Snowman — Restaurant in City of Cohoes

By far the best ice cream in the capital region! Good portions at good prices. Staff are very efficient and friendly. Personally I recommend the peanut butter cookie dough hard ice cream. The line that builds on the north side of the building is usually worked by the owner, so it is generally longer than the one on the south side that follows fifth avenue. No public restrooms available. Extra parking exists via alleyway accessible on the west side of the building. Be extra careful in light of bad city drivers and many pedestrians. This shop can supply ice cream cakes if you call ahead to order. They also have a catering trailer that can do parties and corporate events with about six flavors. Highly recommend taking a half gallon home with you to avoid the lines, often about 30 minutes or more in the summer time evenings. Recommend a lunch time visit due to much shorter lines. If they don’t stock your favorite flavor in half gallons you can get a hand packed pint or quart or a bit more expense per unit volume. No outdoor seating available in covid-era. During “normal” seasons they offer covered picnic tables near the parking lot, often dirty with melted ice cream. Their sign out front previously one a state...

The service we experienced today was the worst we have ever encountered, leaving us extremely disappointed. After patiently waiting for nearly 15 minutes for our order of three simple items, I received my ice cream promptly, but the other two items were delayed. We stepped aside to allow the next customer to order, yet our order was overlooked as we watched the staff serve over twenty other patrons. It wasn't until my husband inquired about our order that we realized we had been forgotten. In the meantime, my ice cream melted in my hand while I waited for my family to receive their orders, forcing me to discard it.

Additionally, I would like to bring to the owners' attention the significant amount of free ice cream being given away during our wait. In just those 15 minutes, we observed the staff distributing at least $50 worth of ice cream to a group of customers without charging them, which raises concerns about potential revenue loss. The tip jar was notably full today, likely due to customers feeling generous after receiving complimentary items, highlighting a troubling trend that could impact the business's...

While back home in the Capital Region, I did a mini ice cream tour of all of the popular ice cream joints....Martha's near LG, Kurver Kreme, On the Farm and a horrible cremee place in Vermont.

I went to Testo's for lunch (yum!) with a few others and suggested stopping at Snowman on the way back, as we don't often get over to the 'burgh. I had not had ice cream here in probably 10 years.

It was a weekday afternoon, so it was pretty quiet. We parked about half a block up on a nearby street.

At first glance I thought some of the prices were a tad high, but OMG, the portions are GENEROUS!

I often go for a twist cone, but had the Oreo ice cream here, which is somewhat similar to a Cookies n cream. Amazing and flavorful!

My dining companion had a sundae that was quite sizable, it was also delicious.

Total for the cone and sundae was about $6.50. Not too bad!

After my visit, I did a google search on Snowman and discovered it's been around for 60+ years! I don't live in the 518 anymore, but if I did, I would visit this scoop shop at least a few times...