Be it ice cream or great coffee, there's something here for everyone
Has there ever been a warm summer day when ice cream didn’t sound like a good idea? Of course not, because there’s nothing better than a cool cone after a day of biking, walking, or playing with the kids.
Look around Chattanooga and you’ll find an ice cream shop or two, but unless you’re at the foot of the Walnut Street Bridge stepping into The Ice Cream Show, you haven’t truly experienced, in this writer’s opinion, the best ice cream in town.
How, you might ask, is this ice cream shop different from any other in Chattanooga? Let’s start with the simple fact that there are roughly 17,000 different possible ice cream flavors to be had here. Now you’re surely wondering, how on earth is that even possible?
“It starts with your choice of local Mayfield ice cream, Mayfield yogurt, sugar-free vanilla, or dairy-free ice cream,” says owner Lynda Curtis. Next, you take your pick of vanilla or chocolate. And then the magic begins. You create your flavor by adding up to three ingredients—if you’re feeling crazy, add four, add five, however many it’ll take to curb the excitement of your inner child.
Choose from 50 ingredients including fresh fruits like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas, Ghirardelli chocolate chips, premium nuts, cheesecake bites, brownies, chocolate chip cookie dough, and more. Once you’ve made your picks, your ice cream and ingredients will be blended together and deposited into one of their mouth-watering, homemade waffle cones.
For those of you like me who are a little indecisive, there is a list of favorite flavors your cashier will be happy to share with you to help ease you into a delicious decision. This writer chose chocolate ice cream blended with brownie, graham cracker, and marshmallow and was not disappointed in the slightest.
Watching my flavor come to life was all part of “The Show” as you get to witness your ingredients be blended together behind the counter. Add that to the fact that guests can enjoy watching handmade waffle cones be pressed in waffle irons and you’re in for one sweet show. “We make them fresh every day,” says Curtis. “The batter we use has replaced the sugar with malt, making for an even better tasting waffle cone than you’re used to.”
While those waffle cones are to die for, let’s not forget about another shining star of The Ice Cream Show: the coffee. Yes, that’s right you can have a beautifully made ice cream cone in one hand and a hot—or iced—coffee in the other. That’s one match made in Heaven, but you can take it a step further by adding any coffee to your ice cream. Try a barrel-racer, a vanilla chocolate milkshake with a double shot of espresso, or an Affogato, a small scoop of ice cream with a double shot on top, drizzled in caramel and chocolate with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Let me give you a moment to wrap your head around that…
All of The Ice Cream Show’s coffees are double espresso shot based, and Italians visiting Chattanooga have said it is the best espresso they’ve had in the states—and you never question the Italians on espresso. Take your pick from the full espresso bar, try a Mexican hot chocolate or one of their many herbal teas.
Perhaps a fruit smoothie is more your style. Sip it back in good conscience because their smoothies are made entirely with fresh, but frozen fruit, no sweet, sticky syrups. If it’s hot and you just need some hydration, ask for alkaline water, which filters out the acidic water from alkalinized water, leaving you the crispest, most hydrating water on a hot summer day.
Whether you’re a coffee lover, a fan of the old fashioned waffle cone, or just want to stop in for some water and AC, there’s something for everyone at The Ice Cream Show.