Handel's Ice Cream — Restaurant in Southlake

Revised July 4th 2024 I am updating my review for I have to mention that the young high school kids working there are absolutely amazing. One Sunday night my grandson and I stopped in for ice cream. Nick and his father Papa Pete (Owners) wasn't there that time. The 5 kids working that night were incredible. They had people everywhere and those kids did a tremendous job keeping everyone happy. The next time I saw Nick, I told him that he should be very proud of his team and the job they done that Sunday. He was going to mention my compliment. Then last week I was coming home from Grapevine and decided to stop for some ice cream. It was somewhat slow at that time in the morning. There was this sweetest young lady, Rebecca, holding the Fort down in the service area. She was working hand filling a pint of ice cream. I was watching her and we conversed while still pulling and pushing down those scoops in the pint. I commended her for working hard and always had a smile the whole time. Great job Rebecca! The back story to all this is if you read the rest of my review, you'll see I'm from the Youngstown, Ohio area. I took our retired Priest, Fr. Dennis. who is very particular about his ice cream. I told him that I could change that. Took him to Handel's and the rest is history. Fr. Dennis is hooked on the Black Cherry Ice cream. Now we live in North Fort Worth so we make a road trip to load up for Fr. Dennis freezer. Nick even gave a Handel's Bag with foam to keep his ice cream frozen until wet home. Rumor has it, that their second location may be in our Alliance corridor in near future. So stop in and say, "hi" to Nick and tell him Papa Jake sent ya!

Handel's is fresh made everyday ice cream that originally from Youngstown. Ohio. I'm from that area (Hubbard. Ohio) and we loved eating there. There was also a local competitor, Webb's Homemade Ice Cream which was located in our home town. Of The two, Handle's was the best. Handel's has franchised and are in several states. When I saw their location I had to go and taste test it to insure it was just like back home...they did not disappoint me. I met the owner of the location in Southlake, Nick and his dad Papa Pete. They told me before they could open, they had to go to Youngstown, Ohio to learn everything about the business. I totally promote Handel's in Southlake. The owners are outstanding, the staff is outstanding, the facility is mint clean and I could even say it is better ice cream that you will ever fine and I know Blue Bell, Ben & Jerry, Häagen-Dazs are gold standard but because you get fresh made ice cream everyday, the competition is not close. The location is kind of hard to find but take 1709 to Nolan Ave. Turn right and turn right in the plaza. Handel's is in far end of the plaza. Tell Nick that Papa Jake recommended his...

• Here's a tip, get the receipt and fill out the short survey to get a BOGO free small scoop coupon -it's worth it- *

Handel's Ice Cream is delicious and it's that kind of delicious that can justify its pricier cost (~$5 for a small single scoop in 2023). So while we've been enjoying our journey through their vast ice cream options; this place is not peak ice cream bliss.

One problem we see is that Handel's definitely doesn't seem to want you around very long after the sale.

As far as seating goes you have 2 options. Sit on about 3-4 metal benches with no tables in front of you -I have used the counter to place stuff though- or go outside and sit on the wooden benches -which have tables and are thankfully shaded-.

The only other problem we have is the speed of service.

Look, I'm no ice cream expert, but I've scooped ice cream before and I have a pretty good idea of how long it takes to do this kind of work.

So how is it that this place has around 6-7 employees, no drive thru, and even when there are no customers ahead of us and we order 2 small scoops in a cup it seems to take 5-8 minutes to get it?

The wait isn't irritating but it is a little curious to witness when you've got a bunch of employees running around behind the counter but nothing is coming out.

Anyhow, we're fans and I'd recommend that you try it as well (just try to avoid Friday night and the weekend for a better...

my boyfriend and i visited handel's for national ice cream day. this was our first time going. ice cream was good! i really liked the peach ice cream. i wish i felt the same about the service. we went around 6pm. it was majorly run by teenagers. (i'm 19 myself, not trying to sound like a karen i just feel like the ages of the employees contributed to my experience) as soon as we walked in, the energy was just off. 90% of them were on their phones. it took around 10 minutes to get 2 scoops of ice cream. we were the only patrons being served. i dont understand why it took over 10 minutes for 2 scoops of ice cream! most of them were standing around not really doing anything and talking amongst themselves. the environment wasn't really welcoming, as no one greeted us when we walked in. no one was remotely friendly either. the employee i that assisted us was visibly annoyed every time i asked for a sample (i only sampled 3! def wanted to ask for more so i could possibly get a sampler/flight of scoops but the employee made me feel uncomfortable and not welcomed at all). overall, we will not be back to this specific location. we'll be trying the location in flower mound...