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 place is amazing. Served by mostly it seems local high school students, the service is…read morewelcoming, friendly, and efficient. With quite a few state fair winners in flavors, I find the ice cream delicious and well worth a visit. We had the peach and blackberry, both recommended to us by locals, and they did not disappoint. Strong fruit flavors in both with the peach having some good peach chunks too. We also ordered the hot dog which was solid but nothing crazy. Not that much seating throughout with probably 8 spots inside and a few benches outside. Great did a grab and go and there's a drive thru. We thought knowing Dayne Z or Brock M would help get us no free ice cream but we'll have to keep trying next time we visit.

What a super neat ice cream and candy shop! Cute decor, friendly service, and yummy treats. We…read moretried the bubble waffles with an Oreo topping. Wow! I cannot wait to go again next time I am in the Morton/Peoria area.

Tasty and yummy I like this place. The dole whip is very tasty and they make the place look nice…read moretoo!!

Review Visit: October 9th, 2017…read more I feel that popcorn needs no introduction or an in-depth analysis. If you've ever gone to the movies or watched one at home, you've probably put down a few hundred, if not thousands of kernels, many pounds of butter, and a few licks of salt. Now, if you've never been to a place that specializes in popcorn, you are in for a world of flavors you never thought existed. Puppy Chow? Yep. Jalapeno Cheddar? Yup. Thin Mint? Like the Girl Scout's Cookies? Yes! There are almost an endless amount of flavors available at the Great American Popcorn Company. I've been to many places and have seen many flavors of popcorn but today I saw new flavors. Moving on from popcorn, they also have a ton of sodas from companies you've never heard of and they also have plenty of fudge, chocolates and other sweets that'll cure any sweet tooth. The lady behind the counter offered samples of any product they have on display, which is impressive since they have 56,389 items to choose from. During my quick visit there, I sampled some Jalapeno Cheddar popcorn and fell in love. I grabbed a medium-sized bag for about $6. Depending on the flavor, the price can go up for down. I also grabbed some Cookie Dough ice cream and enjoyed that outside where they have some chairs and tables to enjoy your treats. I'm not sure what else to say about this place that isn't pure praise, which might be too sweet for you readers. Ha! Luckily if you don't live anywhere near Morton, IL, there seems to be a smattering of these companies out there. Some other locations include: Galena, IL / Grand Rapids, IA.

Every kind of popcorn imaginable Lots to choose from and…read morestaff is friendly and helpful

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

Not enough servers. To long wait time. Ice cream is not as good as Culver's and just as pricey.read more

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

Very new location. Clean inside. Today they have $1.31 single scoops. Staff is very friendly and…read morehelpful with the flavors and if you want samples. I'll come back again, great customer service, thanks guys!

Worst treatment I've ever encountered. Period. Walk in, one young woman is mopping floors and…read moreanother is cleaning ice cream area behind the counter (it's no where near closing time, btw). Young woman sees us but continues to clean the ice cream area, finishes up, and then asks us if we mind if she takes pictures of the ice cream first. We say no, of course not and make a couple of innocent jokes about not being in the pictures and ruining them, etc. She's not amused. Whatever. I just want ice cream. She makes mine first. Single scoop, cake cone. Zero ice cream down in the cone, one smallish ball of ice cream on top that almost falls off because she's looking over at the drive up window and starts asking the driver, "Do you remember me?" Over and over...listen sweetie, I think he remembers you, he's just not into you. Anyway, not deterred, she beelines over to the drive up window to continue her stroll down memory lane. Meanwhile, my friend is waiting to get served and we're both just standing there dumbstruck. Apparently the conversation at the drive up window is improving, but my friend is getting steamed. I'm a little more docile since I've got my ice cream but my buddy is ready to blow. I don't blame him but I'm in a full blown ice cream trance. Finally, I say, "I'll just leave some money on the counter for mine and let's go." Buddy says hell no because he ain't got his ice cream and that makes a lot of sense to me. Finally, the nice young lady cleaning the floor caught on to what was going on and apologized profusely to us and came back behind the counter to finish our order, apologizing again. Thank you young lady. Just moved here and was excited to see a Baskin Robbins but ain't never coming back here. Sad.

Review Visit: August 19th, 2013…read more Get your mind out of the gutter. We are here to talk about ice cream and that is it. Now that we established that, lets move on. On an evening during peak ice cream shack season, my friend Matt and I headed out to get just that. Having driven through Pekin quite a few times, I was surprised at never noticing this place. But, as my traveling ramped up, I discovered quite a few hidden gems that I drove past without noticing. Matt and I rolled up in the evening time, around the dinner rush time. The place was bustling, which was no surprise as Double D's is right off the main road that runs through Pekin. We got in line after figuring out what we wanted and placed our order. From what my memory recalls, I do remember getting our ice cream fairly quick after ordering. I believe I ordered just your standard ice cream cone with chocolate in it. Maybe it was chocolate/vanilla. Sorry, but I honestly do not remember. Matt got himself an ice cream cone as well. Looking at their current menu (as of 2020), it seems they have a menu similar to most ice cream shacks, if not lacking a bit on the non-ice cream side of things. Having only been here the one time, I can't chime in on how good or bad those offerings are. Now, I do remember there being a foam/fiberglass ice cream cone outside the building. One that you can take fun photos with and post them across all the social media platforms. Sadly, I did not get one during this visit. I do vow to get one the next time I go back... whenever that will be. Maybe it's just a Central Illinois thing but Double D's does suffer from being a small building with outdoor seating only. Not that that is a bad thing but if the weather is not in your favor, it can make coming here a chore. Also, due to these places being seasonal and locally owned in a small building, the parking situation can be tough. Luckily for Double D's, there is a large parking lot next to this location that you can utilize. Other than that, my memory doesn't have much else to say about Double D's. I do hope to go back and try their food again. You may resume having your mind in the gutter.

Lots of ice cream choices! Drive thru and walk in service. They serve Uncle Bobs, locally maderead more

It was really good ice cream for my first ever visit here. I got a two scoop sundae and with tip,…read more20%, it came to over $11. In my opinion, that's outrageous so I probably won't be back. That being said, the service was very good, but it's just too expensive for ice cream

I love this place! I went in once and tried the beantown ice cream flavor, and that's basically all…read moreI had for the next couple of visits... and I don't think I will change my choice for a long time. It is one of the best coffee flavored ice creams I've ever had. The owners are also very friendly and accommodating, and there are even seats outside on the busy Peoria heights road. Definitely stop by and try it out, you won't regret it... unless you're counting calories, then maybe.

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!

Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Pop. Pop. Get your popcorn here! Popcorn is like a burger sandwich or pizza. You can get your basic form of the food but the sky is the limit on the various ways to prepare it. Pizzas, sandwiches and popcorn are one of the many foods that comes in a million different flavors and combinations. Maybe not everyone loves popcorn (do these people even exist?) but places like Holland's Caramelcorn can offer popcorn lovers a seemingly endless variety to pick from. Having been through the Washington Square a few times, I noticed there were some cool and interesting shops to check out. So, I planned a day to explore the town's square and see what the local community has to offer. Upon finding a parking spot and entering the store, I knew I liked the place. It had this welcoming feeling to it and the person behind the counter was super friendly. The store was wide open and kept the merchandise against the walls. This allowed my friend and I an easy way to browse their wares. If you came here expecting to get much beyond the popcorn and soda, you will be disappointed. This store specializes in the popcorn and random sodas you've never heard of before. Luckily, there is a shop next door called Holland's Mercantile. But that's for another blog post. While we wandered the store, I managed to accumulate a handful of popcorn and sodas to take home with me to enjoy at my leisure. I don't remember how much everything cost but I wasn't worried about spending a few extra bucks to support local businesses. I will be honest, I may not have waited to get home before sampling some of the goods. The soda was a root beer variety and was bubbly and good. The popcorn, which the flavor escapes me, was good, tasted fresh, and had a bit of that grandma's love put in to it. Overall, it was a nice stop to pick up some goodies and to support a local business. If you happen to need some need for gourmet popcorn and odd ball sodas, you can't go wrong at Holland's. I believe they even do bulk orders for businesses. Remember, try to support those local businesses around you if at all possible.

Great old fashion shop, however they only pop once a week per the owner and the prices are higher…read morethan other small midwestern popcorn shops.