I always come here after hitting Hammonasset beach! The flavors are plentiful with hard and soft serve ice cream to choose from. The line is usually never ending with it wrapped around the building, we waited about 15 minutes or so and the line steadily moved within reason. I got the toasted coconut and HOLY COCONUT. This was probably the most packed with coconut I've ever had. Creamy coconut ice cream with chunks of lightly toasted coconut Chocolate topped with Twix and creamsicle were also a sweet treat. The candies tasted a little stale though. The creamsicle was their special that we had to try. Orange sherbet with vanilla ice cream soft serve swirl read more

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Amazing ice cream! And good service. Prices are reasonable. Lines build up but they move quickly. Such a fun treat when we come to Dari Serve. read more

Always have to stop here and get an ice cream on the way home from the beach. Best ice cream in the area. They Always have a ton of flavors to pick out from. Staff is friendly and service is fast. read more

Love this place I dream about their toasted coconut ice cream. Consider yourself very lucky if the line to order is short as it is a very popular spot, and for good reason. The ice cream is delicious, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable, not to mention great scoopers, and the prices are very reasonable. Stop in on the way to or from the beach. read more

This is a treasured institution! Not only is the ice cream excellent, but the community that gathers around it loves it and it's a happy place to be, the scruffy parking lot filled with eager kids of all ages back from the beach. It's usually closed all winter, until April. read more

We've driven past Durham Dari dozens of times with long lines reaching the road or wrapping around the building, thinking "Man, they got to be good." They serve homemade hard ice cream, soft serve, dipped cones, sundaes, milkshakes and more. It's a cute shop, looks like a barn, with only takeout window and plenty of benches to enjoy. Most folks eat in their cars. So, when my husband and I were near by to finally make a stop, I was excited. Unfortunately, we must had pulled the short end of the straw because we left disappointed. After reading the 5-Star reviews, we were the lucky ones to hit up Durham Dari on a bad day. We arrived on a week day, around 5:30pm--perfect timing because it was before the after-dinner rush, but had an easy flow of customers. My husband ordered a vanilla milkshake and I tried the Red Raspberry flavor ice cream on a waffle cone. The staff came off rude and bothered as they prepared our treats. The milkshake came out quick (too quick, I will get to that in a sec), followed by my ice cream cone. My ice cream was fine, but did not live up the hype I was expecting. The raspberry flavor nice with the texture being smooth and creamy. It was very light too, not so thick and heavy. My husband's milkshake on the other hand was inedible. We were on our way home when he realized this. We are used to thick shakes, but this was watery and tasted like vanilla flavored milk. When we pulled back the lid, the vanilla ice cream was separating in a thin liquid and wasn't pleasant looking. It made us wonder if this was a wrong order that the staff tossed to the side, sat and melted. After all, the milkshake came out suspiciously too quick. My husband did not drink the shake and tossed it out when we got home. By the off chance this is how Durham Dari Serv makes their milkshakes, we highly don't recommend. This experience makes us contemplate if we want to visit again. Should we have a redemption round? read more

Durham Dari Serve - Red Raspberry in a regular waffle cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Great ice cream and service. Sometimes crowded. A local favorite. Best ice cream in Durham area.

Top notch ice cream! Excellent selection, from kid's cones to floats and everything in between! Prices can't be beat!

Durham Dari Serv is a gourmet creamery that opened in Durham, Connecticut in 1957. In 1967, the Trotta Family purchased the creamery from the original founders and continued to operate it for 30 years. Robert Pavlick bought it in 1997 and continues to operate it to this day. Pavlick had been the general manager of Instantwhip Foods throughout New England and sold ice cream mix to the shop when the Trotta Family owned it. This hidden gem located along the junction of Routes 17, 79 and 77 is well-known for their delicious homemade ice cream as well as their large selection of flavors. It is open seasonally each year from mid-March through mid-October. My family and I recently visited Durham Dari Serv while driving through Durham. We've known about the creamery for several years and have driven past it several times (it's conveniently located across the street from the Durham Fairgrounds) but we've never actually stopped there. On this drive, it was a very hot day and we all agreed that we needed ice cream. After looking over the extensive menu (which also includes frozen yogurt, Italian ice, and milkshakes), I ordered a cup of Black Raspberry, my wife ordered a cup of Rainbow Sherbert, and our son had a cup of Cookies & Cream. All three of us were very happy with our choices. This was excellent ice cream! We look forward to returning in the future! read more

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What do you want out of your friendly ice cream stand? Good flavors? Check. Homemade ice cream? Double check. Generous portions and sprinkles? Triple check. This is what you are looking for. The lines weren't short but they moved and the parking lot here was the place to be seen in Saturday night. Really enjoyed the mint chip with rainbow sprinkles. A perfect way to end a great day at the beach. read more

Durham Dari Serve - Ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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Very expensive. Got a pint and it was $7. It was good but not that good. Service person was bored and not helpful. After asking for 3 different flavors and being told "we are out of that", she gave a list of the flavors they didn't have. Not returning read more

I love coming to Durham Dari Serve for ice cream! They're way less busy now that the weather has gotten much colder, but I'm a personal believer of indulging in ice cream in any weather. That being said, Dari Serve never disappoints! I always try to go for unique or rotating flavors and this time I got one with a peanut butter base and brownie chunks alongside an actual brownie. The brownie wasn't the best I've had, but the ice cream was delicious and the portion sizes are always huge. Highly recommend. read more

Durham Dari Serve - Brownie + Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!!!!!!! This is the BEST ice cream I've had in my entire life! Service is great and they are quick! There is usually a long line but it moves quickly. My husband and I literally love this place! 100/10! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Menu - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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We don't miss a chance to stop at the Dari Serv whenever we visit my hubby's stomping grounds in Durham. The name annoys me a bit since I'm a former English teacher, but they get a free pass on the misspelling since they serve up mooo-velous treats! I love an old fashioned walk up ice cream shop and this unassuming barn shaped creamery doesn't disappoint! They basically do one thing... soft serve... and they've been doing it right for over half a century! The skinny cow mascot that once graced the front of the shop must have been put out to pasture because he wasn't around this last visit. Typically known for the long lines, we scored when we came here in July with no lines to be found! They had traffic "cones" set up to keep social distancing and plenty of parking. The staff was friendly and helpful! My "go to" is the chocolate vanilla twist with chocolate sprinkles (you may refer to them ants or jimmies, but whatever you call them, they add a crunchy goodness to any ice cream)!! This soft serve is rich and dense and super creamy. The servings are generous and the prices are fair! The milkshakes are thick and delicious! We've also tried the sundaes, and they offer tons of choices. Their seasonal sundaes are amazing! For a cool treat that can't be beat, "mooo-ve" on down to this small town classic sweet shop that will have you coming back again and again! read more

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As far as ice cream goes, you really can't go wrong with Durham Dari Serve. Go there on a warm, sunny day and you'll see the line is about 15-20 deep, but it's worth the wait! (the line moves pretty fast anyways). A host of great flavors to choose from, as well as daily specials. Both soft and hard ice cream, as well as a few varieties of frozen yogurt. The service is fast, even on a busy day. You just order from a window and there's no indoor seating areas, but they have benches/picnic tables in back of the building. Definitely a top ice cream spot to visit this summer! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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Very very good!!! The lines maybe long but they move fast so just have some patience. Parking is available however you may have to wait for an opening. I had a regular vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles and my husband had a cherry dipped cone. All of around $8!! Prices are really good. This is in my top 3 spots now. read more

THIS IS GREAT ICE CREAM!! It was a bit of a ride for us and totally worth it! Monday needed ice cream and we decided to come here. So happy we did. Parking was pretty easy. The was a long line but it moved quickly. I got a waffle cone with Butter Pecan delicious (maybe could've been a little more buttery for my liking) and good pecan to ice cream ratio. My second scoop and my husband's choice was Cherry Amaretto. This was so good!! (I didn't get a pick of mine because it was very melted by the time I got it in hand.) Lots of cherries and lots of chocolate chips! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, nice crowd of customers and great ice cream. Make this one of your summer treats!! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Cherry Amaretto - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

An absolute staple! Don't let the long lines scare you, it moves fast. Always a treat driving by and seeing the crowd of people - it's been like this as long as I can remember! One of the only spots with Peanut Butter dipped cones so I have to order it every time! Their soft serve is perfect and so so creamy! read more

Durham Dari Serve - PB Dip - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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6/29/22 On our way back from a shoreline lunch on our motorcycles, my old buddy Bob & I stopped at Durham Dari Serv to take a break and refresh. Here's another neat little business I've passed by on literally hundreds (perhaps thousands) of occasions and only today made a point to stop in and sample the goods. I had a nice cup of vanilla soft serve with rainbow sprinkles (don't I always?). This was just as good as any I've had and certainly better than what's to be had at another, nationally known dairy outlet. It also has more character due to its longevity, and perfect location at the confluence of three state routes, two of which head directly to and from the shoreline. I really need to keep this cool little ice cream joint in mind as part of my ice cream addiction! By the way, there is no indoor seating or service, so it's a seasonal business. read more

Durham Dari Serve - 6/29/22 A small cup of soft serve vanilla with rainbow shots is in order today @ Durham Dari Serv! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

I got a regular sized strawberry ice cream with whipped cream. The portions were HUGE! The ice cream tasted very fresh and creamy. The only con was the messiness inside the ice cream shop with toppings all over the floor. read more

Durham Dari Serve - Strawberry Ice Cream with whipped cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

We stopped for ice cream on Sunday just in time for no lines another 5 min it was packed . We got the blueberry the toasted coconut and the cherry amaretto. I like their ice cream but it doesn't freeze hard . We were disappointed they were out of the orange mandarin soft serve swirl lol with vanilla. But those girls do an amazing job keeping it quiet and efficient. Not looking forward to when they close for the season. The ice cream is loaded with blueberries the strawberries as well . Go enjoy a cool snack while you can . We all love ice cream once in a while.. Enjoy !!! Thanks Chris M read more

One of my Favorite ice cream spots around! Great flavors, fast and Nice servers. My favorites are the toasted coconut and apple pie.

This place has the small town vibes you are looking for in an ice cream stand. Absolutely delicious

What a wonderful spot to stop for ice cream! We stopped on our way back from the beach and it was a perfect way to end the day! Both the soft serve and the hard scoop ice cream were great quality and large quantities. The line may look long but it moves fast! Definitely worth the stop! Can't wait to go back! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Cherry Dip Soft Serve - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Nice local spot that's been here for decades, open seasonally. Sort of a tradition to stop on a hot summer day. Overall, a hit or miss experience. Ice cream is OK, but wouldn't call it premium despite the premium prices. Always a line, but it generally moves quickly. Waiting on the asphalt when it's 90 degrees in the blazing sun is not fun! Staff behind the tiny windows are sometimes helpful and sometimes super rude. There are a few benches to eat at in the crumbling parking lot, but they really should spend more time cleaning. Often, there's dripped ice cream on the seats, the garbage cans are always full and bees are a nuisance. Since it's usually busy, I don't expect much to change. read more

Today is June 30, 2021 and we are currently in the middle of a heat wave. When I stopped in my car temperature was reading 97°. I wasn't thinking about any of this when I put in my order four cake batter ice cream on a sugar cone What I was able to salvage, tasted delicious.  The rest of it ended up on my legs, hands and feet.  It melted so fast, that I couldn't even get a picture of it but I will say that the scoops were huge.While the ice cream was very good, my experience wasn't, but that was entirely my fault. I won't make that mistake again. The prices are very reasonable. My total was less than seven dollars. The person I was with was a little smarter than me and ordered theirs in a cup.  I definitely plan on stopping in again and making some better choices. read more

Ice cream shack with homemade ice cream (Instant whip is owned by the owner and he supplies all of their Ice Cream) that that was extremely crowded when I visited. Although it was swamped, they made the ice cream incredibly quickly. Their is a giant parking lot surrounding the place which prevents a lot of seating, but their are a few benches. They had a very solid selection of ice cream and I really enjoyed my cookie dough ice cream. They used generic cones, but gave me a MASSIVE amount of ice cream. The ice cream had plenty of mix-in's Ice Cream Quality: 9/10 Overall 6/10 read more

I seem to have subconsciously started a personal tradition of stopping here every time I come back home from the outlets. The lines are usually intimidatingly long on a hot summer day, but don't fret, they move quickly! I think the ice cream is just OK, but the portion size is MASSIVE. I mean, I realized a small was too big and started ordering kiddie sizes. And somehow, they keep their prices really low while serving these massive scoops, so it's absolutely worth it. I got a cookies n' cream on my last visit, which had a lot of Oreo cookies (yay!), but the ice cream had the texture of little ice crystals in it. I can't remember if every visit has been that way. I'll just have to come back to try more flavors on my next outlet trip. read more

We have been going to the Dari for years. It was once on my route, when visiting my now husband on the shore. Our visits were more frequent when we were making that drive. Things slowed down after he moved to be with me in Middletown. Now that we have an ice cream loving son, we've increased our visits. Last night we were down on the shore and decided to make a stop on our way home. I was so excited to see my fall favorites were back. I ordered a regular dish with pumpkin and apple pie. I expected a scoop of each, but walked away with a 4 scoop dish! The black raspberry kiddie cone was a towering 2 scoops. My husband ordered the Flurry (like a DQ Blizzard). It was packed with ice cream and M & M's. The portions are huge, the price is right. The lines can be long and the benches can go quick. I've been here at all different times and couldn't tell you when their "slow" times are. I would've given 5 stars, had I not been reminded of my one pet peeve here. The crunchy ice crystals! The nemesis of ice cream everywhere. My apple pie was riddled with crystals, while my pumpkin was perfectly fine. This doesn't happen every visit, but enough to cost it a star. read more

Great service and amazing ice cream! First time coming here and I loved it! Can't wait to go back again soon! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Without question this is the best soft serve ever and I mean ever. The consistency is perfect, the flavor clean and probably the best value bar none! The lines can be a little intimidating, however the wait is well worthwhile once you take that first bite. The portions are huge, I tend to get a kid size vanilla in a cup with chocolate shots. It's heaven! read more

Durham Dari Serve - Perfection! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

I love this place. Great ice cream and they don't do that dick move of charging too much. Great service, location and people. Please don't go though, the line is already too long. ;) read more

A classic for a reason. And amazing ice cream cakes if you order ahead Just make sure to check the core sign for specials. read more

Didn't know this place existed until recently so I decided to try it. The ice cream was good and the portions were also good my problem was how filthy and repulsive the outdoor seating was. The benches were covered in spilt ice cream, garbage and some were covered in dirt. The dirt was stuck to the bench due to the ice cream being caked on. It appeared it had t been cleaned in several weeks. read more

I have driven by this place more times than I can count and never stopped in during the summer months for one reason or another. Last night however with a craving for swirl soft serve and rainbow sprinkles I persuaded the husband to make a stop there on our way home. The place was hopping and even though it was technically closed and the teens behind the window were happy to make sure all the customers left content. The line moved quick and even though there were some awesome hard ice cream and yogurt flavors on the board (especially the PB brownie and Mississippi Mud) I was on a mission. However at the last second I added peanut butter dip. My ice cream as served in a dish as that was the only way to ensure both toppings and it was simply the best. A lot of times dips crack when applied. To a cone, causing you to loose some of that goodness. Not the case here. My cup kept all that goodness in tact. Great local place that I am glad to have finally tried. read more

Durham Dari Serve - Soft serve swirl with sprinkles and peanut butter dip. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

Quite literally the best ice cream I've ever had, hands-down. I grew up near the Dari Serv, but moved out of state over ten years ago. I will still visit CT once a summer, and this is one spot that I will always try to visit at least once (if not more) when I'm there. I've actually never tried their hard ice cream, but their soft serve with sprinkles is my absolute favorite. There is somehow always a line outside, no matter what time of day or what temperature, but it moves pretty quickly and they have good prices. Highly recommend to anyone passing through- 12/10! read more

I love this place! Ample parking in the back, and long lines but they move you through so quickly that it is amazing. So, don't be intimidated by the line as you drive up. By the time my husband was paying for our order, the order was being placed in the pick-up window - that's how fast they are! But, as someone else said in his post - the reason you come is for the ice cream. The portions are HUGE, and I've gotten ice cream in a cup, and a sundae and they were both delicious. They have creative flavors and I would love to work through the list. There are benches all around the building and many just sit on their tailgate while they enjoy their treat. Can't wait to go back! read more

Do you like ice cream? Yes? Then why haven't you been here yet? My sister has lived in South Carolina since 1998 and Durham Dari Serve is one of her required stops whenever she is home. She always gets a vanilla soft-serve on a cone with rainbow sprinkles. I, on the other hand, try to stick with one of the new, unique flavors offered. This past visit, I sampled the smores - fantastic, btw - but ended up going with my all-time favorite, mint chocolate chip with chocolate sprinkles. There is always, always a line here, but it moves quickly and is worth waiting a minute or two. Make sure to stock up on napkins, though, a "small" cone here is a large elsewhere and can get very messy on a warm summer day! read more

Durham Dari Serve - A "small" mint chocolate chip cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut

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This was a pleasant ice cream stand, not anything out of the ordinary. There was a.huge line, but it did move quickly. Many people brought their dogs, so there were lots of furry friends to meet. The employees were very friendly and eager to help. There were some interesting flavors available, and the staff gladly provides a sample. One thing which would make this establishment better would be if there were more benches available. As it is now, people were sitting in the back of their trucks or standing in the parking lot eating their ice cream. It is worth a try, if only because there were a lot of friendly people hanging around indulging in the yummy frozen treat. read more

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Love soft ice cream...simple pleasure--vanilla-chocolate swirl. Friendly employees. Large-size is a lot read more

Durham Dari Serve - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Durham, Connecticut