From shakes to soft serve, here are the 10 best ice cream spots in Johnson County
After a week of milder summer weather, Iowa City is heating up, with temperatures expected to hit the upper 80s and mid-90s through the weekend. With the scorching sun rays often comes an insatiable craving for ice cream or a sweet treat.
There are a multitude of local spots that can help one cool off this summer in Iowa City. Here are the 10 best:
Dane's Dairy
Location: 1430 Willow Creek Ct., Iowa City
After 64 years in the Dane family, the ice cream shop is under new ownership but will maintain the same charm in 2024. Dane's Dairy specializes in classic ice cream treats, from creamy soft serve to specialty sundaes like a banana split or the crowd-favorite chocolate chip cookie sandwich. It is easy to see why Dane's Dairy has been an Iowa City favorite for the past six decades.
Contact: 319-354-7400or Dane's Dairy on Facebook
Heyn's Ice Cream
Location: 811 S 1st Ave., Iowa City or 25 E Cherry St., North Liberty
Heyn's Ice Cream has been an Iowa City staple since it first opened on the east side of town in 1991. Now, the counter service ice cream shop has another location in North Liberty, which began serving sweet treats in 2015. Ice cream at Heyn's is served in cups, sugar cones, waffle cones, or dream cones — waffle cones dipped in chocolate with sprinkles or chocolate and Butterfinger. Notable flavors include Monster Mash − a vanilla base packed with cookie dough, M&Ms, and peanut butter, or the Chocoholic Delight − chocolate ice cream with fudge, brownies, and a Heath bar.
Contact: 319-354-1981 or319-665-2249 and @heynsicecream
Yotopia
Location: 132 S Clinton St., Iowa City
Located in the Pedmall, Yotopia is a locally owned and operated frozen yogurt shop. The establishment offers 10 rotating flavors, from the classics like tart and cake batter to vegan flavors like coconut milk. They've even developed a local collaboration with DayDrink for its cold brew flavor. Yotopia also offers dozens of toppings and sauces to dress up the personal froyo creation. It is the perfect option for those with different tastes and who are looking for endless variety.
Contact: 319-338-0500 or @yotopiafroyo
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Acapulco Mexican Bakery
Location: 1937 Keokuk St., Iowa City
At Acapulco Mexican Bakery, customers can find Mexican food, spices, and products while enjoying quality authentic food at the taqueria in the back. The store specializes in the Paleta sweet treat, which can be best described as ice cream on a stick. And unlike popsicles, Paletas use a cream base similar to the rich and dense nature of gelato. This frozen treat is made with real and natural ingredients in many different flavors like mango, pineapple and banana. There are a multitude of flavors at Acapulco, and it is a must-try this summer.
Contact: 319- 338-1122or Acapulco Mexican Bakery 1 & 2 on Facebook
Dan and Debbie's Creamery
Location: 1600 Main St., Ely
Suppose you are looking for an escape from the city, head to Dan and Debbie's Creamery in Ely, right on the county line of Johnson County and Linn County. Dan and Debbie's Creamery gets their dairy straight from the owners' milk cows. This ice cream is rich and creamy, from the basic vanilla to the perfect Iowa summer flavor, strawberry rhubarb crisp. The sweet shop is well worth the journey, either a 30-minute drive from downtown Iowa City or even a bike ride since the creamery is right off of the trails.
Contact: 319-848-6455 or@dananddebbiescreamery
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Dairy Queen Riverside
Location: 526 S Riverside Dr., Iowa City
Dairy Queen is not a unique treat, but the Riverside location in Iowa City begs to differ. This Dairy Queen offers a standard selection of sweets found at any of its locations but notably lacks fast food options, serving up only ice cream. Additionally, it boasts a "secret menu" displayed in the window next to the register. This display offers various unique Blizzard soft-serve ice cream creations.
Contact: 319-338-9328
Jon's Ice Cream Store and Restaurant
Location: 231 W Marengo Rd., Tiffin
An unsuspecting yellow building with a wrap-around porch, Jon's Ice Cream Store & Restaurant can be found on Marengo Road in Tiffin. The 44-year-old institution has been serving fast food options like fish sandwiches and classic hamburgers for decades, but it might be best known for its ice cream.
From shakes and malts to hand-dipped sundaes and rotating flavors of the month, there is something for everyone at Jon's. The July flavors of the month are the French silk superwhipper, similar to a Dairy Queen blizzard but topped with whipped cream, soft-serve blackberry frozen yogurt, and hand-dipped strawberry cheesecake.
Contact: 319-545-2558 or Jon's Ice Cream Store and Restaurant on Facebook
DeLuxe Cakes and Pastries
Location: 812 S Summit St., Iowa City
DeLuxe Cake and Pastries, celebrated 20 years in Iowa City in the fall, might be the go-to spot for a latte and croissant, but the bakery does more than just cakes and pastries. In the summertime, the bakery boasts a soft-serve menu with rotating flavors. The current highlight is the chocolate orange loaded sundae, a rich, fudgy chocolate base with a mild, bright, citrusy taste, decorated with delicate hazelnut and orange chocolate bark.
Contact: 319-338-5000 or @deluxeiowa
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Scratch Cupcakery
Location: 927 E 2nd Ave., Coralville
Located in the Iowa River Landing, the bakery does cupcakes best. However, the cake shake blends the best of both worlds. Turn any cupcake it into a drinkable frozen treat for a textural journey that is rich and decadent.
Contact: 319-359-2256 or@scratchcupcakery
Molly's Cupcakes
Location: 14 S Clinton St., Iowa City
If you can't decide between a slice of cake or ice cream, Molly's Cupcakes won't make you choose. The Molly's Mash-Up is two scoops of ice cream between layers of cupcake served in a huge cup.
Contact: 319-333-1297 or@mollyscupcakesic
Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Where to find Iowa City's best frozen treats
