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    Emo's Dairy Mart

    3.9 (47 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 10:00 pm

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    Joshua D.

    Review Visit: June 23rd, 2013 The popularity of this place no joke, despite the mascot being a clown. If you are no stranger to Peoria, you will also be no stranger to the myths and legends that surround Emo's Dairy Mart. If you are not from the area, you might be asking yourself: "What is Emo's and why is it so popular?" I can answer the first part of that but not the second. Emo's is a seasonal staple that dishes out ice cream cone after ice cream cone after ice cream cone from their first day open until the final day of the season. Every time I drive by during their open season, there is always a giant crowd of people gathered for some sugary delights and simple yet tasty food. On this particular day, after having a grand ol' time after reliving the medieval times at the Olde English Faire in Hanna City at Wildlife Prairie Park, we needed food. One gets a hankering for food after jousting, axe throwing, dragon slaying, princess saving, and various other daily activities one did back in those days. Luckily we missed the lunch rush and got there before the dinner rush as there weren't a terribly large amount of people to wade through to speak to the clown. We were able to browse the menu without much issue and placed an order at our leisure. As with most places like this, your food is made-to-order and that means you have to wait awhile. Not only that, but the staffing level is usually just 2-3 people at a time. So, after waiting a bit longer than we anticipated, our food and shakes were ready. Matt, Erin and I took over a table with an umbrella to escape the mighty sun after spending a good few hours in it. Without hesitation, we demolished our food in a quick order. I ordered a tenderloin, french fry and a strawberry shake/wizard/blizzard. Erin got a soda and a chili cheese dog while Matt got a hot dog. I think we ate the bulk of our food quicker than we waited. The food and drink was a home run. Maybe it was the empty stomach. Maybe it was the sunburn setting in. Maybe it was just delicious food. I can see why people flock here for their lunch or dinner or afternoon treat. I do say that with a caveat. While the food was great, I don't think it's tons better than most food you can get at other ice cream shacks. Maybe a bit better but not one to go out of your way for if you have closer places to visit. If you do happen to visit Peoria and want to try Emo's, you won't be disappointed. One thing to note is that it is on the corner of a busy intersection and the parking lot is small and very awkward. If memory serves me right, the parking lot is mostly white rock and gravel without any real defining lines on where to park. I haven't been back since this visit, so this may have changed as the years rolled by. Stay happy. Stay fun.

    Blue Raspberry Slushie
    Steve A.

    Basic ice cream stand with the usual treats that are cool. It also has hot eats. Emo's Dairy Mart is one of those pretty small places where you order at a counter but it's better than average. Food is mostly things like ice cream, but there's also burgers and hot dogs. The prices are getting higher but not that bad yet. At a busy intersection in Peoria easy to pass up so you have to look for it. It just so happened we were close and needed to cool off. There's not that much here to recommend but it's a place with some good summer treats. Both of us got a slushie because that's about all that sounded good. It's about $2 for a medium. There's a few flavors including Blue Raspberry. Hot food includes the common stuff like burgers and hot dogs. It's your standard junk food at this type of place. The prices aren't as good but still not that bad for this kind of stuff.

    Lemon and strawberry kids size cone
    Vanessa T.

    Got the Lemon and strawberry kids size cone. Portion size is good for $3. The strawberry tastes like medicine and somewhat artificial. Lemon is probably also artificial but it tastes more fresh.

    Large twist $2.76
    Alice K.

    Great place when you have a taste for true soft serve ice cream! Many options my favorite is half chocolate and half vanilla on an cone! They also have great hot dogs with chili.

    Sarah W.

    I went here with friends on a late night ice cream run. We got there around 9:30 and they close at 10. The window attendant seemed ready to get done with her shift and wasn't overly friendly. Emo's serves the same ice cream as "Ice Cream Shack". Emo's is more in the middle of Peoria so it's a closer alternative to "Ice Cream Shack". Our wait time was minimal because they weren't busy. I ordered the Freight Train Wizard. It has seven different types of candy mixed into vanilla ice cream. I tasted m&m's, oreos, snickers, heath bars, and some others. If you are allergic to nuts or anything else, I would ask all the types of candy that they put in it. The small is pretty large, so I split it with one of my friends. I don't think I could finish it by myself. They have really neat flavors and combinations. The clown is a little creepy, but if you can get over the fear, go to Emo's!

    a clown on the roof
    Angie B.

    Great, great, great no-frills food. This is a Peoria institution. I go for the Art's Hot Tamales and a pineapple shake. There are shakes and sundaes in just about any flavor imaginable... as well as fantastic hot dogs, coney dogs (hot dog with chilli, mustard and onions), fries, popcorn, and of course, ice cream! Was just back for a visit this weekend, and went to Emo's twice!

    Small Freight train wizard

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    10 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Emos is always such a welcoming and nostalgic place. A peoria classic. Long lines, but worth it! Also cash only

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    I love all of their ice creams and the service is excellent, the peanut butter ice cream is my favorite.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Not sure about ice cream's ingredients? If you do not eat eggs then should check out. I do not eat eggs but got mixed answers.

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    7 years ago

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    Chili dogs. Chili sauces good nasty grey cheap dog Under the chili gross. Take a look at that hotdog under your chili

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    7 years ago

    Their soft serve & French fries are great. I didn't enjoy the tamale however I'm also a picky Californian LOL.

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

    The best ice cream in Peoria, hands down!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Emo's Dairy Mart

    Review Highlights - Emo's Dairy Mart

    A Peoria institution for decades.

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    Ice Cream Shack

    Ice Cream Shack

    4.2(26 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $

    Review Visit: September 29th, 2013…read more "Do you want to go to The Ice Cream Shack?" "Sure! Which one?" "THE Ice Cream Shack." "Right, but which one? Peoria has a ton of them." "It's a place called THE ICE CREAM SHACK." "Ohhhhhh..." I imagine that is a common conversation among people when they are talking about coming here. I know there was some slight confusion between my cousin and I when we made plans to check this place out. After spending the afternoon hiking at Forest Park Nature Center with my friend Tim and my cousin's family, we needed some sugary treats to recharge our batteries. The kids were vocally loud in their agreement on getting ice cream. So, we hopped in our cars and headed over. I had been by this area quite a few times and never realized there was an ice cream place. The building itself is a bit recessed from the road and doesn't really have an outlandish look that some ice cream shacks have. So, you can end up driving by without noticing it (as I have). It was a slow when we pulled up so there was plenty of parking for our two vehicles. We hopped out and walked on up to the window to figure out what we wanted. Luckily this place doesn't have a million different options to pick from like a lot of places. Their menu is simplistic and focused on ice cream with a small selection of non-frozen desserts to pick from. On this day, I snagged a Peanut Butter Cup-flavored wizard. As we waited for our snacks, I eagerly anticipated getting a peanut butter cup-themed wizard staff and hat to go with my delectable. When they called my name, I sprinted up to the window to get my goodies. What they gave me was just the wizard that I ordered and no garments or anything else. Dream crushed. I'm kidding. We all got our orders in a fairly quick time as there weren't many people there. I don't recall what everyone else got but we took some funny photos while scarfing down our sugary dairy products. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered and after goofing around a bit more, we parted ways. Not only did the kids get to be kids jacked up on ice cream and hiking, us adults got to be kids at heart while being goof balls loaded up on sugar.

    I don't understand for the life of me why a business can't accept credit cards. It's 2025 not 1910,…read moreare the owners that cheap? It's not like their prices are low enough to justify it. They actually cost more than Dairy Queen. Once I saw that and there prices I just turned around. I just can't support a business that can't support itself

    Photos
    Ice Cream Shack
    Ice Cream Shack
    Ice Cream Shack - Front

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    Front

    Las Delicias - Coffee/Cafe Ice Cream

    Las Delicias

    4.8(44 reviews)
    2.8 mi
    $

    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!

    Photos
    Las Delicias - Mango Sorbet

    Mango Sorbet

    Las Delicias
    Las Delicias

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    Yeni’s Palarte - Summer 2024 menu

    Yeni’s Palarte

    4.4(32 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    Love this place. Every time I go back to visit Peoria, we must stop and we try to take friends. Our…read moremost recent visit, we were served by Yeni herself and she was really kind about having us try several flavors before we made our final selections. This shop has so many things! Regular ice cream, dairy-free sorbet flavors, horchata, aqua fresca and boozy flavors. So much, all home made. My plan was to have a scoop of the no sugar added avocado ice cream as I did my previous visit. It was so refreshing on a hot night. Sadly, this flavor was not available, but there were OH SO many. The lavender was wonderful. The pine nut was unexpectedly sweet and smooth. My husband ended up choosing starry night, which was a mix of berries topped with gold star shaped sprinkles and it was a beautiful presentation. My choice ended up being something she suggested that I try. I honestly can't remember the name but the 90s was in the title so of course it was something I was interested in ha ha. So let me tell you, this flavor tasted like Saturday mornings as a kid, when you're watching cartoons, eating cereal and then you drink the last bit of your sweetened milk from the bottom of the bowl. Oh my gosh, it took me back! Yeni explained that it was a mix of her homemade Mexican vanilla and she added grape nuts. Yes, you heard that right - grape nuts, cereal! I am so excited that this shop is in Peoria Heights, and I hope that it stays for a long time. We will plan to be back regularly. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality. Yeni!

    I had the Mexican corn and an ice cream I forgot the name but it was purple and had stars on it…read more Very good place with unique flavors. Definitely Give this place a a try!

    Photos
    Yeni’s Palarte - Ice cream bar

    Ice cream bar

    Yeni’s Palarte - Purple rain - blackberry, raspberry and cream, yellow cake batter on right on a waffle with whip cream!

    Purple rain - blackberry, raspberry and cream, yellow cake batter on right on a waffle with whip cream!

    Yeni’s Palarte

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    Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream - Blackberry and Sweet Georgia Peach*

    Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream

    4.9(44 reviews)
    16.0 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream - The outside view and some nice seating

    The outside view and some nice seating

    Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream
    Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream

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    Theo's - Easy to find in tiny corner location

    Theo's

    3.7(23 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $

    Review Visit: June 17th, 2015…read more Theo's is The-o place to be for ice cream. Peoria seems to have a lot of ice cream places and Theo's was next on my list to visit. So, I gathered my good travel buddy Matt and my girlfriend at the time to drive there and check it out. I have actually tried to visit Theo's a few times prior to this but the location is just odd. It's kind of on the corner of a busy main street and a busy side street. Due to that, it's a pretty hopping place to go. On top of that, the parking arrangement is also strange. There is maybe room for a few cars in front of the building and a few spots on the side of the building but beyond that, you are relegated to using the curbs along the road. On our way there, we devised a Plan B as we have failed to try and get Theo's before. Luckily, we beat the crowd and were able to find a place to park. Memory is a bit foggy on this part but I believe Theo's is/was cash only. Don't quote me on that but do make sure you have some money on you as a precaution. I don't exactly remember what I ordered. I think it was an espresso-flavored ice cream while my girlfriend ordered a coffee-flavored one. We, of course, sampled what the other got. I have to be honest and say that while mine was great, her choice in flavors was 10x better. We actually came back by ourselves on another day and I got what she got and was happy. Matt ordered something unique off the menu. I don't remember what it was but he said it was delicious. I think it was a low-calorie ice cream treat. Since we ordered simple ice creams, we didn't have to wait too long for the cashier to yell out our order to pick them up. If you've never been to a proper ice cream shack, do know that if you order a lot of food it can take awhile to get it as they usually cook the food fresh and to-order. Theo's does offer a wide variety of options between ice cream and food. I have yet to try their non-ice cream offerings but I would imagine they are pretty good. At least the photos I've seen on Google/Yelp makes their food look good. If I do get to try their food, I will add my thoughts of it to this post.

    I went back last week and was informed the prices listed are correct but yesterday when I went the…read moresame two females from before said the prices aren't correct. At this point I'm convinced they are up charging people and pocketing the money. There is no way you can't update a paper menu after a month to reflect the correct prices nor do I believe people are being disciplined for charging what is listed.

    Photos
    Theo's - Icebergs are their copywriter free blizzard

    Icebergs are their copywriter free blizzard

    Theo's - Great selection of flavors and good sizes

    Great selection of flavors and good sizes

    Theo's

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    Emo's Dairy Mart - icecream - Updated May 2026

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