Ferdinand's Ice Cream Shoppe — Restaurant in Pullman

TIPS: You need to pay for parking in their lot (see my photo for more info). I was able to pay using the website, without downloading the app. It was only 50 cents. :-) There's a single all-gender restroom inside the building to the left. They have an observation room (being cleaned when we visited) where you can sometimes watch them making cheese. No sorbet or vegan options were available.

It's really nice that they run this ice cream (and cheese, and espresso drink) shop on campus. There are some tables inside, along with additional table seating outside (but without shade). Staff were super friendly and helpful with my order, except that the person trying to help me with the cheese kept telling me that it was impossible to tell me the weight of the gift box containing multiple cheese flavors, when all she needed to do was look at the label on the box, which wasn't visible from my side. But I digress.)

As for the ice cream, honestly in my opinion the mouth feel is too creamy (yes there is a limit, for me anyway). Most of the flavors are fine (strawberry was very good) but some of the flavorings are overdone. For example, the apple pie flavor (I don't remember their name for it) is way too heavy on the cinnamon to the point where you can't taste the apple. BUT I didn't try any of the classic flavors, so maybe those would have been fine. We haven't tried the cheese yet, but we're looking forward to it.

I ordered an espresso drink and Americano that were both excellent.

This was a fun spot to visit for dessert while...

Cougar Gold changed me as a person. You walk into Ferdinand’s thinking it’s just an ice cream shop. Cute, right? Maybe grab a cone, snap a pic, move on. But then you see it, the gold can gleaming behind the counter like the Ark of the Covenant. You don’t realize it yet, but your life is about to get aggressively better.

Crack open a tin of Cougar Gold and everything you thought you knew about cheddar evaporates. The smell alone could start a religion. It’s sharp, nutty, buttery, a little dangerous. You don’t slice it, you break it apart like sacred relics, each crumb whispering, “This is what cheese is supposed to be, you fool.”

It’s so good it makes you emotional. You start re-evaluating your choices. You text your ex just to tell them they’ll never taste anything this pure. You think about aging a can in your fridge for a year just to see if it evolves into enlightenment (which it does).

And yeah, the ice cream’s still here, creamy, perfect, the dairy equivalent of a gentle hug after Cougar Gold just wrecked your soul. But let’s be honest, Ferdinand’s isn’t a shop, it’s a cathedral, and Cougar Gold is the altar. The students behind the counter are priests in lab coats handing out edible salvation.

If you leave Pullman without a can, you might as well leave your taste buds too. Cougar Gold doesn’t just melt, it...

Ok - I know that Ferdinand's is an iconic destination and delivers a certain style in the experience with the decor and the great service, and none of this can be ignored. In fact it entirely carries the appeal of visiting here, as well as the rating it receives.

As for the ice cream, I will say that the texture and mouth feel and ultra creaminess are superb. The choice of flavors, on the other hand, while solid are indistinct, and, in my opinion, overly sweet. (BTW - the "overly sweet" club has a number of acclaimed members, such as Ben & Jerry's who sits among the pantheon of revered ice cream purveyors).

This rating is delivered in the context of great ice cream that's emerging up & down the west coast, such as Salt & Straw in Portland, Molly Moons in Seattle, and Gunther's in Sacramento. While I'd say Ferdinand's is easily a peer in terms of quality, it lacks uniqueness that would set it apart. In my opinion, having unique flavors would accomplish this. If Ferdinand's does do this then I would be very excited to see it leap to the forefront of great ice cream on...