Carl’s Ice Cream Factory

Very friendly staff, quick service. Big ice cream portions for your $$$. My wife got the turtle sundae (definitely didn’t skimp on the chocolate, carmel our nuts). I had the Heath Chunky Shake (a blizzard for those DQ lovers out there) could’ve used a little more Heath for my liking but what can I say I like excessive amounts of candy when I indulge my sweet tooth. I’ll just be sure to order a double helping of topping next time. We will definitely be back.

Their ice cream is amazing and they are very friendly there i enjoy it sooo much but ill be moving this summer so ill definitely miss it.

Carl’s ice cream is so thick & rich but not so much that it makes you thirsty. I looove it. I always get a double scoop of whatever I’m feeling on a waffle cone. Their classics are great– strawberry and cookies & cream being my favorite.
And the best part of Carl’s is that it’s SO CHEAP! For $ 10, we got ice cream for three!!! Beat that, Ben & Jerry’s, BR, Coldstones, Maggie Moo’s and all the other chains!
But obviously the downside is Carl’s is in Bloomington :(

My kids love Carl’s Ice Cream Factory! This is a great stop on the way home from the park or disk golf. The food is a bit old-​school greasy for my taste but I haven’t fully explored the menu. We go there for the ice cream anyway. The service and selection is great. They have free Wifi and an atmosphere that reminds me of similar shops that we had when I was a kid. They put «eyes» on the kids ice cream which my boys got nuts for…

FANTASTIC ice cream! Prices a little steep (since when does it run like 3 bucks for one scoop in a waffle cone?) but well worth it. Love the cookies & cream.

The Cookies and Cream is fantastic. Creamy with the right amount of oreos… lots of them! Worth the drive to the new location for a place to sit inside.

DANGER! AVOID! If I could give it ZERO STARS, I WOULD! We saw COCKROACHES on the floor and witnessed an EMPLOYEE SPIT ON ICE CREAM, then HAND IT to a customer in the drive-​thru. The ice cream tastes so-​so. Maybe check out Gene’s instead. We’ve been there too and have always loved their service as well as their ice cream.

Ok, I admit it. I am a skillet cookie freak. Carls does not have the skillet but they have the next best thing. I was just down in Bloomington not long ago and a friend told me to try the cookie. I was never big on Carls ice cream liek some people are but I thought I would try it. I think my toes began to tingle and my heart skipped a beat. If it was possible to love a cookie, I loved the skillet cookie wanna be-​better than. It was super rich but I enjoyed every bite. My friend was shocked I ate it all but all I could say is «When you’re in love man» LOL.
Trust me, if you ever get down Bloomington/​Normal way, stop in at the one on College. You will not regret it.

On the surface, their new location on West College is quite cute and seems clean. Appearances can be deceiving.
If I could give them NEGATIVE 5 stars I would! First, the ice cream area is clearly disorganized during busy rushes and simply cannot handle the orders in a timely or accurate manner. I know this because I was standing in line with 25 or so of my new friends for over 15 minutes. I had plenty of time to observe what was going on behind the counter.
The soft serve ice cream machine was on the fritz and the vanilla was the consistency of shaving cream. They said they would ‘probably’ have it fixed in 5 days or so. How do you run an ice cream business when your #1 ice cream isn’t working properly for 5 days? They have hard, hand-​scooped vanilla (which costs more than the soft serve) as the alternative to people wanting soft serve vanilla. Convenient way to make a buck I’d say!
There is no division of duties between people filling ice cream orders and those punching the register buttons and handling the money. The same people who are punching the dirty register keys and handling the icky, germy money are then handling the cones, etc. and making the items for the customer — without washing their hands first. A BIG, no no that the health department should be looking into. A HUGE turnoff for me!
As I was standing at the counter, I overheard rude comments from a grumpy employee working the drive up window talking badly about the customer in the car to another employee. The conversation actually included the suggestion of spitting in this customer’s food!
Lastly, one customer was handed his cone, which he licked and then gave back to the girl at the counter telling her it was the wrong flavor. She said, no problem and then proceeded to put the cone into the freezer to later be made into the ’ Wonder Bar’. OMG!!! Apparently, the Wonder Bar is a concoction of leftovers and mistake orders. Not sure if she even knew the customer licked it or not but anything handled by a customer should be tossed out! Can anyone say hepatitis? Or influenza? Or common cold? EEEWWWW SUPER GROOOOOSSSSSSS!!!
I will never darken the doorstep of this disgusting place again!

Carl’s is my favorite place to go for ice cream in Bloomington-​Normal. Weekly flavors are always good, but I seem to constantly miss my favorites by a few days.
I always ask for eyes. if you’re lucky, you can get more than two.
P. S. Carl’s is way better than Gene’s.

Amazing ice cream! They have hard, soft, and frozen yogurt. My fav is caramel walnut in the hard ice cream. Hubby likes chocolate malts and they’re always rich and super thick. We used to always try to go when they opened on March 1, but now we can enjoy it year round. :)
I haven’t tried their food at the new location, but the one time I got a hot dog at the west side store, it wasn’t that great — more like what A&W serves and I’m used to Chicago dogs.

Super great place to go with friends… just great to have a good local ice cream place in town… and now with their 2^nd location… open year round!

Excellent — all the way around. Convenient for west Bloomington, but worth even an hour’s drive. Weekly ice cream flavors — favorite is raspberry. Otherwise, chocolate bananas and green river soda top my list. Long lines in the summer, not much parking. Not as thick of ice cream as Gene’s, but still tons of flavors and combinations.