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Yahoo
19-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
19 Popular Grocery Store Brand Ice Creams, Ranked
Everyone has a local ice cream place they live for. When I lived in Salem, Massachusetts, the ice cream shop Dairy Witch was my go-to. Now that I'm in Portland, Maine, so far, it's the shop Gelato Fiasco, but I need some more time to assess. However, going out for ice cream can be expensive, and it can be a drag to wait in long lines during those hot summer nights. For the days you just don't want to leave the house, and you want to save a few bucks, grocery store brand ice cream is a game-changer. I'm here to find out which brand is the best of the best. I looked at an array of grocery stores to see which brands offer an extensive line-up. I also tried an array of flavors to see if these were just one-and-dones, or if their full lines held up to the test. Let's see which stores offer the best selection of ice cream and which brands have the best-tasting options. Read more: The 15 Best Milk Brands, Ranked 19. Ube From Trader Joe's Apparently, Ube Ice Cream from Trader Joe's is a fan favorite. The folks working the checkout line sold me on it, too. The person ringing stated in a blind taste test, I'll get notes of vanilla with something a little off from the norm. I am here to tell you that was the biggest lie ever told. Ube from Trader Joe's is a purple yam-flavored ice cream. I don't know what I was expecting, but this was not for me. The only flavor I got was synthetic coconut. There were no other flavors to be found. I also hated the texture. It wasn't creamy, it was gritty, and besides the fun purple color, there were no positives. If I'm being super honest, I spit my one bite out. No thanks, TJs. The rest of your ice cream lineup is far better. 18. Specially Selected Chocolate From Aldi Aldi offers some of the best snacks out there -- from sweet to savory. In the Aldi cult of shoppers, there is a consensus about their ice cream. Apparently, nothing can beat the Specialty Selected Chocolate Super Premium Ice Cream. I have never disagreed more with Reddit in my entire life. Out of all the ice creams, this was the most disappointing. Blame it on expectation, but I couldn't find one reason why people adore this. When I opened the package, it was frozen in a way that suggested something was off. It didn't have creamy vibes; it was shiny. Regarding taste, it didn't exactly taste like chocolate. I'm not sure what to call it, but it wasn't rich or milky. And the texture wasn't much better. Overall, this one is a no. Find another chocolate ice cream option. 17. Great Value Cookies & Cream From Walmart The statement "looks can be deceiving" has never been truer than when it comes to Great Value's Cookies & Cream from Walmart. From afar, this ice cream looks like the perfect cookies and cream blend, with chunks of cookie and smaller pieces scattered throughout a creamy base. After one bite, I only had one question: What is wrong with this ice cream? Cookies and cream never tasted so bad. The only word I can find is artificial. There was some cookie flavoring in the larger pieces, but those pieces were soggy and stale. Even the vanilla and cream base tasted artificial. Don't come here looking for vanilla bean vibes. Walmart has ruined my day a few times with taste testing; this might be one of the worst. I don't care how badly you want ice cream. Do not buy this flavor. 16. Sundae Shoppe Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough From Aldi Up next is Sundae Shop's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This is one of Aldi's brands that is supposed to be a killer ice cream option. However, this was another dud. I started to question my sanity at this point during the taste test. Stay with me on this one: it tastes like raisins. I don't know why or how, but I got straight Raisin Bran vibes. Breaking down the components, my favorite part of cookie dough ice cream is, of course, the cookie dough. Sadly, it was a failure. It didn't taste like a cookie, and the texture was too soft. The only part of the bite worth anything was the rich and sweet chocolate chips. Yes, this one was creamy, but the taste was just off. 15. Favorite Day Cookies 'N Cream From Target Next in line is Target's Favorite Day brand with another cookies and cream option. Overall, this was fine -- way better than the rest thus far. However, that doesn't mean it was a winner. This option featured big chunks of cookie with smaller pieces scattered throughout. During my first bite, I had hope, but the rich flavor quickly started to fade. This one doesn't have dairy depth at all. On top of the flavor issue, the cookies were a little soggy, but they were tasty. You can taste the chocolate, which pushed them well above the others on this list. My final verdict: Favorite Day's Cookies 'n Cream is fine. There is nothing notable, but it's a decent scoop of ice cream. 14. Overloaded Peanut Butter Fudge Explosion From Hannaford If you live in New England, you've probably been to a Hannaford. While you may not know this particular brand, they are a Maine-based store that carries lines like Nature's Promise. While they are lesser-known, they have some cool ice cream options. I chose to taste Overloaded Peanut Butter Fudge Explosion. I was so excited for this one, but it was such a disappointment. First, I didn't love the peanut butter flavor. It wasn't' super sweet, and I didn't love the texture. It was crunchy and hard in most places. There was a nice blend of ingredients with the chocolate and a creamy ice cream base, but again, it's nothing special. It's just vanilla. Honesty, this one was fine; I just had higher expectations. 13. Favorite Day Caramel Brownie Moose Tracks From Target Target is back in the lineup with its Favorite Day brand. This time, I tried Caramel Brownie Moose Tracks. There is a lot going on here -- too much to be honest. This one featured caramel ice cream with brownie bites, caramel, and moose tracks fudge. I think the ice cream was the breaking point in the bite. With caramel as the base and swirled into the mix, it was an overload. Add peanut butter and fudge, and the battle of the flavors began. What I will say is that I didn't hate this. The ingredients did taste good, but I wouldn't reach for this flavor again. With too many flavors fighting to be the star, I'll reach for something else. 12. 364 Brownie Batter From Whole Foods If you've ever shopped at Whole Foods, you probably know the 365 brand well. While I've taste-tested a lot of the store's items -- everything from frozen ravioli to frozen waffles -- I'd never had the brand's ice cream. I grabbed a few off the freezer shelves, but I was most excited to try 365's Brownie Batter. While this one has a chocolate base, it was boring and a little off-putting. The ice cream itself wasn't super rich and chocolatey, and the brownie batter swirl had mere hints of that brownie flavor you know and love. The only richness I found was in a few bites of the swirls. I think this one had some notable moments, but when I want to sate my ice cream hunger, I was each bite to be the best. This one wasn't bad, but it didn't make the cut. 11. Sundae Shoppe Cookies & Cream From Aldi Aldi is back in the lineup with its Sundae Shoppe's Cookies & Cream. I finally have some good things to say. Who knew there was so much nasty ice cream out there? This one tasted great. I loved the cookie flavor, as it had that real Oreo vibe. The vanilla base was good, but it wasn't super creamy. It did scoop well, and we decided this would be the perfect ice cream for milkshakes and frappes. Without that cookie crunch and more depth in the flavor profile, this one sits in 11th place. 10. 365 Raspberry Chocolate Chip From Whole Foods I grew up eating black raspberry ice cream. It was the only flavor I would eat for the longest time. I'm not sure where or when the swap happened, but I moved away from fruit to the mint chocolate chips of the world, leaving behind a childhood favorite. This was the first time I had tried anything related to my youthful choice, and I was pretty surprised at my response. While I liked this one, it was bland and boring compared to the remainder of this list. It has the vibes of the black raspberry, but it was a watered- down version. The chocolate chips were great, but overall, there was a weird aftertaste that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't raspberry or chocolate. The verdict: Ice cream is fine. Weird aftertaste. Better options out there. 9. Great Value Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough From Walmart While I slammed Great Value's Cookies & Cream option, the brand fared far better with Great Value's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. I am going to say a lot of things about this one, but stay with me -- I have my reasons for placing it here. I feel like this is one of those "dairy treats" versus ice cream situations, as the vanilla base was a little artificial over a true dairy texture and flavor. However, there was something here that just worked. While the cookie dough pieces were a little small, the chocolate chunks added a lot of flavor. While not super natural, there was a happy combo happening in this container. While I am giving Great Value's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough the 9th spot, don't get it twisted -- this isn't an award-winning ice cream. It's fine in a pinch, but I'd forgo it anyway. 8. Signature Select Moose Tracks From Shaw's While researching for this project, I learned that a lot of people enjoy Moose Tracks ice cream. Spoiler alert: I'd never had it before, and honestly, I don't quite get the hype. Be that as it may, Signature Selects version placed 8th in this massive ranking. This one featured Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and a chocolate swirl. The vanilla ice cream base was fine -- nothing special, but there weren't a lot of toppings to enjoy. I hate when the ratio of toppings to ice cream is off, but the toppings as such were really good -- especially the peanut butter cups. The peanut butter cups saved this option, making each bite with a cup worth it. However, with a limited amount of toppings and mediocre ice cream, this one stays away from the top five. 7. Great Value Fudge Tracks From Walmart Walmart is up next with a Moose Tracks knockoff called Fudge Tracks. While I wanted to make a joke, the joke was on me. This one was better than expected. The Great Value chocolate flavor is reminiscent of Hoodsie Cup ice cream or even Häagen-Dazs ice cream, making the base of this option stand out above the rest. I liked that the ice cream was light, but it still had a rich chocolate flavor. There was also a generous amount of fudge ribbons and peanut butter cups, which really made every bite count and pushing this one closer to the one-spot. I will always give credit where credit is due -- this is a decent ice cream option. It definitely wasn't my favorite, but this one won't steer you wrong if you are a chocolate lover. 6. Speculoos Cookie Butter From Trader Joe's Starting at the sixth place spot, this competition gets interesting. While there were some notable moments, these six ice creams truly elevate the game. First on this upper echelon of ice creams is Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. I'd heard about this one through the grapevine for a while now, but never had the chance to try it. This one features Midwest cream, pieces of Speculoos cookies, and the iconic Cookie Butter -- I knew it was going to be a hit. Overall, this one was great, but I think it was a little hyped. You get a lot of graham cracker and gingerbread notes from the cookie pieces, but the ice cream wasn't creamy enough for me. To be clear: This was great, but it just isn't really my thing. However, this is one of those ice creams you have to try once. 5. Signature Select Salted Caramel From Shaw's I am not a huge fan of caramel in ice cream. However, I have to give credit where credit is due, and in this case, it's Signature Select's Salted Caramel. I can't believe how much I liked this one! I would never buy this on my own, but the online reviews said this one was the best. What I enjoyed the most were the balanced bites of sweet and salt. The ice cream was creamy, it tasted great, and there was just the right amount of caramel pieces. So why is it in fifth place? This was a good ice cream, but it's a one-trick pony with not a lot to offer. It's a little boring compared to the rest of the top five. The other reason? It's not a flavor I crave. Sorry, caramel. 4. Fudgy Cookie Dough From Trader Joe's What I learned from this taste test is that Trader Joe's seems to know their stuff when it comes to ice cream, and that's saying a lot about a grocery store brand that makes an array of products. Coming in fourth is Fudgy Cookie Dough. This one features vanilla ice cream with chocolate chip cookie dough, a fudgy swirl with sea salt, and chocolate chips. Colored me impressed -- this lineup of ingredients sounded like perfection. After one bite, I can tell you it's pretty close. My favorite part about this ice cream is the cookie dough pieces. They taste like real cookie dough batter, offering thick pieces that taste great. I loved the balance of chocolate, too, mixed into the rich ice cream. The tiny notes of salt really cut the sweetness and offer up an experience like no other on this list. 3. Horchata From Trader Joe's My top three were filled with tough decisions. I really struggled to place these last few, as they each had their own strengths and merits. With that said, Trader Joe's is on the list again, coming in third with Horchata. I do not like a lot of cinnamon on anything, except maybe a donut, which made this placement such a surprise. The texture was one of the best in the bunch. It was super creamy, and the cinnamon mixed throughout wasn't overpowering at all. The cookie pieces were a nice addition, adding another textural component that didn't try to steal the show. Every aspect of this ice cream worked together to form a great bite. Nice work, Trader Joe's. I still don't love cinnamon, but this is a great ice cream option! 2. Kirkland Signature Vanilla From Costco I'm going to be honest -- I'm still not sure I picked the right number one because this was the closest call I've ever made in food tasting. I'd heard a lot of things about Kirkland Vanilla Ice Cream, but I always said to myself -- how good can vanilla ice cream be? Really. Freaking. Good. Kirkland's Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream truly lives up to the hype. It leans French Vanilla, and I am so here for it. It's the creamiest of the bunch, offering a rich, thick, and velvety texture. The milk component is heavy and gets better with every bite. I cannot believe I almost put a vanilla ice cream in first place, but this is what ice cream dreams are made of. I know you have to buy a gallon of this stuff at Costco, but man, it's worth it! 1. Favorite Day's Strawberry Angel Food Cake From Target I had heard the lore and legend behind Favorite Day's Strawberry Angel Food Cake, but I thought it had no shot on this list. I always look to the chocolates and peanut butters to fulfill my ice cream needs. One bite of this ice cream, and your life will be changed. This summer special features vanilla ice cream with cake pieces and strawberry swirl. I thought there was no way cake in ice cream could work sitting in a freezer, but man, was I wrong. The cake tastes real, it's soft, and the strawberry swirl is the perfect complement to the creamy vanilla ice cream. It's light and refreshing, and it has a lower calorie count than most! If you take nothing else away from this taste test, it's that you have to try this one. I'm unsure if this flavor will be around for a while, so get to stores and enjoy before it's too late. How I Ranked All The Ice Creams And Final Thoughts Like all of my other taste tests, I learned some shocking things about ice cream and myself. Who knew ice cream could taste so bad and so good? I have to hand it to Trader Joe's, as they really stood out in this lineup. For this taste test, I sought out any grocery store brands I could find in my area, looking for those that offered a larger lineup outside of the typical vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. I scoured online reviews to see which flavors were a must-try, too, helping to guide my purchases. I looked at texture, quality, toppings, and taste to determine which ice cream brands made the cut and which were busts. Hungry for more? Sign up for the free Daily Meal newsletter for delicious recipes, cooking tips, kitchen hacks, and more, delivered straight to your inbox. Read the original article on The Daily Meal. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What do restaurants in Greater Portland do when the competition is right next door?
Jun. 4—Donato Giovine recalls the "shock" he experienced in 2011 after learning that Brunswick-based Gelato Fiasco was opening a new location on Fore Street. Giovine and his wife, Mariagrazia Zanardi, had opened their own gelateria, Gorgeous Gelato, at 434 Fore St. in late 2010. Gelato Fiasco's new space would be diagonally across the street, a mere cone's throw away. "At the beginning, we couldn't believe our eyes," he said. "It didn't make any sense, given the amount of gelato customers, to have two places, one so close to the other. It was like suicide — we were splitting a small amount of customers at the time." Giovine said he could understand two gelato shops located so closely in a major metropolitan city like New York or San Francisco. "But Portland, Maine, with 68,000 people? It was almost funny." Today, Giovine and Zanardi may not look back and laugh, but they can certainly see the situation with better humor. This city turned out to be big enough for the both of them. Portland's reputation as a foodie destination — bolstered by national publicity starting in the mid-2010s — drew more and more visitors nearly every year. Both shops are currently thriving; since the pandemic, they've been busier than ever. Local food industry insiders say Portland's volume of visitors makes the notion of business territory almost outdated. "In the past, another restaurant opening nearby with even a remotely similar menu or style could be seen as an affront, like, 'They're coming for our business,'" said Peter Bissell, co-owner of Low Stakes Lodge, a western-style steakhouse located just up Exchange Street from chef-owner Harding Lee Smith's steakhouse, The Grill Room & Bar. "But Portland for decades now has been a major food destination. It's a small town with a big-city assortment of food and bev. And when you hit that point, there's enough to go around." "There's too much competition to think that way, to isolate yourself and say, 'We're the only game in town,'" agreed Smith, who also owns The Front Room and The Corner Room. "When I started the Front Room, there were like 85 restaurants in town. There's over 300 now. You have to keep your head down and worry about what you're doing and keep your quality where it needs to be." CLOSE COMPETITON The local food and beverage scene has several other examples of neighbors who have been friendly competitors for years, like Saigon restaurant and Thanh Thanh 2 on Forest Avenue, or Coffee By Design on Diamond Street, just around the corner from Tandem Coffee Roasters on Anderson Street. Craft breweries and beverage businesses have clustered together on Industrial Way and in East Bayside, forming drinking districts that seem to benefit all the operations. "We see lots of cross-pollination that happens, and it's really pretty positive for everybody involved," said Nathan Sanborn, founder of Rising Tide on Fox Street. "It doesn't feel like we're cannibalizing each other so much as supporting." And in Old Orchard Beach, three pizza stands located within a couple blocks of each other — Bill's, Rocco's and Lisa's — have coexisted peacefully for decades, each attracting its share of the throngs of summer visitors. "In a touristy area, it may not matter," said Chris Boucher, a marketing professor in the University of New England College of Business. "If there's a line at one place, tourists will go to the next place. There's going to be enough demand that, overall, I think it actually helps all the businesses." Jason S. Entsminger, assistant professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Maine Business School, notes that businesses in other sectors often group together, like car dealerships, gas stations and fast food restaurants. Still, some independent food business owners, especially in less tourist-based areas, feel the concept of territory still applies. "Donuts aren't like car dealerships," said Shelby Omdal, co-owner of Frosty's Donuts in Brunswick, the town's go-to donut shop for 60 years. "Car dealerships can open right next door to each other and they can all be successful. This isn't that type of business, or town." The Omdals were dismayed to learn in late 2023 that Holy Donut planned to open a Brunswick location less than a mile away from Frosty's, as the gull flies. "It was a bold move on their part," Shelby Omdal said. "We've opened other stores, and I wouldn't go to Wells next to Congdon's and think I'm going to open a shop and be as successful as they are." Holy Donut launched in Brunswick last May, and the Omdals recently learned that two other donut shops are considering opening in town, including Portland's former HiFi Donuts. "I think maybe people see the lines coming out the door (at Frosty's) most days, and it's easy to say, 'If they can do that, we can too,'" Omdal said. Entsminger said entrepreneurs may look at a "legacy competitor" like Frosty's and think, "We're going to be offering something that's just different enough that there are going to be people in that market that will want the new thing." Holy Donut's CEO and co-owner Jeff Buckwalter said his company's customers had been requesting they open a Brunswick store for years, and the location they eventually found — a former Tim Horton's on Pleasant Street just off Interstate 295 — was ideal. "For us, a lot of tourists coming to Maine are driving right past that location on Route 1 as they head up the coast, and so we also wanted to make sure we could get in front of them," he said. "It's a great location with high traffic. I don't think it's hit its full stride yet, but given the economic climate, it's meeting our expectations." Meanwhile, Frosty's business is booming. "Our sales have never been so high," said co-owner Nels Omdal, Shelby's husband, noting that the store sold almost 150 dozen donuts in a little over five hours on Mother's Day. "The lines just don't stop." Entsminger said just as customers are often drawn to a new product in a given market, they can also rally around a legacy brand. "The threat of a new competitor entering a marketplace where there's a really well-established brand can drive customer loyalty." NOT A ZERO-SUM GAME Buckwalter said he feels the Brunswick market is big enough to support both Frosty's and Holy Donut. "Provided you can differentiate yourself versus your competition, there's plenty of business to go around," he said. While Frosty's prides itself on time-tested recipes and light, airy donuts baked fresh within hours of purchase, Holy Donut offers Maine potato donuts in a variety of creative flavors, with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options. Other owners agreed that distinguishing their businesses from nearby competition is crucial. Giovine and Zanardi are natives of Italy who say Gorgeous Gelato offers an authentic, top-quality gelato experience. "We have very simple, almost boring flavors — hazelnut, coconut, panna cotta," Giovine said. "When you go into the master gelaterias in Italy, they have 12, 16 flavors, and no more. Our gelato is more traditional, because it has centuries of culture behind it. And it's made using Italian taste buds. When it satisfies our taste buds, it's delicious for others. That may be reductive, but that is the key." Gelato Fiasco's website includes a "flavor vault" of more than 1,500 flavors they've offered over the years. Gelato Fiasco co-owner Mitch Newlin said Gorgeous Gelato offers baked goods that his store doesn't have, while he feels Gelato Fiasco may have better vegan options. When Gelato Fiasco was looking to expand in 2012 after five years in business in Brunswick, Newlin said a Portland location "seemed like the next logical step." While they looked at other locations in Old Port, the Fore Street space ticked all the right boxes. "It was not that we wanted to be right across the street from the competition as much as we wanted to be in the Old Port with outdoor seating and a 1,200- to 1,500-square-foot space," Newlin said. He believes there's plenty of overlap in the customer bases of the two gelato shops, and that they're not playing a zero-sum game. "There are a lot of people who will try both of our stores," he said. "They may be here on a three-day weekend. The first day they go to Gorgeous Gelato, the second day they come try us, and they'll compare." Coffee By Design owner and co-founder Mary Allen Lindemann said there's inherent separation between her business and Tandem. "We have different flavor profiles, we source our coffee differently, we have different histories and different stories to tell," she said. Like Newlin, she doesn't feel being located nearby a competitor necessarily cuts into each other's business. "If anything, it brings people to the neighborhood," she said. "People will come and check us both out, and we each have our own loyal followings." Harding noted that the Low Stakes Lodge space had previously hosted another another steakhouse, Timber, for eight years. "I don't think it really affected (The Grill Room) at all," he said. "I've always thought that the more people in the neighborhood the better." "The only thing that Low Stakes and The Grill Room have in common is that there is a steak section on the menu," said Bissell. "There's a difference in ambience, and the other items on the menu." Smith agreed, pointing out that the Grill Room specializes in wood-grilled steaks and has a "clubby, old-school feel" to it, compared to the more casual, fun vibe at Low Stakes. "If people crave a steak, and Low Stakes has a wait and they can get into the Grill Room, I'd expect them to do so, and vice-versa," Bissell said. "Having more options isn't necessarily bad for any one business. It just means that more people are coming to town every year, primarily for eating and drinking, and that's a good thing for everybody." Of course, there's a limit. Boucher, the UNE professor, said if another gelato shop were to open in Old Port, for instance, it might saturate the market, causing one of the three to fail and close. And another donut shop or two opening in Brunswick would further stress-test Frosty's and Holy Donut. "Competition is always good, because it makes you try harder to do better," said Shelby Omdal. "At the end of the day, if you have a superior product that people can't get anywhere else, you've got the magic." Copy the Story Link
