This is the best ice cream in London. Very cute, old school ice cream place with a big menu and tasty ice cream. Usually not many people there either, so it's pretty fast. One of my favorite places to go when I'm in town. read more

I honestly don't like ice cream like at all but this place changed that because the ice cream there is fantastic from all the flavours to the great customer service everything is absolutely perfect and to this day when people ask if I like ice cream I always say no unless it's from Merle Mae read more

I loveeeeee Merla Mae , the ice cream is my absolute favorite and I try to go every chance I get . The employees are quite nice and work fast and really generous too ! . Though it's always busy it's always worth the wait - Merla Mae never disappoints ! read more

Pretty pricey soft serve ice cream, with a base cone with no toppings for around $5 depending on size & cone and the cost of dips and toppings will easily skyrocket the cost. Average for a regular cone with 1 dip and 1 topping is about $8 Overall the ice cream and toppings were delicious and they have outdoor seating and a few booths inside. Perfect for a summer day. Service was pretty slow though as there were 2 employees on cash and making cones serving the massive line of people...so if you're in a hurry or impatient, go elsewhere Overall I enjoyed this place, would be better if they were better staffed during the busy season read more

Merla Mae Ice Cream - two cones with sprinkles - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - London, Ontario

This place is a London Gem. It is famous for what it does and you can see it the moment you get here. Merla Mae Ice Cream specializes in soft serve ice cream dressed up probably over a million different ways. The possibilities are endless here. Absolutely endless. I've never seen an ice cream parlour like this, ever. From a simple cone, to a sundae with at least 4-5 different toppings, this place has it all. I love the unique toppings here. This isnt your typical sprinkle or nuts joint. Irish cream? New York Cheese Cake? Apple? It's got it all. I was impressed by the fact that I could get my soft ice cream cone dipped in rainbow sprinkles. Having worked in an ice cream parlour before, I can say that I've attempted this, and failed. But having working in an ice cream parlour, I have to say, there is something about their ice cream that just doesnt quite hit the spot. While it is nice and creamy, it doesnt seem as cold as other places. It's almost like a thick version of whipped cream? Either way, nothing BAD, I think I may be used to a different recipe. I give their ice cream 3 stars but the service and the many many many menu items bumps it up for a 4. Be prepared for long line ups in the summer time. Lots of families and big groups! read more

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Amazing ice cream, and best way to celebrate the start of warm weather in London. Merla has a LOT of great options, and the only problem with that is each time I come back, I want to try something new, but also really enjoyed my last choice! I've been a customer here since I was a kid, and recommend to anyone who loves ice cream! read more

What a disappointment! I had such high hopes for this place to be a local, iconic-to-London, better-than-chains ice cream place. I saw the line-ups and the retro décor and the incredibly huge menu and I thought it would be such a nice night out for dessert. We ordered two ice creams - one special menu item with brownies and fudge, and one butterscotch sundae. First off, they forgot our order and we had to remind them... When we finally got our order, the amount of ice cream was abysmal, the butterscotch sauce didn't taste like butterscotch (tasted sort of like caramel? Maybe a mix of the two?), and the brownie fudge thing looked like ice cream with a bit of cookie dust on it. I expected a lot more for $15. read more

A friend of mine was in need of some potassium after a work out so I suggested a banana split because everything is better with ice cream. I could only think of a few places that always have bananas on hand and Merla Mae won out for a) proximity and b) nostalgia of the "haven't been in a long time, can't remember if I like it" kind. Turns out, I only kinda like it. I would've preferred something else, but we split the banana split because the damn thing cost $10! As a few others have said, the texture/taste of the ice cream is unique/different and that may be awesome or awful depending on your qualifications of how ice cream should be. It was good, but not great to me. I liked the strawberries and pineapple topping, there was a tad too much whipped cream which made the dish unbalanced in sweetness. It's really hard for me to absolutely hate any kind of ice cream, though. I would probably go back, try something more to my liking (brownies + ice cream + cookies for example) and see if my opinion changes. read more

With the money you're spending here, you can fly to Paris and eat expensive cheesecake. LOL, seriously though, the ice cream is quite expensive but its actually pretty good :) I visited on a busy summer's day and the line was very long. 10 minutes later, it was finally my turn to order. I got a $8.50 brownie ice cream (they heat up brownies in the microwave but what can you expect), and my boyfriend got the $7.50 grasshopper (mint ice cream). Both our ice creams were delicious, a 5/5 but the prices should've been $4.50-6 instead. Many people say this place looks "retro" which it does. However, the posters on the walls are all faded and the place looks old. They need renovations. Retro doesn't not equal old and faded decorations. Would I return? I don't think so, but you should give this place a go if your flight to Paris got cancelled ;) read more

Merla Mae Ice Cream - Left: Fool's Gold Right: Avalanche - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - London, Ontario

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Wow this was a bad experience. Took my little great nephew and my son a few weeks ago. We ordered and got little guys and mine but waited and waited and waited and.... finally I said to my son ask them where it is. So he says I didn't get my banana split I've been waiting 20mins.? We were done ours and waiting for him. They pretty much tried to accuse him of already getting it and then I went over and straightened them out. Absolutely terrible experience wow! read more

Merla Maes is an amazing place to go for soft serve ice cream they have an abundance of different combinations available, however if none of them speak to you, you are more than welcome to create your own combination. I got the chocolate/vanilla swirl dipped in peanut butter and with cookie dough and brownie bits in a waffle dish. They were training a new staff member the day I went so I can't speak much about how the speed of service normally is, however, there was definitely a bit of a wait when I went. Still worth it though! read more

Merla Mae Ice Cream - Chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve dipped in peanut butter with cookie dough and brownie bits on a waffle dish! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - London, Ontario

AMAZING! Merla Mae has always had the best ice cream in my opinion. On top of that, they are super friendly and accommodating. Even with Covid-19 they are trying to serve everyone! I ordered an ice-cream pie for my dad's birthday (I can't even see him because of social and physical distancing), but they were going to need time to put it together. Both Merla Mae and UberEats driver were incredible accommodating. We all worked together to find a solution that worked for everyone. Really awesome! UberEats should add an option to tip the restaurants, too! Not just for being incredibly accommodating, but also for continuing to serve during this time. And I will definitely be giving the driver a tip too! Thank you guys so much!! You helped keep my dad's birthday really special!! read more

Overpriced, and small portions. It is likely the most expensive ice cream in the city. Save your money and go elsewhere.

The Ice Cream here is absolutely amazing! You can get pretty much any kind, and have it anyway that you want it as well. They have parfaits, milkshakes, dipped cones, sundaes, and the list goes on, They even sell the most amazingly good birthday cakes! The service is always friendly and they are quick as well. The only downside is it can get a little pricey if your looking for bargains, but all in all an amazing place to get some Ice Cream. read more

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Their soft serve and froyo makes for fantastic sundaes. If you can think it, they can make it into a sundae. If you can't make up your mind the menu board offers a great array from the pocket-friendly single-topping options (Plain Jane) to the extravagant (Avalanche). My personal favourites are the french mint and the grasshopper....I've been going to Merla Mae since the early 80's and while they renovated from the walk up window to an actual sit down facility in the 90's the best parts from the original remain...the sign and the soft-serve. The Service has improved ten-fold!!! read more

I'm new to London, so there's probably some nostalgic appeal about Merla Mae that I'm missing. And it's definitely good to support independent, local businesses like this one. I'm also a huge lover of all things ice cream. But I'm not a huge lover of Merla Mae, for the following reasons. The price: the simplest things on the menu -- regular size basic soft service ice cream with one simple topping, like chocolate syrup or butterscotch -- are around $4. To get anything fancier, you'll pay: $1 - $2 more for a fancier topping like hot fudge or candy, and up to $8 or so for fancy sundae concoctions with lots of interesting toppings. For those prices, I expect hefty portions, but my $4 sundae was small. Tina N. says Merla Mae is cheaper than other chain stores in the area; if that's true, those chain stores must be a rip-off. The ice cream: I'm not sure what it is about this ice cream, but the texture/consistency is strange. It tastes like a mix between Cool Whip and marshmallow. Some people might love that, but it didn't hit the spot for me -- airy, fluffy ice cream seems odd to me. I decided to keep it simple, and order a chocolate sundae. The guy behind the counter didn't ask me what kind of ice cream I wanted, and gave me vanilla. The chocolate sauce was thin and tasted like Hershey's syrup. So while I enjoyed the sundae over all, I won't be rushing back. read more

I was disappointed by my visit. The menu is immense and the decor is cool - leading you to believe it's a happening spot. First, get ready to burn a hole in your finances. The prices are astronomical. The ice cream was alright, not even close to worth the price though. I focus heavily on value with my yelp reviews so save yourself some money and go to DQ. read more

I have always associated Merla Mae with some of my fondest childhood memories. Their menu is quite extensive an offers a unique alternative to marble slab and Dairy Queen. I love the different sundaes, shakes and blizzard like creations merla Mae offers as well as the retro feel. When I lived close by I would walk down for a treat in the summer and enjoy the patio. I can't pick a favourite thing to order because almost everything is awesome. read more

This ice cream store has been around for a long time and you can tell why just by looking at the menu. So many selections to choose from! If you like icecream or chocolate, you can't go wrong here read more

Amazing soft serve ice cream! 100 times better than McDonald's or dairy queen ice cream. They're staff is always so friendly! And it's just a cool place to go and look around as you're waiting for your order. They have 1000's of options!! All amazing. read more

I haven't been to Merla Mae for years cause I never liked their ice cream tastes like fake cream ( pure fat) soooo bad for human digestion. We switched to Dairy Queen and never looked back, TODAY...we said what the hell lets get an ice cream from Merla Mae, worst decision EVER!!' First of all they are price gouging. Regular ice cream cone dipped in chocolate ( looked like child size) paid $6.65 My jaw dropped when the guy handed it to me, I couldn't believe the price they charged for the size. Can't express how horrible and fake it tasted ( waste of fat and calories) needless to say the ice cream is still as terrible as I thought. NEVER will return again. read more

My favorite place to get ice cream. I have been eating here since i came to london from out west at a young age. Always clean, and the friendliest greek lady runs it and had always treated me great. My favorite is the decadent fudge which i order around 90% of the time but over the years i have basically tried everything and not been dissapointed. Would highly suggest this place over most icecream spots. Sometimes they have live music and the patio is pretty large. Not often do i have no where to sit. read more

Really good ice cream. The half and half cone is my favourite. A bit pricey but worth it. Always friendly staff. If your paying with a card bring some change for a tip. read more

Maybe because I was born and bred in London, but this is my favourite place to go get ice cream. Slightly cheaper than other chain-owned stores. Also has a very great atmosphere/look to it, like more old school with tables outside to sit on in the summer! read more

The ice cream is tasty but the prices were steep. For that price, I expect a larger portion but boy was my scoop small. At twistee treat, the same kind of ice cream is so much cheaper. read more

Highly unreliable allergy information and terrible customer service. Had an allergic reaction do to cross contamination and they denied it being possible. Also pricey. read more

Yummmmmy ice cream! Super creamy and flavourful without being OTT sweet

Poor customer service and ridiculously stingy.... They only give you one napkin per order and when we asked for extra napkins (eating ice cream could get quite sticky and messy obviously) they gave us another 4 napkins... I also asked for 8 cups of water on our $54 order she said she'd have to charge us at least $0.50 for the cups. Now 50 cents is nothing when your order is about 55 bucks, but considering the cups cost them a meagre 2 cents (Costco sells 1000 pack styrofoam cups for 20.79), you can see how ridiculous her request was. Actually ended up buying bottles of water from the adjacent Mr Sub. It wasn't about the money... It was about customer service and lack thereof! read more

I recently moved back to London and just found out about this place even though it's apparently been here for along time. It's so cute and good. I love that it's not a commercial chain. Really good ice cream and service. read more