Sugar Rae’s — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

My bicyclist friend and I stopped in today after hearing that there was a nice new ice cream shop in town. In a mini mall with a parking lot, right down the street from the beautiful North Branch bike trail. There is a cute little table and chairs outside and decent amount of seating inside the little shop. The owners daughter's portrait greets you on one wall as well as kid friendly tv on another wall. The large counter sides encourage customers to write kind messages. 80s music plays in the background. It's cute, bright and clean.

Then we were greeted by the owner who was super nice and accommodating. He explained to me about Hershey's ice cream being made for a long time out in Pennsylvania but that it's not the same thing as the chocolate candy company. He graciously handed us a bunch of creamy sweet samples and we were both hooked. It got even better when he told us the toppings were free and the scoops were generous. I'm in.

I got a scoop of peanut butter something or other and scoop of chocolatey moose tracks with crushed peanuts and fudge topping. My pal got rocky road. I was happy to break my clean eating ways today. Oh and the price is really fair, not overpriced.

They offer ice cream made for doggies too. How nice.

Happy to have this family run gem in the neighborhood. Much needed and...

Sugar Rae’s on Elston is an absolute gem in Chicago! The ice cream here is ridiculously good — so creamy, rich, and full of flavor. You can really taste the difference in quality. My personal favorite is the Banana Pudding, but honestly every flavor I’ve tried has been a hit. Banana pudding/chocolate shake is the best!

The shop itself has such a fun and welcoming vibe, and the staff are always friendly and patient (even when I can’t decide what to order right away). They’re happy to let you sample, which makes it easy to discover new favorites. They always have a pup cup ready for my Zoey too!

Prices are very fair for the generous portions, and it feels like the kind of neighborhood spot you want to keep coming back to. Whether you’re stopping by on a summer evening stroll or treating yourself on a weekday, Sugar Rae’s always hits the spot.

Highly recommend this place if you’re in the area — definitely one of the best ice cream shops in...

We visited Sugar Rae’s Ice Cream yesterday with my wife and our three boys — what a great local spot! The ice cream was delicious and very reasonably priced, which is hard to find these days.

The shop is clean, welcoming, and has a nice vibe. The service was friendly and quick, and you can tell the owners really care — they’re genuinely nice people bringing something special to the neighborhood.

It’s so refreshing to have a local business like this instead of another big chain charging ridiculous prices. We had a great time, everyone left happy, and we’ll definitely be back...