Handel's Homemade Ice Cream — Restaurant in Nevada

Being from Ohio, I recognized Handel's in Las Vegas as the same awesome ice cream store from my home state. Like a higher-end version of Baskin-Robins, the Handel's stores I used to frequent in Ohio had a quaint 1950s-style feel to them, one which is completely absent for the Las Vegas franchise.

In fact, there is no real "store" for the Handle's off Tropicana Avenue. It's more of a "walk up window" place located in the corner of a strip mall. And though the location leaves something to be desired, the ice cream one finds at this location is just as high quality as the kind I used to get at the original locations in Ohio.

One of the things Handel's has going for it compared to other ice cream parlors is the sheer number of different flavors one can get. Handel's sports an impressive array of a variety of ice cream flavors, encompassing the standard favorites (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc.) all the way to some unique and exotic flavors (Bananas Fosters, Deep Dish Apple Pie, Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Buckeye - an Ohio classic - to name a few).

Handel's also offers low-fat frozen yogurt, fat-free no sugar added ice cream for those who are watching their sugar levels, and even vegan ice cream options. The availability and flavors of these special options change so you may want to call ahead before making the trek out there to see what's available. But the fact that they're even an option makes Handel's stand out from its competitors.

You can get your standard array of serving options at Handel's, such as cups, cones, and sundaes. Smoothies and milkshakes are also available, as are Hurricanes (Handel's equivalent of Dairy Queen's Blizzard) and Pops (scoops of ice cream coated in chocolate and stuck on a handle like an ice cream lollipop). And, of course, you can buy pints of any of Handel's delicious flavors to keep in your freezer at home.

The biggest drawback of the Las Vegas location really is its "walk up window" style ordering. It's in a Smith's shopping center so parking can get kind-of messy depending on when you go. Then, of course, there's the line you'll have to wait in, with very sparse outdoor seating. This Handel's location is definitely not a place where they want you to "hang out" and enjoy your ice cream. This location is meant for you to get your treat and go. This also makes it a bit difficult for those with children who are stopping here for a treat, because there's no drive through either, and it's hard to wrangle young kids in the open area of the walk-up window. For this reason, I can't give the restaurant a 5-star rating, despite how highly I regard their ice cream.

However, if you are looking for a better answer to the big chain ice cream joints like Baskin-Robins and Dairy Queen, you can't go wrong with Handel's. Every single flavor of theirs sounds so good, I wish I could try them all, and I'm sure...

I'm not an ice cream person. I'll take a doughnut over ice cream any day. That's probably strange to read but yeah, I've gone months without eating ice cream, and we do exist. I remember eating gelato from a famous gelato place in Rome (from ‘that movie’) and thinking it was OK, maybe overrated. I had to wonder if it was just Rome being romantic and rich in history that made the gelato taste good.

We Yelp-discovered Handels in San Diego, and I was ecstatic to find out that we have 1 here in Vegas, too. I’ve figured that if I get extra love handles (Love Handels) from eating Handels, I’d be like, "OK. This is happening."

Handel's makes their ice cream fresh daily, so everything tastes fresh and heavenly. I've only tried a handful of flavors so far, but judging by the ones I've tried, I feel like they were very discerning in how they developed these flavors: delicious, but never overpowering. Their pistachio flavor should confirm this, because every pistachio ice cream out there literally tastes like some plasticky almond. We'll see. Will update. Love you Handel's.

Update: Pistachio didn't turn out to be as wonderful as I'd hoped, the key lime is still hands down my favorite.

Update 2, 08/2020: Ordered their flavor of the month, lemon bar. As I struggled to finish it, I kept telling myself that the flavor I was "enjoying" (just to get through it) was Lemon Oreos. After finishing it, I admitted to myself that it was really closer to Lemon Pledge Multisurface cleaner. Sorry, Handels. Can't help but wish this flavor were TART (complements creamy), and less perfumey. I'm dreaming of a lemon version of their key lime pie flavor now, or maybe even a tart, cheesy, lemony ice cream, like those French desserts. Maybe next summer they’ll have 1....

Hands down the best ice cream spot in the country right now. Soooooo where do I start? The flavor, the creaminess, the service, the amount of flavors, this place checks all the boxes! On the sign it says made fresh daily and that must have something to do with it. The ice cream is just sooooo flavorful. If you were to close your eyes and take a bite of every flavor they had you would know EXACTLY what you were tasting and that even goes for some of their more random flavors such as carmel apple or smores. My favorite was the coconut cream pie and was really bummed to find out that it was a seasonal option and was rotated out for new flavors for now. Another one that really stood out was their watermelon icee. Wow! Just sooooo punch you in your mouth with flavor! Las Vegas is hot, but the line is long but moves quick as everyone knows about this cool down spot. They have a few benches to sit and eat your ice cream or there was alot of people sitting on their truck beds eating like we did. One thing I would recommend here is to order their 4scoop sampler. We always order this and we each get 4 different flavors and pass around the container so we get to try everything! There is not a flavor on the menu that isn't good, welll except green tea. That one was unusual for my taste buds lol. Hurry and go try the best ice cream in the country, you won't be...