Review Visit: September 29th, 2013…read more "Do you want to go to The Ice Cream Shack?" "Sure! Which one?" "THE Ice Cream Shack." "Right, but which one? Peoria has a ton of them." "It's a place called THE ICE CREAM SHACK." "Ohhhhhh..." I imagine that is a common conversation among people when they are talking about coming here. I know there was some slight confusion between my cousin and I when we made plans to check this place out. After spending the afternoon hiking at Forest Park Nature Center with my friend Tim and my cousin's family, we needed some sugary treats to recharge our batteries. The kids were vocally loud in their agreement on getting ice cream. So, we hopped in our cars and headed over. I had been by this area quite a few times and never realized there was an ice cream place. The building itself is a bit recessed from the road and doesn't really have an outlandish look that some ice cream shacks have. So, you can end up driving by without noticing it (as I have). It was a slow when we pulled up so there was plenty of parking for our two vehicles. We hopped out and walked on up to the window to figure out what we wanted. Luckily this place doesn't have a million different options to pick from like a lot of places. Their menu is simplistic and focused on ice cream with a small selection of non-frozen desserts to pick from. On this day, I snagged a Peanut Butter Cup-flavored wizard. As we waited for our snacks, I eagerly anticipated getting a peanut butter cup-themed wizard staff and hat to go with my delectable. When they called my name, I sprinted up to the window to get my goodies. What they gave me was just the wizard that I ordered and no garments or anything else. Dream crushed. I'm kidding. We all got our orders in a fairly quick time as there weren't many people there. I don't recall what everyone else got but we took some funny photos while scarfing down our sugary dairy products. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered and after goofing around a bit more, we parted ways. Not only did the kids get to be kids jacked up on ice cream and hiking, us adults got to be kids at heart while being goof balls loaded up on sugar.

I don't understand for the life of me why a business can't accept credit cards. It's 2025 not 1910,…read moreare the owners that cheap? It's not like their prices are low enough to justify it. They actually cost more than Dairy Queen. Once I saw that and there prices I just turned around. I just can't support a business that can't support itself

I've seen Ortiz Bakery at the Riverfront Farmers market many times, but never stopped. I was on the…read morehunt for authentic tres leches cake for my mom's birthday and this bakery seemed like it would be the best choice. I was a little confused when first arriving opening the door to a number of bakers racks in the middle of the floor - it felt like you were entering the 'back door'. There was also a slightly unsettling 'alarm' that rang as the door was opened, not your typical 'ding dong' of a shop door. I picked up 5 pieces of tres leches cake - $4 a piece... a definite value! The gentleman behind the counter diligently and carefully packed each dripping moist piece of cake into its own to go box. Each piece of cake is topped with a glazed strawberry half - the cake was absolutely delightful. Moist, creamy, utterly delicious! I will definitely be back and highly recommend!

Review Visit: June 27th, 2013…read more The place for Mexican baked goods in Peoria. Laura and Matt told me about this little bakery in Peoria that I had to check out. So, doing what I do, I told them to meet me there the next chance we go. We grabbed Tim along the way and headed there for some baked goodies. I will admit that I had no idea what the place was when I was told about it. All I heard was a Mexican bakery I need to check out. I didn't know what to expect but what we experienced was definitely not what I imagined. Most bakeries, when you think of them, are those glass display cases loaded up with tons of bakery items. Breads, cookies, rolls, etc. When we stepped in Panaderia, it was all that and then some. They had the display cases full of stuff but they also had these metal rack holders with racks of baked goods on them. Whether there were for public purchase or they there using the main part of the building as a cooling off area, I don't know. But the smells were overwhelming, in a good way. The place smelled heavenly, even if I wasn't sure what I was smelling. We moved over to the display cases and started to pick out a few things. Some of the things were easy to figure out while a few of the things required us to ask the cashier what they were. He was more than willing to help us pick out our snacks. We all picked out a handful of goodies and headed out. I didn't realize until after we left that they sold pizza as well. That seems odd at first but if you think about it, it does make some sense. Do you not bake a pizza? Don't bakeries bake things? Just put 2 and 2 together and you have a winning combo. As we walked to the car, we snacked on the goodies. I tried to stick to the safe stuff that I knew I would like but I did get a few unknown things as well. It turned out, even the safe bet food took me by surprise. A chocolate chip cookie is a chocolate chip cookie but you add cooking methods used by different ethnic groups and you can find some nuances in how the final cookie tastes. Panaderia is just that. Offering you things that you are familiar or unfamiliar with but adding a bit of Mexican-style of baking to it. My treats were delicious and I have been wanting to go back to get more and to try their pizza out.

Love this place. Every time I go back to visit Peoria, we must stop and we try to take friends. Our…read moremost recent visit, we were served by Yeni herself and she was really kind about having us try several flavors before we made our final selections. This shop has so many things! Regular ice cream, dairy-free sorbet flavors, horchata, aqua fresca and boozy flavors. So much, all home made. My plan was to have a scoop of the no sugar added avocado ice cream as I did my previous visit. It was so refreshing on a hot night. Sadly, this flavor was not available, but there were OH SO many. The lavender was wonderful. The pine nut was unexpectedly sweet and smooth. My husband ended up choosing starry night, which was a mix of berries topped with gold star shaped sprinkles and it was a beautiful presentation. My choice ended up being something she suggested that I try. I honestly can't remember the name but the 90s was in the title so of course it was something I was interested in ha ha. So let me tell you, this flavor tasted like Saturday mornings as a kid, when you're watching cartoons, eating cereal and then you drink the last bit of your sweetened milk from the bottom of the bowl. Oh my gosh, it took me back! Yeni explained that it was a mix of her homemade Mexican vanilla and she added grape nuts. Yes, you heard that right - grape nuts, cereal! I am so excited that this shop is in Peoria Heights, and I hope that it stays for a long time. We will plan to be back regularly. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality. Yeni!

I had the Mexican corn and an ice cream I forgot the name but it was purple and had stars on it…read more Very good place with unique flavors. Definitely Give this place a a try!

Wow! Just wow! This ice cream & yo-cream shoppe has it all. When you first walk in you get to…read morechoose between cups that are flat rate pay or per oz. pay. We chose the oz. Now, I don't like to brag, but we bought $37 worth of ice cream and yo-cream in there today and there are only two of use. We ate all of it, every little sprinkle, m&m, nut, brownie chunk, chocolate rock, Andes' mint and gummy worm, cherry, chocolate, pineapple, vanilla swirl! We like to have died happily ever after today. It looked like a pink piglet silo inside, which I appreciated, because I felt like a little pink pig eating all that. Afterwards, we rolled out the door and barely made it into our vehicle without using a crane. Best birthday ice-cream I ever had and I'm turning 47 this year. . . See you all summer long! Oink oink

a very cute shop with lovely outdoor seating. the froyo was really yummy and they had so many…read moreoptions for toppings!

My server was the most outgoing person I've ever met, made the lunch feel like I was being served…read moreby a fairy princess. The food itself has an amount of freshness that I quite honestly have not been able to find outside of homemade from the garden. I got the BLT with tomato soup and it was absolutely delicious, the sandwich had a small kick at the end which I felt added an extra flavor profile. The tomato soup was unique, you could tell that it was house made with garden fresh ingredients by the way it tasted and the way it looked. Didn't taste anything like from the can, this soup was mild and refreshing, lastly the view and outside environment was so relaxing it brought everything together. Would highly recommend :)

They had no A/C so we left. They had no A/C so we left. No air conditioning. That's a big no.read more

Review Visit: June 10th, 2023…read more The world would crumbl without delicious treats. After grabbing lunch with my dad at The Fry Spot, Emily wanted to hang out and do some shopping around Peoria for some home goods. As we headed towards our next destination, I asked her if she wanted to snag a quick cookie before more shopping. She said yes, so we made a quick stop for some sweet treats. The rage for Crumbl when it first opened in East Peoria was insane. It was months later and the lines to get cookies were out the door. So, I waited and waited for the hubbub to die down before trying it out. Well, life happens and that never happened. So, when we stopped on a late afternoon visit at the new Peoria location, it was nice to be the only ones in the store at that moment. We debated on either splitting a big cookie or getting a small one in the flavor we wanted. What we ended up doing was getting a giant cookie in the flavor that we wanted and split it in half for the other to try out. Emily got the Cinnamon Frybread and I got the standard chocolate chip. Each cookie came in at about $5 a piece, which is a lot for a single cookie. But they serve it warm and the fact you can walk in and get a cookie in two different sizes and in bulk quantity is wild. The place itself felt sterile inside. It was clean, somewhat empty, and totally pink and white. There was nothing out that didn't need to be out. It seems you can order from these tablets but we ordered at the register cause it felt silly to order at the station and then walk 3 feet over to get our snacks. Plus, the cashier was wearing a cookie costume and how could you not want to interact with that. This is the kind of place you grab n go, so we snacked on our cookie in the car. The cookies are served warmed so it was a nice surprise to bite into a gooey and soft one. The cookie was super good, even if the price was a bit high for what you get. But for that price, it's great quality and convenient.

Yummy! Would recommend trying the brownies! I hope they stay…read moreon the menu and are around more frequently

It was really good ice cream for my first ever visit here. I got a two scoop sundae and with tip,…read more20%, it came to over $11. In my opinion, that's outrageous so I probably won't be back. That being said, the service was very good, but it's just too expensive for ice cream

I love this place! I went in once and tried the beantown ice cream flavor, and that's basically all…read moreI had for the next couple of visits... and I don't think I will change my choice for a long time. It is one of the best coffee flavored ice creams I've ever had. The owners are also very friendly and accommodating, and there are even seats outside on the busy Peoria heights road. Definitely stop by and try it out, you won't regret it... unless you're counting calories, then maybe.

My first time here. The menu was comprehensive and featured so many visually tempting options that…read moreI finally just asked our waitress Quincy to suggest something. She recommended the Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwich. My sandwich was huge and contained a large portion of pulled pork meat. It was delicious and the homemade chipotle bbq mayo made it all the more satisfying with its rich smoky flavor! The Cuban-style black beans were right out of Miami! Very nicely prepared and included green peas, carrots, corn, and bell peppers, as well. My dining companion, for her part, ordered the Falafel platter, with a side order of gyro meat. The falafel (a dozen), were fresh, tasty, and just the right consistency. These were served with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pita, and hummus. The side order of gyro meat featured a generous portion of decadently succulent lamb shavings and included two portions of homemade tzatziki sauce. Everything we ate was prepared to perfection and could easily compete with exceptional restaurants in Chicago! Yes, the food at One World is that good. As for the service, our waitress Quincy was friendly and professional. As for the ambiance and decor--we arrived ahead of the lunch crowd, so it was pretty quiet. The decor, however, is nicely done. The premises were clean and well maintained. Ditto the restrooms. The restaurant is actually huge. There are multiple dining areas and in the summer there is an outside patio behind the restaurant, as well. As for pricing and affordability--quality costs, and the food here is definitely a cut above. That being said, the owners have priced the entrees quite reasonably considering the generous portion-size and quality of the food. My overall opinion? If you want a dining experience worthy of comparison to the best Chicagoland has to offer, but don't want to make the long drive--or pay twice as much--then I highly recommend this little gem of a locally-owned restaurant in Peoria!

Very good spot in Peoria!!! The menu here is expansive and there is something for everyone. They…read morealso have a huge selection of lattes and drinks. I got the thai chicken pizza and it was SO good. The hot honey was a little sweeter than I expected, however the jalepeno balanced it well. The hummus also was hands down one of the best I have ever had. Still thinking about it. The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars was the service. Everything was fine until it came to pay. I don't know if our server disappeared or something but we waited 30-45 minutes to get our check which was semi-frustrating. Anyways, 10/10 food. Very unique. Very different. I recommend!!!