The ice cream here is delicious. The little animals are adorable and will put a smile on your face. Staff is very friendly and nice. Skip the line and come right when they open at 2pm!!! read more

Eli's Ark - Llama, bear, koala - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

These are simply the cutest ice cream cones! The draw is the unique flavors, but mostly the adorable animal faces they make. My teen had us make a stop after taking her crew out to dinner in the city. The girls all loved it! Great for us that many flavors and faces are gluten free. At $5.60 a cone it's not inexpensive, but on par I'd say with other shops. Note that seating is scarce so you may end up standing and no public bathrooms. read more

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While this place is extremely cute and the ice cream cones are shaped very cutely it doesn't make up for the price and taste of the ice cream to warrant more than 3 stores . For a 1 scoop cone and a 2 scoop cone we were looking close to 15$, which is absurd and I would absolutely not call this gelato, it was just ice cream. While I can't remember the flavors we got (other then the match which wasn't great) the only decent flavor was the cookie dough one . The others were bland . So sure , if you want overpriced ice cream that is aesthetically pleasing this is your one stop shop read more

Originally from the Chicagoland area, I had already moved to Colorado (I moved to CO in January of 2014) when I first heard of this place + we were constantly trying to come here when we were in the area. It is seasonal, so it wasn't always open when we were visiting. Finally though, we were in town for a long weekend and made it a point to visit. I was between 3 + 4 stars because the gelato really wasn't that good. Don't get me wrong- it is SO freakin cute.. but it is definitely more "for the gram" than anything. The flavors are also super creative, and the staff was kind and helpful. I am pretty into gelato though and I really just expected it to be like.. phenomenal.. especially seeing the unique flavors. I got fig + vanilla.. and my partner got birthday cake.. and something else.. hash tag mom brain The fig was overly sweet and tasted like they had used dried figs in it, instead of something that would have made more sense like fresh figs or maybe even a fig jam swirl.. and the vanilla was kind of fake tasting and pretty underwhelming, also. Maybe we had built it up too much over the years, but all I really got from this place was some super cute pictures. Not sure if we would ever go back again.. but I seriously LOVE the whole concept. Hopefully, if we do go back.. they will have up'ed their delicious gelato game. This place would be truly unstoppable if the gelato was better. read more

Eli's Ark - Reid got the same thing Einar didn't get anything, cause baby - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place was so cute. Fun and curious gelato flavors. There are standard and seasonal animals that the friendly staff can dress your scoops as using elements made from cookie, candy, and marshmallow. We will definitely be back! read more

Eli's Ark - Egg Nog and Vanilla Sky gelato flavors with the top scoop made into the seasonal polar bear. - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It appears people like this place, I don't know why they aren't giving out samples. That was a turn off and the flavors seemed limited. I passed on buying anything as a result, but my friend got the kids size panda in a cup, she liked it. I did get to "taste" it and it was okay. read more

Eli's Ark - Kids Rocky Road Panda - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super cute animal creations! Not very good ice cream. God I want to love these so bad but you can tell at first bite.... It's just not so good. That being said it's worth going. They're cute cones and kids love them because it's all full of sugar. The employees were polite patient and helpful. The restaurant appeared clean and well kept. read more

So cute!!! The staff were so sweet and lively. My friend and I got the strawberry and ube ice cream and it was so creamy and good. You can pick any flavor and then pick an animal for them to make! read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ok, yes, these are the cutest ice cream cones you will ever get. But if you stripped away the absolutely adorable animals, you would still be left with some of the best ice cream/gelato in the city. It's expensive, let's be real, but it's a total treat! read more

It was such a cute little ice cream shop. The employees are definitely creative and so nice. There was no wait when I went during the weekday and no rush as well. This place is definitely soooo worth it! read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Alright, I have to admit that I was baited by this place because of how cute the little ice cream animals were that kept popping up everywhere on social media. I dragged my friends to go with me and we each got different animal-shaped scoops of ice cream of which I took many photos furiously. My friends and I got a pig, koala, and panda. While they were adorable, the gelato flavors all tasted...a bit like what you would get at a grocery store. In the end, you really are visiting this place just to snap a cute picture of a very overpriced cone. While I'm glad I finally checked this place off of my list, I most definitely will not be back. Whenever I'm in the Wicker Park area, I will be heading straight to Jeni's for some bomb ice cream. read more

Eli's Ark - Cute but not very tasty - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great smooth gelato. Some people might be disappointed with the ube expecting it to be sweeter, but it's spot on because ube isn't suppose to be that sweet. In fact, one of the compliments Asians give to dessert is "oh this is good, it's not too sweet". The animals are a delight. Very fun for kids and adults alike read more

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THE cutest gelato shop in all of chicago! Located in Wicker Park, Eli's serves up super tasty gelato, and you can select your very own gelato animals. Pictured you'll see a koala (vanilla sky), little piggy (razzmatazzy), puppy (mounds of joy), unicorn (you pecan do it). There's paid street parking, and a few spots to sit and enjoy your gelato. Other than that, it's a pretty come and go type place. read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What a great business model! Add a little bit of extras to make your gelato special. I had the dairy free almond joy made with coconut milk. It wasn't as creamy as I had hoped but it was just the right sweetness. read more

In today's edition of reviewing optical illusions, we look into the phenomenon of Instagram versus real life. Here is a place that is highly publicized for the cute pictures, but we're here to find out today is it really any damn good; and is it worth the price of admission, $7-$9 per cone? Eli's Ark is on a bustling strip of North Ave in Wicker Park, which is another sad sign of gentrification in where white people come and displace black and brown communities at a low cost and then drive the price of the area sky high, I digress. Here you will find very, very different gelato flavors. Some way to adventurous for my pallet but definitely worth a shot. There seem to be lots of Asian inspired flavors, and there are lots of vegan options. Because I am a black unicorn and unique in so many other ways, I did something different. Something I was told no one has done thus far. I ordered a Koala-Corn, yep a mix of a Koala and a Unicorn. My gelato flavor was Kookie Monster (panna cotta cream, Oreos, Italian chocolate, biscoff, and nhankatai cookies). The horn was white chocolate; I loved the little mascarpone dollop on top that was the hair. I didn't like that the cone was a standard prem-made sugar cone and not a real waffle cone. The ears for the koala bear tasted fresh but were a different consistency as far as thickness for what I'm used to from a waffle cone or bowl. Eli's Ark also sells macarons and other small fancy type desserts. I didn't try any of them, but they look nice; you'll have to try those on your own. The gelato was just OK; I've definitely had better. Personally, I wouldn't just make the trip here to get a scoop of this, coming here is merely for the cute factor. The hype factor is high (10), yet the actual goodness level, mediocre (5). read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is adorable! There were a lot of flavors to choose from including many non-traditional flavors. They are very inclusive for people with allergies. The family in line ahead of us had a child with a severe sounding nut allergy, the staff changed gloves and scoops before serving her and were very knowledgeable on allergens period. When we ordered the first thing we were asked was if we had any allergies/intolerances and then again when I said to surprise me with whatever animal face they wanted to put on the ice cream to make sure I wasn't getting any problematic ingredients. I would highly recommend this place for anyone with a food allergy. read more

Eli's Ark - Coconut ube ice cream! - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really cute place. Perfect place for a cute lil date idea. You can grab a bus to the zoo to watch the animals, then catch a bus here to eat the animals you saw in the form of ice cream. All flavours had were great with the uber flavor (pig format) as the clear stand out. I could probably eat here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If I could I would order 55 pigs, 55 bears, 55 dogs, 100 unicorns. The macaroons are also tasty and interesting flavours (matcha, fruity pebs, birthday cake). Highly recommended. Would go, and am going, again! read more

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It's great ice cream that's almost too cute to eat. Key word being almost. It's a bit of a wait but I'd definitely say it's worth visiting at least once. read more

Eli's Ark - koala and bear kookie crunch - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had been seeing animal shaped ice creams pop up all over my Instagram feed and just had to come here to see what the hype is all about. This place is located in the Wicker Park area. It's small, but the perfect size for an ice cream shop. I came here on a Sunday with my boyfriend and the place was extremely crowded, however, the line was moving fast and the service was efficient and extremely friendly. They have tons of different and unique ice cream flavors and you have the option to get a single, double or triple scoop. Prices are moderate and if you want your ice cream cone in a shape of an adorable animal, I believe it's only an extra 0.50$. They also offer vegan and gluten free ice cream flavors. I had the green tea matcha flavored ice cream and had it shaped like a panda and my boyfriend had the Nutella ice cream and had it shaped like a koala. Both flavors were delicious and creamy. It was such an adorable and fun experience and the pictures were definitely Instagram worthy! A must visit! read more

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It was a little busy when I went but the ice cream selection was so so good! The decorations on the ice cream and the store was an added bonus and service was fast and the workers were lovely. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area! read more

This place is more about the experience than the gelato. They make real cute animal figures with gelato making it a fun experience. For the gelato taste in itself, I had the pistachio gelato and the fig gelato. The fig: Four stars. Tasted really good. Would have it again The pistachio: Zero stars. Don't know what that was, but it was not pistachio Over all, still worth the visit for the experience and the fig! read more

Eli's Ark - The pistachio unicorn chilling with the fig koala - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So cute and so delicious, such a fun treat will be returning it's about 5$ for one scoop and $7 for two if you're thinking about going but definitely worth the experience. The worker was friendly and helped answer any questions we had. read more

Eli's Ark - Piggy and monkey - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this place! Not only are the ice cream flavors delicious and unique, but they shape them into the cutest animals. I've come here twice, and if I lived any closer to Wicker Park, I'd probably be coming a lot more. You kind of have to time your visit for a less busy time, otherwise the line is out the door. Will definitely come here again next time I'm in the area! read more

Eli's Ark - Mango ice cream as a doggy - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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An absolute delight this ice cream parlor is! Eli's Ark features a series of unique seasonal ice cream flavors such as cannoli, Thai coffee, and ménage à trois. The best part of it all is requesting to customize each scope into cute animals! Get the biblical reference? Noah's Ark and his animals he brings across the parting flood? Anyway, my personal favorite requests are the koala and panda. They have the cutest craftsmanship. read more

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Lavender Doggie & Madagascar Pig!! Super delish and fun!! We were grabbing a lite bite down the street and saw some people walk past with animal ice cream. We had to go!! Loved it!! read more

Eli's Ark - Lavender Doggie & Madagascar Pig!! - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Eli's Ark was the highlight of my trip to Chicago! Located in the heart of Wicker Park, you can enjoy many great locally owned retail shops of the clothing, skincare, and trinket varieties. Eat at some homey, foodie lovin restaurants, and then come to Eli's Ark for dessert. My little cousins brought this gelato shop to my attention as they knew I was visiting from out of town. It was my last stop before the airport and left a lasting impression on me. The various gelato flavors are playful and unique. I ordered a piggybacked double scoop ($7.50) with kookie monster as the first/bottom scoop in the shape of a koala. And then topped it off with pretty in pink and requested that be a unicorn. Came out looking so cute! They use edible ingredients to bring these characters to life and the execution is great. Not only did they look ready for Instagram, it also tasted amazing. If it wasn't across the country, I would go back tomorrow. read more

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Eli's Ark gets 5-stars for taste, 5-stars for service, and 10-stars for cuteness!! This is the perfect spot to take your date, your kids, your third cousin, your future mother-in-law... it's guaranteed to impress. We went at around 1:30pm on Saturday after brunch at etta across the street and earlier, a 5 hour drive from Columbus. There was a small line but we didn't wait longer than 5 minutes to order. We took our time trying the gelato flavors but they never got impatient with us even as a queue started forming behind us. I tried the strawberry yakult one and the cotton candy - both were incredible but I chose the yakult just for the pink and the Korean zing. It literally tasted like frozen yakult. Incredible. The partner-in-crime ordered the tiramisu which was perfect for someone who wasn't looking for something as sweet as cotton candy as it had a very smooth espresso taste. The animal faces were , of course, the ultimate highlight of the entire trip to Chicago. We regretted not getting the pig because it was TOO ADORABLE, but were so happy with our panda and koala. I was grumpy and tired but it totally lifted my spirits. It was even better that the assembly barely took a minute since I was expecting a Starbucks-like wait. If you're wondering if it's worth the trip or a wait in line - it absolutely is. It's aesthetic. It's cute. It's yummy. It's local. It's worth it! read more

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Waited in a line behind about 10-12 people. It moved fairly quick. The ice cream was average but the animals are what make it so fun. It was hard to choose. Probably a one time visit, but it had a fun vibe! read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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For the price of $3.85 before tax for a kiddie cup ice cream, it is fairly reasonable. For $3.85 you can make your kids happy with the cute lil animal deco on the sweets! What can you ask more?! The parking is not as easy and definitely worth a try if you are around the area read more

Eli's Ark - Cookies and cream - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Can't wait for them to open again! It was even cuter in person and the gelato is great. Original flavors and classic choices too. I flew in just for the piggy and took so many pics he almost melted! Adorable! read more

It's sweet, simple, and scrumptious. What more can a girl ask for? It's cute, creative, and colorful who wouldn't smile seeing it? Is it a little pricey for an ice cream perhaps, but I guess experience comes with a price sometimes. read more

Eli's Ark - Mango Unicorn $5.50 - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We stopped by here because of an ADORABLE picture of animal-shaped ice cream scoops on Instagram. Let me tell you, Eli's Ark did not disappoint! I went into the shop expecting to try something that was cute for a picture, but what I ate ended up being super delicious. They make their own ice cream, and Eli's Ark offers a really interesting variety of ice cream. I checked Yelp before going and noticed that even 3-4 months ago there were different flavors available. I love that the next time I go that there might be some delicious new flavors to try. We tried a few flavors and the employee was super accommodating. She gave excellent advice on which flavors might melt faster and not be good for pictures (the vegan chocolate). We ultimately decided to get the menage a trois chocolate (three kinds of chocolate) for the Koala and berry ripple for the Pig. They put the cone together quickly and it was adorable--almost too much so to eat. Both flavors were delicious, but the berry ripple was outstanding. The goat cheese and lemon curd flavor = OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. The icing on the top is that they also have a bathroom there (def not the case at all ice cream shops around the city). I can't recommend Eli's Ark enough! read more

We found a little slice of heaven at Eli's Ark today. We tried the raspberry sorbet, pecan, & cotton candy gelato. The toppings were amazing and was so surprise to see the yummy macaroons...we couldn't resist. Perfect dessert to end the evening. We will definitely be back and can't wait to try the other flavors. read more

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Honestly, the gelato was great. LOVED the kookie monster - it was one of the best gelatos I've had. The orange dark chocolate really hit the spot as well & all of the cute toppings made it really fun. Definitely not cheap but if you think about it, you would have paid extra for toppings at any other ice cream or gelato shops. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something unique & fun. read more

Eli's Ark - Bottom to top: Mix of chocolates // kookie monster // dark chocolate orange - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cutest ice cream ive ever tasted!! It's fun and kids love it!! Well, adults love it too! I picked the bear on a waffle cone! The line was pretty long but it gave me time to decide! read more

Eli's Ark - Their menu - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We checked out this place after dinner and it was the perfect treat! The staff were incredibly helpful in helping us choose our flavors. I had the Mounds of Joy and went with the panda. My friend went with the Kookie Monster in the piggy style. I enjoyed the gluten free and dairy free options that were available! One thing I would recommend is extra seating as it does get busy. All in all, I would definitely recommend checking out this dessert shop for its unique turn on ice cream! read more

Eli's Ark - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really tasty + really cute! The service was friendly and helpful, and the ice cream tastes as great as it look :) A little pricer than a normal ice cream cone but when have you ever seen a cone like this?? Would recommend as a sweet treat for two read more

Eli's Ark - Bear ice cream - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been wanting to come here since last year but since Covid happened I didn't get to go, finally this weekend we went and it was worth it. The line was long but they had a good system of when to let people in and when to wait outside. They had a lot of workers working too so it went by fast. We each got double scoops, I got the vanilla and the Ube ice cream, definitely recommend those two combo the ube has more flavore and the vanilla balanced out the taste! The ice cream was pricy but overall would recommend going there, super cute idea and good ice cream! read more

Eli's Ark - Vanilla unicorn and ube pig - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place has the cutest ice cream and it tastes so good too! They have a bunch of cool flavors like black sesame pb&j and strawberry yakult. I ended up getting the green goddess which was fruity and delicious. After you choose your flavor you can pick an animal design which I think costs a bit more but it's worth it for how cute the designs are! I got a pig and my friend got a koala, we were very happy with the results and taste and will definitely be back! read more

Eli's Ark - Koala + black sesame pb&j and Pig + green goddess - Gelato Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The cutest ice cream you will ever come across! While it still tasted really yummy, the true star is the presentation at Eli's Ark! To match the cute ice cream, the ambiance is fun too. Especially great place for kids! read more