My parents used to tell me of this ice cream shop that only opened during the summer. That’s not true on 2 accounts – they sell custards, and only closes for winter. But that’s besides the point, because this place is famous among the people of central Illinois, so much so that my parents who rarely eats out knew of them. Then again, they used to live right across the street from them. Jarling’s is a sweetheart and love by the people of Champaign and Vermillion counties. They sell custards, which is basically ice cream with a bit more egg yolk and milkfat. That means that custards are a lot thicker and slightly smoother than ice cream, and the closest analogy I can come up with – custards are like Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream, compare to the fluffier Haagen-Dazs. Not quite right analogy, because custards are thicker than B&J’s, and smoother too. Anyway, people in the Midwest love custards, and I used to buy pints of these to store during winter. They pack them in Chinese Take out boxes. Really cute.
The menu at Jarling’s is huge. If you are a first timer, stick to the custards. As much as I love a Snowtorm (basically a mixed-in, like McFlurry and Blizzard), I opt for the simpler Black and White specialty sundae, which is a vanilla custard topped with marshmallow and chocolate syrup. It looks like yin-yang sign in Taoism, and Jarling’s is pretty generous with the portion. I have a good time enjoying the custard while reminiscing the old times in college. It still tastes great. Jarling’s has been around for almost 70 years, and if quality doesn’t change over that length of time, the custard will always be great.
Visited: July 3rd, 2017 @ 3pm
Website: https://www.jarlings.com/
Address: 309 W Kirby Ave, Champaign (Champaign Location)
