• The Great Escape Ice Cream Parlor

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  • Ice-cream Ice Cream

Long-time operating ice cream shop in downtown. Offers a large assortment of soft serve ice cream flavors, both dairy as well as soy, coconut or almond based, made onsite. Also has vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Ask about the soy bars and vegan cookie sandwiches. Opens seasonally. NOTE: May 2021 reported limited vegan options - please send updates. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-10:00pm.


Venue map for The Great Escape Ice Cream Parlor
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25 Reviews

First Review by Kind Cindy

victoria1024

Points +296

Vegan
31 Aug 2023

limited options

there were only two vegan options when i went in. neither were labeled vegan in the cases. the one was chocolate peanut butter (this one did say in faded marker under the label that it was coconut based) and the other was a sorbet. i did appreciate that they had a list of vegan toppings, but one was marshmallows and i doubt they use marshmallows without gelatin. i got the chocolate peanut butter with peanut butter sauce, and pretty much only ate the peanut butter sauce. the ice cream wasn’t terrible, but i’ve had better. it was a bit flavorless, like something was missing. it’s a safer bet to go to the ben & jerry’s nearby.

Pros: fair prices

Cons: only two vegan options , vegan options not clearly labeled , flavor was just ok

TheloniousG

Points +346

Vegan
13 Jul 2023

Kinda ok

I had only one kind of vegan ice cream. It was a bit icy. There was an overly hard ribbon of peanut butter in it. Pleasant, nice on a hot day, but you can get better vegan ice cream in most grocery stores (altho not much at Topps, but that’s another story)

Pros: Cool on a hot day, A valiant effort, It exists, which is a plus

Cons: Not the best ice cream

phashonkat

Points +503

Vegan
18 Sep 2022

Sweet (flavors and vibes)

I ordered a small (1/2 scoop each) of two flavors: coconut lavender blueberry and chocolate peanut butter. Perfection. Not only do they list out their many vegan topping options, they also specify the non-dairy base for each of their vegan ice cream flavors, which they also make in-house. AND they have vegan, gluten free cones! Felt like a little kid again in the best way. So friendly, so nostalgic, so worth a visit.

Updated from previous review on 2022-09-18

Pros: Satisfying variety of homemade vegan options, Vegan-aware staff, Nostalgic vibe

Cons: Farther away from everything (but worth the walk)

Hharle

Points +24

Vegan
16 Jun 2022

Pleasant surprise!

We have been really pleased with Watkins glens’s surprising variety of vegan options- and this was our regular go to for ice cream. They had two great vegan soy choices each night we went- and even more amazing I ordered a vegan ice cream cake a few days in advance. The owners are very accommodating and made us something super special. Can’t wait to vacation here next year.

veggie666

Points +618

Mostly Veg
03 Jun 2022

Vegan options

They had about 5 vegan options

SouthernmostVegan

Points +1595

Vegan
20 Jul 2020

Good but few options

They have a hard chocolate peanut butter as well as the vanilla cookie chip. Don’t bother with the vanilla cookie - flavorless and watery consistency. The chocolate peanut butter was good but it had very little peanut butter. It was really just chocolate ice cream.

I asked for chocolate syrup, choc sprinkles and mini chocolate chips to make a mini vegan sundae. They didn’t have any vegan baked dessert options because they said those come from a local vendor and they don’t know what they will get.

And to the previous reviewer: YES THEY ADDED YOUR HAPPY COW STICKER!

ACCVeg

22 Jul 2020

Thanks for letting me know about the sticker!!!!

ACCVeg

Points +1341

Vegan
15 Jul 2020

Happy to have a vegan ice cream option after hiking Watkins Glen

The day was warm and the hike was long, and there was nothing I wanted more than an ice cream cone, and this place delivered. They had three vegan flavors when I stopped in - I had the chocolate peanut butter and it hit the spot. This is not artisanal vegan ice cream so best to set expectations, more like the vegan analog to Hershey’s (which is the cow milk version of what they sell here). Staff was super friendly and took my Happy Cow Veg Options sticker and said they thought the management would let them display it. So if you are the next person getting ice cream from this place, please write a review and report if you see a Happy Cow sticker!

Pros: Good ice cream w/i walking distance of park

krpiasecki

Points +80

Vegan
18 Jun 2019

No Vegan Soft Serve

I was so disappointed on this trip to Watkins Glen to find that Great Escape no longer carries vegan soft serve. The vegan chocolate peanut butter was good, however the vanilla chocolate chip wasn't good at all. It was icy, crumbly and lacking in flavor. Disappointing.

Pros: A few flavors of vegan ice cream

Cons: Unappealing texture and flavor

HappyVegan777

Points +20

Vegan
13 Oct 2018

Vegan Ice Cream Options That Taste Great

Ordered the vegan chocolate oreo cookie flavor in a cup. Yum! Would never know that it's vegan.

Pros: Great tasting ice cream, Friendly owner

fratboyvegan

Points +194

Vegan
14 Sep 2018

Amazing

Simply amazing. Check this place out!

aimeedars

Points +49

Vegan
04 Jul 2018

Delightful Local Ice Cream Shop

My favorite local ice cream shop! They always have vegan options that are tasty and hit the spot during summer. The atmosphere is cute. The flavors change, though, which can be irritating.

SEaton

Points +30

Vegan
24 May 2017

Awesome homemade vegan ice cream

We love this place. They have great homemade vegan ice cream, soy and coconut based. They also have sorbet.

StephanieKittell

Points +39

Vegan
04 Sep 2016

Wow! Vegan Gelato & cool vibes!

This cool 50s-inspired ice cream place has a funky vibe, and so many great vegan options (& vegan-friendly staff). In our one week stay at nearby Farm Sanctuary we stopped at this place at least 4 times for vegan ice cream! Yum!!! Fav vegan gelato flavours: chocolate peanut butter, ginger snap, vanilla biscotti. They also have huge vegan chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, vegan soft serve with many flavour options, vegan parfaits, and vegan baked goods. And they make their own in-house vegan sugar cones. We'd go back a million more times!!! We'd give them a 5-star review if they went full-on vegan. :)

Pros: multiple vegan gelato flavours, multiple vegan soft serve flavours, vegan-knowledgeable staff

Cons: not full vegan (yet)!

imaveganmama

Points +100

Vegan
20 Oct 2015

Not that great...

Stopped in last week after Farm Sanctuary and asked what was vegan. We were told: a key lime icecream that looked gross and melted, a vanilla chocolate crushed oreo flavour icecream, and a cookie. This is hard icecream, btw. No mention of soft serve. The cost of the vegan icecream is almost double the non-vegan icecream, and stored right alongside the non-vegan icecream. It was a bit of a rip off. Best thing was that they had a few vegan and gluten-free cones.
BTW, there is one other icecream place about a block or 2 north of this place, on the same street, also advertising vegan icecream.

Pros: vegan & gluten free cones, good portions

Cons: expensive, limited options, icecream kept alongside non-veg icecream

Lissie

Points +38

Vegan
19 Sep 2015

Yummy Vegan Ice Cream

We stopped here after visiting Farm Sanctuary, and it was really good. I had the vanilla soft serve with chocolate and peanut butter toppings, and it was the closest thing to a sundae-type treat I've had since becoming vegan (at least one that I didn't have to make myself!). It was really great, and we will definitely return when we're in the area again.

Pros: Great ice cream/toppings, Inexpensive

Michael X. James

Points +945

Vegan
21 Jul 2015

Good ice cream, don't add the flavors

The Chicago Vegan Foods company makes the soft serve that is here and it's always pretty good. The chocolate reminds me of a frosty from Wendy's and the vanilla is more of a marshmallow than vanilla. Getting one of these two are your best options. Don't bother getting the flavored syrups in them though...it's all high-fructose corn syrup. Not worth it.

Pros: soft serve vegan, yay!

Capzilla37

Points +16

Vegan
20 Oct 2014

Awesome oreo ice cream!

So happy we stopped here on our trip to Watkins glen! We were greeted with a big smile and treated like family. Their vegan soft serve machine was down and they were kind enough to have an alternate vegan option which was delicious oreo vanilla flavor! I would definetly go back!!!

Pros: Friendly , Accomodating, Delicious

vegfam

Points +72

Vegan
25 Oct 2013

Must have vegan ice cream!!

My family and I LOVE this place as part of our visit to Ithaca and Farm Sanctuary every year. Never been disappointed. We all had the vegan soft serve vanilla in waffle cones and had no problem with consistency, flavor or anything. We also split vegan peanut butter cookies filled with vanilla ice cream. They only had 2 left since they were closing for the season, but if they had more we would have bought many to go. The owner was super friendly and helpful, even made a special walnut topping for my husband. The owner said they'll have 2 vegan bakers next year. Sooo excited to make plans for next year. My sons , 9 & 11 read the 2 bad reviews and honestly couldn't believe it! Never had a bad time or flavor during any of our trips!!! We love it!!!

Pros: soft serve, icecream sandwiches, service

Cons: none

NYCVegan13

Points +37

Vegan
07 Oct 2013

vegan ice cream!

We stop by Great Escape each year during our visit to Farm Sanctuary. It's nice that there is a vegan ice cream option in town. Currently, they offer a vanilla/plain soft serve base with lots of flavor shots to chose from. As you might expect (and I'm sure is true for a non-vegan version), some flavor shots taste and work better than others. We're never that adventurous, usually going with the basics like chocolate, strawberry or banana. It's always been very good and kept us going back every year. The owner mentioned he may add a chocolate base option and maybe even some vegan hard ice cream next season!

Mubby

Points +60

Vegan
25 Jul 2013

Vegan ice cream left something to be desired

I visited Farm Sanctuary and made a trip to this place to try their vegan soft serve ice cream. As a previous reviewer said, it was gross and a let down! They have a ton of flavors but it's basically a flavored syrup they add to the main soft serve mix. The picture is misleading - you think you're getting soft serve on a cone, but it comes in milkshake form. I got the lemon flavor and it tasted like chemicals. Threw it out after a few bites - was not worth the calories. I did kind of like the decor though, all the old ice cream scoops hanging from the ceiling were funky.

jcberger

Points +156

Vegan
25 May 2013

vegan soft serve

After reading the other reviews, I was so excited to try this vegan soft serve ice cream. Not inedible, but I threw it away after several bites. It tasted fake and chemical-y, and WAY too sweet. Really they just have a soft serve "base" (which wasn't good on its own, either) and then add these artificially flavored syrups into it. I chose espresso... what a mistake. Plus, you can only order a "medium" if you get a flavor, which is way too large and pricey! I also got walnuts on mine and they tasted stale. The atmosphere was so tacky and almost fair-like. I didn't get to try any vegan ice cream in Ithaca but I hear there's some better stuff over there. I'd say it's worth the drive!

DaisytheHedgehog

Points +116

Vegan
16 Jan 2012

Most delicious vegan soft serve

I have never found vegan soft serve until this restaurant. It is AMAZING and especially a great treat after visiting nearby Farm Sanctuary :) from which you can get a 10% off coupon for vegan ice cream. I recommend the soft serve with oreos on top. So delicious!! So far they only have one flavor, so it would be great if they added a few more.

elles_belles

Points +1301

Vegan
26 Dec 2011

Surprisingly good

I remember when they use to offer only one flavor a day. I'm happy they changed it so that they could add flavor to the vanilla. It's very creamy. I enjoyed it.

tdehaven

Points +31

Vegan
30 Aug 2011

I Scream For Ice-Cream

Me and my boyfriend had just gotten done visiting Farm Sanctuary, and they told us about The Great Escape Ice Cream Parlor, (They also gave us coupons for ice cream!) I was so excited to try vegan soft serve ice cream. I got it topped with fresh banana, and it was DELICIOUS. I definitely wish I lived closer!

Pros: Tasty, Inexpensive

Kind Cindy

Points +78

Vegan
18 Aug 2010

Soft Vegan

Watkins Glen offers some great vegan friendly options and my husband and I were thrilled to see the local ice cream parlor advertised vegan soft ice cream! We made the mistake however of asking for a "flavour" to be added which involves adding brightly coloureed "koolaid" like flavouring and blending. The result was far too sweet and had a strange after taste (as one might expect).

I am giving this 4 "happy cows" only because I think the vanilla would have been tasty on its own with any number of the toppings that were offered such as walnuts or maple syrup.

Pros: Right on the main street

Cons: Stay away from flavour additives




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