Marshall's Ice Cream Bar — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

We were hoping to end the night on a sweet note after a so-so dinner — and Marshall’s Ice Cream Bar in Massapequa seemed like the place to do it. Quick side note: why are there so few proper soft serve spots on Long Island? Anyway, we made the 20-minute drive from Huntington, and when we pulled up and saw the place buzzing, I took it as a good sign.

Parking is a bit of a challenge — the lot is tight and feels like a Rubik’s Cube, so be prepared to maneuver.

Atmosphere: Classic old-school ice cream stand. No frills, exactly what you'd expect and want from a place like this.

Service: Handled by a crew of young employees who were efficient and friendly. No complaints there. That said, the setup could use some attention. There's no visible menu outside while you're waiting, so unless you're already familiar, you walk in and freeze (pun intended) while trying to figure out what to order. The menu is also a bit complicated — which slows things down for everyone, and some of the custom items take a long time to make. It’s giving a bit of Starbucks energy: too many options + too many customizations = a jammed-up line. Add to that a poor exit flow — the exit door is directly in the middle, right where people are waiting for their orders — and it all feels more chaotic than it needs to be.

Now, let’s talk about the soft serve — which is where my rating really lands. It was the Thursday before Father’s Day weekend, and in addition to serving walk-in customers, they were actively making ice cream cakes (likely a nod to the Carvel legacy in the area — anyone remember the "Whale of a Dad" cake?). The problem? Drawing that much soft serve in such rapid succession can affect both texture and flavor. When soft serve is overdrawn, it can come out too soft, melt too quickly, and lack the proper “overrun” — that’s the air that gives it its signature fluff and flavor intensity. The result is something that doesn’t quite hold its shape and tastes a bit flat. If cakes need to be made in volume, I’d suggest doing so during off-hours to keep product quality consistent during peak service.

I ordered a Raspberry and Pistachio twist, which was a fun and unusual combo that actually worked flavor-wise. But the consistency was way too soft — I had to eat it at lightning speed, and even then, I was wearing more of it than I’d like. Definitely a “needs-wet-wipes” situation.

Was it bad? No. Was it the best? Definitely not. Would I go back? Absolutely. There’s potential here, and I’d be curious to try it again on a slower night when the machines aren’t being pushed to the limit. Sometimes timing makes all...

Went w 8 people, everyone ordered what they wanted, including my 4 year old granddaughter who ordered hers w 4 gummy bears. Got the ice cream paid almost 60 bucks and realized my granddaughter did not get her gummy bears, so went back in as my group was outside eating their ice cream and asked for the 4 gummy bears. (it was my granddaughters 4th birthday) The owner came out and said they were put on the coffee ice cream..they wanted us to go and pick the gummy bears out of a friends already eaten, not to mention coffee flavored ice cream!!! with Covid still prevalent and knowing any child would not like the taste of coffee I asked for 4 gummy bears for my granddaughter. The owner continued to argue w me stating, anyone could say they have a granddaughter. and we did not charge you for them. Honestly, how would I know what you charged me for as they don’t provide receipts the fact remained we ordered all the ice cream with 4 gummy bears, they tallied the price and I paid. The owner woman continued to argue saying that will be $2.50 for four gummy bears!!. After going there, many times and bringing many people this summer I will never go there again primarily because I can’t believe an owner of an establishment would be so rude and inconsiderate to argue over 4 gummy bears that they had mistakenly put on the wrong ice cream… and not to mention the young girl messed up our order and two people got the wrong ice cream with the wrong toppings and we never said anything, they just ate it…maybe the owner should be as considerate when speaking to patrons. She lost our business and respect, definitely poor customer service…also the way you pay is is quite shady… they take your credit card go into a back room to pay and then return with your credit card…..definitely strange, have never had that experience before when paying at any restaurant or...

My honest thoughts about my first time coming here, a few days ago:

The service was quick and friendly; came at a time when it wasn't busy.

I purchased a large ice cream cup with sprinkles, and it cost almost $6.00. However, I don't feel like what I received was worth $6.00, not sure if the price was that high because of COVID-19. Whether that's the case or not, I feel like I didn't get my money's worth.

I was surprised that my ice cream cup was only filled halfway. I contemplated requesting to have more ice cream in the cup, but I laid off because I didn't want to sound greedy or pushy.

Also, for $6.00, the taste/flavor didn't really stand out. I figured since All-American has a nice, distinguished taste, Marshall's would also be similar in that regard, but not really. The ice cream tasted fine, but nothing out of the ordinary.

This is just my opinion, but a Wendy's frosty costs only $1.40, 4 times less, for a similar amount of ice cream, compared to spending $6.00 here, and it has more flavor than Marshall's ice cream.

I don't want this review to make me come off as rude or mean, I was just a bit let-down from my expectations, and figured I'd post my critique of my experience here, in a review.

Many other people love the ice cream here, and think $6.00 for a large cup is a fine price to pay. However, I didn't...