Ice cream is one of the world’s most beloved foods; you will struggle to find someone who dislikes ice cream, and if you do, they are probably weird. However, not all ice cream is served the same way and there are many different takes on how to make this frozen snack delicious. After much positive feedback on last month’s pizza ranking, (go back and read it if you haven’t already) we are back, this time to rank the nine main ice cream locations in the Natick, Wellesley, and Sherborn area. 

Stay Away!

Hooray! No ice cream locations were bad enough to land in the “Stay Away” section. It has to be said that ice cream is hard to mess up completely, and with no convenience stores on the list like last time, I am confident in saying that there are no ice cream locations that you should genuinely stay clear of.   

Wouldn’t Recommend.

Park Street Ice Cream: The time to be positive is over: I would not suggest staying away from any of the locations in this category, but I certainly would not recommend purchasing an ice cream from them either. The first one in this category is Park Street Ice Cream in Natick. As the main ice cream location in all of Natick, located in one of the best spots you could hope for, right in the middle of our beautiful downtown, Park Street doesn't live up to expectations. With a location that great, this is the ice cream that the town of Natick will be judged on. When visitors come to our town on a hot summer day and decide to try the Park Street Ice Cream in the middle of our town center, I am sorry, but they will be disappointed. The ice cream is way overpriced and the simple flavors don’t back up the price tag. The ice cream isn’t rich or creamy, it’s just kind of there, and they have a limited amount of toppings. In the end, it just cannot be recommended. 

Aloto Gelato: When finding the different locations for these rankings, there is always one that I stumble across and realize, since when does this place exist? Located on West Central St in Natick, near the CVS and Roche Bros., Aloto Gelato gets this edition’s title of irrelevance. Similar to the Brooklyn New York Pizza in the last ranking, I have simply never heard of this location and that cannot be a good sign. In a terrible spot, located on a busy street near an intersection, it makes sense that this is a less popular ice cream place. I have never heard anyone ever exclaim the idea of going for ice cream at Aloto Gelato, and due to its poor location and clear lack of reputation or branding, I wouldn’t recommend Aloto Gelato. 

Natick High School ice cream: Finding itself in the same category as its pizza, I can’t say I would recommend Natick High School ice cream. Half of the time, the ice cream is nowhere to be seen, and contrary to the pizza, Natick High School ice cream is not free. There is a good variety to the ice cream, with a good mix of different types, but let’s be honest, none of them are that good. They either melt in thirty seconds and make a mess, or are just too frozen to even make a dent with our plastic spoons. However, I think it’s safe to say that as a Natick High School community we are happier to have this ice cream than to have none at all, and therefore Natick High School ice cream falls into the “wouldn’t recommend” category.

Meh...

C&L Frosty: The biggest problem with C&L Frosty is a common problem with locations that end up in the meh category: there’s nothing special about it. It’s not bad ice cream, and there is a wide variety of flavors along with some good toppings, but is it good enough to make me really cherish going to C&L Frosty? No. The location is okay, in downtown Sherborn, but it can be a pain to get in and out of that parking lot. There is only one window to buy the ice cream from, and the lines are often long. Mostly, as stated before, what is special about C&L Frosty? I used to think it was the green monster flavor but if you are not a six-year old kid who loves baseball, then I think you’d agree that C&L Frosty is just meh. 

Orange Leaf: For our next location, we commemorate a fallen soldier: Orange Leaf. Many would argue that Orange Leaf does not count as ice cream but instead as frozen yogurt, but as it has gone out of business in all but two locations in Massachusetts, with both the Natick and Needham locations now closed, Orange Leaf must be on the list in order to not be forgotten. At its height, Orange Leaf was always really good, and what made it worth going to was the toppings. There was always such a wide range of toppings with everything from fruit to chocolate, and with no limit of how many you could add, it was always exciting going to Orange Leaf. The actual ice cream/frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf was also good, although a bit bland, it was always fun putting the ice cream in the cup ourselves, and again,  the toppings were what really spiced it up. At its peak, Orange Leaf was way higher than meh but with significant factors such as it questionably even being ice cream and the fact that the company has basically gone out of business has left a bad taste in my mouth and it makes Orange Leaf painfully fall all the way down to meh. 

Truly Yogurt: Although their name might throw you off, Truly Yogurt does serve ice cream—ice cream that is most certainly meh. Similar to C&L Frosty, Truly Yogurt is just your average ice cream place, with nothing really special going for it—and they only take cash, no debit cards! If you only looked at the twenty-person line that somehow always appears outside of Truly Yogurt you’d think it would be much better than it is, but after tasting, you realize the lines really just come down to slow service and a good location. 

Pretty good!

Ben and Jerry’s: Getting down to the big boys now, we start with locations that definitely serve above-average ice cream, and that you won’t be sorry going to if you find yourself craving ice cream. We start with Ben and Jerry’s, the classic. Everyone knows Ben and Jerry’s, as it is one of the more famous ice cream establishments in the U.S. Ben and Jerry’s is definitely good, with a huge—and I mean huge—selection of flavors and toppings, along with milkshakes, banana splits, chipwiches, and more. However, although Ben and Jerry’s is very good, it is slightly overrated. They choose to give their flavors ridiculous names that are not that funny, and that in the end just confuse the customer about what the flavor actually is. I also find Ben and Jerry’s to be insanely filling, and I usually find myself coming out of Ben and Jerry’s in a worse state than when I walked in. 

Dairy Queen: Another classic, one that everyone knows and loves, is Dairy Queen. It must be said that Dairy Queen is really good, and to be honest, they were unlucky to not grab the number one spot. Their ice cream is delicious and they have items that are not only really good, but are special to Dairy Queen. For example, Blizzards, which are my personal favorite, have at least ten really good flavors to choose from. Also, their cones that come with the hot fudge that hardens and breaks deliciously when you eat it. Honestly, Dairy Queen doesn't do a lot wrong, although they could definitely improve their actual ice cream, because if you are not a fan of blizzards or cones, Dairy Queen isn’t really the place for you. Also, the biggest factor that holds Dairy Queen off the number one spot is that they are closed for basically the entire year. Just because it’s cold outside doesn't mean I’m not still craving ice cream! Change that, Dairy Queen, and maybe I'll reconsider. 

The Best

J.P. LICKS: Finally, we have reached our champion, the location that is awarded the luxurious title of being the king of ice cream in the Natick, Wellesley, Sherborn area: J.P. Licks. This might be controversial for some, but in my opinion, it was clear as day. Located in downtown Wellesley, J.P. Licks is just a quick drive from Natick, and is never too crowded. The hours are good, it’s not cheap but it’s worth it, and the place is always inviting. They have tons of flavors to choose from, along with amazing toppings, such as marshmallow sauce, a gift from God. What really separates them, though, is the actual quality of their ice cream. It is hard to describe in words, so you should definitely try for yourself the sheer quality of J.P. Licks ice cream. It is creamy and rich, it melts in your mouth, and doesn’t leave you feeling heavy like Ben and Jerry’s does. It puts a smile on your face with every bite. Not to mention the milkshakes and pastry items. It is clear that the champion has to be J.P. Licks. 

Thank you for reading my article. Once again, all of these rankings are subjective, and I invite you to debate me on the topic of ice cream any day.