Continuing my trek of "tried and true" Crystal Lake spots, I stopped here after an underwhelming…read moreexperience at The Breakers. And dear reader, I should have kept driving down 14 and pulled into Julie Anne's. Look, I love nostalgia and old, quaint spaces. I remember going here as a kid and I'm sure I shared a frosty concoction and cheese fries with a girl I stopped caring about a long time ago. But this soft serve came up weaker than my memories. And I got a dirt cup blitz, peak nostalgia choice, but it just tasted cold more than anything else. I kept going back for more, expecting something different, but alas. Go to Julie Anne's. Go to the freezer where they sell cakes. Grab and oops out of the bottom and have a grand dessert at half the price. Oddity of the visit: woman walking down the line of people queued up, asking if we knew of any South African people living in Crystal Lake. Huh.

The Freeze closes at 10 and we arrived at 10:01. The awesome staff still served us with a smile…read moreand great service. There was a group hanging out front full of smiles, conversation, and laughter-great space for hanging on a summer night. I had the Turtle made with chocolate ice cream. It's creamy and the crunchy pecans mix perfectly with the caramel.

I have recently moved back to the area, the ice cream is definitely better, the people they have…read moreworking there now are very nice and even when they are slammed and running around trying to fill orders they are still nice! The food its self has definitely improved as well! It's a great place for you to meet up with friends and get a snack and or ice cream, day or night. It's definitely a staple of Marengo.

Quite busy on a weekday night. The ice cream is good. Plenty of outdoor seating along Hwy20 into…read moreMarengo

I want to give a huge shoutout to the young man working the register. He handled two incredibly…read morerude customers with patience, professionalism, and a great attitude. Despite how difficult they were being, he remained calm, respectful, and composed the entire time. He deserves recognition for his excellent customer service!

Young lady at the counter named Claire helped me decide which flavor to order. I am very indecisive…read moreso the samples she gave me were very helpful. I recommend coffee or black cherry to anyone who is looking for something especially tasty! It is so nice to walk around the pond with my family while eating our cones.

We love coming to this old place for ice cream. We usually take evening walks downtown and enjoy a…read morescoop or a shake.

What a delightful and nostalgic place! The Inside Scoop is located in Downtown Crystal Lake in a…read moreconvenient location right smack in the middle. The interior has a varying combination of bright, nostalgic colors and sells ice cream, candies, toys, and even has a gum-ball machine. The staff was decently friendly and there was no line. I got two of their custom flavors, which are colorful and delicious. Pretty impressed with this place as a whole.

Alrighty then! Hubby and I haven't been to a Steak n Shake for years - the prior time thru a drive…read morethru - and we were hungry, darn it! So on a nice Sunday afternoon we headed on in to eat! Nice looking and clean- but no counter staff at all. You ordered via a kiosk. Ok - we both ordered a double cheeseburger with beef tallow fries- mine was with no onions, lettuce-tomato- mustard relish- 2 big pickle slices (yummy!) - and the fries were thin and small - likely about 11/2 mm wide sides - petit and a bit crunchy (yes!) Ok - the food came out quickly - the burger was yummy! Moist, a bit of grease drip (always a good sign) and the fries were just - how do I say -nostalgic in a good way! And the price for the double cheeseburger and fries? Amazingly affordable! Downright a great deal! Will we come back? Heck yeah! If you're tired of overpriced McDs and Wendy's? THIS is your spot!

I got the double Steakburger with cheese meal to go. The burger was pretty basic, but still good…read more Now that the place offers grass fed beef, I'm not sure if it's just a placebo effect, but the patties seemed richer and more flavorful. I was disappointed that the fries were cold, but overall, it's still okay. In my opinion, Steak 'n Shake is a solid fast food burger franchise, and the value is just right for what you get.

Neon Cow not only offers exceptional sub sandwiches and ice cream but also transports visitors back…read moreto the 1980s. The nostalgic decor, along with various toys and memorabilia from that era, evokes fond memories. My husband enjoyed the "Goonie" sandwich, while I opted for a tuna salad instead of a traditional sandwich, both of which were delicious. Additionally, the staff's friendliness enhances the overall experience, making it a destination well worth the visit. https://neoncowhampshire.com/

We got the don sub and it was absolutely delicious. Made with love and full of flavor . We also got…read morethe cookie dough ice cream which was 10/10

Stopped here in Algonquin for some frozen yogurt on Veterans Day. It is bright, cheerful, and cute…read moreinside. I have never been here, but glad I came in. Basically you fill your cup up with your creation and it is weighted for purchase. I price is $0.71 per ounce. There are 14 different flavors of froyo to choose from and a generous variety of toppings to pick from. The machines are self serve and the middle handle will swirl the two flavors of that machine if you wish. It's sugar everywhere! Diabetics please don't hurt yourself in here. The kids love it here as I saw many rotate in and out during my short visit. I had pineapple and peach sorbet. It was so sweet, tangy, and flavorful. This is definitely the spot to satisfy any sweet cravings. I am going to come back especially when the weather is warmer. This location has a lot of support for the community especially the children, so please come by and show support.

We stop here when in the area and craving FroYo. I love that they offer military discount. They…read moreusually have a sugar free flavor and a gluten free option too. I love that! The staff are always friendly. They are open pretty late too and it's right next to Crumbl cookie if you don't get your fill on sugar with the fro yo!

I took my daughter here yesterday (Friday' 5/8) after using Yelp to find an ice cream spot to…read moresurprise my daughter after being in the Huntley area... I mean the name is super fun, almost surprising it isn't a big name already.... While there were only a few people ahead of us, I will say it took a pretty long time for us to be able to order ( we were the 7th and 8th person in line and I think we were there well over 20 maybe even 30 mins and we are in the road...) But the wait was worth it. The ice cream (my daughter got a cyclone, I got a shake. I kinda don't know the difference as my shake had candy in it (and maybe some milk and some soft serve--while I think my daughters was all ice cream--but I'm guessing because I would have thought the cyclone would have candy while the milkshake would be all ice cream and milk...but no bother while I'm guessing my daughters had only ice cream (I was chatting with another family we met while waiting in the long line so I didn't watch too closely) but boy when I got the ice cream it was totally worth it. I got the peanut butter cup (which had some amazing on chocolate ice cream) and my daughter got the snickers...those seem pretty standard, but they weren't standard at all...they put a very well packed small bit of ice cream on top of the shake/cyclone that really looks like raw cookie dough....i don't have a picture (there may be some in yelp) but this super packed, small ice cream was the piece that turned this up a notch....it just looked so darn appealing and it was great. The owner was super jive, saying they've been open about a year (and they had a big line after me too, so that was good to see) Overall while they had maybe a dozen different ice creams (they all seemed like high quality ice cream--and I think they have a few different flavored soft serves too which is intriguing for next time..... The positives- the ice cream was great and it LOOKED incredible...and that's more than half the battle. Everyone's items looked great too which really had me hungry when our ice cream was made -- and it was worth the wait. The negatives - the menu is a wee bit confusing...basically they need a menu as the light wall isn't very clear what things are....i know you can customize things but it's hard to tell what all the customizations were -- and they had several other menu items that I wasn't exactly sure what they might be. They also had a cool looking cotton candy maker right by the check out register but it wasn't marked as a cotton candy maker and I didn't notice any menu item that used cotton candy (and we were in line a long time). I wasmt alone in this confusion as the nice couple (who were ordering with their kids) ahead of me were also a bit confused....and obviously we had to wait a bit longer than expected (which while the store was full it wasn't exactly crazy crowded like I image it would be in the middle of summer). But trust me the good far outweighed the bad...it was worth the wait. My suggestions: 1. Have a handout/ paper menu that is much more descriptive (especially here where the ice cream is not facing the I Entrance so it's hard to know in advance what ice creams they have-- and also because they seem to have some more unique than standard ice cream shop items but I kinda didn't know what they were.::: They also could have a smaller option (the Medium milk shake is pretty large and the Small Cyclone is more like a Medium elsewhere. I know many would applaud this, but I kinda like less is more with ice cream (as after so much it doesn't have that same appeal even it it tastes good :) ) My suggestions -- beyond the above:..: Play into the Scooby Doo thing legally by having things like 'The Creeper' which would be maybe a mint chocolate chip (which they didn't have bet) and the Mystery Machine or Scoopy Snack etc. just play on the name without having Scooby Doo... We will be back before the summer 2026 wraps.

Short wait and amazing treats! It was nice and air conditioned perfect for summer and the ice was…read moreGREAT. They even serve pizzas and other food which I will be sure to get next time. Really recommend and for sure a go-to spot!