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Polar Bear

4.5 (67 reviews)
Open • 1:00 pm - 9:00 PM
Updated 2 weeks ago

Polar Bear Photos

POLAR BEAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Polar Bear

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Reviews With Photos

Inside Order Counter ,
Elizabeth C.

Wonderful little ice cream parlor located across from Woodlawn Cemetery in North Riverside, a quiet residential neighborhood. Well kept and definitely some pride of ownership shown here! Super nice spot; clear modern signage , several nice picnic benches all around to enjoy your food and or ice cream treats. Fun menus are posted both inside and outside. Very clean place. Large parking lot for paying customers for free. Additional street parking. Pace bus stops out front. Simple nice exchange. He packed the soft serve well. Definitely good value and the quality is good as well! Thank you.! Definitely recommend them, just West of the North Riverside Mall. Which has a new update movie theater and large indoor shopping space. Nice area to visit and enjoy.

The ladies sitting in the shade
Jim B.

My wife and I spent several days in Valparaiso to both visit her sister and introduce me to the town where both of them went to college. I had always wanted to go there and am very happy to say that I totally enjoyed the visit. While there, we visited a lot of places and ate most meals out. This one was actually on the way back to our flight home. We stopped in Chicago to visit a friend in Forest Park before catching our flight home from Midway. She took us for a nice long walk through some graveyards to get to Polar Bear. It was wonderful weather, and the cemeteries had some interesting things to see such as where the victims of the worst train accident involving a circus are buried. There were also lots of birds taking advantage of the trees and shrubs. By the time we got to Polar Bear, I was ready for something cold. I opted for a vanilla flurry with Heath. It was like a blizzard or concrete. The ice cream was very rich and tasty. It was a lot like frozen custard, but the signs never mentioned that. I would walk over there all the time, if I lived in the area. I would love to try a Chicago style hot dog and some of the other options that were shown in photos. I think in the summertime, it would be best to time it so that shade is on the three tables outside. It would probably be hot eating your ice cream in the sun.

a polar bear on the side of a building
Maronda H.

First time coming here and I wasn't a fan. Neighborhood ice cream place in North Riverside that serves ice cream, sundaes, float and food items. There is a small parking lot in the back for you to park. The prices are a bit over the top. I ordered a small swirl ice cream cone with chocolate and vanilla. I never tasted ice cream that didn't have any taste to it. When you place your order you have to speak inside this tape down microphone. I won't be screaming for ice cream here at Polar Bear. I recommend you try other places for some real good and tasty homemade ice cream.

Large twist with peanut butter dip
Carolyn T.

Solid local spot! This is the perfect place to go to get affordable soft serve ice cream. I came here for the first time since I was a teen recently on a particularly hot day after returning from the Brookfield Zoo. This would also be a great stop if you're nearby shopping at the North Riverside Mall. There were three or four picnic tables against a wall in a completely shaded area. If you've never been there, you should know that Polar Bear is a tiny stand, so there's no indoor seating. There is a menu on the outside, as well as on the inside. I didn't remember that Polar Bear also serves savory standard American fare, such as burgers, hotdogs, and fries. We skipped that, however, in favor of the soft serve. You can get your soft serve in three cake cone sizes: small, medium, and large. I opted for a small chocolate-vanilla twist, which was a TON of ice cream for only $2.89. My husband decided to get a peanut butter dip on his cone, which was absolutely delicious. The dip flavor options are peanut butter, chocolate, and cherry. I also tried a sip of the cappuccino freeze, which was excellent. I definitely recommend stopping by, especially in the summer!

Swirl medium size cone
Annie I.

Delicious funnel cake and ice cream swirl. Drove 45 minutes to check this place out and it did not disappoint. Beware they do not sell bottled water but they do offer complimentary tap water. They are only open seasonal but definitely worth a try if you are in the neighborhood and in the mood for some delicious funnel cake fun!

Chrissy L.

Suuuuuuper cute little shop. I got the funnel cake sundae and some vanilla milk shakes. Everything was up quick and tasted amazing. They serve definitely an array of foods and desserts. Definitely worth a visit!

Ice cream cone dipped in PB and Chocolate
Matt L.

Definitely a locals place. I'm giving it a star up from what I think it deserves because I feel every neighborhood deserves a place like this and this is as community-oriented as it gets. People are faithful to joints like this, and I dig it. Got a chili dog and it was the standard skinny, cheap dog, with can chili. The bun was soft. The chicken tenders my wife got were fairly good. The soft-served ice cream is where it's at though!

Polar bear in front
Mike O.

It's one of these old-time ice cream shops that's been around for ages. After a trip to Brookfield Zoo, I said we'd stop by for a treat. Despite not passing through the area for nearly 10 years, I was happy to see the little hut with the fading sign of a relaxed polar bear licking a cone. It's a pretty small interior with just an order & pickup counter and no place to sit inside. There's some wooden picnic tables for eating outside, both by the street and next to the parking lot. While ice cream is their main draw, they also have burgers, hot dogs, and brats, along with fries and funnel cakes too. How's this for old school? Their carbonated drink fountain selection consists of Diet Rite, Green River, Splice, and root beer. They have soft-serve chocolate, vanilla, or twist, served in cones or in waffle dishes if you order a sundae. I went for a smoothie - the "Bear Special" which is strawberry-banana. My wife and both kids had choc-vanilla twist ice cream. Total order was under $8. Beat that, DQ or Baskin-Robbins! It's only about a 5-minute drive from the zoo, so it's a great place to stop on the way back. If you come with kids, I recommend sitting on the tables on the side closer to the residential street and not in the parking lot, since cars come racing in from Cermak.

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12 years ago

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17 years ago

Best soft serve ice cream I have tasted in years. Plus it's at the end of the Halloween Street!!

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16 years ago

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9 years ago

Amazing smoothies, amazing food! overall great place! 10/10 would definitely recommend!

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15 years ago

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14 years ago

This place is a gem.. Their soft serve is so awesome I haven't had anything like it! They are very reasonably priced and friendly.

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8 years ago

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15 years ago

I like the fake food in the window display. :P The ice cream is great!

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10 years ago

Good ice cream. We only had cones and sundaes but they have beefs, burgers, and hot dogs too.

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15 years ago

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9 years ago

Polar Bear is definitely open, but I believe it is seasonal. It is a summer favorite. Good eats and ice cream!

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12 years ago

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10 years ago

Best milkshake around. So creamy and smooth. Great stop after a long bike ride or late night treat.

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Ask the Community - Polar Bear

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Poor Boy - Butter and Garlic Fries

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