Ben & Jerry’s – Boise

Disappointed. Have been buying hand-​packed pints from Ben and Jerry’s downtown store since 2014 and loved the previous owner — even had a frequent flyer card when the last owner’s had the shop. Have been into the store twice in the past month. The ice cream is the same wonderful ice cream but the new owners might not be teaching employee’s how to hand-​pack a pint right; or worse yet, perhaps teaching them not to pack a pint? Hand packed means just that — pack it down! When I opened the pint at home it was loosely packed — not close to a full pint.
The next time I visited I went straight to the freezer where they have pre-​packed pints thinking that I’d pass on risking another $ 6.00 for half a ‘hand-​packed’ pint and choose a safely pre-​packed pint. But I couldn’t find anywhere near the selection the previous owners used to stock, never-​mind even a chocolate chip cookie dough pint! Sad, the shop has gone downhill and doesn’t train it’s employees. And the employee working each visit was not at all nice or helpful.
Hope they get a grip. I want my friendly, helpful Ben & Jerry’s back!

Ben and Jerry’s has great ice cream and the selection is very good. That said, I’ve never had an exceptional experience here service wise. The service is often slow and many times when you come in people are in the back or outside. They seem a little off put by having to serve you or let you try a sample. For me, service is very important and that lack of a great experience in a store that should be very fun cost them a star.
But, once you get the ice cream you forget very quickly that there was an issue. You’ll find all the flavors you love and probably a few you don’t know about. This is the perfect stop after a meal at the Indian Restaurant across the street called Bombay. In fact, nearly every time we eat there or at Zen Bento we come here for a scoop.
Seating is very limited and the space is very small so be sure you have alternate plans if you go as you may not find seating inside. They could also clean the tables a little more often too, almost every time I’ve sat inside there was ice cream on the table I sat at.
Even though a couple of things bug me, it isn’t enough to keep me from coming back!

Had a great visit, had a buy one get one free coupon and got great service. My friend and I were the only one in there and when we finished paying the guy have us both coupons for free ice cream and a discount card. Only disappoint was many flavors were out because the delivery truck hadn’t come yet.

The staff was not nice whatsoever and definitely got jipped on a scoop.

Pretty much what you’d expect from Ben and Jerrys. Plenty of good flavors to pick from. Even ones I wasn’t familiar with when buying quarts in the grocery store. It was a little bit pricey but that’s to be expected at most any ice cream place these days. But overall the flavors outweigh the price.

I’m a fan of the ice cream in general, so you’ll never get a complaint out of me. We spoiled our lunch a bit by stopping in. I wanted the cookies and cream but they were out, so I snagged some of their raspberry gelato that looked like cheesecake. It was smooth and tasty. The prices are comparable to what you normally would pay at a Ben and Jerry’s specialty store.

Ben & Jerry’s is fine. The ice cream is great, it’s a little pricey but hey ya get what ya pay for. But here’s The Thing. When management changed, they got new spoons and LEMME TELL YA THE SPOONS ARE WEIRD. They don’t fit in my mouth, nor do they fit in the mouths of my friends. Ben & Jerry’s, consider new spoons.

You pay $ 6/​pint when a pint at Wal-​Mart is $ 3.50. There is no perk in going to the shop. They don’t do mix-​ins or have exclusive flavors, the staff are not anything more than mildly polite and did not really make me feel welcome. Add in the fact that you have to pay $ 2 for parking if you have a car and you would be better off buying elsewhere. Save your gas and go to Walmart or better yet, use a little bit and make the trip to Coldstone, which is WAY more worth it.

How can you go wrong? It’s Ben & Jerry’s. Open fairly late and always a perfect treat after having dinner downtown…

Was surprised to see a Ben & Jerry’s in Idaho of all places, being a New England native, but happily so. Nice selection of flavors as always, high quality ice cream, and friendly service.

One of the staff recently noted my husband and I are practically regulars by now. Sadly, that means the ice cream shop has lost some of its initial luster. Don’t get me wrong. The ice cream is still stellar, although I’d avoid the sorbets if you prefer something sweet as they are somewhat bitter, making for less than refreshing sorbet splashes.
The real problem is the shop is tiny and gets crowded quickly now that the weather is warming up. Obviously they can’t do anything about the size of the shop, but customers could be moved in and out a lot faster if they had adequate staff. Service is already on the slow side. Both times I ordered a sorbet splash, lemon the first time and berry the next, they had to look up the directions for making it. Once I understand, but twice and I start to think it’s less about someone new learning the ropes and more about a lack of training in the first place.
I wanted to try a milkshake the last time we went, but there were at least half a dozen people squeezed into the shop that hadn’t even ordered yet and only one person behind the counter so we left empty-​handed.
Hopefully it was just an off night. We’ll be back.

This place apparently appeared in the last couple of months in the downtown area. Unfortunately is is not yet widely known they are there. I hope people find out soon as I found it to be a great place for ice cream, people watching (it is down town after all), and catching your fill of kitchy parafenalia.
There are Ben & Jerrys ice cream bowls, tiny shovel scoops, pens, plates, t-​shirts, and ice cream cakes. There are also chocolate pieces, chocolate covered nuts and real fruit snacks. Granted, it’s not cheap. You are paying for quality. I purchased 1 each of the fruit snacks for a road trip with the kids and they were $ 3.99 each plus tax. I believe they were worth it because they are made with real fruit, not junk.
I also like that Ben & Jerrys is all about fair trade and natural source ingredients. That said, if you have ever tried Coldstone’s mocha signiture treat (almonds, toffee bar pieces and coffee ice cream), they have the same idea only it tastes better and you have the peace of mind of knowing it’s fair trade. The prices are very reasonable. For about $ 4 you get two scoops of ice cream and you can choose two different flavors. They even ask you which flavor you want on the bottom, or if you have a preferance in general.
The young man and the lady who came out later were both very friendly and patient with my indecisiveness.
They did say something about there being a free scoop day sometime in April or May to celebrate making it through the winter. I would hope that helps them make the grade in long term longevity. I know I plan to be back.
On a side note, as long as you are right there on 10^th & Main, if you haven’t had a meal and are in need of one after your dessert, hop down half a block and across the street to the little french café under the hotel with «rose» in the name. If my experience is the ruler, you will be very glad you did.