Novel Ice Cream — Restaurant in Phoenix

This year, Novel Ice Cream earned the top spot as the nation's number one ice cream shop, and deservedly so. They were also the top ice cream shop in the United States in 2019, so I am not surprised to see them ranked No. 1 once more.

My discovery of Novel Ice Cream was in either late 2017 or early 2018. When I saw the overwhelmingly positive reviews it received on Yelp, I gave it a try.

When I arrived there, it was still a good thirty minutes before they opened. I never thought that a tiny red shack would become my favorite ice cream place. There is a reason they say not to judge a book by its cover.

When the previous owner, Brandon, saw me patiently waiting outside, he allowed me to come in ten minutes early to sample flavors to see if there was anything I liked. Upon trying my first sample, I realized I had found a new favorite ice cream place, and Novel Ice Cream has been my favorite ice cream shop since.

Novel has eight flavors available every day, and four that rotate periodically. Of all the flavors I have tried, not a single one has disappointed me. Not only is their ice cream divine, but their sorbets are also exceptional. Their sorbets are also very refreshing. I also like that they allow samples.

The service is friendly. No matter how long the line is, it moves quickly, and the wait is worth it.

While I enjoy everything on the menu, my favorite item that Novel offers is the dough melt. While many ice cream flavors go well with the dough melt, the sorbets are hit or miss, depending on the flavor you get. They put a generous scoop of ice cream in the dough melt, along with a topping of your choice. It is their most popular item for a reason. You can never go wrong with the dough melt.

For such high-quality ice cream, the prices are very reasonable. That is another thing I appreciate about Novel. I also like that they are a local, family-owned business. You can tell they care about making the best ice cream possible.

The current owner, Shawn Allard, purchased Novel in August 2023, and I would like to give him a shout-out for ensuring the quality has remained consistent all these years.

I also like the courtyard the shop is in. There are many shops in the area, including a barber shop.

It has been a great pleasure being a regular customer for the last several years. If you are looking for a great ice cream shop in the Phoenix area, Novel Ice Cream is the place to go.

I will continue to support Novel and spread the word about how great they are. When it comes to ice cream in Arizona, Novel...

I find it hard to give out 5-star ratings since I believe these should be reserved for the BEST food of the category with the BEST service. This place earned it, though. This was a wonderful experience. Here's my breakdown:

Ice cream: Having participated in a food development competition in my undergrad involving ice cream, I can say that this ice cream is deluxe. The flavors are so amazingly balanced. For example, their honey-lavender ice cream manages to have that delicate honey flavor come through and not overpower it with lavender, which could easily make the ice cream taste like soap if overdone. They nailed the flavor though. Their vanilla is also fantastic, which is essential since it is the base for most of the other flavors. I love how they blended multiple kinds of vanilla in order to make a truly special vanilla-flavor.

Donut: Their donuts are specifically formulated by them in order to complement--not detract--from their ice cream. I really don't like donuts in general either, but these are an exception. They were fried amazingly well so that they don't have any oily flavor. There isn't really any glaze in this case either, so that they don't over-sweeten your palate. Well done on these.

Service: The employees were enthusiastic about their craft, which I loved. They were sincere and attentive without being overly friendly. I really appreciated their patience with my indecisiveness as well, and they actually offered a really good recommendation for a cereal mix-in that I ended up loving. They basically said it's a good idea to put cereal with the ice cream instead of mixing in caramel because the crunch adds nice contrast to the soft ice cream and donut. I wholeheartedly agree.

I highly recommend Novel Ice Cream. Remember, it's just ice cream, so it probably won't change your life or anything. Maybe. But it's dang...

Let me tell you about this spot that was straight fire when it first opened up. I couldn't believe how few people knew about it. Their donuts and ice cream were just next-level. I remember taking my first bite of that sweet goodness having a foodgasm.

Next thing you know, they blew up and opened a new location in Mesa. I had a chance to chat with the owners; they were some of the most incredible, most welcoming people you'll ever meet. I'm rooting for them to open even more locations because everyone needs to know about their creations.

They switch up their menu often and make all their ice cream in-house, which is a serious hustle and dedication to the game. But here's the thing - it's just not my jam anymore. I'm not going out of my way unless a buddy insists. It's not because the place is whack or anything, it's just that their flavors don't really do it for me these days.

Whenever I do end up going, I go with the donut with Madagascar vanilla ice cream and Oreo toppings. The sugar rush is still there, but the craving isn't the same anymore after your getting vanilla ice cream all the time, you know? Before you say anything, I have tried their rotational flavors. The flavors don't do it for me.

But hey, let's be real. Who in their right mind would say no to ice cream? This place is still sick as hell to chill with friends and soak up some dope vibes. So if I'm in the area with some friends, I wouldn't mind going here...