Daily Scoop

We come here for the Babcock ice cream! The prices are really reasonable, $ 2.50 for a single scoop.
We took our friend from out of town to try the locally, not to mention famous ice cream that’s made here on campus by the food & science department.
I’d say my favorite is the chocolate peanut butter. Another winner is the pecan. The Pumpkin was also very good. Ask for lots of samples before deciding on your favorite!

Disappointed at this location!!! Sunday afternoon and most of the flavors were gone. Tried strawberry and chocolate peanut but both were disappointing (left like artificial flavors !)

the babcock hall ice cream served at the daily scoop is pretty confusing — you come looking for a sign that says babcock hall and all there is is daily scoop.
if you’re in the area, there are two stores at this location — one on the terrace that serves a smaller selection of flavors, and one at the back near the university shop with a larger range.
the queue is long but it moves quickly, and the ice cream itself is dense and creamy — and not actually too sweet, relative to the typical American offering. my sister enjoyed the blue moon (it’s a popular choice here — and quite a juvenile one, given its fruit loop and cotton candy flavor), but I quite liked the creamy salted caramel and the chocolate.
the smallest serving they have is a double scoop, but add on the quarter dollar or so for an additional dish or cone, and you can spilt the double scoop (especially if you’ve just come from a heavy lunch as we did).

Babcock Dairy ice cream from The Daily Scoop savored on the terrace is THE definition of summer in Madison!
I wholeheartedly give this a five star review on the product itself. The view of the terrace, that it’s a locally made product (like not food miles but food feet practically), that the purchase supports the university, the reasonable prices ($ 3.20 for small), a variety of flavors not *too* crazy but not so «vanilla» as to be blasé, they are all reasons that contribute to this five star rating.
Look for it inside the union in the first floor, with a stand outside near the doors weather permitting. Allow 15 minutes to stand in line, minimum during peak times.
It’s worth it!
Sit down on the lakeshore steps with your cool treat for a chill out that is uniquely Madison!
And orange custard chocolate chip all day every day!
Call me when you’re going!

I’m pretty sure the Daily Scoop is half the reason I eventually ended up at UW-​Madison. Between fourth and fifth grade I participated in College for Kids, and part of the routine was coming to the Union to get ice cream. They hooked me young, and I ended up back at UW despite relocating to the east coast.
Chocolate peanut butter always has been and most likely always will be my favorite. You don’t have to hunt for the peanut butter — there are big ol’ swirls throughout. The prices are inexpensive, and a small is not that small. Hot tip: you can ask for half-​and-​half if you don’t want all one flavor.
On my most recent visit, I decided to mix it up with half cookie dough. Lots of cookie dough pieces and a nice smooth vanilla base. Definitely got two full scoops in my small dish.
Are the lines going to be long in the summer time or during large events? Yep. In the summer the outdoor scoop stand is also usually open, though, and let’s be real: you came to spend some time at the Union, you’re probably not in an actual rush. Take the time in line to decide on the perfect flavor combination.

Fun affordable place to take family or friends while walking around campus. Sitting in lakefront café area overlooking lake or walking on lakeshore is perfect for enjoying the yummy ice cream.
Orange custard choc chip a unique flavor and the berry good parents was surprisingly good. Plus its always nice to support the local university and food science dept. The blue flavor that tastes like fruit loops was fun to taste too
The ice cream is throwback americana style (not expensive gourmet or organic), kids will love it and the family too.

It’s a blustery night!
11 degrees.
Snow is settling on the steps of Memorial Union.
And inside, there’s no one insight.
COREY: Slow night?
DAILY SCOOPER: Yup! But that’s ok, this summer was crazy.
COREY: I bet! Line out the door?
DAILY SCOOPER: Yup! It’s nice things have finally slowed.
Which makes this PRIME time to go grab a cone if you don’t mind cold treats in cold weather. Their pumpkin ice cream is sort of out of this world, with a color that resembles cooked pumpkin (not neon orange like some of that store bought shlock) and crisp graham pieces. Yes, ice cream in the winter might not be your idea of a stellar Saturday night. But if you’re looking for something sweet, near campus, and like the fact that nobody else has the same idea… go grab a scoop! Open late and unlikely that it’ll be busy.

We went on a campus tour, they gave us coupons for the Daily Scoop, we went for ice cream.
So we paid attention when we got there (before the tour) and learned quickly that the line gets backed up fast. When our tour was over, we belined it to the Daily Scoop and orders some ice cream — chocolate peanut butter to be specific. It was good.

Quick service, and simply the best Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream you’ll ever find.
After grabbing lunch on the Terrace, why not stop in for a cup of delicious Babcock Ice Cream? The staff are usually friendly and efficient, and the price is reasonable for a cone or cup of your favorite flavor.
Mine is the chocolate and peanut butter. This flavor seems to be hard to get at the grocery store, but the Babcock version of it they serve at the Daily Scoop is the best I’ve ever eaten. It is the perfect blend of chocolate sweetness with that slight hint of the saltiness of the peanut butter. Nothing better on a hot summer day.

SO DELICIOUS! I got three scoops and asked the worker to surprise me and my tummy was happy.

Delicious ice cream made on campus. Rotating flavors. Very creamy.
This detail sounds stupid but it’s actually important – they have their menu projected on a giant computer screen visible from where the line extends SOOO you can decide on your size, cone type, flavor as you’re waiting in line. That way there’s no panic when you get up to the counter
It makes the line move more quickly and you don’t piss yourself when you get up to the counter, undecided and get asked what flavor you’d like.
Also underrated are their cookies – giant chocolate chip walnut cookie and coffee = breakfast of champions.

After dinner on the terrace, we were looking to get some Babcock ice cream. Unfortunately, the outdoor ice cream Babcock stand was closed at 9pm, so we had just missed it. Thankfully, the guy closing up shop said there was more Babcock ice cream inside the union at Daily Scoop.
The line is ridiculous. It is about a 15 minute wait. Is it worth it? The little 5 year old girl in front of me would say so. Her parents tried every ounce of logic to convince her to get ice cream elsewhere, but when they asked if she still wanted ice cream from here, it was a resounding «YES!»
In my opinion, I don’t like the fluffiness of the Babcock ice cream compared to some of the denser and harder ice cream in Atlanta, so I was thinking this deserves more of a 3.5 star. However, they do have some fun flavors, so I’ll round it up to a 4 star.
BLUE MOON
This is a deceivingly named ice cream, because it is not related to the Blue Moon craft beer at all. Instead, it is a fruit flavored ice cream that straight up tastes like a ice cream version of Fruit Loops. I tried a sample of it, and it definitely is very unique, and would see how kids would love this flavor and the blue coloring. However, please don’t order it thinking it is craft beer ice cream.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH
This flavor was mostly a vanilla cream based ice cream with a bunch of chocolate chips, and unfortunately not any noticeable cookie dough chunks. Because of the lack of cookie dough chunks, I wasn’t a fan of this.
ORANGE CUSTARD CHOCOLATE CHIP
This was superb! It reminded me of my elementary school days with a hint of the orange cream Flintstone pops with a bunch of decent sized chocolate chip pieces. It was worth the purchase.
MOCHA MACCHIATO
This was my favorite of all the flavors I tried. The coffee flavor added just the perfect amount of bitterness to offset the sweetness of the ice cream. My general disappointment with the rest of the ice cream was that it was too sweet and fluffy for my liking and wish I had something to wash it down. The Mocha Macchiato was the perfect balance of flavor.
Waffle cone? Yes. Get it.

Super cheap for the quality! Get peanut butter chocolate and butter pecan.

I love ice cream and I love the Daily Scoop! I’ve been there once and they impressed me so much that I will have to be back again soon. I kept trying to make it there but I either got there too late or I forgot to go all together. I order a peanut butter flavor and that is exactly what I ate, spoons full of peanut butter! It was perfect. Wait, did I just say that about ice cream? I think I did. I don’t think I will ever get a better scoop of peanut butter ice cream anywhere else (I’m a little disappointed by that — guess I’ll just have to buy more from the Daily Scoop).

This little shop is located in the ground/​basement floor of the UW Union. They have some of the best ice cream I have ever had. It even rivals my other favorite — the MSU Dairy Store. You can really taste the freshness and quality of the cream and milk used to make this ice cream. I recommend trying some of the unique flavors they have, as that is the best way to see what they do differently from everyone else. The salted caramel is excellent!

Best value in Madison. Best ice cream taste in Madison. For 2.75 you can get a huge portion of ice cream and huge is the only way to go when getting ice cream. The mocha flavor is personally my favorite. The peanut butter chocolate is also delish.
It’s always fun to pester the students working there. By pester I mean ask for ice cream nicely. Come on bro just scoop the ice cream, we all know you just have this job for beer money.

Ah, Daily Scoop. One of the many reasons why I love Madison so much.
These guys are one of a select few that actually know what good ice cream is. Many attempt and many fail, but these guys do not. They know their stuff.
Daily Scoop ice cream is quality. Such rich & creamy deliciousness!
The chocolate peanut butter and coffee-​caramel-​chocolate flavors are wondrous.
Plus they give you a great amount for the price you pay.
This is the real deal.

Best ice cream in the world. My favorites are the orange custard chocolate chip, blue moon, and a strawberry/​mint mix. And there’s no better place in the world to eat ice cream than in the back of the Union with the sound of live music, people chattering away, ducks waddling around and the sailboats floating in Lake Mendota.

Orange Chocolate Chip. You won’t be sorry. Creamy, Smooth, & Rich. Coming from someone who not a big fan of chocolate only white (yeah I know it’s not REAL chocolate). Friendly staff. Long line but moves quickly with lots of staff on hand and 2 registers.

3.5−4
I come here for ice cream whenever I’m visiting the Union and/​or Madison! The ice cream is local and refreshing, especially on a day as hot as a Madison summer. (Beware… my ice cream melted quickly and dropped into a hundred drops when I stepped outside.)
It’s not a super gourmet place (which I’m snobbily used to), nor is it that creamy (which I prefer), but I am a fan and like coming back this place.