a la mode

Really adorable place. I’ve only been a few times, but I make a beeline for the gelato every time (sorry ice cream…)
The flavors are fresh, interesting and yummy. I still can’t get over the saddles on the bar stools. Really cool idea. If I still lived up in North Raleigh, I’d frequent this place.

I was excited to write a review of this place, but pretty much everything I was going to say has been said _​perfectly_​by Michelle C., Sheri T., and Kevin P.
There is a reason the 10 reviews before mine have given then 5 stars.
You should be eating ice cream here. Although I never even actually looked at the ice cream flavors because the gelato stole the show and I never got passed it.
Staff was extremely helpful and friendly. Décor is unique and cozy.
It will now be one of my family’s regular spots even though it’s a bit out of the way for us.

Very cute, great date spot… if you would normally go to Raleigh… reconsider downtown Wake Forest instead… oh and about a la mode… try the gelato in 2 flavors– no extra charge.

An ice cream shop worth getting off your fat ass for.
I know, I know.
But you have a wide selection of Ben & Jerry’s and Hagen Daas in your freezer and they come in those convenient single serving sizes called PINTS.
But it’s not just the ice cream here (which is very good). They put the fun back into an ice cream shop.
They have stools that have saddles as seats. (yes, they will fit your fat-​ice-​cream-​pint-​eating ass too, not just for kids).
They have sofas and like, living room chairs and kids books and board games and stuff.
They are just good old fashioned plain fun.
Ice cream highlight for me is the intensity of their berry flavored gelatos.

Who knew such a cute place could be within walking distance from my house? The first thing I noticed when we walked up was the very fragrant rosemary bushes outside (which may or may not belong to the store next door, but still). When you walk in, you pass by a cute little bar area with what Christina G was overjoyed with… saddles for bar stools! Much like a quaint coffee shop, there were games all over the shelves for you to enjoy while hanging out and eating your tasty treats.
Now for the good part… the ice cream and gelato! The very friendly girl behind the counter asked if it was my first time in the shop (was I that obvious?) and proceeded to educate me in how the ice cream is all homemade straight from the cow, basically, and had me try some of the gelato flavors (make sure you pick two to try at once… that’s how they roll!). I ended up ordering mint chocolate chip (which tasted somewhat like pepto bismol, but in a good way), a Dutch chocolate (I think), and something like burnt sugar, which was definitely my favorite.
All-​in-​all a really great place to just sit and relax and pass the time or people watch outside on the patio. It could be dangerous for this place to be within walking distance of my though! Just a heads up though, if you park in the parking lot just outside the shop, make sure you don’t bring your giant vehicle… it’s not a very wide lot for maneuvering!

My bride & I saw that Kevin and Sue Unilocaled this place yesterday and we decided we needed to give it a try. Since leaving NoVA we haven’t been able to experience any custard stands or small privately owned ice cream shops until today.
I walked up to the young lady at the counter and asked her «Do you know what Unilocal is?» she answered affirmatively and explained she was asked a similar question yesterday (of course by Sue and Kevin). We told her this was how we heard about her place and she was all smiles about it. She then asked us where we had driven from and we told her Creedmoor. Her eyes lit up and she said that there had been two people in from Creedmoor just yesterday. We then connected all those dots for her.
We sampled a few flavors and they were all good so it was decision time. I went with the Lemon meringue gelato, my little girl went with the green apple and Bavarian chocolate and my bride went with the strawberry and chocolate. On the ice cream side of things, it was explained the flavors were home made and from a local dairy.
Needless to say, we were impressed. We all walked down by the TV playing Finding Nemo and saddled up to the bar to find a tic tac toe board. Little Jo and I played some tic tac toe and I showed her no mercy while I scooped spoonfuls of lemon goodness into my mouth. When I was done beating her at that Nemo was about over so she decided she wanted to play checkers. I observed the guitars lined up at the wall and noticed each of them was missing strings. So much for my thought of picking one up and giving a little show for the patrons, owners and employees. I remained relentless as my little girl tried to beat me at checkers. My philosophy is if I’m going to play, I’m going to play to win, and win I did.
Our timing had to have been perfect because almost as soon as we started to order a crowd of people started coming in and this little place suddenly got busy.
Aside from noticing the guitars, I saw stuffed animals, magazines, board games, a computer set up to play music and just a really cool atmosphere about the place.
Heaven on earth? Depends on your definition. Ice cream or Italian ice that worth driving out of the way for? Definitely! Now if only we can keep it a secret ;-)

I love finding special places.
Before even talking about the ice cream, I need to set the scene. A La Mode is in historic downtown Wake Forest, so immediately you have a sense of classic Americana when visiting. Located in a particularly original building that screams black and white photos, you step into a mix of classic Seattle café and family ice cream joint. There is a bar along one side with a TV so the kids can watch a movie. The bar stools are actually horse saddles perched on top of stool poles (coolness). On the left and in the middle, the café feel takes over where you have comfortable chairs, a love seat, book shelves containing traditional board games, and then a dining table and chairs to play.
Ann Marie (who I’m guessing is the owner), was great welcoming each customer and in taking time to explain the selection of gelato and ice cream. All are home made, and you are encouraged to taste test to see which will hit the spot. I had the blueberry and pomegranate gelato, while my wife had the pistachio gelato (with milk as a base). Both were excellent. My wife, who usually bolts out of any place immediately after eating, was so comfortable resting on the sofa, we decided to stay for a few minutes and relax (at least until the our baby decided we had been stationary for long enough).
This is what a treasure of a place is all about. There is only one, therefor completely unique, and thus even if you live a few minutes from Wake Forest, it’s still worth going. Awesome. Thanks for your vision Ann Marie.

So this is what ice cream is supposed to taste like? If you’ve forgotten the authentic taste of this yummy dessert treat, give a la mode a try. I was impressed with their selection and blown away by how delicious their ice creams were.
The staff is friendly and will let you try any of the flavors available. It’s a small shop that knows the value of each customer that walks in. The ambiance is very mellow and they allow their customers to «camp out» at the shop if you will. Seriously. They have board games, plenty of magazines/​newspapers, and even a small TV playing children’s movies. When I was there, our 5 month old was glued to «Finding Nemo» and let momma eat her Pistachio gelato. Which by the way, was heaven on earth goodness.
And yes, their bar stools do actually have saddles instead of a regular seat! Apparently, this is a hit with the kiddies because they were all occupied by 6 – 8 year olds when I was there. So parents, this is a place that not only will satisfy your adult taste buds but you can bring the kids along and kick back for a bit.
Simply put — a la mode is the place to go for a yummy dessert treat.

Omg peeps… they have SADDLES on the bar stools… which reminded me of the olé Arbie’s kids’ carousel horses when I was little. Plus they let you choose 3 styles per cup of gelato… I was told that’s how gelato is typically served. No complaints here, as I’ve always been more of a 25 flavas kind of gal. The ladies behind the counter were soo sweet and actually gave us a mini 4^th scoop flavor since my mom was in town visiting. Awesome! Definitely try the coconut and peach/​mango. Enjoy the relaxed ambiance, and maybe play a game of checkers while you’re there!

Strolled in here last Saturday night looking for some dessert. The joint was jumpin’! There was a knitting group who had occupied about 6 seats in the «lounge» area and a family bellied up to the bar on the saddle stools. We made our way to the counter and were greeted by the owner. She’s super friendly, helpful, and willing to let you try anything you’d like.
She suggested some combinations of flavors and we taste tested a bunch of gelato. My favorite was burnt sugar caramel. TO DIE FOR. However, on my recent cravings list was a brownie sundae, so I had to stick to the plan. I ordered the sundae with coffee ice cream and husband got a double dip of gelato.
She scooped up the gelato and handed this over to husband and asked us to go ahead and find a seat and she’d bring out the sundae when it was ready. We found a nice table and started playing checkers. They have a ton of board games, movies for the kiddies, guitars on stands, and plenty of room to hang out. Super cozy. Within a few minutes the owner was over with a GIANT sundae! Everything was delicious and husband had to help me finish off the sundae because it was HUGE!
We enjoyed our restful and indulgent time at a la mode!

Last night we wanted to treat ourselves after dinner. I’m 5.5 months pregnant, so what else would I want but ice cream? We decided to try a la mode on a whim, after seeing one of their signs.
I’m so very glad we gave them a try. We got there at 9:20 pm and they close at 9:30, so we were relieved to know we were gonna be served! As we walked up, I noticed how cute and quaint this little shop is. There are twinkly lights outside and little bistro tables, which make the place terribly romantic for a midsummer night’s ice cream treat. Inside, the place feels like such an oasis from the harsh fluorescent lighting of Cold Stone and Marble Slab– places where the toppings are better than the ice cream. It is an old school ice cream shop.
Two large freezers meant lots of variety. The owner was there and she was very welcoming. She explained that one freezer contained Wake County’s only selection of Mapleview Farms’ Ice Creams. The other freezer was stocked with locally-​made gelatos in a variety of flavors.
We’d been to Mapleview Farms in Hillsborough for ice cream a few months ago and it was so good. We were excited to find their ice creams a little closer to us! I decided to try the gelato. The owner explained that the best way to eat gelato is to try a few types. The servings are pretty small (as compared to immense offerings at Cold Stone– where their entire mission is to up-​sell you to a Gotta Have It, when you came in wanting a Like It). I opted for the large, which is actually a medium. I tried three gelato flavors: Blood Orange, Pistachio, and Peanut Butter Chip. My sweetheart had Butter Pecan and Banana Flavors from Mapleview Farms. Both were so good. A little pricey, but very good. I highly recommend this fancy little ice cream shop!