We tried 3 of the most popular ice cream shops on the MS Coast. Here’s our review.
The Mississippi Coast knows how to eat.
I’ve learned that firsthand as I approach a full two years as a resident of South Mississippi. The food here is unmatched, without a doubt.
But what about the food after the food? The food between the food? The sweet stuff that my life-givers would only let me have on special occasions, like when I got a shot from the doctor or nailed my report card in fourth grade.
I’m talking about ice cream. Since arriving, my go-to treat-yourself indulgence has typically been a cold daiquiri. As I researched what the Coast had to offer when it came to ice cream, inspired then by the incessant beating of the sun, I knew I had to try something.
Naturally, I wanted to try everything all at once. So I recruited our visual journalist Hannah and planned a tour.
With stops in Ocean Springs, D’Iberville and Bay St. Louis, we pushed ourselves to the limit to try three of some of the most popular ice cream parlors on the Coast.
This is what we found.
Quake’s
I don’t eat ice cream. It’s typically a little too sweet and very much too heavy for me to find room to put away. I bought a pint recently, took two bites and now it’s sitting in the freezer becoming a cookie dough-flavored brick.
This is why I really appreciated Quake’s. Situated along Highway 90, Quake’s is home to the... Quake! Blended into a cup in a variety of premade specialties, the quakes were the perfect texture.
You know that point when the ice cream just starts to melt but is still fairly solid? It’s like that, but the whole time. Unless you sit outside like we did.
We knocked down a Mississippi Mud Slide and a Cookie Crumble. For someone who doesn’t do sweets and knew there was more of it down the road, I was surprised when I actually saw the bottom of my cup.
Hannah found them to be similar to a Dairy Queen blizzard, but with a softer consistency. So don’t flip the cup over when you get one.
Bop’s Frozen Custard
Bop’s has a lot going in its parlor near the Grand theater in D’Iberville. They have sundaes, concretes, signature shakes and Snappy the custard-slangin’ turtle.
We got one thing and one thing only here. It had to be right, it had to be perfect. It had to be somebody’s favorite. So we ordered one Bop’s Favorite.
A cup of custard with real strawberries and chocolate shell flakes mixed in. Whoever Bop is, I can understand why this is his favorite.
Here’s another personal fun fact: not a nut guy. Especially not in my ice cream or brownies. That’s why I am partial to shell chocolate. It simulates the crunch, except it actually tastes good.
Bop’s Favorite was also reminiscent of a homemade raspberry-and-chocolate shell ice cream I made once in college. I did some flip-floppin’ and a little bit of wafflin,’ but I think this was my favorite item of the day.
The Creole Creamery
The day was getting long and we had one more stop. We trekked down to Bay St. Louis and stopped at the New Orleans-based parlor, The Creole Creamery on Main Street.
It’s tucked into the skinny roads of BSL and shares an outdoor space with PJ’s Coffee, which includes a cozy patio area between the two establishments fitted with a fountain and swing set. The swing set had a sign discouraging those above the age of 3 to not swing. I swung a little.
Here is where we went a bit more traditional with a baby scoop each of out-the-tub custard. Hannah had the raspberry sherbet. She did not share any with me and it disappeared rather quickly. This was her favorite item of the day.
I had the nectar cream sherbet scoop. I have no idea what flavor this is. After finishing it, I still had no idea what flavor it was. But it was good, nonetheless.
Our tour was completed here and I thought it was a fitting place to wrap up our ice cream adventure. The Creole Creamery is a quiet, peaceful spot to cool down for a moment and think about the things that truly matter, like whether I’m going to get a box combo or a caniac combo at Raising Canes later.
I’ll let the universe decide that for me.
