homemade "basic" flavors from mint chocolate chip, butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter and more. They also feature some specialty flavors that it looks like they rotate like Funfetti, and the Coconut Almond Joy that I went for. There is also a selection of Italian favorites like Panna Cotta and more. They would have probably been served better for the Italian varieties to have some sort of description posted. They only had the Italian name and 1 had "chocolate hazelnut" listed under. They may have had these listed on a couple of the handheld menus, but I did not see any out at this time. They also have soft serve custard in choc/vanilla and a rotating flavor. Ice cream cakes, cookie sandwiches, and a few specialty sundaes. My coconut almond joy was good, but lacking in coconut flavor. I will say the chocolate shavings were high quality and there was a good number of almonds in it. I am mainly subtracting a star because they size of the cone was lacking. I ordered a medium which was about $3, and it was smaller than some 'small' size cones I have seen at other places including those with homemade ice cream. Their website also looks like it is from about 1998 and has no working pages to list flavors. They also now accept credit cards and have gift cards that can be used there and for the attached car wash. read more

Great place! So many wonderful flavors to chose from. I had peach ice cream, my friend had cotton candy, and there was the vanilla twist. Also could of had a lime/vanilla twist. Will definitely go again soon. read more

omg I got a soft serve twist and I will never be the same. SPOILED. This is the best ic I have ever had and I am old. This is my new benchmark for IC don't think any place around here comes close. read more