Despite frigid temperatures and snow covering the ground, ice cream can still be a sweet treat no matter the season. Westport is home to many different types of ice cream stores all with their own twist. To determine which store was the best, we went to three popular places: Saugatuck Sweets, Sunny Daes and Carvel.
Our first stop was a local favorite, Saugatuck Sweets. The family friendly store that also sells candy and cakes, was an inviting place to indulge. With a massive heap of “Oreo Bomb” flavored ice cream piled into a waffle cone, we could tell this was a quality store. Many love Saugatuck Sweets because of the rich taste to their ice cream. According to Avery Smith ’19, “The ice cream at there is always so flavorful and fresh tasting.”
The creamy, delicious and overall enjoyable flavor of the Oreos mixed seamlessly into Vanilla, was a big hit for us. We simply couldn’t get enough and soon saw that the cone was empty.
After finishing at Saugatuck Sweets, we headed to our next location to see how it would compare. We pulled into the parking lot of Sunny Daes and were greeted by a big, friendly cow welcoming us inside. Abby Greenblatt ’18, a fan of Sunny Daes said, “Sunny Daes is definitely my favorite ice cream place because it’s close and has a wide variety of ice cream.” After deliberating, we opted to get a cone lined with sprinkles to compliment the cookie dough ice cream on top.
While the ice cream was tasty and the cookie dough bites were a positive addition, we felt as though it couldn’t truly measure up. Significantly smaller in size and much too creamy for our taste, made us realized that it was just not our favorite.
With two down and only one more cone to go, we travelled over to an old classic- Carvel. For over 75 years, Carvel has been a reliable place for local citizens to stop in and grab a scoop of ice cream. Isabel Handa ’19, a frequent Carvel go-er said,“I’ve been going since I was a kid and some of my best memories are eating Carvel ice cream.”
At first glance, Carvel’s interior is not as inviting as the other places. The rugged floors and countertops offered a more casual vibe, but definitely did not compare to the candy lined, family friendly Saugatuck Sweets.
We decided on the Ice Cream Cake flavor, one we had never seen before. Carvel has a reputation for delicious ice cream cake, so we were hoping this would live up to the cake’s standards. We topped of the scoop with rainbow sprinkles- a favorite for many. The look of the ice cream was neat and colorful, but also the perfect proportion. At first bite, the ice cream tasted like traditional chocolate. As the chunks of chocolate fudge started to come out, you could taste the “cake” part of this. As we were satisfied with the size and texture, the flavor did not live up to the hype of the name.
Overall, Saugatuck Sweets takes the cherry on top for best ice cream shop in Westport. The inviting interior and exterior paired with the mouthwatering ice cream and large array of candy, cakes and cupcakes, is what makes Saugatuck Sweets the best place when you are craving a quick scoop.