Crystal Hohenthaner

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. And where’s the best place to get ice cream in Brookings?

There are a lot of places to get ice cream here in Brookings. Most restaurants can scrape together at least a sundae. But, there are few places that specialize in ice cream. These include: Dairy Queen, SDSU Dairy Bar, Village Square Ice Cream Eatery and Zesto.

In examining the question of who had the best ice cream experience to offer I took a look at several issues including: ambiance, convenience, quality and variety.

Ambiance The big winner in this category is the Village Square Ice Cream Eatery. Cleaner than the picnic tables in front of the Zesto and brighter and happier than Dairy Queen, this is a place I would feel comfortable sitting down with friends to eat ice cream.

Convenience Three words: location, location, location. How could the SDSU Dairy bar not win this one? I can grab some of the best ice cream on the planet right on the SDSU campus between my classes.

Quality Again, the SDSU Dairy bar has this one hands down. As junior Joe Nelson put it, “There’s love in that ice cream, and food with love in it is always better.”

Well, whether there’s love in it or just a little extra fat, something makes it taste better. Creamy, smooth and satisfying.

Variety Zesto blows everyone out of the water here. With over 54 toppings and your choice of soft-serve vanilla or chocolate as well as frozen yogurt, strawberry italian ice and a sherbet of the day, variety is their business. Zesto also has over 80 avalanche flavors including rhubarb.

Conclusion If you’re wanting some amazing vanilla or cookies and cream flavored ice cream and all you care about is the ice cream quality, the SDSU Dairy Bar is the place to go. If you need variety, Zesto has it for you. But you better hurry, as Zesto will be closing within the next two weeks.

My pick for the best ice cream experience in Brookings is the place where a person could sit down and hang out while eating good ice cream: the Village Square Ice Cream Eatery. Although they didn’t win for variety, they have enough for me. Furthermore, although the SDSU Dairy Bar is the best and has great location, the Village Square was a close runner-up on both counts.