At the point I am writing this I have visited Amy’s twice. Mostly because I was slow at writing this, but also partly because I love ice cream. Any chance for ice cream I will probably take it.
Amy’s is an Austin based ice cream brand that has expanded to some other Texas cities as well. They serve fun and creative ice cream flavors. They have developed so many flavors of ice cream that each time you go in they are serving different options.
My First Amy’s Experience
The first time I went into Amy’s I liked the ice cream, but was concerned with the cleanliness. They serve the ice cream like a Cold Stone or Marble Slab Creamery. If you have never been to any of these ice cream shops, they have a prep station. This prep station is usually visible to the customer. They work the ice cream a bit and then mix in the toppings. When I went into Amy’s the first time this prep station was a mess. It needed cleaned. I could see where they prepared previous customer’s ice creams.
Not only that, but the service was slower than hoped for. At the time I saw two employees, but only one was helping customers. I do not know what their situation looked like. They could have had a huge rush just before we got in there. And the other employee may have been in charge of admin things or whatever. But it was a bit frustrating. I was also with children. And children are already impatient, but around ice cream can be even more impatient.
It was finally our turn to order. I asked which of the flavors were gluten free. They did not have information easily visible at the scoop shop, and I could not find it on the website either. The guy helping us confidently said that all the flavors they were offering that day were gluten free.
I ordered the mocha brown cow. It seemed chocolatey and delicious enough without any toppings. And the prep station was concerning too. So I played it safe and only ordered the ice cream. In retrospect I could have ordered toppings and asked for them to just be placed on top. I also should have asked for them to scoop from a new container with new scoops. Not all of their toppings are gluten free, so the ice cream in the already opened containers could be contaminated.
Despite the possibility of contaminated ice cream I did not have any problems. The ice cream itself was very delicious. I enjoyed it very much. I also sampled the Tito’s Dude ice cream. And wow was that good. To make the Tito’s Dude they mix Tito’s Vodka with Sweet Cream ice cream. I personally never imagined vodka ice cream, but the flavors complemented each other well and I enjoyed it. If I see it on the menu again I will order it.
My Second Amy’s Experience
The second time I visited Amy’s the prep station looked so much better. And the service was better as well. A different employee helped us and he was attentive and helpful.
Again when I arrived I asked about which flavors were gluten free. This time he said all, but one. Unfortunately at this point I cannot remember which one, as I did not put any thought into ordering it. The two flavors I tried previously were not being served that day. So I chose their famous Mexican Vanilla with chocolate chips.
Although I asked about the gluten free flavors I forgot to mention I have Celiac and me eating gluten free is a necessity. I personally also did not ask to just put the chocolate chips on top. The employee scooped the ice cream and plopped it right on the slab and started working the chocolate chips into the ice cream. Only because the slab was spotless when I arrived did I not ask for a different scoop of ice cream. I saw no crumbs or anything on it like they had just wiped it clean. But should you be in this situation, it would be acceptable to ask for a new scoop with the toppings just added on.
The ice cream was good, but not too special in my opinion. I am not the biggest fan of vanilla ice cream, and the other flavors also did not sound appealing to me. I enjoyed the ice cream, but wished they offered different options that day.
Overall
Amy’s is a fun local ice cream shop. I love ice cream, and I love supporting local business for so many reasons. I do suggest visiting if possible.
They do not post their ingredient and nutrition information online, unless I missed it. But both times I visited the employees knew which flavors contained gluten. And when they told me they both sounded confident.
There are so many different and fun flavors to choose from. Many of which are gluten free naturally. They have add ins as well including chocolate chips, sprinkles and more.
I would suggest asking for them to use new scoops and preferably a new container of ice cream when you go. This way it will minimize cross contact as much as possible. I would also suggest either asking them to wipe the slab down completely with a rag before your ice cream goes onto it. Or just asking for them to put your ice cream directly in a cup and the toppings on top.
Let me know what flavors you try once you’ve visited!
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