Boston Ice Cream Factory

Very good ice cream and prices! I like that you can see the kitchen where they make the ice cream since alot of the time people say they make homemade ice cream, but theres no proof! I would definitely go back and recommend!

Okay, let me say first that this place has hands-​down the best ice cream in or around the city. Hands-​down the best. And I know everything there is to know about ice cream (I’m quite the connoisseur). I guess the owner/​ice cream chef/​something-​or-​other comes from Christina’s, which is oftentimes incorrectly touted as the best ice cream in the city. But, as I established in the opening paragraph of this review, Boston Ice Cream Factory is the best.
Unfortunately, there are a few «buts.»
But #1: Could the people who work there be ANY snarkier? Like, slap on a smile, scoop the sh*t out of my ice cream, take my money, and tell me to have an excellent day. Buh bye. Dealing with the general public sucks, and I totally get that. But if you can’t feign happiness for an 8-​hour shift, then don’t scoop ice cream for a living. I honestly am afraid to ask these girls, like, anything. Like at any given moment they’re just gonna be like, «No ice cream for you, two years!» And, since they have the best ice cream around, I would really, really hate for that to happen.
But #2: At some point while I was earning my Masters in Business Administration, I learned about the economics of supply and demand. And yet, this successful business has seemingly missed the concept of supplying customers with what they demand. How can an ice cream shop be out of a flavor 83.333 333% of the time? I learned my lesson the first time — I sat in an hour of traffic to drive less than 5 miles for a quart of my favorite flavor of all time, and they were out. The lady behind the counter recommended — quite snarkily — that I call and check before driving there again. Obviously, yes. But now, ⁵⁄₆ times they have not had that ice cream in stock. The one time that they did have my preferred flavor in stock, I listened as they told customer after customer, «No, sorry, we’re out of it.» And do NOT ask the Snarky McSnarksteins if they know when they’ll have a flavor back in stock! Jesus, that is a road that you just don’t want to travel down…
One final note: they have a $ 10 credit card minimum. It’s a typical policy, but most places will let you slide if you don’t have cash on you. Well, NOT these guys. No cash, and you’re getting charged $ 10 for that single scoop of chocolate chip…
You know, I used to be able to buy their ice cream from Ariel’s in Marina Bay where the staff is sweet as pie and super friendly. But they closed down. Now I have to take my ice cream with an extra scoop of a$$hole…
So, in short… definitely get ice cream here. It is honestly the best. Better than Christina’s, Toscanini’s, Nona’s, Frozen Freddy’s, etc. etc. Just take a deep breath before walking in, and have plans B, C and D ready in case they don’t have your 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd flavor choice in stock. Because they probably won’t.

The ice cream cakes are okay, it does not stand out from other ice cream cakes made by friendly’s or carvel. However, the service has been consistently terrible. They kept an unhappy hispanic girl behind the counter who would not crack a smile. She’s rude and doesn’t give a crap about any customers in the shop. I put this place in denial for a few years because of her and thought I might come back this time to see how the place was. How dissapointing it was to see the same old crappy place and that girl is still there with her attitude that does not belong to a ice cream factory. I thought that a place that sells ice cream was suppose to be welcoming and fun. not this place. I sure hope she’s not the owner of the shop because that would be pretty sad for people who wish the manager would wake up and let her go. Overall, it’s just not worth it with a mediocre cake. You’ll get the same or better ice cream cake anywhere else with 100x better service than this place. Good luck!

Stopped by with little bro for a cool treat. It’s okie nothing to really rave about. I get my bucket at Richard which is much better if you know what I’m talking about.

I used to love it here. But the last time when I order a birthday cake for my son with his favorite T-​Rex picture but when I pick it up it was a totally different one. Talked to the owner of the place he said to me T-​Rex is a T-​Rex … Maybe to him it is but not to my Son and that is the whole reason why we pay extra for it. And all I got back is the $ 7 dollars that pay for the picture. I forgot to ask him if I gave him the picture of my son and he print someone else’s son is that the same boy?. Well I gave this place another chance after that since his ice cream is good — customer service SUCKS! .came in today to buy «sex on the beach sorbet» we’ll as I eat almost half of it I found a giant piece of something in it’ come in to show the girl she told me it’s a different ice cream that stuck in it. Well Why didn’t they clean it before scooping my ice cream! Totally gross! They’ll never see me there or anyone I Know!!!

Just went to Boston Ice Cream Factory and dared to order chocolate ice cream; girl was super rude when explaining that they «don’t carry chocolate during the winter (…its Fall by the way…) because it forces customers to order vanilla.» Um… no, you will not be ‘forcing’ me to get vanilla. I’ll just go somewhere else that DOES have chocolate ice cream. Not hard.
So yeah. Super disappointing visit, and I will not be going back. Stop and Shop is right around the corner — I’ll make my own cones. And cheaper at that.

The ice cream is good but the customer service is awful. There is one girl here with tattoos on her forearm who was extremely rude to my wife. We will never return to this establishment. Do not go here!
It looks like Sara S had the same experience as we did. I hope the owner of this establishment fires the girl. You can’t stay in business with rude people serving your customers.

This place is straight up FILTHY. Huge pieces of dirt and food all over the floor, flies everywhere, nasty dirty strips of tape hanging of visibly greasy walls.
The clerk was just SO rude to a woman in front of her kids, who was there to pick up her kids birthday cake. They had done the cake incorrectly and te clerk was like: there’s nothing I can do about it now.

Nothing fancy (seriously, it’s actually pretty divey), but they have a good selection of ice cream flavors with a lot of unique options, and the price is right. It’s a little inconvenient to get here, but totally worth they trip since you can hit up Lambert’s at the same time.

Best ice cream cake!!! I went in today bought a large sheet of cake went home and the family demolished the cake lol. Staff is very friendly!!!

Dunno if anyone would call it a factory, what with a sterile off-​white interior, broke down single table and a roller coaster gumball dispenser (equally broke down) awaiting your entry.
Whatevs, mang — we’re here for the ice cream. And boy howdy, do they have some ice cream! Only issue being: whether you opt for Bananas Foster (mine) or a chocolate frappé (hers), the end result is a very yolky, fatty tongue coat. Yeah, a smidge of banana, a touch of rum, a hint of cocoa, a whiff of illuminated fancy, but on the whole, both our orders sat the same: a thick and buttery waterproofing of the palate.
I don’t understand; so many beloved Unilocalers send high marks to this scoopery! Was it an offday? Perhaps the omens of Kara G’s shake being mixed in the serving cup itself as opposed to the aluminum shaker was indicative (yes, it exploded everywhere).
The frappé and a small scoop of booze’n’cream eclipsed the $ 10 mark, and we left shoulders shrugged. Maybe I should have followed my heart, and the haunting words of the straight-​shooting employee: «Try this flavah. It’s just a small cake all smashed up so it’s basically your, like, vanilla and chocolate and cookie crumbles, like the cake. Except it’s all mixed up and we scoop it for ya.»
You had me at flavah, but lost me after the second Foster bite.

Boston Ice Cream Factory is a bit off the beaten path. You have to drive there unless you live there (I’ve biked there a few times). Also, you’re NOT going there for ambiance. The physical setting is super gross — building is dirty, tilted, and looks more like a warehouse for broken old ice cream freezers (very depressing — you won’t want to hang out there). They have some indoor tables and lots of outdoor tables (but you might not want to hang out — they’re in the parking lot of a big shopping center next to a Job Lot store or something).
The flavor selection is always really interesting, especially the alcohol flavors. Barbados Breeze, Chocolate Hazlenut Liqueur, Guinness Cream, and Mudslide are all really good (though they cost slightly more). They even have Durian Fruit ice cream sometimes (I hate durian fruit, but it demonstrates the variety available here).
I’m torn about the quality of the ice cream. The ice cream here tastes sort of artificial, or maybe sweetened/​flavored with corn syrup or something unusual. It burns my throat a little when it goes down, if that makes sense. It’s hard to describe, but I’ve noticed it repeatedly, and it detracts a bit from the usual homemade goodness one would expect from this sort of place. The guy who owns it originally started Christina’s Ice Cream in Cambridge (according to their website), and Christina’s ice cream tastes a lot better, though Boston Ice Cream Factory has a nice variety of unique flavors that you won’t find anywhere else.
I’m giving it 3 stars because of the unpleasant ambiance and the burning/​artificial taste that I experienced with several flavors. It’s not as good as Toscanini’s, Christina’s, or Lizzy’s. But because of the unique flavor selection, I’d definitely continue to go out of my way to get ice cream here!

YUCK! Stopped here and was so excited to be dazzled by the name. However, me and my two friends were disgusted. We got inside and it looked like a run down gas station. Everything was dirty and they were out of almost every flavor. Our first friend saw the nasty cooler the ice cream was kept in combined with the inside of the «factory» and didn’t want ice cream anymore. Stupid me and my friend still got some though. My ice cream had been obviously melted and refrozen again — as it was the consistency and texture of goo. My friend’s ice cream was so horribly freezer burnt that she couldn’t hardly taste the flavor itself. Needless to say, neither of us finished our treats and we vowed never to come back.
Staff friendliness — ³⁄₅
Atmosphere — ⁰⁄₅
Food quality /​taste — ¹⁄₅
Menu selection — ²⁄₅

Mehh. it was okay. i live right down the street from here so my boyfriend and i tried the place. we’ve heard it was expensive for what they give you, and it sure is. my bf got the pumpkin ice cream, which was amazing (not gonna lie). i had the mint chocolate chip which was alright, i’ve had better, and definatly had worse.
the customer service was crappy. there were two girls working on a sunday night and neither one of them said hello when we walked in. usually girls who work in ice cream shoppes are super friendly and nice! well, not here. it was very awkward in there and needless to say we wont be returning. theres way better homemade ice cream shoppes in dorchester and the south shore.
so THANKS but no thanks.

OMG this place is amazing. Creamy, delicious not too expensive ice cream in lots of cool and unique flavors. Just too bad they are not closer to my house in a more convenient location!
I had the Mudslide Ice Cream, made with with baileys, kahlua, and vodka. It tasted strong and wonderful. I had it in a waffle cone that was chocolate dipped, inside and out, with chocolate jimmies. Though made in a factory in PA, it was seriously the best waffle cone I’ve ever had. He had the chocolate mousse ice cream, which was also spectacular. Was very impressed and will be back again to try more!

This place is good for a local homemade ice cream shop. The flavors are pretty creative, and they change their flavors seasonally (the autumn flavors are great – cinnamon, pumpkin, etc)
We love to bring people here to have them try the durian – an asian fruit that smells like rotting flesh to some but not others, and supposedly has a sweet taste. Most people find it quite revolting, unless your genetically predisposed!

After an afternoon at Boston Bowl, I asked one of the gals behind the counter if there was a good place for ice cream nearby. Yes, she said, there was a great place by Lambert’s across the street.
We headed down Morrisey, did a U-​we, and found the red signed Ice Cream Factory right besides Lambert… hiding behind a forest of pine trees that popped up this time of the year.
I got the medium ($ 2.80 plus tax for two scoops) Bananas’ Foster (25 cents extra per scoop of specialty flavor ice creams). Yum!
They had several tables and chairs against the window which was great since it was too cold a day to be eating ice cream outdoors.
They also have freezer cases by the counter full of ice cream cakes for your convenience. The default flavor seems to be chocolate and vanilla with a cookie crunch center (!). I think I noticed a sign that they require 48 hours notice for special orders. I’ll have to keep this in mind… a small round that feeds 6 – 8 for $ 12.99 seems a pretty good deal to me.
Note: They only allow credit card charges of $ 10 or more.

Yes, I would like some booze in my ice cream off the 21-​plus menu, please. Yes, I will sit outside and eat it. Oh wait, I’m nursing, so I’ll pass this time. I’ll come back to try the Guinness ice cream, which reminds me of the Guinness Floats we’d get at Deli Haus. (sniff)
They also have a good (but not amazing) pumpkin ice cream that I was spacey enough to leave out. It melted, I put it back in the freezer, and it was still delicious. As Kim warned, it’s cash-​only for under $ 10, so make sure you have at least $ 3 in cash, which is the smallest size ($ 2.50 + tax).

Great soft serve in either vanilla, chocolate or swirl. That’s all I get. It’ll cost you around $ 3.50 for a medium that’s pretty generous. There’s really nothing better than walking out of Lambert’s with a salad and walking right into this place for a soft serve. I’ve done it. And not felt guilty at all!
BUT be warned: it’s cash only for orders less than $ 10, so don’t get tricked – that’s a LOT of soft serve…

I look for reasons to love Boston and the huge variety of quality ice cream is one of them. This place does not fail.
Located next to Lambert’s in Dorchester, it’s really easy to overlook it and pass it by. But don’t. Really, you should come out of your way for this place. I tried (the very generous) samples of coffee oreo (mmmmm) and maple walnut (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm) before opting to be true to my alcoholic self and going for the mud slide, which, get this, is actually made with REAL Kahlua and Bailys! The boy got the to die for Sex on the beach (II THINK I HAD AN ORGASM IN MY MOUTH), made with peach sorbet, OJ and peach schnapps!
There are a few flavor, maybe 6 – 8, made with real alcohol. But you’d probably have to eat a whole vat of it to get drunk. And there’s durian flavor ice cream, which totally doesn’t appeal to me but people either despise it or love it. The girl behind the counter told me they have to make that particular flavor around the corner because the smell is so bad, it lingers in the store for the rest of the day.
I’m headed back there for some Banana Fosters or Guiness ice cream. Booya!