Bobtail Ice Cream Company

I’ve been to both Botail locations in Chicago and they are fantastic! They have really solid flavors of ice cream; some are your original ice cream flavors and other are unique in house creations! Who would have ever thought of putting merlot in ice cream???
My favorite has to be their peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream — typically I’m not a big fan of peanut butter but when I come here, I like this ice cream topped with peanut butter and chocolate sauce! Even writing about it is making me salivate… yum :)

Every Time I go to Bobtail’s ice cream most of the time I get cubby crunch. In Wilmette this is the only place that I know of that serves cubby crunch. Bobtail’s is a small joint in down town Wilmette. They have a couple tables inside and a few benches outside. The employes are very nice. Bobtail’s is clean. Overall the ice cream is very good!

I went here with the girlfriend when we found this groupon promotion buying $ 6 for $ 12 worth of ice cream. We shared a smore sundae and brought home a pint of cubby crunch. for about $ 12.50. Now, the ice cream is better than the stuff you find at the grocery store, but my god the pricing is outrageous! I understand it is homemade (?) but still this is way too much for a small sundae and a take-​away pint. The service was incredibly meh, with teenagers texting on their phones while serving us. Also, the cashier forgot to print my receipt somehow and said there was a system error and couldn’t do it anymore. I will definitely take my services elsewhere in the future.

Outrageously delicious coconut, cubby crunch and peanut butter chip. Just sampled the chocolate, cherry, cinnamon – hmmm.very interesting.
Great little shop, fast service, quality ice cream.

I have been waiting a long time for this location to open.
First day was April 28, 2014.
I went yesterday for some fancy pants ice cream. My expectations were too high, I guess, as they only had 8 flavors and they were basic chocolate or vanilla mixed with candy.
I had hoped they would open with Lavender or black licorice. Those mixed together are heaven. Well, for me anyway.
The flavor of the week/​month is whisky flavored ice cream… yuck!
Hey parents, your kids are starting early thanks to this opening flavor.
There is a school right down the street.
Really!?!
Most of the lights were out so I couldn’t see if the store was actually cleaned since last year.
Lights are important so we can see the menu board.
I finally chose peanut butter with chocolate shavings. 1 small scoop the size of a half of scoop for $ 3.50 plus tax.
Come on! Rip off. Catering to pocket books instead of offering fair size scoops is highway robbery.
Some guy was training in there and it was apparent who was in charge and bossy. She was explaining to him that the scoops had to be perfect. Omg, how hard is it?
Apparently, the customer before me got to large an amount of ice cream.
Let’s be fair here. If, someone orders a scoop and someone orders the same scoop size, why are they the same price?
Consistency is a problem.
Flavor choices are few.
Want to drop your $$$ off at a mediocre ice cream store. Go here often.
There are plenty of other fairly priced scoops around.
Not recommended for large groups because the space is crammed and the layout is funky.
Parking is street

We went here by chance because a police officer gave my daughter a coupon for wearing her helmet while riding her bike. Yes, Wilmette is that wholesome.
Friendly helpful staff and fresh homemade ice cream. Nice old-​fashioned family vibe. Free ice water. We’ll be back.

A bit of a pricey place for ice cream (~$ 7 per person if you’re getting a sundae?) But the ice cream is very rich and creamy, just as ice cream should be. Yum!

As of today, you have exactly two days to get over to bobtail and try their insanely good pumpkin ice cream. And then they close for the season, according to the staff on our visit yesterday. They don’t have a ton of flavors, but when they have ones I particularly like, I think they’re particularly good. Also, they have a lot of options as to how to order your ice cream. Loved the malt I had there. And I’m sad they’re closing for the cold season, because I thought one of their steamers, apparently a hot drink made with ice cream and steamed milk, would be fantastic after a long green bay trail bike ride.

We stopped in because my son wanted ice cream and wanted it NOW! Next time we’ll teach him that patience is rewarded by waiting 5 minutes and driving to Homer’s! It’s not that Bobtail is that bad. it’s just that it doesn’t hold a candle to Homer’s when it’s so close by.
We got the strawberry lemonade sorbet, which was pretty icy – it seemed like it was a bit too frozen. I suspect good sorbet at other shops has additives to keep it soft and smooth. This seemed more like improperly prepared/​stored home sorbet. We also got whatever flavor has the sprinkles built into it. not bad, but not great. I also got a taste of the merlot ice cream; it didn’t seem worth ordering.

Cute and tasty little place in downtown Wilmette. I think the ice cream is a little expensive, but it’s definitely a deal if you get a double scoop! I like that they have unique flavors that you won’t find at the store, like lavender ice cream. Their chocolate and mint chip flavors are good too. We’ve only ever had ice cream there, so we can’t comment on other desserts or drinks there.

I almost gave them a 5 star review, but didn’t because their banana shakes are flavored and not made with real bananas!!!
Their ice cream is wholesome like Homer’s. They have traditional vanilla, chocolate but many special variations that are in the reviews. White chocolate raspberry and Coffee cinnamon crunch was the flavor of the day today.
The prices are fair for the quality of ice cream they serve so I’m not sure why some are complaining about the price. You are paying for good quality ice cream. My ice didn’t melt quickly like in some reviews so they may have improved on refrigeration equipment.
It was very busy today since it’s been the first warm day of spring at the end of April. :-(
I will definitely be back to check out some special flavors but I just tried the simple chocolate and loved the richness of it.
Addendum: went there the next day and tried a peanut butter milkshake and oh so! peanut buttery! the espresso was very tasty and aromatic… Deliciosoness!

I have a good experience most of the time here.
This last time, however, was horrible.
Before I start my review, I will admit I am a fan of their ice cream (see my Lakeview review); that said, however, I wish they were more consistent in their service.
I was here earlier today to use up my last $ 10 Groupon. I ordered a double Mango sorbet to start off and had about $ 5 remaining on my Groupon voucher balance. I figured I needed to work later, so I’ll order something with coffee/​espresso in it. I go for a Large Mint Chip Bobby Joe (espresso, brewed coffee, and ice cream blend). Neither employee knows how to make that (nor how to even pull a shot of espresso… what the fuck?). Given this, they didn’t tell me to choose something else on the menu, so I figured there’s an employee prep/​recipe book somewhere they’d refer to.
Anyway, they said it’ll take a bit, so I obliged. In 10 minutes, they didn’t phone the manager or someone else who would know how to make the drink. When the drink was finally made, the employee told me she’d charge me the price of a small Bobby Joe since 1) she wasn’t sure if it’d be any good, and 2) I had to wait for 15 minutes total for my order to be completed. «Great,» I think to myself – except that she overcharged me.
The Large Bobby Joe (what I ordered) is $ 4.59; the Small Bobby Joe (what she intended to charge me) is $ 3.69; she charged me $ 5.19. My entire bill came out to just over $ 10 and I had some pocket change, so I didn’t sweat it.
I didn’t drink the Bobby Joe until later since I was pretty satisfied by the mango sorbet. When I did drink it, however, I noticed two things: 1) this wasn’t mint chip – it was plain vanilla; and 2) it was fucking terrible and was awfully bitter and acidic (due to a shit espresso pull).
So a summary of my experience today? Decent mango sorbet. Wait 15 minutes to be overcharged for a shitty-​tasting WRONG order. Save your time and head elsewhere.

Yum, I came here with a friend with a groupon. We had to spend $ 10 on ice cream between the two of us (and I wasn’t even hungry) so we had to go all out.
My friend got the dipped cone with two scoops: white chocolate raspberry with M&Ms, and cookie dough. It was delicious, especially the raspberry (holy crap delicious) but it melted all over the place. There’s spilled ice cream drops all over the sidewalk outside because of him. I got the watermelon sorbet, which tasted very genuinely like watermelon (rare, because watermelon is such a high water content fruit, so it’s difficult to translate into for sorbet).
Overall, yum, and I would definitely return if I could.

Who can finish melting ice cream without making a mess? Uh, not me.
I had enjoyed my bobtail ice cream from JJ Java, so I decided to try it here using my Groupon. Out of all the specialty flavors, I got the Signature Sunrise ice cream (merlot mixed in with dark chocolate chips) on an almond and chocolate-​covered waffle cone. The treat looked delicious, and I honestly would have savored it more if I didn’t have to wolf it down. The ice cream was dripping within a minute of my starting to eat it! Since this ice cream is not cheap, I’d opt to buy my own pint of soycream from Trader Joe’s next time.

We had just went to the Botanical gardens and it was hot, so we wanted ice cream. I had the groupon and so we went. The place was good, we tried their Thor Hammer and it was good, but not great. My wife got the banana split with some caramel, strawberry and some thing else mixed in with the normal toppings. Both were very smooth and good ice cream, some places try to make the ice cream cheap but uping the sugar and lower the cream content, but I happy to say that Bobtail was not doing this. They made good ice cream.

There’s a Bobtail Ice Cream shop in Lakeview, and I can’t believe that I actually walked into the one in Wilmette first.
The boyfriend took me here one hot and humid afternoon. I ordered the merlot ice cream with dark chocolate chips on an almond waffle. It was delicious! Imagine, wine flavored ice cream… I don’t think it can get any better than this!
The boyfriend got his favorite cubby crunch. I thought it had too much going on. Rainbow sprinkles, Oreos, toffee, AND dark chocolate chips??? Whoa. I prefer my own.
I only asked for one scoop, but Bobtail gave me a HUMONGOUS scoop. It felt like two or three scoops of ice cream to me. I was happy.

Stumbled upon Bobtail during a bike ride along the Green Bay trail and it was definitely a nice find. Although ice cream and milkshakes are not a good pit stop during long bike rides, it’s definitely worth the stop. I love ice cream, but it’s usually something I buy at the store and eat at home, so I don’t have a good sense for how much it should cost out. I do have a sneaking suspicion that it is more expensive here though (but is it really that much more expensive than those ultra grande non-​fat super mocha soy macchiato caramel foam lattes everyone gets at Starbucks?). Anyway, Bobtail feels like a cozy neighborhoody-​type establishment and I thought it was the one and only until I looked it up.

I overheard this conversation while I was there:
a mom: You know, one day you boys could even walk here by yourselves!
7 year old son: Yeah, when I’m 21!
Yes folks, this ice cream is so good it’s practically illegal. This is super creamy, homemade, old fashioned ice cream. Bobtail feels just like a mom and pop, even though they have about a half dozen stores across Chicago. The people behind the counter are super friendly and warm (but don’t worry, the ice cream’s still cold).
They only have about a dozen flavors at this one, including 2 specialty flavors that rotate out, and we tried the merlot with dark chocolate chips (surprisingly good), and the caramel apple, with real chunks of granny smith in there. We also had a chocolate shake (regular shakes are only $ 2.99 on Thursdays! but can’t be combined with the groupon unless you pay the regular price) that was so rich and so good.
For a sweet flashback to the good ol days, head to Bobtail.

If you know me at all (or stalk me on the internet), you know that I am completely gaga for Jeni’s ice cream. The unfortunate thing? Jeni’s ice cream is located in Columbus, OH and though I do ship pints, buy them at Goddess & Grocer, and have 14 tubs of them in my fridge… sometimes I want to go to an ice cream shop!
Enter Bobtail ice cream company…
I was first introduced to Bobtail after a gluttonous trip to Crisp in Lakeview. What better way to round out a meal of fried chicken? Up till that point I thought I was loyal to only one ice cream dealer, but the store’s friendly employees and signature ice creams won me over.
So imagine my excitement when I found that that they have two additional seasonal locations — one of which is in Wilmette. Hey! I live really close to Wilmette. Wilmette is super adorable. I *love* ice cream in super adorable quaint surroundings.
They have the cutest teenage boys and girls working there. Not annoying or surly teenagers like one would expect. They’re really sweet and helpful! Bobtail also has different featured flavors every week — very important for this specials/​seasonal items lover. Orange mint? Blago’s Blues (blueberry ice cream with macadamia nuts)? Rice crispy treat?! Amazeballs. Still, their signature flavors are awesome. The Cubby Crunch with oreos, toffee, rainbow sprinkles, dark chocolate chips is wonderful. And who pairs merlot ice cream with dark chocolate chips?! Bobtail does! Flippin’ awesome!
They also have so many other items — sundaes, shakes, malts, ice cream sandwiches, coffee, tea, sorbet, etc etc. But I will return week after week to scope out their ice cream features until they close for the season. My favorite ice cream place in the city right now, and coming from someone with Goat Cheese + Roasted Cherry ice cream and Riesling Poached Pear sorbet in the freezer, that’s saying a lot.

Oh my goodness yum! I usually try to avoid ice cream — it doesn’t really agree with me. But I got a kid’s sized scoop here tonight of Cubby Bear and it was so good! And just the right size for me to enjoy without getting sick.
Can’t wait to come back and try more flavors :)