If you are looking for some delicious (or not so delicious) ice cream places in St. Louis, look no further. TKC visited five creameries to rank our top picks. To keep our tastings constant, we ordered a standard vanilla from each location, along with the favorite flavor of the employee scooping our order.
To determine the ranking of each creamery, we rated them in four categories: atmosphere of the stores, texture, presentation and flavor. Each category was a scale of one to five, and we then averaged the scores to find the overall rating.
Oberweis: 10338 Manchester Rd Kirkwood, Mo. 63122
Vanilla and birthday cake
Texture: 4/5
Presentation: 3.3/5
Flavor: 2.2/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Overall rating: 3.1/5
At first glance, Oberweis seems charming because of the classy black and white color scheme with accents of red. Yet upon further inspection, the chairs and tables are low quality and cheap. Looking behind the counter you can easily see a microwave which is disconcerting. The cute jokes on the cups and pleasing colors bring more appeal to the ice cream.
Although the ice cream is creamy and smooth, it leaves a weird film on the roof of your mouth. Oberweis claims to make their ice cream with the freshest ingredients for award winning flavor, yet the taste of vanilla is faint and the recommended birthday cake ice cream, mixed with frosting and sprinkles, tastes almost buttery.
Oberweis is average at best, if not below. Even though the location off of Manchester is convenient, much better ice cream can be found at a bit of a longer distance. Although relatively cheap, you pay $1.99 for a cup of disappointment.
Snow Factory: 6602 Delmar Blvd St. Louis Mo. 63130
Strawberry cheesecake
Texture: 2/5
Presentation: 5/5
Flavor: 3/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Neon sticky notes cover the windows from floor to ceiling. There are wooden booths built into the walls also covered by sticky notes. Although the Snow Factory location we went to was one of ten, buyers would never know at first glance.
Customers may watch as their ice cream is rolled which contributes to the fun experience. Since the ice cream is rolled, this makes for a great presentation of the ice cream since there are strawberry slices as well as cheesecake pieces on top. These were our choices however, you may pick from many different topping for your ice cream.
Despite the different atmosphere and presentation, the Snow Factory’s ice cream was mediocre. The chunky texture of the strawberry cheesecake flavor accompanied by rock hard cheesecake pieces made this an unpleasant eating experience. The flavor, strawberry cheesecake, was named “premium vanilla ice cream blended with fresh strawberries and a generous amount of New York style cheesecake chunks, and just a touch of strawberry jam” however, the flavor was dull and tasted just like plain strawberry ice cream. Overall, we would not recommend this to anyone looking to do more than take pictures of the ice cream.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream: 389 N. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, Mo. 63108
Vanilla and brown butter almond brittle
Texture: 3/5
Presentation: 3/5
Flavor: 3.6/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Overall: 3.65/5
As customers walk in, they are overwhelmed by the sweet smell of waffle cones. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream has a quaint atmosphere since the location makes it perfect for people-watching and dog spotting.
The ice cream is presented simply with a triangular waffle cone in a plain white bowl. There was nothing wrong with this presentation, however, nothing stuck out about it either. The flavor was similar with a standard, classic vanilla. There was nothing special about the flavor. It was exactly what you imagine when someone says ‘vanilla ice cream.’
We tried the flavor brown butter almond brittle, Jeni’s depicts this as a flavor with “brown-butter-almond candy crushed into buttercream ice cream.” The almond brittle was subtle, but had the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Both textures were average, not too creamy, but not chunky either.
If a friend was looking for a different creamery to try, we would recommend Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream to them.
Serendipity: 8130 Big Bend Blvd, St. Louis, Mo. 63119
This $&@! just got serious and old fashioned vanilla
Texture: 5/5
Presentation: 2/5
Flavor: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.9/5
Once customers enter, Serendipity’s colorful ice cream mural and appealing, homey atmosphere makes them feel welcomed. Although there are leaky ceiling tiles and some needed decor changes, the flavor and texture of the ice cream make up for it.
We tried their signature flavor recommended by their employee, called: “This $&@! Just Got Serious.” Serendipity describes this flavor as an “award-winning, smooth salted caramel ice cream brimming with rich sea salt fudge and salted cashews.” We also tried Old Fashioned Vanilla. The caramel was rich-tasting and smooth with flavorful bits of fudge and cashews, and the vanilla was a classic vanilla flavor as well as very creamy.
The presentation was bland, but fortunately the flavor and texture of the ice cream were higher quality. Altogether, Serendipity has wonderful ice cream, and is one of the best ice cream shops to visit in St. Louis.
Clementine’s Creamery: 730 DeMun Ave, Clayton, Mo. 63105
Gooey butter cake and vanilla
Texture: 4/5
Presentation: 3/5
Flavor: 4/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Its vintage, charming and antique vibe makes Clementine’s a cozy and intimate creamery. The location is calm and quiet, perfect for chatting with some friends.
Unique flavors are available at Clementine’s, one being gooey butter cake, which was the employee’s recommendation. The gooey butter cake was described by Clementines as “pieces of our gooey butter cake combined with our own handmade gooey butter ice cream.” The ice cream was sugary, smooth and flavorful, with subtle pieces of cake. The other flavor, vanilla, says “A combination of the most sought after beans in the world and our proprietary dairy base.” The vanilla had a flavorsome, creamy, authentic vanilla taste. The presentation was mediocre, as it was just a clear plastic cup.
The calm atmosphere, the bursts of flavor and the creamy texture prove that Clementine’s was the best ice cream shop we visited and the place we recommend the most.