Our favorite Ice cream shop to visit when in Bloomington. Great vegan options options for people with milk allergies.

Was very glad I tried it but not sure it's worth the hype. Few thoughts: -the butter pecan homemade ice cream was pretty good but not the best I've had. (Kilwins may be #1) -the wait was very long. About 20-25 minutes. Woof. -they have items posted on the top near the ceiling but don't tell you what they are to know how much it is. -you can't see the menu from the line area. read more

Horrible service on Wednesday, April 29th at 10:30pm. Came in and waited for 10 minutes before anyone came to the register. Full conversations happening in the back. Eventually, put in order for two. People behind us put in an order and got their order immediately. Ours took another 10 minutes and they forgot one order. Twenty minutes later I walked out and tasted the ice cream. Wrong order!!!! Do better. read more

A Bloomington INSTITUTION. Unstoppable. Delicious classics from when I was a kid to new additions in 2025. Chocolate Moose forever. I love the addition of all of the vegan options too. Always a friendly staff. Love you CM! read more

The Chocolate Moose - Inside - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

I dream about their twist soft serve with rainbow sprinkles. I'm a small child, I know! I really try to order other things, but the heath wants what the heart wants. And this heart always goes back to twist soft serve with rainbow sprinkles. This place truly has it all though! You can get mix-ins, flavors of the month, food, shakes...the list goes on. The Chocolate Moose is a Bloomington staple and should be visited anytime your in town or frequently as a resident. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Heaven in a bowl! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Some Universities have nearby iconic ice cream parlors that have been around for a long time. For me, Schubert's in Chico CA (since 1938) and Fenton's in Oakland (since 1894) come to mind. And during a recent trip to Bloomington, our daughter-in-law took us to the Chocolate Moose. The Chocolate Moose (since 1933) is located in newer digs (and still relatively near the IU campus), but losing it's neighborhood dairy drive in vibe. Yet, the inside and outside (weather permitting) seating were comfortable, the soft serve and scoop options covered the bases (Moose Dream for me), and the associated sundae selections were outstanding. We all thoroughly enjoyed our selections and look forward to coming back the next time we're in town. I enjoyed the historical pictures on the wall. I also appreciated the community vibe that places like this still project, even after all the changes over the years. read more

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The Moose Chocolate was amazing! It was a hot summer day and totally hit the spot. It tastes a little richer than a typical chocolate ice cream. read more

I absolutely love this place. It has the best ice cream ever. It's so cute. I really do miss the old building that they used to have outside. I kind of made it more unique. It gets really crowded so just come during the day and not after dinner. read more

The Chocolate Moose - a man sitting at a table - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

This Chocolate Moose (there is another location right by Indiana University) location has its own parking lot with free parking and also has outdoor dog friendly seating. My husband, our little girl dog and I stopped by here this past Thursday night, around 8:10 pm after having dinner. After looking over the menu board, I ended up ordering: One scoop of Black Raspberry, $5.13 after tax- The amount of this was actually a good size, that looked like it was made of 3 small scoops. I loved the flavor of the black raspberry as it wasn't too sweet and did not taste artificial. When we arrived, there was no line although we have passed it previously and saw a line outside. When we approached the counter to order, the employee was kind of odd. She just kind of stared at us and didn't really greet us or anything. This employee was rather young and made me think of someone possibly from high school. Anyways, the wait time for our order wasn't too long. When it was ready, someone would call out our order. What I didn't like was that this other employee called out of order and placed it right in front of a woman who was trying to get an employee for something. The employee should have either waited til we came up to the counter to get our order or to have placed the ice cream bowl away from the woman. There are 2 unisex restrooms in the back of the place, by the indoor seating. There is a door to go outside but please note that it is locked on the inside so if you want to come back in from the outside, you have to go back through the entrance of this eatery. Although we did not use this, there is a window outside that you can make an order if you do not want to go inside. I wished this place gave samples because there were a few flavors I was interesting in trying. From the ice cream scoop we had, I can see why this place is popular and also highly rated (an over rating of 4 stars with over 185+ reviews). Would frequent this location if I lived in the area. read more

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Waited at the outside window for 10 minutes. Watched the waitress take three orders inside. Left when she went to take a 4th. OKAY ice cream + OK service = mid read more

Good ice cream, lots of different options for vegan & dairy free. The kids enjoyed what they ordered and it was a great break on a very hot day of exploring. I got the dairy free Dole Whip and it did not disappoint. I didn't have time to look at all of the canvas Photographs in the spot but it does seem to have quite the storied history in B-town. Stop in! read more

We love the Chocolate Moose. There are plenty of options to choose from and their menu is reasonably priced. Wish there were more street parking options. Would definitely recommend though!! Amazing staff. read more

Can't complain one bit. Very good. This is an ice cream place but the food was legit as well. Especially late nights. read more

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The best ice cream sundae I have ever had in my entire life. Period. The End. That is all. read more

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The short version is that this is excellent ice cream!! We tried coming here years ago when they were closed for renovations and now that they've reopened we finally made it over. The homemade flavors all sounded excellent. I decided on the Moose Dream which is chocolate with chocolate sauce and peanut butter cups. It was wonderful. It had a rich chocolate flavor and the ice cream was smooth and perfect. The peanut butter cups were somehow not frozen solid which was amazing! The flavor was so much better than the versions of this where the chocolate is frozen solid. The waffle cones were fresh and crisp. Service was friendly and fast. The seating area has fun old photos to look at. I'm looking forward to coming back to try some other flavors! There is some parking that has kind of odd rules regarding when you can park there for the Chocolate Moose vs when you can for the adjacent cafe. In theory it looks like if you park there for the Chocolate Moose before 4PM you risk getting towed as the cafe seems to have the hours before then. Might be safer to find a street spot somewhere. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Moose Dream in a waffle cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Waited at the outside window with my dog for 15 minutes while the person on reg ignored me and took three orders inside instead. If you offer a takeout window, train the staff to acknowledge there's people there too, maybe? No pup cup for my sweetie dog & absolutely abysmal service--save yourself the trouble and go somewhere that actually values its customers. read more

One of my favorite ice cream spots! We made a visit back to Bloomington and I had to make a stop to remind me of late night ice cream runs from undergrad. I got a small with black raspberry and lemon with cheesecake bites. The black raspberry is my fav flavor of all time! The staff is also always so kind and quick even when busy! read more

The Chocolate Moose - Homemade - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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The ice cream was tasty, and there were a lot of options. This location has definitely changed from the simple stand it was years ago. Service was quick. Personally, I probably preferred the old setup, but it was a comfortable location. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Solid ice cream choice that somehow even manages a perfect delivery (through Door Dash)!! Not sure how they did that but I'll take it. Today I had a small butter pecan ice cream with hot fudge on top (aka a sundae w/o nuts or whipped cream - I just wanna get straight to the good stuff). My daughter got a chocolate soft serve shake with malt mixed in which she "shared" with my husband. All were a delight! They have a few nice vegan options here that I've tried (I usually stick to grasshopper but there are other options too). They're all kinda icey but reminiscent enough of the real deal to make the dairy avoidant (mostly) happy. They have tons of dairy flavors. I'm p sure some rotate seasonally, but there are lots of mainstays too. The dairified grasshopper & lemon flavors are real keepers. Bloomington staple. Most ppl are either Team Chocolate Moose or Team Hartzell's. But occasionally you'll find a Hartzell's lover who doesn't mind cheating every now and then, especially when they don't feel like driving. The remodel to their current space was super controversial but I gotta say I like it this way better. Tons of seating - indoors and out. Cool vibe. Space to sell cool local things (like chai and donuts) in addiction to their own goods and tees. read more

ice cream and potato wedges (trust the combo) was amazing. ice cream is a bit expensive but it was so worth it! great seating available and there is room to stand while you wait. friendly service too. read more

This is a great ice cream parlor with a lot of unusual flavors. You can go inside or order from the window. read more

The Chocolate Moose - people walking in front of the store - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Had the PB Banana. Thinly sliced banana was on top of chocolate ice cream that was swirled with chunky peanut butter and covered with whipped cream. The bowl was empty after I enjoyed the tasty treat. read more

My brother and I took a walk over to The Chocolate Moose ! They have blue moon ice cream - my fave ! So I had to get a waffle cone with sprinkles. Riley ordered a large shake and when you asked for a large, that's exactly what they give you ! They were a bit busy when we headed over. You can go in or order from the sidewalk. Either way, give them some patience ! read more

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We were out checking on Abell Nursery and decided to check out the Chocolate Moose. We ordered using Doordash. The shakes were so thick and delicious you needed a spoon (provided). My wife chose a BLT on a wheat bun. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. Both sandwiches were exceptional. We ordered a muffin to eat for dessert with dinner. We will try this shop out again with the heat of Summer. read more

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The Chocolate Moose was a really great place to visit and enjoy a sundae made with homemade ice cream. I can highly recommend the S'mores sundae. So many different flavors and options I can imagine coming frequently and still not experiencing them all. read more

I know folks LOVED the old A-frame "landmark" building that the Moose used to be in, but the new digs are SO much nicer! You can sit inside and eat your delicious ice cream (and currently, they have Girl Scout cookie flavors!) and watch the world go by. Visited today for the first time since the old building went away and enjoyed my Thin Mint cookie Blizz. The counter person wasn't the friendliest I have encountered but she was efficient. It is sort of weird that they go in a back room to make your Blizz, you used to be able to watch them being made. However, the Girl Scout cookie Thin Mint ice cream was super good. The new space is really nice. Plenty of seats and lots of light. They have wifi but I didn't see the password anywhere and was sitting too far from the counter to get up and ask. Cool photos on the walls. The joint was mostly empty on this wet and warm February day but I can imagine this Summer it will be packed. Definitely worth a visit. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Girl Scout cookie Thin Mint ice cream. SO GOOD! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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I must admit that I miss the old shack. It was a childhood treasure to me. Still, The Chocolate Moose is awesome with the new building. I've never had food from there, but the ice cream is great. The coffee ice cream is very yummy. I typically opt for my childhood favorite.. twist on a cake cone with rainbow sprinkles and eyeballs. :) read more

The Chocolate Moose - Twist cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

This place is like a landmark for the town of Bloomington Indiana. A icecream specialty restaurant with homemade, soft serve (icecream & frozen yogurt). This place is simply special. I myself am a icecream freak to say the least though. I absolutely love icecream!!! This place is Dairy Queen x100. You can get a "Blizz" which is a blizzard with whatever ice cream your heart desires with whatever mix-ins your heart desires and the best part about it is you can get it in a 32oz cup If you love icecream as much as I do you'll get 2 In the pictures you'll see I got their Thin Mint Icecream with Oreos & Brownies If you ever visit Bloomington or live near by like I do you need to visit or make it a staple in your life. read more

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My boyfriend and I have an ongoing battle because he is a Chocolate Moose fan and I am a Bruster's fan. However, he usually gets "blizzards" and I usually get homemade ice cream. I did get a Blizz this time. A Blizz is like Dairy Queen's blizzards. You get one stir-in but you can obviously pick more stir-ins if you pay more. For the ice cream base, you can choose from homemade ice cream or soft serve (the cost is slightly different). They have a list of the different kinds of homemade ice creams they offer that you can use as the base for the Blizz. Bruster's has more options in regards to homemade ice cream. My boyfriend and I both got a Blizz. He and I both chose the homemade cookie dough ice cream as our base. He got Reese's cup as the stir-in and I chose Oreo. You can tell that there was a lot of stuff in it. But all the stuff that was put in it kind of masked the flavor of the homemade ice cream that was the base of the Blizz. I also got a cookie. They have cookies and a dish of that the register. I didn't get a receipt so I'm not exactly sure how much the cookie costed, but from my mental math it was around $2. I didn't see the price on the menu. It tasted like it was from Baked (which they sell orphan cookies for $1 each; go to Baked's page if you don't know what an orphan cookie is). It was a very good cookie. read more

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We have been going here for years! It's weird having a nice, air conditioned space with indoor seating. Progress is a good thing, and the charm is still there. There have been many different ice creams over the years that have been great and continue to be great tasting! My favorite order is a medium moose chocolate blizz with marshmellow and reese's cups. Great for a summer treat, but it is a meal. I also recently had the cold brew coffee, and it was very good. read more

SUCH a great ice cream shop. The smell of fresh waffle cones fills the store. This was an old style ice cream shop from the 1950s when I was in college. Now it's housed underneath an apartment complex, but the ice cream is still rich and flavorful. Chocolate Moose is a Bloomington staple - some of the best ice cream around. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I was in town for two weeks and dropped by The Chocolate Moose more than once. I recommend the moose dream, cookie dough, and black raspberry ice creams. They are VERY generous with their hot fudge on their sundaes, with free whipped topping and nuts. They also have some fun merchandise and baked goods. This place is always hopping but slightly calmer closer to close on a week night, which when I preferred to visit. They also have a parking lot very close to the shop. read more

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Since retiring, I've done a lot of day trips which have allowed me to sample ice cream from a lot of places across Central Indiana and this is one of my favorites! Located on the east side of the street (Walnut which is one way northbound), they have metered street parking available along the west side of the road (inconvenient, but the east side is a bike lane.) I entered into this large shop with plenty of dining room seating (the old reviews must have been for a different location.) The order counter is on your left as you enter and on the wall is a list of their home made flavors (23 at the time of my visit). Note that they have a wide variety of snack options including soft serve ice creams and coffees too. I went with a bowl of Black Raspberry ice cream with Black Raspberry topping and a generous portion of whipped cream on that. Let me say that it was wonderful! The ice cream had a soft texture which made it easy to eat and creamy and smooth to allow the flavor to literally melt in my mouth. The topping was a nice balance of sweet and tart that enhanced the berry-ness of the treat. Great choice. The server was friendly and was able to get my selection to me in record time, so I could be on my way. They do have a self serve counter for picking up lids for the cups, spoons, and napkins to the right of the order counter. Review #1979 read more

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Delicious! I love the shakes from this place! I love the quality of the moose ice cream.

Fantastic! The quality is great, the wait time is short, and they have a great selection of regular and vegan offerings. I love that they have a window on the street so you don't have to go inside. read more

First off, hell yeah! The ice cream is da bomb!! Seriously very good cream!! Vegan and Full creamer debauchery: soft, hard: pints to carry home for a late night... or, midday Netflix marathon... crazy yum yum! Saying that, and it is truth, the service here could be the creative inspiration for a badly casted SNL skit! Yes, agreed with the review by Vic in the previously posts; teenagers and college kids for staffing: welcome to BTown!! Yet, even teenagers and college kids have more potential than the culture behind the counters at Chocolate Moose. And, I've concluded it IS a type of weird culture behind them counters at these ice cream beautiful indulgent creameries AND WHATs that about??! Chocolate Moose in BTown is a vintage establishment earning its place of respect from years of hard working ice cream peeps. So... come on you behind the counter staffers: live a little: it's okay to enjoy the ice cream! I make light... but seriously as entrenched as this establishment is in BTown, and it is: and as good as the ice creams are and they are; the behind the counter bored to death, ignore ignore ignore passive aggressive weirdness; well I for one and maybe I'm the only one, divert my business to Jiffy Treat out by the mall. Simply because of the weird culture at Chocolate Moose. Ambiance... well... it's a mediocre setting of sorts: some tables; a stand up freezer for pints; some drinks; yep. I want Chocolate Moose to be successful! BTown loves you!! And one opinion means little to the hundreds standing in lines awaiting the scrumptious ice cream concoctions. Go to Chocolate Moose. It's really good. Don't go for service. Don't go for ambiance. Brusters and Jiffy Treat both beat this establishment behind the counter any day of a week! And have great ice cream as well! 3 stars, ALL for the creams!!!! Cause ice cream is a happy place!!! read more

Love the treats here. We've tried a lot of the handmade ice cream flavors and some of the unique favorites are the chocolate, grasshopper, coffee, thin mint and the kiddos like the blue moon. We've also tried the moose horn and orange slushees. read more

I got the chance to visit this place as a quick dessert after brunch. I was on a trip and I wanted to enjoy a little. :) I saw that this place was a place you had to go while in town, so why not? First of all, it's a cute little, old fashioned stand. It doesn't look particularly clean from the outside but the inside looked all right (from what I could see). You walk up to the counter and there are signs with the menu. We got there around noon on a Saturday and there was only one person ahead of us. I sort of wanted to try to cinnamon but my husband didn't really like the idea so we compromised on the Brown County Coffee in a waffle cone (an extra $1) just for that special something. It was pretty big so I'm glad we shared, especially after the meal we had. The ice cream itself was creamy and there was a definite coffee taste. It melted a little fast though, since within 4 steps away, a drop of it dripped on hubby's shoe. The waffle cone was good - not all that sweet and I do love waffle cones. Is it really special? I'm still not sure. It's neat how it keeps that classic feel but I imagine with the lack of seating (especially with how they also serve hot food) and no AC in the summer months, there are some downsides. It does come with a small parking lot, though! The lady behind the counter was nice enough but nothing out there. I felt like she was just doing her job. I may schedule in a second visit to finally try the cinnamon flavor and maybe one other one. My first impression was decent, but no 'wow' factor. I am also intrigued with the Blue Moon but was iffy on the crazy coloring (I'm not all that into artificial colors... or flavors, for that matter). ...But if I'm feeling particularly spontaneous on my next trip, I may add that in as well! After all, I'm on my trip and I don't often get ice cream in a strange shade of bright blue. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Brown County Coffee Ice Cream in a waffle cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

AHHHHHH! I scream, you scream, we all scream for VEGAN ice cream!!! There are a lot of options to choose from, whether a blizzard, sundae, scoop, or coffee! I ordered the vegan grasshopper and wow, it was delicious. I absolutely loved the texture as well. I ordered a small and it was plenty to share between two people. It was filled with a mint chocolate flavor and Oreos and it was the perfect sweetness. (See pictured below) If it wasn't night time and coffee didn't keep me from sleeping I definitely would have tried some coffee, such as one flavored with lavender syrup! I also saw a picture on the wall with coffee over ice cream which looked delicious! The staff is super friendly and the vegan ice cream is delish (even in the cold winter weather). Fair warning to not park in the empty parking lot near the store front, you will get towed! I saw two cars getting towed while driving to the Chocolate Moose. read more

The Chocolate Moose - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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I live near chocolate moose so I am a frequent customer, I'm a huge fan of the breakfast sandwiches and their soft serve!