Spots for Ice Cream in Richmond's West End

Richmond has a ton of fantastic places to eat, including ice cream places. Getting ice cream is typically a spontaneous decision for us. Living west of the city we usually go to ice cream spots closer to home. There are our 3 favorite ice cream spots in the West End of Richmond.

Ray’s Italian Water Ice & Frozen Custard

Ray’s has two locations – one off Lauderdale and one in Short Pump. They have a wide selection of Italian ice flavors as well as custard flavors. I always get their hand scooped custard (they also have soft serve) because all of the options that have items mixed in. The lemon bar custard is my absolute favorite because there’s tons of big chunks of lemon bars inside. Birthday cake and chocolate chip cookie dough are also regular orders of mine. My husband gets the same thing each time: a freezie (Italian ice & custard shake) with chocolate custard and cherry ice.

Coco + Hazel

Coco + Hazel also has two locations – one in Tuckahoe and one in Bon Air. They are famous for their massive crazy shakes. There’s some variation but generally they are a large shake topped with another dessert, like a slice of cake. If that’s too much sugar for you, Coco + Hazel has scoops of ice cream, regular shakes, and ice cream sandwiches. There are other dessert options besides ice cream and they make a mean chicken biscuit that’s a regular weekend breakfast in our house. If we’re not dining in, we like their cookie dough ice cream sandwiches. Remembering Monday evening that you stashed one in the freezer over the weekend makes tackling the rest of the work week a little easier.

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Eloteria

Eloteria opened earlier this year in the Tuckernuck Square shopping mall. They have some of the most unique ice cream flavors in the area. Recently I had gansito, which is modeled off a Mexican snack cake with strawberry filling, and it was delicious. Eloteria has popsicles, cupcakes, and churros for dessert as well. My husband really likes their churro sundaes: ice cream, sauces, stawberries, and churros. In addition to dessert, they have lots of savory items as well like nachos, tacos and quesadillas. For something healthier or lighter there are TONS of fresh fruit options.

Victoria Plum nails around Blue Cow ice cream

Blue Cow Ice Cream Co.

Blue Cow is a small Virginia chain that recently opened a Tuckahoe location. With lots of flavors, including many unique and more upscale options, Blue Cow has quickly become a favorite spot. My favorite so far might be their Triple Berry Crisp with three kinds of berries and an oat crunch. Flavors rotate occasionally so there’s always variety. Blue Cow has shakes, cake cones, and cups. Their fresh waffle cones steal the show through. There are always a few non-dairy options available as well!

Have you been to any of these West End ice cream spots? What did you think?