Decided to try this place while visiting Glen Arbor today. Staff was friendly, cost is high. This place is a walk up with outdoor seating. While the ice cream was good (I got the Michigan Pot hole), they charge $2 extra for a waffle cone that is not homemade...they're serving Joy brand waffle cones at $2 per pop. Expect to pay $8.50 for 2 scoops and a waffle cone. Add to that they only accept cash and it makes for an average experience at best read more

The Pine Cone - Michigan Pot Hole in a Waffle Cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

Ice cream tasted great and there were a lot of flavors. Service wasn't the most friendly, but what really got me was the pricing. $5.50 for a "baby scoop" which was really a single. I wish more places would offer an actual kids sized scoop for a few dollars. read more

Ventured here for an after dinner treat and really enjoyed it. Lots of outdoor seating available and many flavors to choose from. Our favorite was the lemon cheesecake ice cream! Didn't try the hot dogs. read more

Really bad customer experience. We came all the way into Glen Arbor with our family for ice cream. Got there 15 minutes before they closed and they turned us away. Would not recommend. Instead, try Boondocks ice cream across the street. We ended up there and were not disappointed. read more

Small scoops. Not worth it one bit. If you are going to charge $6.50 for a single cone you can't have WEAK SCOOPS

Pretty poor experience here, unfortunately. There was a long line and it's cash only, but we were prepared for that. What we were not prepared for was the rude staff, small portions, and high prices. $11 for two small scoops was a bit much - especially since the cone was basically half empty! I would definitely suggest getting dessert somewhere else in town. read more

The Pine Cone - Half-empty cone... - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

Great ice cream spot! Confused on the low reviews. They have set hours, yes. The staff is young, yes. The ice cream was amazing! The portions are listed by the scoop, so I'm confused on how one can complain - order more scoops if you want more ice cream. ** every true ice cream fan knows you get more in a cone, even an up side down one than just a bowl... will return. 18 dollars for 3 cones and 3 scoops isn't a bad price... just my 18 dollars worth :) read more

My family and I stopped to grab a couple of hot dogs. The hot dogs looked poor quality and tasted how they look--terrible. The place isn't very clean, considering it handles food. The price is excessive for the portions. Service was decent except for only accepting cash. Overall, the place didn't impress me and could use severe improvements in cleanliness, food quality, and customer service. read more

Knowing they close at 9, we hurried over after a later than expected dinner and arrived at 8:40. I was super disappointed to see that the people we got behind had been handed a 'last customer' piece of paper. I had been there the night before and they were serving customers all the way until 9. The line cleared by 8:50. They are one of the only places open past 8 in town. Wish they made an effort to be more accommodating. We always buy easy to serve things (just ice cream, no shakes or flurries) and tip. read more

Dirty floors,no gloves,, no masks. Staffed by two over worked, unsupervised ten year old boys. Really. Not an adult in site. This shop needs some attention by the health department. read more

So gross. Thought since all they served were hot dogs they would be good, they were terrible boiled hot dogs. Low effort. Two middle schoolers preparing the food. Should get better quality meat and at least grill the hotdogs and toast the buns. read more

Busy, so very busy... 25 minutes for a milkshake was really trying my patience even for a resort type town. Not worth the wait. Maybe it would be better on another day I stead of a random mid-week 2:30 time? read more

It seems that the cleanliness and service is not what I remember and still an adventure for little ones to take an evening walk and wait in line for ice cream. read more

The Pine Cone - Quick selection of blue moon, superman and sandwiches. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

Arrived at 815 which was 45 minutes prior to closing only to be told they were already closed because it was raining out and a slow night. There were 8 of us, all of whom walked away disappointed with no ice cream in hand. read more

So here's the inside scoop: The Pine Cone is a small, local ice cream shop located in Glen Arbor. They have a lot of wonderful and classic Michigan favorites, like Moose Tracks and Mackinac Island Fudge. The variety of flavors to choose from allows each customer to be satisfied. If you have read the other reviews, you might find a common theme about the customer service and their strict policy of closing right at 10 pm. This is true! My family and I have been coming here for over 15 years each year, and we have encountered this problem several times. My advice: get there earlier in the evening so that you can avoid any conflict. When they say that they close at 10pm, they really mean it! read more

The Pine Cone - Baby size of moose tracks - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

This could be such a cute spot. But it is not. Run down. Dirty. We ended up leaving and not getting ice cream because I was disgusted. If the owner took some pride in this little spot it could be great. read more

Ordered a large rootbeer float and large twist ice cream cone. $10.75 and my medium sized cup was half full after the foam subsided and the large twist was between a baby and small sized. Hubby complained the teen gave him maybe another 1/4 cup. Will not be back. What a rip off! read more

The ice cream was great! They have every special flavor from Michigan Pot Hole to Moose Tracks to something cherry, plus the typical soft serve ice cream. There's some seating outside in the shade, though is limited. Definitely would go back to here! read more

The Pine Cone - Two medium cups, one small cup, one soft serve cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

Warning! Despite "allergen warnings" on the window, even if something doesn't state "wheat" in the allergen information, the kids working there say "everything contains gluten" which they read on the back wall inside after the checked us out. Apparently the lemon sorbet, which says "none" for allergens and soft soft also contain gluten. Likely they have no idea that wheat equates to gluten but still, but unsafe to have such misleading allergen information for customers to read. read more

Small local business with great placement within Glen Arbor- I remember when this was the edge of town! There is competition, certainly, in every fudge shop or restaurant, but this is old and has the charm of being actually shaded by the pine trees for which it was named (assuming they didn't all fall down in the great storm of 2015). We come here at least once a year on our pilgrimmage up north, and settle into one of the tables on the deck. My favorite is peppermint, but the kids love the play-doh colored flavors. It's just ice cream, not much else to say! read more

It was like watching my high school age son working with his best friend at his mom's ice cream stand, so my wife and I got a little nostalgic. Regardless, the ice cream was awesome and the service was lightning fast. Those two kids were getting it done faster than customers could choose a flavor. read more

Ice cream at this place is OK I would not say great. It's more like a summer food shack. I was not at all happy with the spoon they gave me to eat my ice cream with. Seriously you're going to have a food service business and by such cheap spoons that they bend when you try to scoop ice cream out of a dish. So profit to the owner is obviously way more important than buying a good quality plastic products to eat their food with. Take a simple lesson from Wendy's fast food. Next time you walk into one (I don't eat fast food but) , grab a piece of their plasticware and see how nice rigid and sturdy it is. BUY SOME STINKIN GOOD SPOONS. read more

Prices were ridiculous for what we received. Ordered two medium ice cream cones. I can't imagine what a baby small looks like because there was hardly any ice cream on the cone. Plus it was not that good. Butter Pecan lacked flavor and pecan pieces. Also ordered a medium caramel sundae. Once again, ridiculous portions... there was a small swirl of ice cream in a big container. So paid almost $20 for very small portions. They also have a sign that says paraphrasing "our ice cream tastes great but keep in mind it contains lots of calories and fat so consume moderately". That's just silly to post that in an ice cream shop... by their serving sizes they are adhering to this philosophy. Skip this ice cream place. read more

Portions are tiny and horribly overpriced. Staffed by a couple teens. Service was extremely slow after ordering.

We always stop by when we are up in Glen Arbor, last night was no exception; however the service and amount of ice cream we got for what we paid was awful. First there were two employees behind the counter. The young man was making & taking the orders while the young lady stood there talking to customers. The line was getting long but she wouldn't open the other window even when asked. The young man apologized for the wait. We ordered 2 small cones (2 scoops each) for $10. They were more like baby cones. It seems the prices have got higher and the amounts smaller along with customer service going down hill. It's only the beginning of the summer season and the one young lady's attitude already stinks. We definitely will not stop there again. Our business will go to one of the other two ice cream places in town. One star only because the young man apologized and genuinely seemed embarrassed by how the young lady was acting. read more

We grew up going to the pine cone for ice cream during the summer. I went there last night with my sister while vacationing at my parents on Glen Lake. The ice cream was good, but the place was FILTHY. There were spider webs all over the windows you order through with live spiders crawling everywhere. The trash can was overflowing so the ground was covered in trash that spilled over, dirty napkins everywhere. The girls behind the counter had ice cream dried on their arms and hands, definitely not sanitary as they were touching the cones with their dirty hands. There was old food, dirt and dried ice cream all over the inside. I felt almost sick knowing that I was eating something from this establishment. I felt bad because I know the staff are working hard, but it's poor management. This place needs to be scrubbed from top to bottom. read more

It's just about the only ice cream game in town - literally. Luckily, it's a pretty good one. Great ice cream, soft serve cones that will satisfy the most hyper, greedy, demanding child on the planet and very good sundaes as well. Cheap, greasy, yummy eats - good burgers/fries served up by friendly teenagers waiting to get off of work so they can hit the bonfire down on the beach. Muy inexpensive - you can feed a carload of hungry people for around $5 a head. -1 stars for the hordes of bees that perpetually linger and one off for the fact that it's constantly overrun with screaming children - otherwise, this place is sentimental gold. They are what they are and they do it well... I love it even though I feel guilty about it. read more

Best ice cream in town with huge portions and among the best in northwest Michigan. Period. It's a destination for us every time we go to Sleeping Bear Dunes. They have other food as well - hot dogs, etc. Pine Cone in the summer in northwest Michigan is a great tradition. read more

Tried to visit The Pine Cone to support a local business while in Glen Arbor over 4th of July weekend. The owner needs to rethink his approach to running a successful business - there was a line out to the street when we arrived 20 minutes before close. We patiently waited and were next up when the poor teenager working the window was forced by the owner to tell everyone in line they were closed and weren't taking any more orders. His voice was shaking and he kept apologizing - is that really the way to treat your young employees? What kind of example are you setting for them? Quick math and the owner missed out on $300 minimum in sales plus all the tips the kids working would have gotten. Really terrible example of customer service and creating loyal customers (that visit Glen Arbor every summer). read more

Hearing profanity from the literal kids (grade schoolers) behind the counter while I was there with my little kids earned this review.

Lg scoop of ice cream for 2.75 in a sugar cone, a good in my opinion. The peanut butter cookie dough was so good! The "too-cool" high school employee taking orders...not so much. Guess she doesn't get that tourists make it possible for her to have a job. read more

This place was disappointing. To start, the service was slow. They forgot an order of my small party of 5. The ice cream itself was sub par. It wasn't bad, but their was nothing special or great about it. The portion sizes were absolutely terrible. For the money I paid, I was given a tiny portion.The non dairy option was unacceptable. It was contaminated with ice cream where it was in the same bin and our food allergy member had a allergic reaction. Beware. read more

This place fits the profile of an Up North summer ice cream establishment: Yes, lines with vacationing families and tourists can be long and chaotic. Yes, you will likely be served by summer job high school kids. Yes, at the time of our visit they were "cash or check only." There are no frills, but the hard pack ice cream that they carry, Michigan-made Ashby's Sterling, is quite tasty, including local favorites like Moose Tracks (vanilla with mini peanut butter cups and fudge ribbons). A baby size is a filled to the brim 8 oz cup, and will set you back around $3.50. It sounds like things can get hairy close to closing time, but we got our orders in fairly quick time during the middle of the afternoon. read more

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Pretty decent ice cream shop in the heart of Glen Arbor. Pros include parking lot out back, lots of unique $ local flavors and an outdoor sitting area with overhang so you can enjoy your come in the shade. Our group of four saw two get the ice cream and two get the soft serve. All tasted good but the smalls were MASSIVE. So cons included prices, cash or check only and portion amount. Now it may sound weird to complain about too much ice cream but given this is a tourist destination so most people probably don't know about the massive servings, I can see a lot of people wanting just a small cone with maybe a couple of scoops and ending up paying a lot (and thinking this place is super pricey) for more ice cream they can eat. Also just the fact that they pile it on but don't do a good job of securing it b/c about 5 seconds after I got mine, my top layer fell off b/c I was trying to find a seat and failed to give it my full attention for a second. I didn't ask for a rescoop b/c it was already larger than expected but then I saw another guy next to me lose his entire cone as he was trying to eat the first layer. He did ask for rescoops and they were nice enough to do so. Also looked like a small. But 1 min later, I hear his son dying laughing as they were leaving and looks like he lost his again. My husband was smart and got the waffle cone which was larger so held the ice cream better. I eat a lot of ice cream and have never lost a scoop so I guess my point is, if you're going to stack it the way they do, try to press it in a bit b/c while it may look nice and large the way they do it, it makes it hard to manage. Net net just take note of serving size and prices. It's good ice cream and they give you a lot but for those prices, I'd prob just go mini or not at all. read more

The Pine Cone - A small after the top scoop fell off before I could get a bite - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

I love this little place! Pretty good selection of ice creams. They do serve a small selection of food, but come on - you go here for the ice cream. Cute little local place, walk up, order your stuff, eat outside. Perfect. read more

The Pine Cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

They had some really good ice cream, but there were some people who ordered our ice cream after us, and got their food before anyone in our group did. read more

The Pine Cone - The pine cone sign - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Glen Arbor, Michigan

The pine cone has met its maker. The pricing here is absurdly high. The staff is depressed, disinterested, or both. If you come here, get ready to wait in a very long line with lots of other people, and get ready to watch people eating ice cream who ordered after you did. You're much better off grabbing ice cream up at The Homestead's grocer called Cavanaugh's which is just behind the main check in / hotel reception building near the ski slopes/ chair lift. You will pay half, get better ice cream, and have good service and seating and ambiance. read more

Arrived at Pine Cone tonight at 9pm to get ice cream. The last customer was holding the closed sign. It's July 22 and they closed 30 minutes early. Not sure what it was about. read more

My family has been coming here for years, and it was always a fun tradition to take the kids for an ice cream to the Pinecone. We were willing to overlook the inflated prices and the "tired" atmosphere for good ice cream. After today's visit, however, my kids said they don't ever want to go back (and these are two diehard ice cream lovers!). The teenagers that staff the Pinecone are indifferent, slow, and seemingly bored to death, and I can't blame them given how much this place has deteriorated. There is never any adult supervision or management on site. The seating area is disgustingly dirty with half-melted cups of prior customers' ice creams left on the tables, spills everywhere...and it's just gross. Even worse is behind the counter, where there is trash on the floors, bits of random ice cream toppings spilled everywhere, and conditions that make me think this place could never pass a health inspection. I'm willing to overlook a lot to enjoy the local hangout, and I know an ice cream stand is not fine dining, but this place has gone so far downhill and is so dirty that it's completely unappetizing. Check out the ice cream shop across the street (behind Boonedocks) or try Leelanau Coffee Roasters. Or take a scenic drive a few miles up M22 to Market M22 and their new ice cream stand. All of those places are great and far better than the Pinecone. read more

I'm concerned that there isn't any hand dipped vinnallea ice cream tho I Bellevue that ppl should get 5 stars I came here with Nate and Chad and everyone and I wanted hand dipped I really ice cream but they did t have any they don't have it what is this an ice cream NOT (instead of shop) but who knows I will be back I guess u gotta do what u gotta do read more