Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Shop — Restaurant in City of Ithaca

Very uncool. My three (black) friends and I arrived 755 to order ice cream. Benches filled with people eating ice cream cones. Posted closed 9 pm. Told me he had to go. He was closed. Cash only business couldn't scoop 3 more cones. Shame on you!! 4 people ..not 1 couldn't serve us. Update your Google business listing..it reads 9 pm. Closing 65 minutes early. Meannnniiieee!!

UPDATE in Response to Owner's Reply: Pathetic denial. There were a dozen people eating on the bench. We approached the window and you closed it in our face. I knocked on the door - and four people counting money , a bit of cleaning- asked personally if you could scoop a few more cones (noting we were from out of town and so excited that you served vegan ice-cream) and told sorry we are closed. I specifically said- it's five minutes to eight and your Google Business listing says you are closing at 9 pm. Two more young woman also arrived- SUCH RUDENESS. Own it- apologize-you messed up- you could have scooped a few more cones- but instead your man with a beard says - sorry I have to go. AND UPDATE YOUR GOOGLE LISTING-- it's not hard- as a business owner myself- we are emailed from Google to update holiday hours. That's not the point- you closed the window in our faces as we approached your counter. I would never return to your business. Ice-cream should be a happy thing- and on the holiday-- who closes a window in a customer's face-- you do! Bitter customer service - and you can't just say you're sorry for...

I've been frequenting Sweet Melissa's since 2011, and it's a real gem. The portions are decent (not enormous like some other ice cream establishments in the greater Ithaca area) and the quality is excellent. I wish they made their own waffle cones, but they probably don't have the room for that. I love the two berry twist, but I love the hard flavors the most. Coconut and coffee have been my favorites. I think they sometimes use different vegan milks for the vegan hard ice creams, because sometimes I love them even more--perhaps that's when they use coconut milk? The location is perfect, the long lines usually move quickly, and carrying some cash isn't a problem. They have punch cards, too! Staff and owners are very friendly and the experience is always a delight. The seating is often unusable because the line runs against it, which is unfortunate when your partner is disabled and needs...

Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Ithaca, NY

We tried their Vegan ice cream based on the recommendation of someone we trusted.

We got 2 scoops vegan toasted coconut and vegan gluten-free blonde cookies & cream ice cream.

At this time they are "cash only."

Both of their Vegan ice creams are coconut milk based and didn’t have much flavor. The toasted coconut had more than the blonde cookies and cream. They also had a somewhat rubbery texture, more like melted mozzarella cheese than what one would anticipate from ice cream.

It's outdoor seating only. There's no street visible signage to indicate this business, yet despite that there is a constant line of customers, most likely for their dairy based ice creams and other threats. For us as Vegans, I would not go back except to sometime in the future to give them a second chance. It just...