Read’s Ice Cream

My wife and I went here for the very first time last night for custard and ice cream.
It is funny that it took me so long because I go past this place almost every day. I am glad I finally came in. Although not to the level of Abbotts for custard or Pittsford Dairy for ice cream this is definitely a great place to go.
Oh, one more point. I might’ve upgraded the STAR if only they had chocolate almond custard. I grew up in Rochester and homemade Abbotts as well as homemade Don and Bob’s always had Chocolate Allmond.

Hmm, had heard good things about this place, but was not too impressed after my trip. I went under the pretenses that they served ice cream soft serve (rather than custard), but it unfortunately turned out to be custard again. But that’s ok, I like hard ice cream just as much so I thought I’d give them a go.
From the outside, the place looks pretty good, but walking in, it felt dark and dingy, though it was clean enough. I ordered a scoop of coffee and a scoop of chocolate peanut butter. The flavor of the ice cream was pretty good, but both scoops had ice crystals throughout. Plus it’s always a little irritating when they don’t try to push any of the ice cream into the base of the cone. While the scoops were decently sized, the price seemed high at nearly $ 4 for a small ice cream. Plenty of other better places for ice cream, I don’t think I’ll be going back.

It was 6pm and 90 degrees outside when I came across an empty ice cream shop, and wondered how could it be? After coming inside I realized why.
Don’t come here if you expect good frozen custard, but the waffle cones aren’t that bad and they do support the local community, so that’s good.

Incredibly lucky to live within walking distance of Read’s, both because it’s extremely convenient and because we visit so often that we need to get some walking in to burn off all those ice cream calories.
I’ve never had a bad experience with either the service or the ice cream.
You can’t do better than this locally owned establishment, and if I ever catch you down the street at that corporate chain, I’ll find you, grab you by the ear like gramma used to do, and drag you up to Read’s.

So very delicious and you can tell that the ice cream is homemade. It’s miles above chain ice cream places or store bought. Lots of flavors to choose from and the people working there were all very kind.

Thought I’d go out for my first ice cream treat of the summer… during my lunch break, 12pm. Boy was I disappointed.
The older man at the counter told me they didn’t have Coffee ice cream (my fav). Then I asked for another flavor… They also didn’t have it.
I asked to sample 2 different flavors that I was considering… This older man (who I now have learned is Mr. Reed himself) is none to pleased with me. Mind you there are still NO other patrons at this point. I «settle» on a flavor and pay.
I will NOT be back.

Came here once before after reading reviews. Love the coffee ice cream with chocolate ribbon in a waffle cone! The cake batter is also yummy. Bf always gets almond joy and LOVES it. Super friendly female employees both times. Like that it’s locally owned also. Will be back!

Amazing local handmade homemade Ice cream and waffle cones. cake batter, orange chocolate.. My favorites. I love reads and love that it’s local. prices are high I suppose but you are getting quality product.

Got an icecream cake here recently for a friends birthday and it was fantastic. Definitely 1000 times better than any mass produced factory ones. Their prices were very reasonable and service was friendly. The girl behind the counter let me try some samples while they were getting my cake ready. If you are near here there is no reason to go to a chain for ice cream… this place is far superior.

Fantastic homemade ice cream at a decent price. Everything from soft serve to hard ice cream, lots of great flavors!!! Their homemade waffle cones are DELICIOUS!!!

Read’s smells like a DREAM (or, more accurately, fresh-​baked waffle cones with a hint of cinnamon). My experience, up until Read’s, was that the flavor of a waffle cone was never QUITE as delicious as the smell promised.
Enter Read’s — a place where the waffle cones taste JUST like that amazing aroma that greets you when you walk in the door. As an aside, the frozen vanilla custard is to DIE for, and the owners are the sweetest (no pun intended) people on earth.
Yum!

My nephew turned 16 and wanted an ice cream cake for his special day. Let me say, I am not a huge fan of ice cream cake, but it was his choice. Because Read’s is our favorite ice cream place, we decided to order the «cake» from here. Loved the fact you could special order any ice cream in it. We went chocolate chip cookie dough and the chocolate soft serve. It was fabulous and as we continued to eat it we concocted a whole bunch more combinations for the future. Read’s, you’ve converted me to an ice cream cake fan! You will definitely be on our list for special occasion desserts. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the very reasonable price as well.

For years my husband and I were looking for a place in the Rochester area that did ice cream dips. We had posted the question on social media and polled our friends but were not able to find what we were looking for. Then a few years ago we discovered Read’s. Not only do they have ice cream dip – but a wide range of flavors I’ve never seen before. It is easy to get in and out, the staff are always pleasant and patient, and the clientele are friendly. Read’s has become one of our favorite places to go for ice cream.

Read’s is definitely my go-​to ice cream place in Rochester. Yes there are chains like Abbott’s, Friendly’s, Dairy Queen, Yolishous, etc. that are all fine in their own regard, but Read’s is locally owned, uses local ingredients, and makes the smoothest, creamiest, most delicious homemade ice cream this side of Rochester!
It’s true they may not have the most «avant-​garde» flavors like some other locations, but they do always have easily 20−30+ flavors all people will love. Some of my favorites:
— Snickers
— Coconut Almond Chocolate (tastes just like Almond Joys!)
— Mint Chocolate Chip
— Thin Mint (in girl scout cookie season, they do flavors with the cookies that are to die for)
Not only that, they have some great sherbets and soft serves too (orange soft serve?! Yes please!) Service has also been wonderful every time I’ve gone
In the spring and summer, this is definitely the place to be for ice cream!

I agree whole-​heartedly with the positive reviews for Read’s here on Unilocal.I literally live less than a mile south of them and am sorely tempted every time I drive by during our blistering hot summer days. Reads is number one in my book for various reasons:
1. Locally-​owned! The owner, whom you will typically see, is a Kodak retiree who dreamed of opening an ice cream shop. He did, and boy-​oh-​boy are we lucky!
2. The flavors: All ice cream is handmade on the premises, made from local ingredients, when possible. The flavors change, which adds variety and surprise to the regular customers.
3. Community-​Minded: I work at a nearby senior citizen community and yearly Read’s drives their little trailer and donates free ice cream to my residents. You can’t imagine how tickled they are — reminding them of the days of their youth, catching the ice cream man. I know they sponsor several local kid’s sports teams, as you can see their photos on the walls in the shop.
4. The Dogs: I’ve never seen an ice cream shop have a doggy sundae! I’m a cat person myself, but the thoughtfulness and whimsy is appreciated.
5. Open Year Round: Unlike other local ice cream shops, Read’s is open all four seasons.

I just came back from having some ice cream here. They visited the apartment complex Province where I am staying at and had left coupons so my boyfriend and I decided to pay them a visit. It’s a cozy old school kind of place and smells amazing once you get inside. But the ice cream — Ooohh the ice cream. Lots of flavors lots of options. We decided to get two smalls since we had a $ 1 off $ 5+ coupon and it was NOT small. The guy piled the ice cream on that little cone. It was a a beautiful sight.
The ice cream itself was perfect. We had the Key Lime Pie (which little bits of graham crackers in it) and the peanut butter blast (? forgot the name) The flavors are not over powering, but definitely there. I also loved how I could actually «bite» into the ice cream. I have very sensitive teeth where cold drinks with ice are a no no. So the fact that my teeth had no problem digging into this luscious creamy goodness made me absolutely ecstatic.
The owners are sweet, the guy at the counter was nice and gave us huge scoops on our «small» icecreams. The owner came by our table to ask us how everything was.
Even other customers were nice, probably because good ice cream puts anyone in a happy mood.
In short:
The ice cream is perfect. Everything tastes clean and delicious but not over powering. Perfect temperature for my sensitive teeth. The place is adorable. The people are super nice. I NEED to come back here and support this wonderful place and try all the other flavors.

Best soft serve in upstate New York!
There are so many options I’m sure I could be trying new things for years. Staff is wonderful and friendly, the ice cream is delicious and there is seating both inside and out. Perfect any day of the year!

I thought that this was pretty mediocre icecream, and actually prefer Bruster’s right across the street. The prices were a bit high for the amount that you’re given. It is pretty fun that they have little doggy sundaes if you bring your dog along! It’s just vanilla soft serve with some dog bones. The picnic tables outside make for a nice seating area.

Everything is house made, even the waffle cones.
Great flavors, all of the standards and some more creative offerings. Their version of key lime pie is creamy and just slightly tart with chunks of graham crust mixed in. There is a brownie marshmallow swirl (I forget the actual name) that is just outstanding.
Everyone working there is super nice and the place is spacious inside and out, with plenty of parking.
Wonderful experience!

Ever since Bill Wahl’s changed hands I’ve been looking for a substitute for their Almond Joy Ice Cream… and by jove, I’ve found it. Super Ice Cream! Will return as much as my diet will let me!