A LOCAL GEM!! On a recent trip home, I simply HAD to stop for Van Dee's. It brings back so many memories going to school just a few blocks away and coming over after school or games for a treat! Important: they only take cash. I've been burned by this in the past - come prepared! I just love the vibe of the shop, the way it's decorated, the staff are friendly, and the ice cream is great. My go to is plain vanilla soft serve in a cup with Krunch Kote! It's a peanut butter flavored crunchy topping that I have dreams about. The googly eyes they put on everything is so iconic! A Johnston staple I hope is around for many years to come :) read more

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Staff were sweet. Ice cream was great! Adorable little ice cream shop. Lots to choose from. CASH ONLY! read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Parking lot - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Be sure to remember your cash because I forget every time. It's a staple for Johnstonians.

I hadn't been to Van Dee's in many years. After family dinner at another local establishment we decided dessert was necessary. I had a turtle sundae that was awesome. My nephews and sister had the blizzard equivalent. One was nerds, one was banana split and the other peanut butter krunch kone. Everyone enjoyed the treats! Definitely a great place. The staff we interacted with were fast and courtesous. Only crappy thing is their parking sucks but everything else was top notch! read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Turtle sundae - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Me and my family love getting Ice-Cream here. They are quick and do very good at making the Ice-Cream. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - The Oreo Blitz (Particularly eaten) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

You scream, I scream...for local homemade ice cream! Cute shop located on the north side of Johnston. One of a kind. It's a pink and white shop...so you can't miss it from the road. During COVID19 review: Visited on a Thursday right before the dinner rush. No one was at the shop and parking was plentiful. Parking lot is limited so be careful of cars pulling in and out of the lot especially being located on a main street. Workers were not masked. (Young girls who were in highschool.) Other patrons after us were not masked as well. Social distancing protocol was somewhat followed. They do have their shop door unavailable for walking in. Tables were spaced out accordingly but every table was available to sit. There are no markings for line waiting. We ordered Hawaiian shaved ice, hot fudge sundaes, and dipped ice cream cones for 8 kids. Total came to $29.xx I appreciate that they have non dairy options now! In years past they had only slushees. Service was fast considering our order was large. Friendly service. Environment was not clean. All tables were sticky and not wiped down. Ground was sticky from previous spillage. (Made me question proper COVID19 cleaning protocol) Great menu selection! Easy to read. The menu is hand written in marker by the ordering window. They do make weekly rotating flavor ice cream! Overall cute ice cream shop to bring the family. Expect to see a crowd out here in the evenings since this is Johnston's local ice cream shop. Everyone can visit for dairy or non dairy treats! Just hope they clean up the place more diligently after customers & put better pandemic protocols. *Dine at your own risk* read more

Been a Johnston staple for years with the best ice cream around. Even beating DQ through Covid just across the street. They have a new flavor of ice cream every week. They ONLY accept cash or check. They do have a tiny sit down area inside but the real magic is waiting outside at their walk up window at night. read more

I love the cute googley eyes that come on their ice cream cones. There's vanilla, chocolate or twist cone option. The day we were there they also had black cherry flavor. I got my cone with "crunch" which is an awesome alternative to sprinkles. You can also have your cone covered in chocolate. The line gets long on warm days but there's seats available. There's also a lobby but it was closed due to covid19. read more

I am still in awe at that fact that I purchased ice cream for myself, my girlfriend, and my friend 2 nights ago on Monday night at vandees(I've been coming here since I was a child) and the 2 blonde girls and the brunette girl served everyone their orders including people after us. They then closed the windows and put up their board closing up for the night without giving us a single thing we purchased. We were pressing the doorbell that says "ring for service" and the girls were laughing yelling they're "not going to help us" and yelling profanity. Then after minutes of frustration and the girls literally hiding in the shop, they opened the window and rudely acted as if we were in the wrong and continued refusing us service AFTER WE HAVE PAID AND GOT NOTHING. After a good minute or 2 of the blonde girls calling my girlfriend a b****, the brunette girl finally realizes our order was on their list and they "skipped over us", as she skimmed over a very insincere apology they made my girlfriends ice cream, then mine and my friends but the little blonde girl thought it was cute to yell "bye b****" as she handed me my cup. I've came here since I was a child, I'll never return and I promise I will tell every person I know in this community to boycott vandees over this. I don't know what's happened over the years but this was the worst experience I've ever had. Thanks for nothing, I hope you get fired you little spoiled rotten BRATS. You don't deserve jobs, learn some respect. read more

Lots of options to choose from! Great location, staff was friendly. Cash only! But ATM nearby. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Order window - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Ah, Van Dee's. Who doesn't love a simple Mom and Pop ice-cream shop? Van Dee's has been a staple in Johnston since I was a kid. I have fond memories of walking there as an end of the year field trip in Elementary school! Some may say it's a classic. I try to hit this place once or twice every summer. I must admit, they have kept up their consistency. Some of my favorites to get here are the Big Chipper which is two chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream in the middle or the PB Kote Krunch which is a delicious treat if you are a peanut butter lover! Pictured below was Black Raspberry cone. This was the flavor of the week and to be honest, I felt it was overhyped. Many people had told me how good it was and while it was delicious, (cuz duh it's ice cream) it was nothing to write home about. Still pretty cute with those googly eyes though. A downside of Van Dee's is they do not take cards. This is annoying but understandable because they are only open the spring/summer months of the year. Overall, if are in the Johnston area and are craving a sweet-treat I would suggest Van Dee's. It might not blow your socks off but is still really good ice cream. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Black Raspberry ice cream cone! It was the flavor of the week. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Cash only. Order at window and pick up at the window. I love the simple twist ice cream in a waffle cone. This place reminds me of the local mom and pop ice cream shops growing up in Michigan. They have basic soft serve ice cream, blizzards, sundaes, novelty ice creams, and some hot foods. You cannot go wrong here. Long lines during the summer, but worth the wait. Support local businesses! read more

Clean and delicious! Fast service for such a popular ice cream shop. Very cute. My entire family loves Van Dee's ice cream.

I love Van Dee's! The store creates a comforting environment. They have many different flavors of ice cream, so you don't have to worry about not finding something you love! Van Dee's is a go to place for me in the summer to meet with my friends. I would definitely recommend trying this place out! read more

Back for the season! Love visiting this local spot and so do the kids! A great treat along the bike path. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Excited VanDees is open for the season again!! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

So it says on Yelp that they accept credit cards and Apple Pay. But when we arrived they have a sign right up front that they don't accept credit or debit cards. Big bummer, I rarely carry cash so we weren't able to get ice cream here and went to Dairy Queen insteady. REAL BUMMER, I would much rather support local! It would be much more convenient if they took any form of payment other than cash, but at least change the mentions on Yelp of accepting card/apple payments. Also, they are not unique but what is with all of the ice cream place in town closing at 9pm? Maybe we are just night owls but it feels so early for summer. Alright enough about all of that...We have had Van Dee's before (when I guess we paid with cash) and it actually is really good ice cream! I especially like the caramel brownie blitz. They have an extensive menu and are always super busy/popular. We will have to get cash for next time! read more

This is my childhood ice cream shop it's very delicious I love the ice cream being my brother made so many memories here the young nice employees are very fast the food is delicious the prices are devouring Lee good this is the best ice cream shop in the metro area read more

waited 30 mins in a line, just for them to only accept cash. I don't understand how you don't take card's in 2024. All you need is an app or a bigger no card sign. read more

A great place to go to if you're looking for a fun treat! The only problem is that their menu is pretty big, so I never know what I want to try next! You really can't go wrong with anything; all of their combinations are yum. Whenever I'm in the mood for something light, I usually just go for a dipped cone. The blitzes are delish, but I consider them a meal on their own! I really love the vibe of this shop. It's small, homey, and has a really local feel. The prices are reasonable, and as long as there isn't a line, service is quick. This is my go-to spot for my ice cream fix! read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Medium vanilla cone with a chocolate dip - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

This is a cute, little cash-only ice cream shop. It looks like many people enjoy walking to it for their ice cream treat. There is always a new flavor of the week; otherwise, it's chocolate or vanilla and then all the topping/style options. And of course, the big draw is the googly eyes they put in your ice cream cone. The service is pretty meh. No one seems happy to be there and are not helpful or friendly. I've had a cone and their blizzard there. The peanut butter cup flavor doesn't actually have Reese's peanut butter cups in them. It has chocolate and peanut butter, which is interesting. The soft serve is a little too soft. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

I scream ... you scream... we all scream for ice cream!!! N shakes n shaved ice n fudges!! Was visiting a nursery nearby and decided to take an ice cream break to cool down my hot teenager needless to say he was happy and didn't complain at all when we took him for some gardening tool shopping Plenty of parking space and they have plenty of variety to please everyone and they also some have fast food. read more

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My Johnston friends have told me time and time again that this is the best ice cream place around, so of course I visited. It is small little shack but they have so many choices that everyone will find something they like. I love their crunch cones and shakes. It is in an easy location and make sure to bring cash as cards are not accepted. read more

ABSOLUTELY A MUST! Their soft serve is faaaaantsastic! Talk about a cute little joint on the side of the road! I really had no clue what to order, because everything looked SO. GOOD! We ordered a Turtlette Blitz, which was delicious. It has pecans and caramel swirled in it and for four dollars, wowza they give you a ton! I ordered a sundae with peanut butter (obsessed) and bananas. So. Good. The soft serve really shines! And of course, had to get a swirl with the Krunch Kote, which is delicious and they stick on two cute little candy eyes. Go! You will love it! Also, they do NOT take cards! So bring cash!! What to try: soft serve! Vanilla is amazing! Water review: n/a read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Peanut butter and nanas because YUM - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Van Dee's feels like a community. the ice cream is something all people in the Johnston area should try. the different options help when you are a picky person. I love van dees and everyone should give it a shot! read more

We love supporting local places like this. They only accept cash, so you will need to plan ahead a bit in that aspect. I have had multiple items from here, and all have been good. We did get pup cups for our dogs, which were basically a small cup of ice cream. The cups were decent size, though, so in the future, rather than each of our beagles having their own, we will probably have the two of them share one. read more

Great ice cream. I would highly recommend you try it if you're anywhere close! Try the salted nut roll sundae.

GREAT ICE CREAM. Highly recommend this experience for everyone more than once. Will be going back. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Sign to business - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Daughter & I absolutely love this place. Staff is always so great! Just don't forget to Bring CASH! The kid & I stopped by the other night & this is how I got my butterscotch shake. As an artist I just loved the creativity on my cup! Needless to say I didn't throw it away. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - DIY shake cup - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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What a warm, friendly local shop. Thanks for making the day special for my grandchildren! read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - I'll take 2!!!! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

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Since I went to school in Johnston Van Dees has been an ice cream staple. I still go by for great soft serve and eye ball candy on my cone! read more

It was just after dinner when we decided that we needed dessert! My friend and I took a drive down to Van Dee's just for the adventure. We went around 7:30 PM and there were a lot of little kids! Van Dee's is a very cute little Ice Cream shop that reminded me a lot of Snookies Malt Shop. It's a small place, but has a lot of character. Their menu is very good sized and their prices are almost exact to Snookies. My friend and I shared a Large Blitz. BROWNIE BATTER BLITZ! It is probably equivalent to two smalls. We spent $4.85 and it was quite worth it. I like my blitz with more chunk so it's not just soft serve to me. This seemed more like chocolate ice cream with brownie crumbles. Not chunky enough for me :( but it was still delicious. I think I want to try the Pretzel Cream Blitz next time! That sounds tasty! NO CREDIT CARDS. NO (out of the country or out of the state? It's one of the other) checks. SOOO... Just bring cash! read more

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Cool little old school ice cream shop. Tons of outdoor seating and a good amount of parking for the size. We didn't try any of the hot food just ice cream. They have a great variety of Blitzes (their answer to blizzards), sundaes and dips. Definitely recommend read more

Amazing ice cream there! There twist ice cream is the best! I just love going there for the summer

Family owned and operated ice cream shop just off the bike trail. We love coming here and always see people we know. The people are friendly, and they have a huge variety of soft serve ice cream treats. Their dining area inside is very small, so plan to eat your cone outside on the benches or tables. It's cash only, so plan accordingly. Kids get googly eyes on their cones (see pictures), which is the highlight of our family's experience here. Keep up the good work! read more

Delicious black raspberry shake. Fudge brownie blitz was mixed well all the way to the bottom. Cash or checks only. Great ice cream shoppe!

This is a nice local ice cream shop that has a ton of offerings. Be prepared to wait a few minutes as they seem to always be busy, and for good reason. Make sure you have cash because cards are not accepted. I think that is tacky because honestly, that is a cost of doing business in today's age. read more

This place is the epitome of my childhood, it is the place I immediately think of when I think of hot summer, melted ice cream, and big smiles. The flavors here are just plain good, you can't go wrong with a classic twist on a cake cone. Van Dee's will always hold a special place in my heart. read more

Went with the family at 6:30 on a Thursday night for dinner outside on their picnic table only to be told that the kitchen had closed for the evening. No idea why they even have food items on the menu. read more

Nice ice cream shoppe, only draw back is that you have to pay cash. Their crunch cone was great and the crunches were fresh. Ice cream is creamy and service is alright. read more

Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe - Crunch cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Johnston, Iowa

Shaved ice machine broke, i was waiting all day to get their delicious shaved ice but alas it was broke and my day was ruined