Review: Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (Wicker Park)
Hello friends!
Today's review will be split into two parts/posts, as I visited two locations on the same day!
Please enjoy!
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My partner and I wanted to explore, and recently we've been getting into the habit of spending time together in cafes. It's nice bonding time without being all over each other; we can enjoy the other's presence while also enjoying the atmosphere of the cafe, and whatever project we work on in the meantime. Sometimes drawing, sometimes handheld gaming, sometimes writing--for example, we're sitting in another cafe right now as I write this!
Origianally we were going to make Jeni's our singular stop that evening, and herein lies a problem. Jeni's is a tad confusing, both being an ice cream parlor AND ice cream manufacturer, so when you search for them on Google Maps, or even just try to use the location feature on their website, it shows you EVERYTHING. From locations that sell their ice cream (ie grocery stores) to places that serve the ice cream that AREN'T Jeni's (such as cafes that have the ice cream available to sell by the scoop,) to actual Jeni's ice cream parlors. Google told us the one we went to also served Intellientsia coffee, which we were looking foward to, but upon stepping in we quickly realized that ice cream was ALL that they had.
However, we were fine with that because there's literally assloads of other cafes in the area, so we just settled to have our ice cream at Jeni's and then go get coffee somewhere else.
It was dark outside due to early winter sunsets, but the lighting inside was very sweet--pink and warm-toned. It also had a cute neon sign on the wall, which would make for great photo opportunities. The tables are very cute and small, so I wouldn't recommend it for a meetup, but it's great for just going with one or two friends, or a partner.
I got two scoops of ice cream. When you get a bowl, it comes with a bit of their butter waffle cone.
The first thing you experience when you step inside is the strong smell of their butter waffle cones, and good god is it divine. It's such a sweet smell, very sugary, almost like homemade sugar cookies.The ice cream itself was also heavenly, so much so that when I took my first bite I almost couldn't believe how good it was. Smooth, creamy, and the flavor was very rich.
The employees inside were super sweet, however keep in mind I was with my partner, who is male. Having a dude with you wherever you go in lolita is a great deterrent for assholes 9 times out of 10.That said, the employees were kind, with one gal complimenting my outfit and exclaiming that my ice cream selection matched my coord, which I didn't even realize till she pointed it out, lol.
My outfit for the evening, featuring a sweater I was gifted by a friend! It's SO soft.
We didn't stay for too long after we finished our ice cream, but the experience was nice--we'd have stayed longer if it hadn't been so cold outside! We were ready to get some nice hot coffee and thus we skedaddled.
TLDR:
-Super nice staff.
-Best ice cream I've ever had in my life, hands down.
-Aesthetic photo ops.
-Good lighting.
-NO coffee or other things at the Wicker Park location, JUST ice cream.
Thank you for reading my review, and I'll catch yall on the next one.