Bill's Carousel is an old-fashioned drive-up ice cream parlor that opened in New Haven, Connecticut in 1959. It was founded by Bill (whose last name seems to have been lost to history). The location originally opened as a Carvel ice cream shoppe in 1957, before being rebranded as "Bill's Carousel" two years later. Since 2008, the establishment has been owned by E.J. Akdeniz, who purchased it from Bill's widow. Akdeniz has no idea what the "carousel" in the ice cream parlor's name refers to, but after talking ownership he put a vintage carousel horse on display next to the order window. He acquired the horse in New Jersey after an old carousel had been dismantled. The biggest seller at Bill's is their soft serve ice cream (24 flavors to be exact), but the menu also features hard ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes & floats, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, slushies, smoothies, flurries, ice cream cakes, and even hot foods like hot dogs, hamburgers and fries. My family and I recently stopped for ice cream at Bill's Carousel while we were passing through New Haven's Westville neighborhood. My wife lived in an apartment in Westville when we first began dating. We used to make walks down to Bill's often to enjoy their delicious ice cream. Bill's was a seasonal ice cream parlor for several years, but it is now open year-round. On this particular visit, we parked in the lot and ordered from the order window. We all ended up getting cups of hard ice cream. I had "Pumpkin", my wife had "Peach", my older son had "Cotton Candy", and my younger son had "Vanilla". Regardless of what type of frozen treat (or even hot treat) that you order at Bill's, you won't be disappointed. read more

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Service was so kind! Ice cream tasted incredible. Very cute atmosphere and fast service. They were awesome

I was disappointed with my experience at Bill's. I ordered a 2 scoop sundae and asked for almonds along with the usual toppings such as whipped cream and hot fudge. The menu isn't very clear as per my picture with the pricing because what justifies as a small, medium, large, XL? I asked for 2 scoops, which wasn't very big hence the cup in the picture I posted. My husband ordered the fried dough with ice cream on top and a bottled water. Those 3 items came to $25 like WTF?! The sundae was a joke. Small scoops and they charged $1 for the almonds. What sundae does not automatically come with nuts? The fried dough is huge and it was put in a styrofoam container with cheap, flimsy plastic utensils making it very hard to cut through the dough. The knife was so flimsy that forcing through the dough caused holes in the styrofoam. I will never come to this establishment again. Tips for management: Upgrade your take out boxes and flimsy utensils to something sturdier. Sam's Club is a great choice for that. Be clear in your sundae menu how you justify your pricing for the different sizes because I shouldn't be charged for an XL when my ice cream servings were tiny and to make it worse, you charge $1 extra for nuts that should automatically be part of the sundae menu. Clean your outside tables so it isn't sticky if you want people to sit there. read more

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i was disappointed never had a problem going there before, we get home i didn't get my banana split the way i like it , just sad , my daughter ask for chesses cake in her ice cream they give her cake, like wow a mid look like a small for blizzard , we spend 40,, no one gat what they like , never again never again , they service act like they didn't want to be there ,, read more

Really great soft serve! We happened to drive by and decided to stop for a treat. They have a variety of ice cream options - cones, cups, sundaes, milkshakes, etc. I got a small hot fudge sundae with caulks soft serve and my partner got a small swirl cones with sprinkles. Portion sizes for the smalls were huge! We both enjoyed our ice cream. Prices were reasonable for what we got. Great spot to stop for something sweet in the area. read more

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Love their ice cream even though door dash won't let me order from them anymore . My mom's favorite was a yogurt, blueberry cheesecake.

I totally support small businesses, especially in this tough time. That being said, 2 medium sundae's came to $18. Wow... can't make that mistake again. I remember seeing this place ever since I was a kid but can't remember ever going here. Figured it was time. A bit of an awkward drive through.. you drive around the building where there's a menu around back where you expect to order. Nope! Drive a bit further and order at the pick up window, as there's no speaker like you'd expect. Was greeted by an amazingly upbeat gentleman who took our order before we made it to the window. We ordered two medium hot fudge sundae's with some extras like sprinkles, etc. Prices said the medium sundae was in the mid $6 range for hard ice cream, so I'm not sure how/why the price for each sundae ended up close to $9, (if the sprinkles were that expensive.. wow!) but it did. Sundae was good, with the highlight being the toppings. They didn't skimp. But the flavors weren't "crazy good" as I had hoped being that this wasn't a chain. Will I return? Probably not. While the worker was great at customer service, it's not a place you can visit too often without breaking the bank. read more

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This is an extremely casual place where one can order a variety of different cold treats such as milk shakes, flurries, sundaes, frozen yogurt, and slushies. Much of what is offered can be tailored to your liking. I loved my flurrie that was mixed with heath bar and Resee's pieces! The vibe is very laid back. If you are in a rush or the weather is bad, there is a drive through window. Otherwise, you can park, order at the front window, and eat outside at one of the few tables that are available for the customers. There are no indoor dining options at this facility. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Flurrie - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Nothing negative I can say about ice cream ever! Old school ice cream shops make me so happy and bring me right back to childhood! I absolutely love them. This spot was super cute. It gave me the old school vibes, there is a parking lot and some tables to sit at in front of the booth. They offered tons of flavors, soft serve and hard scoop. They also offer dipped flavors like cherry, blueberry, chocolate. Yum. You can also get sundaes, milkshakes, etc. They have a variety of other things other than ice cream like burgers, hot dogs, fries however we didn't try since we just came for the ice cream. The cashier was super sweet and recommended a few different flavors when I was indecisive (per usual lol) My ice cream was super tasty too! Everything was fresh and enjoyable :) read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - a pink and blue building - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Drive through and counter service ice cream spot with a wide variety of ice cream. Some of the ice cream is homemade and the rest is from Hershey's and Giffords. I got their chocolate chip, which they said was homemade, and I was not very impressed. The place is pretty dumpy, but the people were very friendly. The cone was generic 5/10 read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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They claim to have 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream, but be warned that anything other than vanilla or chocolate are just the product of mixing in some artificial flavor when you order it. The ones we tried had chemical aftertastes. Stick with Vanilla. And oh yes -- the complaints about the prices are legit. A small plain cone and bowl totaled over $9. And oh yeah -- the drive through is d slower than molasses. read more

Fun little spot for sure! Vintage signs and decor, its open all year round and it has a drive thru! Everything was very well priced and the portions were super generous. Parking is miserable, but with a drive thru.....its all good. The menu was hugeeee 24 flavors of soft serve ice cream, tons of hard ice cream flavors, and the toppings were insane! Totally worth making alittle detour off the highway to check out. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

I've been to Bill's a couple of times as it pretty close to home. I felt for a soft serve vanilla cone with rainbow sprinkles (the kid in me). I went through their drive-thru. They don't have the speaker window, you actually have to go up to the actual window to order. They also had a makeover. Previously, they had their flavors painted on the back wall. Now there's a small menu just before the actual order window. Not being a person who enjoys holding up the line, I felt a slight bit of pressure as a car pulled behind me just as it was my turn to order. Originally I wanted the cone, but I changed my mind of course. The ordering process was quick, 1 scoop of Moose tracks 1 scoop of Oreo, served in a waffle cone with a peanut butter drizzle. Definitely decadent! My friend ordered the exact same thing. The total was around $20. A bit pricey but definitely good on a warm June evening.. I recommend giving them a try if you're in Westville. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Waffle Cone Sundae - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Extremely expensive. Milkshake was $11??? Didn't taste fresh and gave me an upset stomach. Never going back. Used to be cheaper only a couple of years ago. read more

very cute place! they have TONS of options and are open til midnight which is a plus. i got the chocolate vanilla softserve and it was delicious! definitely a good spot for classic ice cream that you might get at an outdoor fair! my partner got the moose tracks...way too sweet for me but i guess thats what you're asking for with that flavor read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - moose tracks - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Wow what a bummer. I think this place has changed hands. The ice cream had a nasty texture with dark chocolate flecks in it. I ended up throwing it away. Clean your ice cream machines please. I won't go back sadly. read more

On this, my first trip to Bill's, I realize it is impossible to review Bill's fairly after one trip alone. There are just too many flavor options . I'll have to return several times more to gauge the product/s. I do have two minor takeaways that are unfortunately a bit negative. 1.Toppings: If you ask for a liquid/pumped topping, be prepared for a heavy dose of it. Unless you request otherwise from the start. At least, that's what I got. Way too many long pumps of caramel that basically dominated my single scoop. Essentially turning into a sticky melted mush that was inedible as the caramel melted the ice cream and then hardened. The ice cream is the feature at Bill's. Toppings should be a compliment. Not to overpower the ice cream. Some ratio control would be appreciated. Please. 2. Plastic spoons: This is a major fail for my visit. No, its not an ice cream fail, but if the plastic spoon is so low quality that it can not even hold a teaspoon of ice cream without bending to comical proportions of almost 90 degrees, that's a major fail for Bill's quality control of their takeout utensils. Take out plasticware is low end as it is, but these spoons are almost beyond low-end. If you intend to eat the ice cream in your car (Note: Bill's has drive through order lanes.), the damn plastic spoons for your takeout should be respectable. They are virtually useless here. Embarrassing and 100% unacceptable. Benefit of the doubt to three stars on further ice cream visits. read more

First let me say the person who took our order and the person who answered the telephone were friendly and professional. Negatively, no one returned my message on Fb. The menu listed on this profile is inaccurate. I could not find a legible menu anywhere. It's great that they have 24 soft serve flavors but they are not listed at the 1st drive thru menu but when you order, there is a sheet posted. It would make sense to hang the same poster at the first stop. This placed is overpriced. Our order consisted of a medium cup of blueberry soft-serve with a sugar cone on the side and a medium hard ice cream vanilla sundae with hot fudge and an additional topping of marshmallow. Both were delicious but not worth $16.50!!! which seems to be a running theme in these reviews. Lesson learned. Check on Yelp first even if your going to an ice cream shop. We will not be going back. read more

$8 for large vanilla ice cream cone.... The ice cream is ok but way overpriced menu... better off going to Dairy Queen or going to Arethusa in new haven... definitely not worth the price read more

I never leave reviews but this place is outrageously overpriced for mediocre ice cream. Absolutely the worst place I've ever gotten ice cream. Avoid this place. Go to Dairy Queen or literally anywhere else. read more

We have been going to Bills Carousel pretty much my whole life. The ice cream is always really good, BUT lately the prices have gotten out of control. Today we went and got two medium soft serve vanilla sundaes with hot fudge and peanuts (they also did not give us the cherries we asked for) and the total was $18.92! That is ridiculous! We won't be going anymore as these ridiculous prices have happened a couple times so far. read more

Tots obsessed with this place right now. They have a yummy selection of soft serve and hard ice cream, shakes, sundaes, flurries, cones, Italian ices. Lines can get a little long as they have a drive through along with the line at the front counter and only 2 employees. But once frozen goodness is in your belly who can hold the wait against them? Bonus - sweet staff and right in my neighborhood. read more

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I've been going to Bills Carousel since I was a little girl, like many in New Haven, and it is still my favorite ice cream shop! Now, I get to bring my own kids to enjoy their delicious ice cream and hospitality. The owners and their family are very welcoming and kind. They smile every time they hand you ice cream and it still warms my heart and makes me excited to eat my ice cream read more

Not bad ice cream joint... but not too much to write home about either. We had split a banana split and were allowed to pick the ice cream we wanted in it. There are interesting ice cream advertisements from the 80s all over the wall. It is funny that some of the fashion on the posters seem current again, at least the one with the guy and the hipster like glasses. Bill's has nifty drive thru window. Something i've never seen at an ice cream shop before....But we didn't use it though. We sat at the nice outdoor table seating, albeit facing the busy road. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

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Always delicious! Hit up the drive thru on my break from work to grab milkshakes and leave happy. Staff is friendly and courteous, drive thru is convenient but can be lengthy (order and pick up at the same window) and their soft serve is classic. read more

Kind of expensive! 1 soft serv ice cream was almost $7! ($6.56). They used to only be $4.25 here not too long ago!

The menu is so unbelievably overpriced, it's mind blowing. Also, they don't display the prices anywhere, so it honestly feels like they are just whipping up random prices on a whim. That's not good business. read more

I've been coming here for over 10 years. 24 flavors of soft serve plus hot dogs, burgers, etc. you can drive thru or eat there, there are a couple picnic tables in the front. Ample parking in the adjacent parking lot. Open late, not the greatest neighborhood late night tho. Regardless folks are always friendly and ice cream is always delicious. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Don't give "Bill's Carousel Ice Cream" any business. They are racist. They take advantage of people with disabilities . They are incredibly rude and they over charge and don't give out receipts. My sister & by best friend & I were walking our dogs when we came across bills, we noticed they had a. Enchanted outside so we decided to take a chance. We each ordered the same thing, I was charged $10.41 my sister was charged 13.89. DARNELL ordered something that cost $1.00 more than us. He was charged 17.95. We didn't get receipts because the cashier lady who was giving us all disgusted looks like she was annoyed we attempted to give her business. Now Darnell and I have linked accounts so thru my Wells Fargo app as I waited for my food I received a notice that I was charged 10.41 and Darnell 17.95 So as my sister checked with her bank I approached the lady behind the register. She was rude cold and unappreciative of our business. She started yelling I'm another language and the cook ran up to the window to cream at me in English and he was even more rude. He demanded my receipt when I explained she refused to give us receipts he offered to create a new one. I explain I want to know how they got to 17.95 He said they didn't charge me that amount for DARNELL. I tried to show him my s as Lo he refused and said he was busy cooking. Meanwhile the rude register lady all of a sudden reached in her pocket and she had Darnells receipt . They charged him .69 cent for lettuce twice and then the guy mentions the credit card company charged customer a 4.00 fee. My sister and I paid with credit cards too we didn't get hit with that fee. It became clear to me if you are not paying attention this place likes to over charge. The worst part was how RUDE they were to us. So I can't make them go out of business but I can warn others not to give Bills super over priced ice cream NO business, read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Bills carousel ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

Well I've visited this establishment a couple times I ordered two banana splits with my girlfriend at the time for $4 a piece from a young girl that worked there. The next time I went ordered the same thing nothing different, a banana split split (regular size) to be specific, the owner a bald gentleman charges us $8 practically $9 dollars For both. This made no sense I told him that we where charged cheaper for the banana splits and he went on to say 'Are you sure you didn't go to Dairy Queen?!?' With the meanest attitude I have never gone and nor plan to go again. Please be weary and alert the owner has a very disgusting attitude. read more

Open late, SUPER friendly service, a million options! Go with the cappuccino crunch, my fav! Will be back for sure read more

A business I was once willing to walk to take a bus to but through the years they stopped caring about customers and started taking people for granted ice cream is no better or worse than any place else but management ownership employees have horrific attitudes even when given the opportunity to make amends wouldn't recommend to take your dog for ice cream here read more

So many options with such fantastic service! The girl at the counter was so kind and gave us great selections. You can pick from soft serve ice cream or soft yogurt and also hard Ice cream and hard yogurt. For a picky eater and ice cream connoisseur, this place hit the spot. We got a medium sundae. It was a bit expensive at $6.10, but it was fantastic and given to us with a smile! read more

Traditional atmosphere with unique flavors. Soft serve ice cream with 24 flavors? Never seen that before. We tried the maple walnut which was very rich and flavorful. We'll def come back to try cheesecake and pistachio. Very nice ppl. It's a must stop place when driving on whalley ave. read more

Bill's Carousel Ice Cream - Soft serve flavors! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

This place is so disgusting they don't clean anything and don't care if they touch your ice cream. They very are rude too. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.. read more

There was a sign for the hours of the store 11am-11pm (I'm not too sure if those are summer hours or regular hours). Tons of different types of ice cream, italian ice, root beer float (three different sizes from small, medium to large), soft ice cream, and cookie ice cream. I got the root beer float, a large is $4.99. Pretty average root beer float something you can make at home. There is also a drive thru. Pictures surrounding the place was clearly taken from the 80s (headbands and all). TIP: CASH ONLY. read more

The ice cream there is very tasty! I totally recommend this place if you want a ice cream!

Great hours and ice cream! However every time we come we pay a different price for the SAME THING. EVERYTIME! Usually during the summer there are more people working so understandably mistakes can happen but in the winter it happens all the time as well, very odd! read more

Excellent ice cream! The service was tremendous through the drive thru. Family owned and operated. Highly recommend!

Best ice cream place in New Haven! The staff is so friendly and the service is great! :)