Walnut Creek, California – When you first walk into the brand-new Handel’s Ice Cream in Walnut Creek, you’re greeted by a sea of freezers.
That’s necessary because Handel’s has almost fifty flavors. And all of them are made fresh, by hand.
Founded by Alice Handel in Youngstown, Ohio, Handel’s has grown from a local favorite on the East Coast to a national brand with locations around the country.
Alice Handel started the business in the summer heat of 1945, using fresh fruit from her backyard garden and her own personal recipes. Today, the company still uses Alice’s original methods and recipes. That means Handel’s ice cream is thick, creamy, retro and perfect.
It’s not fancy or innovative, like the microcreamy ice cream at Walnut Creek’s Lotties. It’s not served on a marble slab or flash frozen with liquid nitrogen, like some of the Bay Area’s ice cream these days. It’s just made fresh (with plenty of cream and sugar) and served in a classic way.
The new Walnut Creek store features a modern, spacious interior with state-of-the-art equipment. There’s very little decoration, beyond the red, white and blue Handel’s colors and those giant freezers.
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From classic options like Vanilla and Chocolate to unique creations like Blue Monster and Salty Caramel Truffle, there is something for everyone to enjoy. A big television displays some of the flavor options.
In addition to the classic flavors, Handel’s also offers a selection of vegan and sherbet options, catering to those with dietary preferences or restrictions.
The Bay Area Telegraph stopped by and tried the ice cream. Their classic strawberry flavor is nearly perfect–rich, creamy and with a strong taste of fresh strawberries.
More creative flavors like Chocoholic Chunk were excellent too. The quality of the ingredients really comes through.
We also tried their vegan sorbet. It was good, but the ice cream is the star here.
We liked that Handel’s lets you sample as many flavors as you want before you pick. Some places are stingy with the samples, but Handel’s makes sampling part of the experience.
Our only real complaint was the lack of seating. There are some counters with standing room, but the message seems to be “grab your ice cream and move along.”
Aside from that, Handel’s gets quite close to ice cream perfection. And with so many flavors (and seasonal ones rotating in) we’ll definitely be back to try more things.
Visit the new Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream store at 1273 Locust in Walnut Creek and indulge in a scoop of history and tradition, one delicious bite at a time.
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