Ices Plain & Fancy

Creamy, sweet, boozy options are unique. Great spot! Love love. Always have new flavors to try.

I had the rocky road. It was good but had a little too many nuts. I have to say it was good but just tastes like regular ice cream. It’s cool to watch the liquid nitrogen, but may not be worth the long wait!

This place is a cool ice cream shop (no pun intended) because you get to watch them make your order of ice cream right then and there. It’s an amusing novelty in an adorable setting (love the décor and color scheme).
Pros:
Fun to watch your ice cream get made
Patio area
Supporting a unique local business
Interesting flavors
— Apple pie special that had apple butter ice cream with hot apple compote and cinnamon sugar crisp on top… mmmm!
— Sump pump soft serve, my favorite, since I loooove coffee ice cream
— S’mores
— Various boozy flavors
Cons:
A tad bit on the expensive side
Longer wait times to get your ice cream (since everything is made to order and they’re very popular)
Parking may be challenging depending on how crowded it is
My favorite ice cream place in town is still Clementine’s (and then Jeni’s after that), but Ices is probably at #3 for me, which is great considering I eat waaaay too much ice cream and have high expectations for it to be done right. Great concept and execution!

Boozy ices were all amazing!
The dude… Kalhua vodka vanilla — really good
Cherry Not So Cordial — not sure what’ll was in it but it was seriously delicious!!!
There are so many more flavors I gotta try!
They even have ice cream formulated for your dog!
Pet friendly outdoor seating too!

This was first visit to a nitro ice cream shop and I was definitely fascinated by watching the staff make everyone’s orders. We got there around 9:15pm and there was a huge line out the door but it moved quickly. I opted for butter pecan tonight, but want to return to try one of their boozy ice creams. The ice cream was very rich and dense and tasted great.

Ices has some pretty great ice-​cream. This is a great way to finish up a fun time at Tower Grove park. Their method of making ice-​cream is pretty cool to look at, it might be a nice idea to explain with some signs or images what the actual process is. Great ice-​cream, seating available both inside and outside. Easily walkable from the park.

There isn’t enough room to say how amazing this place is… how amazing the ice cream is… the staff. Everything here is wonderful!

Went here again and loved it! Cute exterior and is a perfect summer meeting spot.
Pros:
–Nice variety of flavors and mix ins.
–Friendly staff
–Given it’s made fresh, price is ok.
Cons:
–Wish they had more coconut milk options! That’s all I can have (but otherwise their list is huge)
–Takes a long time… but hey, it’s fresh! (Melts quickly)
–Signs can be a little confusing for ordering
I got the German chocolate and recommend it! Very creamy.

Yum! This place is a real treat… entertaining, delicious and fun! Whether you are into plain frozen treats or fancy one’s…they create have em’
Nitro goodness!!! I am still dreaming of «Camp Fire S’mores» … this one filled my car up with smoke when I opened the lid of my frozen treat… it really did take me back to great memories around the campfire.
This little place can get a bit busy; but they move things along pretty well.
Go get you some frozen yummy goodness… it’s a real ice cream treat.

So the premise of this place is super awesome, like its not every day that you find a place that will make the ice cream fresh in front of you with liquid nitrogen. And this is complete with cool changing color lights and vapor and stuff.
For me though, that’s kind of the only appeal that this place had for me. The selection of ice cream flavors was pretty sparse and standard, and the texture of the ice cream just wasn’t to my liking. It wasn’t just me either; my friends all found their flavors a little weird and lackluster. I ordered the mint chip flavor, which was the best out of the group.
Also, it’s pretty expensive – granted, you do get a huge portion of ice cream but I wish there were options for smaller portions for those of us on diets haha.
All in all, I think this place is a pretty cool experience that you should have once, but I wouldn’t ever go back, just due to the price and weird texture of the ice cream.

I like Ices, however I can’t seem to get over the novelty. Yes, it’s a fun and interesting concept to watch ice cream being made in front of your eyes however I still feel like there are better options for ice cream in the city. For those that don’t know Ices Plain & Fancy is a truly unique ice cream shop that uses liquid nitrogen to instantly create ice cream right in front of you based on your selections. The process isn’t quick, and to be honest with you it can sometimes back up, especially if they are busy since each creation has to be made individually.
Parking here is limited to the streets of the lovely Shaw neighborhood. Service here is friendly and very accommodating, seating is limited to only 4 tables inside and several more outside, which can be a little frustrating at times. The ice cream itself is very smooth, yet somewhere between a soft serve and hand scooped ice cream. I went with the Rocky Road, which was good with a fair balance of chocolate chips, nuts and marshmallows. Prices are slightly here than you would expect from a standard ice cream shop, simply because of the work and materials needed to craft your ice cream on demand however it isn’t excessive. One major plus that hasn’t really been discussed is that in addition to ice cream you can also get Iced Soy, Iced Coconut Milk, and Sorbets. So they really do have something for everyone.
I would rate Ices a solid 3.5, Overall I was pleased with my selection, however I still see this is more of a novelty. I would say experience it and decide for yourself if it’s worth returning.

It is dangerous to have something this good within walking distance for those of us in Tower Grove and the Southwest Garden Neighborhood.
The ice cream is great, they serve decent coffee, have a fair amount of seating (including outdoor). For such a simple business model they have a fairly large menu (all dessert).
It costs a little bit more than going to Ted Drewe’s, but is a real treat. As much as I love gelato (which is plentiful in St. Louis) it is nice to have some real ice cream.

This place is awesome! They make your ice cream when you order it using liquid nitrogen. It comes out so creamy and isn’t too cold so that it’d give you brain freeze. I really enjoyed my choice, salted dulce de leche (think salted caramel). My fb liked his butter pecan too. Excited to try their other flavors on future visits!

Yesterday was my second trip to Ices. Went on Saturday afternoon while it wasn’t busy. I ordered the Cherry Cordial. It was delicious. My friend ordered vanilla and wasn’t thrilled. I think it was his fault for ordering vanilla. The bottom line is its a fun place if you’ve never been there and the liquid nitrogen is super cool the first time you see it.

Ices Plain & Fancy has me on a roller coaster ride…
On my first visit I got a cup of the salted dulce de leche and was slightly obsessed with this place. The ice cream was SO creamy and perfectly salted… some of the best stuff I have ever had. If I would’ve written my review after only my first visit, I would’ve given 5 stars easily.
Then someone got my husband and I some Marshall dollars (their name for gift certificates) as a wedding gift. I was so excited to come back and indulge in more delicious ice cream!!!
I really wanted to try and order something other than the salted dulce de leche, but I couldn’t bring myself to veer off of a known path to deliciousness. I was not disappointed with my choice though because my second batch of salted dulce de leche was every bit as good as the first. So at this point the roller coaster is still climbing…
My husband on the other hand was a little bit more adventurous and opted for some Rocky Road. Unfortunately, what he ended up with was some of the worst ice cream either of us has ever tasted. This is when the roller coaster took an unexpected drop!
The Rocky Road contained very little actual ice cream, it was mostly made up of the nuts and white chocolate chips that had been mixed in it. Each bite was far too chunky and the dish just did not work. I’m not sure if his order was just made wrong or if this is how the Rocky Road was supposed to be. I sifted through some of the other reviews to see if anyone else had the same experience with the Rocky Road. Most reviews didn’t rave about the Rocky Road and a few mentioned that it was too chunky as well.
I want to see this place succeed because I know some of their offerings are great, but if there are awful items like the Rocky Road on the menu I don’t think people are going to be willing to wager the premium price for something that may or may not be worth it. I guess time will tell.

The restaurant that unites two sides of me: the scientist and the ice-​cream lover. I love the novelty of the experience. Unfortunately, I can’t really see myself going back for more simply because it’s quite expensive and once you’ve experienced the awe of Liquid Nitrogen freezing ice cream, it just isn’t worth the expense. I would HIGLY recommend going once though, because I’d be willing to bet that if you’re from the midwest like I am, you have probably not been to an ice cream shop like this before.

Amazing place! Great 1^st time ice cream joint!!! Wow love the nitrogen and the show!!! Great store set up!!! Also intrigued about the boozy ice cream!!! Yum!!!

I was excited to try Ices for 3 reasons:
1. I love ice cream
2. I love that it’s an addition to the Shaw Neighborhood
3. I love small businesses
The space is cute and located at the corner of 39^th and Shenandoah. The colors pop at you immediately (blue and pink) so inviting. The line wasn’t too long but the way the interior is set up it doesn’t take much for it to appear wrapped around the corner. Don’t let this deter you.
The cashier was a cool chick with tats and piercings and a hipster vibe. She wasn’t super sweet or talkative but hey it’s an ice cream parlor I won’t complain. She offered up a few flavor suggestions when I asked what was good. I decided on the chocolate and my guest the chocolate mint. They don’t mix or match or do anything extraordinary except the booze flavors which didn’t particularly interest me.
The wait for this kitchen aid concoction to mix was nearly 15 minutes. I thought this was pretty long for what we ordered. The presentation was basic and the taste was mediocre. The best part about Ices was the pink plastic spoon (I grabbed an extra one for my car; eat on the go purposes)

I’m joining the hype train and admitting I love Ices Plain & Fancy. First off, great location. Near me. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ for my soul, not so good for my waistline.
I love that they make it front of you with Nitrogen. Gimmicky? Maybe. Cool, yes. I had one of their boozy whiskey flavors that was AMAZING. I’ve also tried some friends’ fruity non-​boozy flavors during my visits and loved them, too. It melts really fast which is probably because of how they make it.
Also, it gets packed on the weekend. Be prepared to wait and it gets hot inside from the line going out the door. You should try Ices :)

I’ve been excited and terrified to try this place. I was excited because, duh, what a cool experience! I love making my own ice cream at home, but I’ve certainly never used liquid nitrogen! But my fear was that it would all be all about the their unique way of making ice cream and less about actually making good ice cream. I also worried that maybe the nitrogen would cause the ice cream to be more icy than creamy, which would just make me angry. However, this place took good care of me! It was very entertaining to watch the process and a very delicious experience to eat the product.
I chose the Cherry Cordial and was quite pleased with it! My friends loved their Berry & Nutella and Butter Pecan. My husband wasn’t crazy about the Mint, but I thought it was fine.
We all ordered the size large, which is about 3 large scoops. I always worry that my dessert won’t be big enough. If you’re like me, you don’t have to worry — these portions are great!
If I had one complaint it would be that I want more flavors — specifically ones involving chocolate!