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.

The ice cream was delicious, and the service was excellent! We were offered samples of multiple…read moreflavors without asking, and the employee was very friendly and informative. It is a little pricier than your average ice cream shop; however, these are unique homemade flavors, and I feel the price is deserving of this level of quality. As of my post, the cost is $7 per scoop or two scoops for $9. My husband chose the caramel brownie. I choose one scoop of Cookie Monster and one scoop of Starry Night. It was our first experience with this little shop, but it definitely won't be our last!

While the ice cream is visually pleasing, the flavor isn't that great. It wasn't as creamy as I…read morethought ice cream would be. Also, certainly a very small portion for a big price. I got Starry Night. No need to return for me.

We ordered chocolate ice cream with waffle cones and peanut butter ice cream cups! They're all…read moreabsolutely delicious!

Review Visit: September 7th, 2014…read more The Ice Cream Shack of Sunnyland... located in Washington? We are here to talk about the ice cream shack of....... Sunnyland. My friend Matt and I decided to come here after grabbing some pizza from Aurelio's in Peoria. After having some greasy pizza, you need something sweet and delectable to wrap up after a day of exceeding the recommended number of calories per day. We arrived shortly after the sun went down. You almost wouldn't be able to tell as the line of cars in their drive-thru was enough to make it seem like midday. That is a bit of an exaggeration but whenever I cruise by and it's 'ice cream shack season', there is a line about 10-15 cars deep. This night was no exception. After squeezing in a parking spot, we got in the human line that wasn't as long as the car line but still impressive for the time of day. As we had plenty of time to look over the menu, Matt and I couldn't help but remark at the millions of items on the menu. The size of the building leads you to be fooled in to thinking that this place serves only the basics. It felt like reading a novel as I looked over the dozens of options. I'm not sure what Matt ordered but I remember getting a peanut butter malt/shake/blizzard. I don't remember what the specific type of ice cream novelty drink it was but I remember it being delicious. I could tell by Matt's smile that he was equally enjoying his drink as well. Not wanting to be locked in the parking spot by the ever-long line from the drive thru, we hopped in at took off. Since it was a quick visit, this is a short post. I have only been here the one time but I would love to revisit some day and try the bazillions of food offerings they have along with another peanut butter... anything. Yeah, I have a peanut butter addiction.

Uncle Bobs has the BEST ice cream!! We usually buy it from Hyvee, but made a trip to the motherland…read more(aka the storefront in Eureka). It's a cute little store with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive through. The employees were friendly and helpful. They gave my dog a pup cup which was so thoughtful!!

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.

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

Locally owned ice cream stand offering hard and soft serve ice cream. I had the chocolate and…read morevanilla twist in a cup. It was very good. They have inside and outside seating.

Says they close at 10 and made us leave at 9:30. Instead of telling us they were closed they shut…read moreoff all of the lights and laughed at us. Also told us no fries when we got there and it was only 9:20. Why say you're open til 10 if you kick people out 30 minutes before you close?

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

Pfaffs Bakery is a Pontiac, IL institution. If you want to experience the local cuisine, Pfaff's…read moreBakery is a place you simply have to visit. This is an old-school full-service bakery where everything is made on-site and fresh daily. Whenever friends and family come back to Pontiac to visit, they all want a few treats from Pfaff's Bakery. It just tastes like home. If you've never experienced Pfaff's Bakery, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. I promise you, you won't be disappointed, but get there early. Things sell out fast every day. It's that good.

Pfaff's Bakery - A Route 66 Sugar Rush Worth Every Mile…read more Walking into Pfaff's feels like opening the door to a time capsule... one that smells like maple, chocolate, and everything good about being alive. There's something comforting about a place that's been doing its thing since 1954, and clearly doing it right. The display case? Dangerous. In the best way. Everything looked so inviting it turned into a full internal debate between my eyes, my taste buds, and my very real pastry weakness. Spoiler: the pastries won. The donuts were some of the best I've had in a long time. Soft, light, just the right amount of sweet without tipping into sugar overload. My favorite was the one that reminded me of a palmier... flaky, delicate, and honestly a little heavenly. Service could use a bit of an upgrade on the friendly department. We're in the middle of a six-week road trip, and this stop, a small detour between Chicago and St. Louis, ended up being one of those unexpectedly perfect moments. Good coffee, great donuts, and a bonus hit of Route 66 nostalgia (yes, I'm fully that person). If you're anywhere nearby, don't overthink it. Just go. And maybe order one extra... you'll understand why.