For full disclosure, my boyfriend and I tried and ordered the vegan/non-dairy options from CJ's Big Dipper, so I'm not sure about the quality of the dairy ice cream. I tried the vegan cherry almond milk ice cream and the walnut maple ice cream, along with a sample of the vegan soft serve options. The cherry ice cream was good and not overly artificial, but I felt the walnut maple ice cream's maple flavor was too weak. It also could have used a bit more fat to help the mouthfeel. On a whim, I decided to order the vegan piña colada ice cream, and it was the best of everything I had tried! It had a nice subtle coconut and pineapple flavor to it. I don't normally like the flavor of coconut in non-dairy ice creams, but this time it worked because piña colada is supposed to taste like coconut! All the flavors of the vegan ice cream were a touch too watery, and could have used more flavor, but they were good in a delicate way and still hit the spot during the heat wave. That said, I'm really impressed with the variety of non-dairy flavors for such an otherwise traditional ice cream shop. I'd definitely stop by again for the adorable ambiance, and next time try the lemon sorbet, which I saw someone else had ordered and looked great. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - vegan piña colada ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

The ice cream is really good and it is definitely worth a visit. However; the rating is based on our most recent visit and the service was awful at best. We always make time for CJ's when visiting Bar Harbor because the ice cream is delicious. Albeit a little pricey for what you get, I expect that in a tourist town. On this particular visit, the service was challenging as a majority of the employees did not understood the customers which slowed the process substantially. *My boyfriend ordered the cookie sandwich. The employee stated that she did not know how to do that and someone else would have to help him *The same employee asked what I wanted and I ordered a brownie sundae with cookie dough ice cream. She asked another employee what cookie dough ice cream was and the other employee took over our order *We wanted to order the Belgian Waffle Sundae but the folks in front of us ordered one and the employee never sprayed the waffle maker successfully ruining its operation for the evening I would still recommend going, just go with with patience and understanding during a time when you don't have anywhere else to be. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Brownie Sundae with Cookie Dough ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

On the pricey side spent 5$ on a baby sugar cone Got the blueberry twist. The flavor wasn't bad but the texture of the vanilla was off almost more of a frozen sorbet rather than soft serve but the blueberry seemed soft serve. I'd recommend just getting blueberry by itself read more

delicious vegan/nondairy ice cream! Had both soft and hard to choose from which is so unique for vegan/nondairy ice cream!! highly recommend the blueberry soft serve and black raspberry fudge! read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

The ice cream was overpriced and nasty. 8.75 for a small waffle cone. I got cookie dough and it tasted like play-doh. The other people I was with tried orange sherbet and cookies and cream, also both not good. We wish we would've tried one of the other places on the street. read more

I was concerned about the 3 star rating for CJ's but I'm so glad my family and I stopped in! Got the pistachio, tornado, and rum raisin which were all exceptionally creamy and delicious. Amazing flavor selection, all of which were packed with fun add ins. Heafty scoops for the "one scoop cone" too! read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Black raspberry disaster - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

They have vegan soft serve ice cream! The price was good and the place was very busy, but it was tasty! read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Vegan soft serve - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

This was probably the best nondairy Ice cream I've ever had! Creamy and without any of those typical crystals you get with nondairy ice cream. Such a fantastic treat with HUGE chunks of peanut butter! So delicious! read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Chocolate peanut butter nondairy ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Got a regular blueberry soft serve in a cone. It's homemade! Sooo good and creamy. The blueberry flavor comes through quite nicely. Definitely worth it if you're looking for a sweet bite after a meal. But just know it's CASH ONLY. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Yum!! This place is pricier because it's downtown Bar Harbor so they get the tourists. But their blueberry soft serve is soooo good. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - blueberry vanilla swirl soft serve - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Was in the mood for soft serve twist, their chocolate and vanilla machine was down so I tried the vanilla and blueberry twist with chocolate sprinkles. Once the staff member handed the cone to me, the ice cream was already melting onto my hand. The sprinkles were extremely hard almost inedible, kinda had to wipe them off as the rest melted into my hand. I didn't overly enjoy the flavor of the soft serve as there was only a hint of blueberry. However my friends enjoyed their scoops of ice cream. read more

We went there two days in a row for the blueberry soft serve. Service is quick if a little brusque, but good to keep the line moving. The blueberry soft serve twist (with the vanilla) was delicious. Grab some cones and then walk around town, great way to end the day in Bar Harbor. read more

The blueberry soft serve was delicious but I can't rave about the service. Lots of ice cream options and good outdoor patio seating.

Came here for ice cream every night of our week-long vacation. Within walking distance of several downtown hotels - cash only so come prepared! read more

Shhh! Don't tell. The ice cream looked so good that we ate dessert before dinner. Isn't that the beauty of being an adult? I had the blueberry ice cream in a waffle cone and it was delicious. If you love blueberries, be sure to try it. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Blueberry delight - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

I tell you what, if you can find a better milkshake I'll come drink it. So, I had a chocolate milkshake with fresh banana blended into it and it was the best milkshake I've ever had. I'm Lucky this place is about an 11 hour drive from where I live or I'd order one very day. read more

Amazing ice cream! The options for non-dairy and sugar free are amazing, and unique flavors! Very kind staff- just remember, cash only! I'm

Ice cream was yummy but the sizes were the best. Once the place got business it was a mad house and only accepted cash when we were in there. Lots of flavors for hard ice cream and only a couple of flavors for soft serve read more

The blueberry soft serve was decent but way overpriced. The worst thing was the service, though. The woman that helped us was extremely rude when we sought clarification regarding the sizes. When we asked another girl for a spoon, the woman instructed her in a murmur, "Only one ice cream, only one spoon." She proceeded to mad dog us on the way out. My soft serve was tasting pretty sour after that experience. read more

Got the maple walnut and butter pecan vegan. Very underwhelming. Can't taste the maple flavor. They had no sampling. Had I sampled I wouldn't have wasted my calories and money at this spot. Customer service didn't seem great either. Should've just tried the other parlor at the end of the street. So delicious tasted exceptional compared to this. read more

Attention Vegan and dairy free folks - this ice cream place has options for you! And dairy eaters, you have a ton of choices. I have been dairy free for years and in need of a latte. Stopped in and was happy to see almond milk latte available. To my surprise, they had two flavors of almond milk based soft serve and about six flavors of dairy free ice cream and sorbet. And not your average dairy free offerings such as raspberry sorbet - orange pineapple, chocolate peanut butter, raspberry chocolate and a few others. My score is based on the dairy free options I had but hubby said the full dairy ice cream was very good. read more

Very over priced. $11 for a 2 scoop waffle cone and $7 for 1 scoop of sorbet. Cash only- have to pay $2 for an atm. Unfortunate that this business nickel and dime their customers. I won't return. A block further down the ice cream is half the price. read more

The only place I could find ice cream made with almond milk! Delicious! Thanks for remembering those of us that steer clear of milk!

My family was visiting Bar Harbor back in July, and WOW were we happy when we found this place!! My sister and I are both lactose-intolerant, so when we saw the sign outside that mentioned dairy-free ice cream we were stoked. I got the blueberry almondmilk flavor, and she had vanilla walnut, or something like that, and we both LOVED our ice creams. This is probably one of the best ice creams I've ever had! Thank you, CJ's, for making our bellies happy read more

Really great selection of non-dairy and vegan ice creams. My husband couldn't even tell I had low fat frozen yogurt - I had the chocolate peanut butter flavor and it was exactly what I needed to end the night. Take a cone on the go and eat it in the park right across the street! read more

Did the trick for ice cream. Not the most friendly staff but whatever! Blueberry ice cream was super yummy. Black raspberry was okay (I've had better). Wish it was a bit more affordable! read more

BLUEBERRY SOFT SERVE!!! Das all I gotta say. It was creamy and not too sweet! Had bits of blueberry also. Soft serve is a nice change from all the scooped ice cream read more

CJ's Big Dipper - BLUEBERRY SOFT SERVE - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

While this street is lined with a number of inviting ice cream stops and desert places, CJs had a line out the door even in the chilly weather so I had to check out what the hype was about. I ordered their specialty, the blueberry pie topped with ice cream and chocolate drizzle. As much as I would have hoped to LOVE this desert, it was slightly disappointing. While the serving was enormous, the blueberries were extremely tart, and the generous scoop of ice cream on top made the pie get soggy really fast. I would recommend getting both separately to enjoy their respective flavors and temperatures. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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I got the blueberry cheesecake ice cream, and it was delicious! I asked for one scoop, and the guy gave me a gigantic scoop of ice cream, which was certainly generous of him. There were quite a lot of people there this afternoon, but I was still able to claim one of the outdoor tables. I don't really have any complaints about this place, and the ice cream is great so I'm giving CJ's Big Dipper 5 stars! read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Blueberry cheesecake flavored ice cream. I asked for one scoop, and this sure is a big scoop! It was delicious. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Well this place turned out to be a disappointment. They do not accept credit cards as payment so you need to come in cash handy lest you pay a $2 service fee in the ATM inside. At the time I went (3:30 on a Friday) they were also very understaffed which kept the service slow and the line long. Ice cream was overpriced at $7 for two scoops and turned out to be pretty average. Although I've heard good things about the blueberry custard I won't be returning to CJ's since its sort of a ripoff and Udder Heaven does just about everything they do better. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - The shop and the line - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

Some unique flavors but between my wife and kids tried 5 different flavors and every flavor was heavier on the ice than cream. Just a poor texture unfortunately. I think I goofed not getting the soft serve blueberry and go8ng hard ice cream. read more

Really good ice cream here; especially for those with dairy allergies since they have non-dairy options.

Flavors are interesting. Quality of the actual ice cream is very basic. Got $20 from the atm (paid $2+ in fees), tried a few samples, then I walked out WITHOUT ice cream. Not worth the money. read more

Blueberry ice cream is something you definitely need to try in Maine. CJ's Big Dipper is a great ice cream shop to try it at. I tried some of the blueberry ice cream and it was great. However, it was the blueberry soft serve that drew me into the shop. The serving size was generous and the taste was glorious. I have been to Hawaii the last two years and love the Pineapple Whip at the Dole plantation on Oahu. The blueberry soft serve actually rivals the Pineapple Whip as my favorite fruit soft serve. If you are visiting and planning a trip to Bar Harbor/ Acadia and looking for recommendations, feel free to message me for my itinerary. You can also find the electronic copy through the link my profile. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

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Great ice cream selection for reasonable prices! Loved the blueberry/ vanilla twist cone!!! Will probably come again during our trip to grab another twist or maybe try the blueberry on its own! We have two little ones under the age of 6 and although there were other ice cream options in the area, we didn't want to waste our money on something they weren't going to finish! read more

What a nice way to finish off a night then ice cream and a walk by the water. Dropped by after dinner and ordered three ice creams between four people. Blueberry soft serve, blueberry ice cream, and some sherbert mix that my 5yo son wanted. The place is packed and sometimes has a line running right out of the door, also they only take cash, so make sure you stop by the ATM before coming. The ice cream was great and had the distinct blueberry that this area is known for. read more

CJ's Big Dipper - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bar Harbor, Maine

I had the blueberry ice cream in a waffle cone. Ice cream was very delicious! There was a bit of a line but it moved quickly.

What a disappointment! Stumbled upon this shop yesterday after spotting a sign advertising vegan ice cream. While we were helped quite quickly, the girl at the counter was clueless. I asked about their homemade gelato and was told they didn't have any even though it was listed on several signs around the store. We then inquired about the vegan ice cream and she looked at us like she didn't have a clue what we meant. They were out of that as well. Finally I simply ordered a chocolate malt. Should be straightforward. She stared at me with a confused look and told me she didn't know what that was. I had to tell her what it was. She had to ask one of the other workers for guidance on making a pretty simply item. Needless to say, it was a disappointing experience. I wish I hadn't wasted my time. Go elsewhere for ice cream. There's plenty of other shops. read more

I did not care for this place at all. Unfortunately, it was the only ice cream place open...all the others had closed for the season. The ice cream was bland and didn't have much flavor. But, what was really disappointing was the fact that they take cash only and don't have it posted anywhere except the cash register so you don't see it until after you've already ordered. The staff was also not very nice, and had very little personality. I would definitely go somewhere else for dessert. read more

For all of the touristy businesses in downtown Bar Harbor, CJ's Big Dipper may win the most popular award. Throughout my time in Maine, I haven't seen a business with a more constant flow of customers than CJ's. For all of the ice cream parlors along Main Street, CJ's isn't necessarily the best, but perhaps the most touristy. There is almost always a wait it seems. Hordes of families crowd this joint, especially on the weekend. And of course, like most things in Bar Harbor, prices are steep. A scoop of ice cream will run you $3.50 and two scoops is something like $6.50. But to their credit, it is locally made ice cream. I'll take my chances with CJ's than any Haagen Dazs or Ben and Jerry's shop. I went for a scoop of the ever popular Maine blueberry ice cream and the artery clogging cookie dough on a cone. Each hearty scoop barely fit on the cone, leaving an uneven "leaning tower" of ice cream mass as I quickly attempted to even out the mess. (#1) And after buying a few of them for myself and my dining companions, I was nearly $30 poorer. The ice cream was tasty, but not nearly $7 tasty. The cookie dough was a bit bland but the Maine blueberry shined through. The blueberry flavor was strong and the creaminess of the milky ice cream made it the perfect summertime treat. But would I come back again? Not for that line and certainly not for those prices ... unless someone's buying ... with cash. (Credit cards are no bueno here) ________ (#1) Using my tongue. Yes, I just went there. read more