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    The Parlour

    4.5 (761 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago

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    Recommended Reviews - The Parlour

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    Strawberry single
    Kylie D.

    Came here for ice cream on a Sunday night. The selection of flavors was quite slim and they focused on mainly the classic flavors. A single was $5, and service was friendly. The ice cream was good quality and wasn't too quick to melt. There was some indoor seating but we opted to leave and walk around while eating it.

    Violet E.

    The Parlour gives out great samples to those that are interested in their rotating menu. I love their fall menu and the workers are always so kind! I settled on the pumpkin stracciatella this time and thoroughly enjoyed it in a sugar cone- it's not too sweet. I've been here a handful of times with colleagues and friends and enjoyed the ice cream every time. :-)

    Tiffany W.

    Cute decor. Lots of menu options. I had the toffee. It was good. They also have nondairy options.

    Salted Butter Caramel, Malted Vanilla Cookie Crunch, and Vietnamese Coffee in a waffle cone
    Andrea A.

    An OG ice cream spot, located in the middle of downtown Durham. We got scoops of Salted Butter Caramel, Malted Vanilla Cookie Crunch, and Vietnamese Coffee (probably my favorite) in a waffle cone. The ice cream was good, but I do feel like the ice cream scene in Durham is a bit stiff & my preference is other spots. That said, I do think The Parlour is worth a try! Ambiance is really nice (plenty of indoor seating) and service was fast. Free parking in nearby City of Durham garages on weekdays after 7pm and weekends. 7/10 would recommend!

    Vegan brownie
    Dia T.

    Cute shop w plenty of space and seating. Several vegan ice cream options. Friendly service. And the best part is it tastes amazing! I had a double w vegan chocolate and vegan Vietnamese coffee! YUMMY .... Update... after eating all my icecream.. I decided this is the Best Damn Vegan Icecream out there!

    Jamie M.

    A great spot for a sweet treat, very cost-conscious and a variety of options available. Would love to go back for an affogato. Located conveniently near many bars and night spots for the perfect place to cap off a night out. Ample seating and walkable.

    Jarod N.

    Was looking for dessert after dinner in Durham and walked by The Parlour to see a lively crowd inside, so stepped in. Classic American ice cream parlor vibes with a mix of classic flavors and interesting sorbets. Unfortunately, the ice cream was too sweet for my liking and both the salted butter caramel and raspberry rose water sorbet didn't wow. Chocolate Stracciatella and raspberry truffle were decent tho. In addition, the service was a little unprofessional as our scooper was distractedly talking to his friends while serving us.

    Cindy G.

    We came here on a Saturday evening as we noticed that they had vegan options. My husband ordered the blueberry lemon vegan ice cream with a sugar cone. it was full of flavor and very refreshing. Place was clean and spacious. Convenient location around other restaurants and stores.

    Outstanding ice cream with creative flavors and great service.
    Gary W.

    Excellent service, creative ice cream flavors and truly delicious! Loved the salted caramel, lemon blueberry, and vanilla crunch! Will be back!

    Peach raspberry
    Jahnavi Y.

    The BEST ice cream, SO flavorful and creamy. I love their peach raspberry but you can't go wrong with any flavor. Service is fairly quick depending on the time you go. There's plenty of indoor seating

    Shake
    Daniel H.

    We came here after dinner for some ice cream. The line went out the door and it probably took us maybe about ten minutes to order. There were a lot of people here eating so there were not a lot of tables available. We ordered a few things like a single scoop of Cookies N Cream, a single scoop of Lavender Olive Oil Marscapone, and a Shake. The inside was bright and had a relaxed vibe. The Cookies N Cream was good and definitely good for those who always order that at other stores. The Lavender Olive Oil Marscapone was not bad and it wasn't overwhelming to me. I didn't try the Shake. The amount of ice cream for a single scoop was enough for one person and I would recommend either of those flavors. Good ice cream here and definitely worth checking out if you're in the area.

    Outside. Storefront. $2.50/hour street parking and $2.25/hour surface lot/garage parking enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm, by City of Durham.
    Daniel B.

    The ice cream we had from The Parlour was terrific. We got single scoops of the Salted Butter Caramel and Caramel Oreo flavors. They had perfect texture and flavor. Ultra smooth and creamy, and delectable. The Parlour's ice cream is handmade. Our single scoops were 3.3 ounces each. They rang up to $4.50 per scoop after tax, before tip. During our visit, there were 17 flavors on the menu, including three vegan flavors and two soft serve flavors. Double scoops were $6.25 and triple scoops were $7.50. Cake and sugar cones came at no additional cost. Waffle cones were $1.00 extra each. There were eight topping choices at $0.50-1.00 each. Along with ice cream, The Parlour serves shakes (eight flavors during our visit), sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, and coffee. They also sell pints to-go from a self-serve freezer at the front of the shop ($9.50 each). In a nutshell, this is a simple ice cream shop that does classic flavors really well. Flavors like Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies + Cream, and Maple. Everything we sampled was delicious. The Milk Chocolate Lavender stood out to my wife. The flavors don't get too crazy here. And there's nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to toppings either (e.g., whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, hot fudge). This is a small, independent, local business. It's not a chain like Jeni's. This shop in Downtown Durham was Kickstarted into existence. It opened in April 2013. This is a great place to walk to after having a meal at one of the numerous excellent restaurants nearby, as part of a night out catching a show at The Carolina Theatre or DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center), if you happen to be staying at one of the hotels in the vicinity, etc. If you want to drive here, you can park on the street or in one of several municipal lots/garages close to the shop. I recommend either the Corcoran Street Garage at 110 E Corcoran St or Lot 32 at 111 W Chapel Hill St. As of 2023, rates to park in those locations are $2.25 per hour, enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm, except city holidays. Otherwise, parking is free. Inside, there are two rooms with seating and a water dispenser with paper cups. I guesstimate 25-30 customers can sit comfortably inside. There's also a decent amount of standing room. The Parlour doesn't have outdoor seating, but you can certainly take your ice cream to the brick plaza with public seating across the street (CCB Plaza). We visited on a Sunday night around 8pm. There was a steady stream of customers. The shop was borderline full, but it never felt crowded while we were there. The space was minimally decorated and clean. The staff did a good job. I think some of them were high-schoolers. I connected with our cashier because of his Raw is War T-shirt. He told me his favorite wrestler was Stone Cold and I told him mine was Bret Hart (among others), but I digress. Haha. TL;DR version: I highly recommend The Parlour for outstanding ice cream in Downtown Durham. For ice cream in the city, it should be at the top of your list.

    Affogato

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    1 month ago

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    5 months ago

    Rich ice cream, we loved the bourbon flavored ice cream. Portion size is adequate for what you pay!

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    8 months ago

    Amazingly flavorful creamy ice cream with so many interesting flavors. Fun to try something different while strolling dt Durham

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Very fun atmosphere in downtown. Good handmade ice cream and friendly team. Overall good experience. Would def go there again.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great ice cream and good flavors. A little larger selection of flavors would be nice but what I had I enjoyed. Located right downtown.

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    Ask the Community - The Parlour

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    Called in on a tuesday to get a last minute bday cake but they had a private event and wernt open…read more They still answered the phone and told me to come in the next morning and pick up a cake. The lady in front was super friendly and accommodating. Could definitely see the hard work in the product they make. I tried the yuzu lemon and lavender fog truffle. After trying it i knew the decadent chocolate cake was going to be delicious. Ended up getting a 10" cake which was plenty for 13 people with leftovers. Really good cake and decorated really nicely. Did not dissapoint. I would stop by and get another cake just to try it.

    Miel Bon Bons is a cute little artisanal chocolate shop and bakery nestled within Brightleaf…read moreDistrict! We got a pack of 8 chocolates (admittedly they did cost a pretty penny haha), which ranked from my most to least favorite are: 1. Horchata: So good, the horchata essence hit me as soon as I took a bite. Very cinnamony, very milky & creamy. 2. Passionfruit: I'm a sucker for anything passionfruit. The curd-like filling did not taste artificial at all. 3. Almond cardamom: Topped with a real almond, but more cardamom forward, reminded me of chai. 4. Hazelnut sassy monkey: Distinguished more coffee than banana, but it was there. Also liked the layer of crunch. 5. Raspberry lychee: The raspberry jam was strong and tasty, the floral essence from lychee was subtle. 6. Sesame matcha: Surprisingly citrusy? I did taste some bitterness from the matcha and appreciated the earthy sesame crust. 7. Ube: Sadly did not detect much ube flavor. 8. Earl grey lavender: Definitely the prettiest, but tasted like what I imagine soap would taste like. In terms of whether the chocolate is worth the price: I've never had this experience of trying such diverse and interesting chocolate flavors before so it was for me. Ambiance is nice, I think there was only outside seating. There's good parking nearby in the Brightleaf lots or on W Pettigrew St. Service was fast and friendly. 8/10 would recommend!

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    Ninth Street Bakery

    Ninth Street Bakery

    4.2
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    This is our favorite bakery in the area for several reasons. There is a wide variety of baked goods…read moreto choose from and nothing is too sweet. They make cookies, pastries, breads (pan loaf and hand-formed ones), soups, hand pies, and sandwiches. The variety is amazing. During the holiday season, they offer larger pies and have various seasonal goods to offer. But what's also wonderful is this bakery gives back to the community in many ways. During the height of the pandemic, they offered free bagged lunch to anyone who needed one. They also were (are?) part of the pilot project for Durham's guaranteed income. It looks to me that the owners/company are concerned about being good citizens of the community and that's a great thing. These days, so many companies get bought out by private equity companies. I hope this bakery continues to be locally owned and operated! (Also, generally this bakery isn't offering the very fancy European/European-ish style pastries which is fine by me. The prices are very reasonable, possibly in part because they aren't trying to make their baked goods a "high end" item. There are other good local bakeries that offer "high end" pastries, but they are also much less affordable and for my taste, too rich.)

    Cinnamon roll...tasty, flaky, warm, flavorful it was great. There was indoor and outdoor seating…read more Staff was great, friendly, and helpful. Will def go back!

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    Interior
    Interior
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    Chocolate brownie
    Chicken & tomato pesto sandwich, Mediterranean tuna sandwich

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    Chicken & tomato pesto sandwich, Mediterranean tuna sandwich

    The Parlour - icecream - Updated June 2026

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