The Meadows Original Frozen Custard Helotes — Restaurant in Helotes

As fans of custard, we were excited to find a new and much MUCH more convenient location open up closer to home. We finally visited The Meadows yesterday afternoon and found it a little overwhelming (SO many options and ways to orders) and underwhelming (our order had issues).

The building is lovely and the ambiance inside is everything you would want in an frozen treat shop. Extra points to the multiple ways to order (it was overwhelming, but in a good way). Inside seating was at a premium. Instead of the cubbies for merch, extending the self-service ordering counter and adding soda shop style seating w a plex-glass barrier overlooking the work area probably would have been a better use of that space.

Our order came out super fast, which was a plus considering the number of people being served. However, of the three items ordered (2 Arctic Swirls, 1 Oreo Mint Affogato), only one was truly exactly how it was ordered. The first Arctic Swirl was chocolate w cookie dough. It was the perfect blend of custard and cookie dough and we gobbled that right up. The second was vanilla w chocolate chips and kit-kat pieces. There were SO many chocolate chips, it completely drowned out the flavor of the vanilla and gave it a very artificial almost plastic taste. We were only able to finish 2/3 of this one. The last was an Oreo Mint Affogato which was made w/out Oreo or Mint. It was still good and I finished almost all of it. The large is VERY large and generous (not an entirely bad thing).

Suggestions: put descriptions of each item near the self-ordering kiosks, on the website and/or on the back of the laminated menus at the counter. I know I read the description of the Affogato somewhere on your social media, but once I got to the store, I couldn't remember what it had in it and couldn't remember where I had seen the description. put descriptions of all items on the self-service menu. Some items have a description, others do not. It defeats the purpose of having a handy self-service option, if I have to also ask an employee for an explanation (I may as well have stood in line behind Stanley-I-have-a-thousand-questions... no, thank you!) I totally get that add-ins are probably all measured the same way, w the same size scoop. But a scoop of chocolate chips or sprinkles is A LOT more than a scoop of a larger add-in (i.e. oreos). Using a smaller scoop for the smaller add-ins would help to not overwhelm the taste of the yummy custard.

We will be back because... well, CUSTARD!! New businesses, especially popular ones, always go through growing pains and we completely understand that. If you don't want to sit in a 30-minute line down the road, give this place a try. We look forward to our...

I brought my kids for the first time to share an ice cream. We'd seen the building being built and were pretty curious. I've had custard before and I had been told by some friends previously that it needed to be served the same day if was made. I didn't heed the warning and ordered a pre mixed pint from "yesterday's flavors" according to the sales clerk. I should have known it was a frozen "to go" pint, but I didn't realize until I had paid. My kids and I made a valiant effort with plastic spoons to shave off cemented Oreos. After I heard a few cracks of my spoon, I started breaking off chunks for my kids in fear of them cutting themselves. The custard had lost all air and creaminess being frozen and felt grainy. After the frustration and a few brain freezes from the large chunks I had broken off for my kids, we all lost interest about half way through. Maybe this experience is my fault for not thinking it through. Regardless, the first time experience was a bit confusing. There are no pictures of the flavors, and the list of options are a bit overwhelming. I was probably lost trying to figure out what to order for a few minutes, while trying to figure out the pints marked on a small chalkboard next to the counter. I'll try this experience one more time with fresh custard and give it another rating the second...

I am editing my original positive review to add more positives. This is hands down the best place to throw a kids party. I threw a party here for my eight year old daughter because this is where she wanted to do it. We had full use of their courtyard and they even offered to put music on for us. I just ran a tab and let everyone (adults included) whatever they wanted. It was really fun, they were incredibly attentive, and it was still so much cheaper than the other standard places everyone has parties at. I highly (HIGHLY) recommend it for parties or bigger gatherings. Thank you all!

This place is the bomb dot com. I discovered it just three weeks ago and we have been back two more times. The service is always so friendly and helpful (shoutout to Emily the manager). The atmosphere is perfect for kids (we play Uno every time we are there). And then there is the custard..oh. My. Gosh. It’s beyond any frozen dairy product I’ve ever had. It is well worth my drive.

Some fun facts: The small size has three scoops, lol. They have a calendar online of their flavors of the day. There is a courtyard where you can take your...