Cool Hand Luc

I’m giving this place 5 stars based on the soup and the service. I pop by regularly for a bowl of soup (they always have at least 2 vegan options), and it’s always soupalicious. The veg soups are made from scratch (including the broth), and the ingredients are simple and delicious. The mushroom trio, for example, is just mushrooms, broth and seasoning, and it is one of the most satisfying (but not too heavy) mushroom soups I’ve ever had.
The service is always friendly and non-​prententious, and the owner/​operator (he makes the soup, so I assume he’s the guy, anyway) is thrilled to hear my questions and compliments.
I don’t know about the ice cream, but it’s a cute, cozy little nook to fuel up with some soupy goodness on a chilly day.

Fantastic service and great food…
They are known for their ice cream, but I’ve always gone for the soup and grilled cheese. The chicken noodle soup is second to none… and the hawaiian grilled cheese if awesome! If you’re in the fashion district… this place is worth the walk!

I’ve been here several times over the last couple of months and I have to say that Luc has captured a niche market that has not yet been targetted. On the streets of King Street West, you find high end steak houses, bars, with swanky posh people ready to drop a lot of money. And then there’s Luc — a down to earth guy who opened an Ice Cream shop with rotating flavours that includes yogourt, sorbet, gelato and of course ice cream.
Thinking about it, how can an ice cream store survive in the winter? Be not afraid — they sell COMFORT FOOD! At an incredibly affordable price, they also sell GRILLED CHEESE — with topped up flavours, meat and cheese options, in addition to soups, chili, dessert sandwiches, and now even fresh wraps, sandwiches, and salads.
Nothing has disappointed me yet — sure certain things may be prepackaged, but their ingredients still taste fresh and the people are super nice. If you’re going out to the club and need something to chow down on and don’t want a hot dog — what better food is there than a hot cheesy grilled cheese made to your liking? They are one of the store fronts opened until 10pm on weekdays and into the wee hours of the night on weekends.
Only downside to this experience is that they do not serve soup after 8pm. And dont try calling for take –out and pick up because they do not have a phone.
However, once you do get in, you’ll be all smiles with the fun interior, cute ice cream signs, and the nice people wanting to make your day.
Until next time!

LOOOVE this place.
And so does my dog! :-D
Luc is a big dog lover. And in my books, people who like dogs are generally good people.
Ice cream. You can buy it by the scoop. Or the ½ litre.
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
Oh, did i mention Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese?!
I was blown away at how yummy it was.

Cute lil spot with young hipster serving ice cream. They let me try basically all the ice creams before I bought anything. I went with the banana marshmallow and birthday cake on a cone. It was delicious just what I needed after my meal at 360.

double-​negatives
I don’t not like ice cream. I’m just not unparticular.
It started as a child. My mother says I was a extremely picky and very particular eater. It got better with age, but I am still really, really weird about my ice cream. My people laugh because they know that technically I don’t like ice cream, but I will enjoy CERTAIN ones.
For example:
Baskin Robins’ Jamoca Almond Fudge. My go-​to sinced I was about 12.
Greg’s Roasted Marshmallow. I love burnt marshmallows to the point I will start a fire in my backyard and get roasting.
Bilboquet’s Coconut. I used to detest coconut. Following my trip to Cuba in 2006 that all changed.
Dairy Queen’s Banana Split Blizzard. Newly added in 2011. It’s something different treat.
Now we are adding a fifth to that list: Cool Hand Luc’s Maple Walnut. A lip-​smacking blend of maple ice cream and lots of walnuts. Heavenly.
Luc’s is a welcoming and cute joint with a side of smiles, but it’s is expensive, but look where you are. King West. That’s what happens when familar things get big citied.
I don’t mind. I totally didn’t dislike that ice cream.

I’ve been a fan of this place since it’s inception. passed by it while I was on my way out to lunch one day, and saw the windows covered with newspapers and men hoarding in huge tubs of I don’t even know what. so of course, I had to ask what was opening up in my ‘hood, only to find out the grand opening was that day at 4pm for a cool local neighbourhood ice cream shop. Had lunch and came back to wait for the opening, creating a lineup with some peeps which definitely started to create some buzz (good free publicity on that one!!) :)
Cool Hand Luc has such a good and friendly, indie vibe on the inside. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Luc and his staff (Cece is the one I remember from the beginning) are super friendly and cool, making you feel comfortable and at ease in their super non-​pretentious little shop. The flavours are great and they have a pretty decent selection, including my personal favourite: blueberry cheesecake! If you’re a chocolate fan, there’s definitely a good selection to choose from, and if you’re leaning towards something not too sweet, the selection is quite decent as well.
Luc is super cool. He’d at one point discontinued ordering the blueberry cheesecake ice cream (I guess it’s not necessarily as popular as I would like to think?!), I had to razz him about it, only for him to bring it back in to keep a satisfied customer. Heck, on a hot summer’s night, I would go for a walk and end up stopping in for a cone with my hunny night after night, so it’s good for him to have a tub kicking around… It was super sweet and cool of him to be so accomodating and attentive to a (niche?) customer’s needs. He’s open late, gives a good serving at a reasonable price point (had 2 waffle cones with ice cream yesterday for $ 9), is super nice and friendly, and always makes you feel at home. It’s nice and refreshing to see a cool and unpretentious spot open up in the neighbourhood. cheers to Cool Hand Luc and to keeping him in my ‘hood!

**Note — I am reviewing my lunch experience, not their ice cream.
I heard about this place when it opened and since changing jobs to the city, I’ve walked past it a handful of times. I finally decided to stop in yesterday for lunch — a small soup, a grilled cheese sandwich and drink for $ 7.50. A tad expensive for the description, but I was willing to give it a shot.
The grilled cheese was basic and good (cheddar on white bread) — though I challenge you to mess up a grilled cheese when you have a panini press. I ended up getting the tomato bacon soup because the guy behind the counter said it had a kick to it, and who doesn’t love bacon? He was right — the soup was pretty much all kick and no flavour. You could barely taste the tomato with all the spices mixed in, and when you could taste it, it resembled tomatoes straight from the can. Much too acidic for my liking. The bacon although plentiful also had no flavour. Very disappointing. That being said, I’d probably go back for lunch, but just for the sandwich at a somewhat decent price of $ 3.50.
I am intrigued to come back for their ice cream, which I will probably do when the weather gets nicer. It is a very cute shop and their staff is a big reason why I would return. The guy who helped me was very friendly and personable and he struck up a natural conversation while waiting for my sandwich to grill. For me, in a day of busy people shoving their way to get where they’re going, it’s nice to find a place that is relaxed and friendly. Definitely worth a second chance.
I promise to update my review when I’ve tried their ice cream.

I paid close to $ 12 for two ice cream cones and though it was good, I find that hella expensive.
The selection wasn’t overly impressive, so why the three stars?
Location… ice cream stores in the downtown core that serve good soft-​serve that is open past 10pm!

Walking home from a TIFF movie it seemed like the best late night treat. Cool Hand Luc is great. Many options, very friendly service, cute setting and in the perfect location to succeed. Pralines and Cream were the driving force of this stop and they didn’t disappoint. My BF went with one of the more original flavours, Muskoka Mocha and he really enjoyed it.
You can’t go wrong with ice cream and you cannot go wrong with Cool Hand Luc.

I found out about this ice cream shop through BLOG TO and Toronto Life Magazine, two very trust worthy sources.
This cute little shop is located on King Street West (closest major intersection = Spadina & King) a few stores down from SOMA CHOCOLATE. The store itself showcases some really funny/​cute paintings of ice cream related characters/​cartoons (some of which are throwing up sprinkles!). I thought it was funny. For a small store, they hold a large amount of flavours. The service is excellent there — the lines go by fairly quickly.
I tried a single scoop of heavenly hash ice cream. It was by far the best heavenly hash I have ever tasted in Toronto. Not freezer burnt at all like some major retailers, smooth texture and incredibly tasty. The only downside is that the ice cream is a little bit expensive for 1 scoop ($ 3.76) though. At least there is an option to get a kiddie size!

Pleasantly surprised by this place. Normally, I don’t check out Unilocal places with below 4 stars, but this ice cream place happened to be the closest to where we were having a nice Sunday dinner, so we decided to give it a shot. The girl behind the counter greeted us with a warm smile and made some great recommendations. I tried the peanut butter and chocolate, which was just delicious! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. A nice treat to cap off our meal.

Opened up 2 months ago and already it’s got a rewards card, regulars and «popular item on menu».
Walking along King W, 10:30pm the cute sign and animé character had me by the kahuna to try this little spot out.
The place isn’t fancy in it’s décor. When you walk in, there’s a short set of stairs and immediately the place opens up to a rectangular shaped room. Nothing fancy, no chairs to sit down. The place itself leans towards the indie feel.
The cute Asian girl at cash was in a super casual jeans and plaid shirt, bun apparel. Very friendly and personable. She offered me a sample and chit chats quite openly. There was another fellow helping her but he wasn’t nearly as interactive as she was.
The best things about this place:
cute logo
fun store name
1 «single» scoop is a regular franchise ice creams «2 scoops»
the animé poster/​mural covering the main wall behind the cashier
the cute characters for each ice cream type
The boourns worthy features:
only about 10 flavours :(
the cones are small
there is about 4 chocolate flavours… they aren’t very creative either. (example: deep chocolate, rich chocolate, chocolate with chocolate)
I like that the joint is heavily contrary for the area it’s situated in. The «regulars» that popped in were too bouji to be in the place. This could be a great people watching place.
Bathrooms were nowhere insight.
order:
Heavenly Harsh
Musky Mocha
= $ 7.00
Verdict = They had me at animé characters. ESPECIALLY the one puking out jelly beans.
xoxo
M.

I like this place! It’s so cute! Menu is adorable!!!
Minus 1 star because:
— I wanted to try their «Homemade Soup» (it was written on the door), but they don’t have it until September… triple :(:(:(
— And there were no chairs to sit (except in the rain outside), so we had to make it our last stop instead of a midway one.
I took my boyfriend here, so thumbs up for decoration, service, and experience!!! He likes, therefore I like! He also paid, so no comments about the price: p
The girl working there was so pretty, and she complimented on my hairrrr tehehe *heart*

Super cute ice cream shop smack dab in an area known for it’s expensive restaurants and upscale nightclubs.
I love their massive mural with cute food items dancing and parading around together. Service was friendly.
As for flavor choices, I was slightly disappointed. I’ve had Kawartha Dairy ice cream before. I like Kawartha flavors like Moose Tracks, Bear Claws, etc. I think that day, in the back of my mind, I was wanting Greg’s Toasted Marshmellow or something equally as fun.
I choose the Banana Boat (banana ice cream with ripples of chocolate and marshmellow). It reminded me of cold frozen penicillin. Crap… should have asked for a sample or just stuck with the old stand by, Moose Tracks.
$ 3.50 for a single scoop on a sugar cone.

I have a ‘no ice cream allowed’ ban in my house. So it’s nice to know that good ice cream is sold down the street at Cool Hand Luc.
The prices may be high compared to some places but think about this: you’re eating 100% natural, fat-​free quality goodness. If you want affordable, preservative-​laced ice cream, go to McDonald’s.
Apart from serving a great product is their hours: they’re open late, like till 11pm. Last Sunday evening, around 8pm-​ish, my friends and I were craving sugar and wondered if Luc’s was open. Lo and behold, it was.
I’ve been here twice and so far, the toffee-​laced Gold Medal Ribbon is my new favourite. But it’s best to be enjoyed once a while otherwise, it’s goodbye to my hour-​glass figure before the summer’s end.

Overpriced.
It’s just Kawartha’s.
And the ice cream is soft (alright, some people like it that way).
The adorable graphics do their best to lift the experience, but I think I’ll take my ice cream allowance to any number of the other great ice cream offerings in this city.

Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream
2 scoops ($ 7.00+)
No doubt Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream has good variety to choose from and quite delicious as I enjoy Heavenly Hash which reminds me of McD’s Chocolate Sundae w/​Peanuts.
1 scoop at a time if seeing $ 7.00+ for 2 scoops makes your eyes wide open. Maybe slightly overpriced but we’re talking about quarters and cents which meant very little in certain situations (Weather, Neighbourhood)…
When we went at early afternoon on a mind melting HUMID day, a handful of flavours were already finish. The inside of the store was humid too, the best spot was where the person was scooping Ice Cream.
Luc’s still a newbie in the King West area.
Btw Luc, I barely see Children in the area.
Start building up the Adult flavour profile (i.e. beer).
The whole street is loaded with fancy bars & booze anyways.

Walking to I don’t know where in the first heat wave in this over 30C afternoon… My Unilocal Friend using his cool fingers and pointed to Cool Hand Luc.
I don’t even know what is Cool Hand Luc. but anything is good for me, I am easy! And then oh ICE CREAM! YAY! My Unilocal friend is so cool…
Now I have to make choices… I got so lazy and I just took someone else sorbet and called it my own. Raspberry tasted great. light and refreshing especially I felt so hot!
Heavenly Harsh is heavenly good! Peanuts, Marshmallow, Chocolate. creamy, sweet and salty the same time…
$ 3.50 a small scoop… fair traded ingredients? ethically correct? no preservatives? Not cheap… but for some maybe it’s worth the price tag!

Damn fine ice cream. Luc happily walked me through their flavors and plans for the near future. They’ve had a bit of a soft launch so far but Luc told me they will have milkshakes and smoothies soon as well as vegan sorbet.
Prices are decent compared to portion sizes. I ended being incredibly full after a two scoop cup but that may have had something to do with the dinner I had before.
The customer service here is fantastic which means a lot to me. Luc was very happy to tell me all about his plans and how good his wares are which I think is great because I don’t want to be a patron in places where the staff aren’t excited about what they’re doing.
I’m looking forward to making this a regular stop on my trip home and you should too.