Review Visit: September 14th, 2014…read more Where diabetic dreams come true. Every town has a few things: A Casey's gas station. A Subway Restaurant. A Dollar General store. Lastly, a locally-owned ice cream shack. Any small town will have a combination of these things, if not all. Bartonville is a smaller town that happens to have their own ice cream shack. I am not sure about the others but that isn't why we are here today. Today, we are here to talk about a place where diabetics dream about. A place that causes diabetes. A place that your sweet tooth (or teeth) dream of. The Dream Hut is like many ice cream shacks. It is nestled in a smaller standalone building that has a store front where you can walk up and place your order and then awkwardly mingle with everyone else that is standing around. The store front is wide enough to accommodate a place to order and a place to pick your food up. Their menu is plastered on the glass where you order and you can stand off to the side and gawk over it without standing entirely in the way of people who have dreamt here before. On a cold day, a few of us decided to take a trip to this hut to see if we could order something dreams are made of. Around this time in my life, I was hopelessly dreaming about Peanut Butter Malts or anything similar. In a confession, I have a terrible peanut butter addiction that continues to this day and for the rest of my life. Upon arriving, I knew I needed something peanut butter-y. Glancing over the menu, I was drawn to the Peanut Butter Cup Blitz and I knew that was the thing my dreams were made of. One sip... well, what can be had for a sip as slurping a thick Blitz through a straw is entirely nightmarish... I knew I hit something good. The Blitz had a nice chocolate/peanut butter blend that can only be described properly by scientists and clairvoyants. Absolutely delectable. My friend Matt ordered the same thing and he rather enjoyed his drink/meal, but not nearly on the level of mine. Devin ordered a simple ice cream cone but even that put a huge smile on her face. Despite the change of the season and that nightfall was quickly approaching, the Dream Hut was everything I could dream in a ice cream place and more. While I only had the one item from their menu on this one and only visit, I would assume the rest of their offerings are just as good. I would like to revisit and try other menu items in the future. Still to this day, I dream of that Peanut Butter Cup Blitz...

We live in Louisiana and anytime we come to visit family it's a must stop! We stopped multiple…read moretimes this last trip and it never disappoints!!!! Look forward to shakes and ice cream every time!!!

Review Visit: May 5th, 2013…read more The iconic ice cream cone-shaped building in the heart of East Peoria, IL. If you are a resident, you have probably driven by this place many times. Some of you may have even stopped in for a bite to eat. I have stopped by many times myself since I live close to it. Each time, the ice cream never disappoints. I have gotten the food a few times and while it is cheap, it's also only 'okay'. Not that the food is terrible in any way, it's just that could use a little lovin' while being cooked. My special item I get here isn't even on the menu. It is a strawberry ice cream with chunks of waffle cone in it... while served in a waffle cone. It is divine!

Absolutely the service is fantastic the tenderloin our world famous and is made with (love)! I…read moretotally recommend this restaurant! Bekah Grys- from Central Illinois riding therapy

Review Visit: May 13th, 2015…read more This ice cream is '¡muy caliente!" I knew Mexican soda was a thing but Mexican ice cream? Not in the capacity to have it's own ice cream shack. Well, queue my surprise when I learned that there was a Mexican ice cream shop in Peoria. One that has a name that leads you to think that maybe... just maybe this place is delicious. Doing what I normally do (as avid readers of this blog will know), I gathered up one of my friends who likes to travel (Matt) and we headed over the Illinois River (not the Peoria River) to get some ice cream (and add more bracketed comments to this paragraph for no reason). The location of Las Delicias is a bit of an odd one. Actually, those whole road of shops is not a greatly planned out area. You have all these shops along Main St but the parking situation leaves a lot to be desired. You usually have to hunt for a place to park and sometimes walk a small distance to your destination. I just wanted to put this in here as a warning should you want to venture down Main St. Matt and I found a place to park and headed in. Upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly cashier and shop that was small and felt homely (in a good way). This place truly felt like it was a family-owned. Matt and I browsed the handful of offerings and I was surprised by the flavors. Granted, this was over 5 years ago, so I don't remember the specifics and I failed to take a photo of what was being offered at the time. I grabbed some kind of strawberry ice cream while Matt got himself some flavor that I never heard of before. We paid for our ice cream desserts and headed out. I think there were a few chairs inside to sit but due to the small-sized of the restaurant, we opted to eat outside as we walked back to my car. I am a sucker for strawberry (and peanut butter) flavored treats. At this point in my life, I had quite a few different strawberry-flavored items but this one is the only one that instantly blew me away. Something about the quality of this dessert was unreal. It was far and above beyond anything you would find in the store unless you option for the expensive stuff. This stuff tasted homemade and had love in every scoop. I can't properly describe how much I loved this ice cream cone and how sad I was when it was gone. If you find yourself in Peoria and are on a circuit of trying out all the ice cream places, this one needs to be at the top of your list. You won't regret it. If you do go and you do regret it, lo siento. That's what life is all about though, right? Trying new things and seeing what the world has to offer.

Great variety it options, traditional and non-traditional flavors and very consistent in quality! I…read morelove going here for the yogurt cups and horchata as well!

Uncle Bobs has the BEST ice cream!! We usually buy it from Hyvee, but made a trip to the motherland…read more(aka the storefront in Eureka). It's a cute little store with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive through. The employees were friendly and helpful. They gave my dog a pup cup which was so thoughtful!!

Review Visit: April 1st, 2015…read more Good ol' Uncle Bob. He is the Uncle you never hear of. But when you do, you love him. Well, that's how I feel about Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream. I discovered this place while grabbing coffee in Eureka, IL. Oh boy, was it a good discovery. I sampled a few ice creams and loved each one. Conveniently when I was there, they also had dollar hot dogs! So between amazing ice cream and cheap hot dogs, I was in heaven. If you love ice cream and haven't visited Uncle Bob's, do yourself a service and go try some! The do sell Uncle Bob's ice cream at some local eateries, so keep your eyes peeled if you can't make it to the Eureka location.

THIS IS THE BEST ICE CREAM EVER. We drove 2 HOURS from Joliet just to have this ice cream and it…read morewas worth it! I'm not a fan of airy ice cream (think like McDonald's soft serve), and I like it when it is icy and refreshing. And Country Style is the BEST, hands down, no competition. You can hold this ice cream upside down AND SHAKE IT and it will not fall out of the cone. This place is so close to Peoria so it's a perfect stop if you're ever at the Civic Center or an event nearby, plus it's a family-owned small business and the staff is super generous and kind. And the prices are great, too!

We're visiting for a golf tournament and found this ice cream place. The soft serve is amazing!…read more We've gone every night of our trip

Wow! The hand dipped ice cream is amazing! Friendly and happy young woman took our order. The…read moreoutside is super cute!

Tremont, IL staple! They stay busy, because of the excellent service, I imagine…read more Directly across the street from a beautiful park.

Friendly service nice young man at the counter chili dogs were good like the dog container s…read moreinstead of the wrapper.

Review Visit: September 7th, 2013…read more Open. Closed. Open. Closed. Open. Ernie's is a business that is open, closed, sold, re-opened more times than is normal. So, you are never sure if the place is open for the season or closed until a new owner opens it back up. Knowing this, I knew I had one chance to get there before something happened and they closed again. Don't quote me on this but I believe they closed again shortly after my visit there. But luckily, they are open for now and possibly moving to a new location that will better serve it's needs. So, I gathered up some of my family and we headed to the legendary and often reflected upon place to get ice cream and food. We got there and thankfully they were open for business. Everyone got in front of the window to see what they were offering at that particular time. Since there were so many of us and it was a good while ago, I don't remember what everyone ordered. I do remember ordering a tenderloin that was hilariously large for the bun it was served on. I was nearly full by the time I got to the bun and toppings. Each bite was full of flavor and slightly juicy. Perfection. But, that's what I love about a good tenderloin. Don't serve me one unless the bun is dwarfed by the patty. Everyone enjoyed their meal from what I remember. I think almost everyone got an ice cream shake or soda to wash their meal down with. Man, now I am hungry for a tenderloin. That's one of the downfall of typing up these blogs for old places. It gives me a hankering for food from yesteryears. I want to say that Ernie's was a 'cash only' place back in 2013. I could be wrong on that but if you do get to try out Ernie's when they are open for business, make sure you have a few bucks on you if you go. Again, make sure Ernie's is open and also hasn't moved locations before using the address below. As a side note about Ernie's. It seems like this business has been a staple in the Peoria area since my parents were my age. Almost everyone from the area that I've talked to about Ernie's has been here and has stories about going there.

this place is a gem! that hit every check point to a great night on my girlfriends birthday!!…read more Bucky(great guy and stellar waiter!) took great care of us. we have some dietary preferences that we never impose on a place. we know our way around a menu and what we can and can't do. they really don't like tinkering with the dishes as they believe they are perfect the way they are(and they are right). however, the kitchen was gracious enough to do one of their pizzas without fresh motz and added beautiful heirloom tomatoes. we both agreed, Dave Portnoy would of gave it a 10...incredible!! the carrot appetizer as insane...bread perfect...everything was amazing. ambiance was perfect, lit dimly but not too much. glass/china was beautiful and looking at the open kitchen was soooo cool!! Bucky even brought out two glasses of Sauternes to help celebrate the occasion and made my GF's heart melt. every staff that touched the table was so nice and personable. thanks again for the amazing night!! couldn't of been better!!!

The food at this place was killer! The patio and the weather today weather was a perfect combo! We…read moregot the breakfast platter and the amazing confit potatoes, and the pork burger with fried egg. Both dishes were very good, so so good! The bacon was super nice, the mustard on the burger was ridiculously yummy. Did I mention those confit potatoes? Haha yeah I did, they were, off the chain, a dill garnish and some orange aioli that set it off!! The inside although we didn't spend much time inside was super cute, and has that riverfront done well vibe! A place you want to be in! This would have been 5 stars BUT The 18$ Bloody Mary! This was a TRAVESTY! It reads so well on paper....... Then you get it, it was the most flaccid Bloody Mary I have EVER had! It was basically a tomato juice and possibly maybe somewhere in there was any hint of some vodka, not the vodka that it advertised. The weak ass 4 little tiny pieces of prosciutto and cheese was a sad excuse for the oversold garnish. If the food wasn't as good as it was, this place would have gotten a 3 stars for overall. Note to the owner: Please revamp this ASAP! There's a huge culture behind a solid Bloody Mary and it's not hard to perfect one. It needs spice and life and it was just sad. Ok back to the review... GO HERE! If like me, you are looking for good food.... This is the spot! About me: I am a fresh transplant from Arizona, particularly the southwest, we're there's a Bloody Mary or Chelada, or a huge selection of hot sauce in almost every place you can eat. I love supporting local! I love business done right. If you read this far, aside from the bloody this place is on my peoria MUST EAT list!