Serving Up Soft Serve: This Ice Cream Shop in Arizona Won Me Over

Since childhood, my favorite type of ice cream has been soft serve. I have fond memories of my parents taking my sister and me to a local soft serve place open only during the summer. While it had all sorts of enticing flavors, I often opted for a classic chocolate-vanilla twist in a cake cone. To say I'm nostalgic for this place is an understatement. Unfortunately, this ice cream stand in my hometown closed for good decades ago, and I have since been on the hunt for a soft serve place just as good, or even better. Recently, I discovered Shakes & Cones, an organic soft serve spot in Old Town Scottsdale, and I have to say, it won me over!

One recent evening, my boyfriend and I left the house and ventured out for a treat. Soft-serve ice cream was at the forefront of my mind, and he was just along for the ride. After searching online, Shakes & Cones stood out to me — not only do they have soft-serve, but the ice cream is made in small batches. Bonus: This is a local, family-owned business, and I was happy to support it.

We parked the car in a nearby lot and walked down 1st Street, a fairly quiet side street off Scottsdale Road. When we arrived, we noticed that you must order from a window, a feature my favorite soft serve place from childhood also had. A second window was the pickup window, and there were white tables with orange chairs along the sidewalk where eager customers could sit and dive into their frosty treats.

I was impressed by the menu. While the soft serve flavors are simple and include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, vegan vanilla, and lemon sorbet, plenty of added options allow for personal creativity. You can order your ice cream in a bowl, a waffle cone/bowl, or a gluten-free cone, and get it dipped in chocolate. Toppings include Oreo, chopped nuts, sprinkles, fudge, organic whipped cream, and more.

I opted for one of the "Crowd Favorites," a Salted Caramel Cup with vanilla soft-serve doused in a generous portion of caramel and topped with sea salt flakes and organic whipped cream. The combination of sweet and salty was perfection, and I had to stop myself from ordering another.

My boyfriend went for a classic chocolate-vanilla twist in a cone. I tried it, and it took me back to those summer days when I was a kid. He enjoyed the ice cream at Shakes & Cones as much as I did, and we both agreed to return with our kids.

Are you ready for a decadent cone or bowl of soft serve from Shakes & Cones? I couldn't believe how good it was, and I can't wait to return! For location information, hours, and a menu, visit the Shakes & Cones website. Plenty of free parking is nearby, so there's no excuse not to grab yourself a decadent treat from this organic soft serve spot in Old Town Scottsdale.

If you love sweets as much as I do, take a road trip to Arizona's best old-school chocolate shops. And if you're from out of town and visiting Scottsdale, check out the best hotels in town.