Review Visit: June 10th, 2015…read more Carl's Ice Cream.... Home of the Creepy Ice Cream Cone. Those eyes. Those ice cream eyes still haunt me to this day. They will never leave my memory. Nor will the decent ice cream served here. During one of my many trips to explore Bloomington-Normal, I decided to start trying out the ice cream shacks in the dual city. Twin cities. Hyphenated names. Whatever you want to call them. I used some Google-fu to look up places to grab the sugary snack and Carl's was one of the first results. My girlfriend at the time said that it was good enough for her, so we punched the address in to the GPS and headed that way. Upon pulling up, I was startled by the feeling that I was being watched. After getting out of the car, I had to look around and see what was causing that feeling. It was then that I locked eyes with Carl. The incredibly creepy ice cream cone on a pole that is staring down on you. Trying to ignore that, we shuffled to the front of the building and looked over the menu. Looking at their current online menu to help refresh my memory, I am surprised to see them offering only ice cream and ice cream-style treats. Most ice cream shacks offer not only a ton of different frozen dessert items but also a multitude of food items as well. Not Carl's. They just have ice cream and ice cream-related products. We eventually figured out what we wanted and placed an order. I remember getting my usual (peanut butter malt/blizzard/shake) and being just slightly disappointed in the flavor and lack of a wow-factor. Not but a year later, we ended back here by some stroke of luck and I got a cone of ice cream. It was mutli-colored (as seen below) and I remember enjoying that more than I did with my 2015 choice. Back to 2015, I remember us standing our and enjoying the nice snack after a long day of exploring. I just couldn't help but feel that Carl, the ice cream mascot, was looking down on us. Like a chef watching a VIP eating their signature meal to see their reaction. All in all though, the place was pretty good. More-so the second time around. The second trip would've scored a 4.75/5. I am still surprised they don't offer non-ice cream options, but maybe The Carl doesn't allow them to serve anything but ice cream. There is a second location in Normal, Illinois. They seem to have a 'muffler-man' statue that was repurposed in to a man holding ice cream. I have yet to visit that place but hopefully his stare is less soul-piercing than Carl, the Ice Cream Cone's.

We ordered a kids chicken strips and a basket of fries. While we waited patiently with our number…read more(12), other guests arrived and placed their orders. After noticing that people who ordered after us had finished their entire meals, I went up to the management and asked what happened to our order. I was then told that it was because I ordered chicken strips that it took over forty minutes to make such a simple order. Keep in mind that a family with four children who came in after us had already gotten their fries and were halfway done with their ice cream. Another table that had two gentlemen who also ordered after us had finished their cheeseburgers. I have been a professional in the short order cooking business for over twelve years in the past, and I know for a fact it does not take that long to make chicken fingers (even if they were made from scratch and not frozen). I usually buy the gift certificates every Black Friday, but that will never happen again. I will never return to this establishment. Please feel free to reach out to me to buy my unused $30 gift certificates at half price, but be warned---this place is poorly managed, understaffed, and desperate for a line cook who can manage a couple deep-frier orders in a timely manner. Although I prefer to support local businesses, there are far better alternatives in town, like Culver's and Gene's. So ends about twenty years of patronage and many good family memories.

Amazing ice cream! I love supporting local and all of the flavors that they have! Service has been…read moregood the last three times I have went. The ambiance is nice. Very family friendly! Also the serving sizes are BIG! Perfect for an ice cream lover like me!

Delicious treat, plenty of seating indoor and outdoor, very popular place. And if just ice cream-…read morewas relatively quick for a Saturday afternoon

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! My colleague and I are here for a business trip…read moreand popped into here after dinner and shopping. She got the coconut almond and I got a mint chocolate chip cone with sprinkles. We asked a lot of questions at the counter and the young lady was so helpful. The ice cream was creamy and yummy. They were generous portions for the cost. And the sprinkles are complimentary! Definitely a must try!

HORRIBLE employees! We came after a fun filled days with our special olympics kids to have a nice…read moretreat. The staff was rude, short with us and had NO interest in being nice people. I heard the f word several times, I asked for a different kind of bowl and was screamed at that in ordered a plain one not a sprinkle one. I offered to pay the difference but he threw the bowl at me. I mean...how hard is it to serve ice cream to happy humans? Shame on you for being asses. Ice cream was good though so there's that.

Any time I am in the Downtown Bloomington area, I make a point to stop at Gene's Dairy Delight…read more Its a 50+ year landmark business in the Bloomington area, not just for amazing soft serve custard but for friendly fast service. You can walk up or hit the drive thru but always the same great service and wonderful soft serve. They have an extensive menu with something for everyone in your group! I especially recommend the strawberry lemon twist soft serve. Delicious and refreshing on a hot summer day. Highly recommend this business for yummy treats in the heart of Bloomington! Cash only so hit the ATM before you stop by and tell them Kate sent you!

We did not realize they did not serve frozen custard. Their dairy delight just does not compare to…read moreTed Drewes or Andy's frozen custard.

The place has really good warmth, and there is real kindness with the cashiers. I wanted something…read morethat was specific, and they couldn't do it, so they offered to refund me. I thought that was actually very kind and thoughtful. I see that everything is so neat, well maintained, super cool vibes. They let me sit and work even though I couldn't have anything there, that to me is creating a pleasant and friendly environment. I think this café will go a long way! I will definitely get my nieces next time

Super clean establishment, nothing to complain about really. The service is was good as always and…read morethe Ice Cream was even better. Always gonna be an enthusiast for Cold Stone, definitely a classic

Good! Not perfect. I really wish you paid per cup size and not weight. They were out of cookies n'…read morecream, BUMMER! I settled for pineapple and it was pretty good. The TV was way too loud, I couldn't hear myself think. Service was good I guess, all they did was ring me up. I'll be back. I'll bring ear plugs next time.

The staff was rude, low key harassing me for what I was wearing and then proceeded to have a loud…read morediscussion about conspiracy theories with another customer that I wasnt thrilled about my child being in earshot of. It was a weird experience and dont think we will be returning.

We were greeted when we entered. It was only one young lady working! It was a group of about five…read moreahead of us. She started working on their order and then assisted us. Although she was busy and diligently working but she was very attentive, kind and even gave us suggestions when we inquired. Once she took our order she completed the first groups orders and began working on ours. She was very efficient! It was my Mom and her finance's first time trying insomnia and they enjoyed it. The cookies and brookies were good! We enjoyed our order! I look forward to trying it again as this was only my second experience!

Review Visit: March 15th, 2015…read more Late. Night. Cookie. Shop. That is exactly what Insomnia Cookies is. No serious, they sell cookies til about 3am. Now I am not sure how the great idea came about to sell cookies until 3am, but I love the idea. I have never been there that late, but I can vouch for the deliciousness of the cookies. They even warm them up for you before they hand them over. If you consider yourself a cookie lover and you have not tried one of the 80+ Insomnia Cookies in America.... do it now. It's fine, they will still be open by the time you get there. Also, if you see magnets behind the register, ask for one. I have one on my fridge and it was free of charge (your mileage may vary though).

Food service is always slow, they take orders then forget about you entirely. And to add I had to…read moreuse the John and found what seems to be a pair of soiled underwear.

genuinely the best i've had from dq in a while. they weren't stingy on the sauce for my sauced and…read moretossed. fries are crispy and the toast is actually buttered good. props to yall. also whoever was bringing our food out had very good customer service skills.