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Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)Mon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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This pale turquoise shack on South Congress Avenue serves up some great ice cream. I love their combos, scribbled on pieces of paper on one of the windows (the "Hot Stuff"-- with Mexican vanilla ice cream, fudge, and homemade pecan praline sauce -- is particularly good).
It's fun to sit on the benches along the street and people watch. While a combo in a small cup is $5 -- a bit much, for a small sundae, oui? -- this stuff is high-quality and totally tasty.
Beer ice cream??? Not what I thought it would be. Very tasty. And so was the Mexican Chocolate.
This place is great. And the people are friendly.
Tough to say anything that hasn't already been said, but why not try? (Ah, the Interwebs.)
Most every place I've ever lived has a local ice cream joint worshipped by all, and Amy's certainly plays that role on the Austin scene. Is the hype merited? Well, yeah. It is good ice cream. I prefer it to anything else in town or available at the store. Thick and creamy and unbelievably rich... I can hardly handle more than the tiniest size! Tried ordering it with praline topping once and almost died.
But how does it stack up to all the other Awesome Local Ice Cream Places™ I've encountered?
Well, I guess Marianne's in Santa Cruz spoiled me, because Amy's just doesn't have enough variety. The Mexican Vanilla is solid, so you never have to go with a sub-par flavor... but sometimes I get sick of it. And when you're really in the mood for ice cream, do you want to come back a different day and hope they have a better flavor then? Of course not. It's just one gripe, but it's not a small one in my book.
Amy's Ice Cream. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? A local success story. Fantastic ice cream. Creative and passionate employees who toss ice cream in the air like Luigi does pizza and Koopas.
There's theme nights for free ice cream - the last one I saw was a zombie night; come in zombie costume and get a free ice cream.
The flavors vary; most stay the same, but there are two or three always changing as the mythical Amy experiments with new ones. The toppings are diverse and yummy, from gummy bears to blueberries.
Just get the small, though. Really, you won't be able to eat a large. Ever.
A-freaking-mazing
Bring and friend with you. Or 4.
My kids and husband love this place and it's locally owned and they have a photo booth. Hence, four stars.
I on the other hand prefer blue bell. I know I know. Just stop with the judgement. Amy's is so thick and creamy. Just stop.
One of the best ice cream I have ever had. I ate my belgian chocolate ice cream on a cone in record time. Good thing this place is like 2,000 miles away from me!
Eating Amy's Ice Cream is like having casual sex--you think about it and get excited, then you do it--as soon as I'm done I'm left with a pain in my stomach and I feel remorse and I say Ill only eat a small next time... I promise--but next time I'm in Austin I get a bit dizzy and like a fiend I walk to the closest Amys--and there she is with her pretty Mexican Vanilla dressed up with Reese's pieces jewelry, so soft and round...-yumm~ I fall for my repeat bad behavior and order the large--I need it!
The people at this location are awesome I might add-very helpful in feeding your addiction!!
WARNING! You only need to get the smallest size. Really. You are not going to finish the big one. Really.
But those tiny cups looked soooo tiny. And I love ice cream. So I ordered the large. Coffee ice cream with heath bar pieces. The woman making my ice cream at first thought she didn't have enough ice cream to work with, so added more...turns out she had way too much. She had to transfer my large into a sundae bowl. I pretty much had a pint of ice cream to finish! Thankfully, it was nearly 90 degrees and most of it melted before i could eat it all.
Still had to get a fix at the airport before heading back to Chicago...
There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said so I'll be brief.
I am not a fan of ice cream but this place may make me a convert!
Holy hell, this is some good ice cream! I don't like ice cream, usually, but I finished my small dish instead of handing it off to a ice cream-loving friend like I usually do.
I got the coconut tres leches -- amazing. All goody and sweet and delicious. I also loved my friends Mexican Vanilla.
I didn't get any topping mixed in, but they had tons of options (graham crackers, oreos, nutter butters, etc.)
Definitely must try this place when you visit Austin. Seems to be open late, too!
I had no idea. The ice cream here was fucking siiiiiiiiiiiiiick!
I'm going to revisit Amy's again... and again.... and again..
Totally blows marble slab, tcby, and all other ice cream shops outta the water.
*Note- they carry some more elite flavors than other locations from what I heard.
I can't imagine eating Amy's all the time, it sure is a treat!
I tried the Mexican Vanilla, and it was decadent. Sweet and creamy, a perfect way to end an afternoon of shopping on South Congress.
I just had a straight up scoop in a bowl, but they do mix-in's on the cold slab, like that chain, but better!
So, I was expecting a straight-up ice cream joint, but this place is slab-style, like Coldstone. Now, I hate Coldstone because they're a chain, and their ice cream sucks. So I don't hate Amy's by association. Because they have character, and their ice cream is great.
But, wait, they sort of ARE a chain? Hmm...well, okay, I'll give them a pass since it's a local chain, and apparently an Austin institution. Plus, they have character, and their ice cream is great.
Guinness ice cream and peanut M&Ms, or Belgian chocolate and coconut? You can't go wrong either way. Delicious. And the menu clearly states that the Guinness and apple pie ice creams contain alcohol. Nice.
While I'm definitely more of a chocolate gal, Amy's Mexican Vanilla rocks my world. It is sooo good. Once i tried the "Triple Mex" which the guy behind the counter described as vanilla with even more vanilla flavor. Yum.
There are some good chocolate flavors. There was once some amazing double chocolate ice cream.
I like how Amy's is always swapping flavors to try. Some of them are cool concepts, like "Cop stop" -donut pieces in coffee ice cream. for me i wasn't so into the texture, but thought the idea was cool. I have yet to try Amy's non-dairy varieties, but they do look good, and would be great on a hot day, not to mention having fewer calories.
I think now you can get crush-ins in a tiny, which is pretty cool in my book.
The Girl Scout Thin Mint is delicious!
It's 97 degrees and I've been walking around Congress for WAY too long. My vision is starting to get sketchy, and I swear the ground is beginning to resemble a bloody sponge. Lizards are playing poker, the Grim Reaper is hiding around the corner from Hotel San Jose, and buzzards circle above. As heat stroke is indefinitely near, and as I ready myself for the afterlife...a mirage appears. The neon sign says, "Amy's Ice Cream." Could this be real? Am I dreaming? As I crawl, sweating profusely from the 2 mile walk from Lamar street with my faux vintage, "Hi, How Are You" t-shirt, I realize that this is not an illusion...Amy's is about to save my life.
Sure, it's a little dramatic, but it was hot as a motha fucka yesterday, son! How do you guys put up with this heat? Wowzers...
Amy's was a welcome relief from the scorching heat wave yesterday. It was probably my bad to even think about walking around in such conditions, but what the hell? You only live once.
Amy's was fantastic. It had that homemade taste that I love and adore. I really enjoy those cold slabs where my ice cream becomes a masterpiece. My small bowl began as just a white chocolate blob. After some slapping and shaping, it became a white chocolate blob...with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Yum! Maybe one of the best bowls of ice cream I've ever had. Could it be because I felt like all the liquid in my body had been released though my pores? Could it be that I'm a serious fat ass with a huge sweet tooth? Or, could it be that Amy's is some of the best ice cream on the planet? I choose the latter.
I do recommend, however, that you find some shade, or an air-conditioned car to eat it in. My ice cream went from cream, to milk shake within' about 47 seconds.
Amy's, you are getting another star from me!
Note that this is for the other S. Congress location, but I am adding the star as an overall upgrade for the Amy's experience.
Fantastic and friendly scoopers, and they helped steer me to a new favorite: grasshopper ice cream with junior mints and oreo. DELISH! LOVE! YUM!
Get the Elvis, you won't be disappointed. Bananas, peanut butter and ice cream. Does a girl need… Read more »
Mexican vanilla with strawberries. My mind says more, my waist says please no.
Great place to grab a cheap yet satisfying desert after getting your fill of healthy Japanese at Zen.
The array of flavors is perhaps not as dazzling as usually found in most standard national ice-cream chains, but unlike those chains, at Amy's each flavor is uniquely delicious and original, be it Mexican Vanilla or Belgian Espresso Chocolate.
The lines tend to become long because each portion is lovingly prepared to order with toppings or mix-ins.
Cross-polle-what?
I was on the hunt for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I had already passed up Big Top Candy, and was too much of wimp to stick it out in Hey Cupcake's long line when I remembered seeing Amy's.
When I asked what made the Mexican Vanilla, Mexican I was told it had to do with cross pollenation...I had no idea what that meant, but decided to give it a shot with some strawberries over the top.
I grabbed my tiny, grabbed a seat on the bench nearby and dug in. Ohhhh yes, yes, yes! This was so yummy. I can't find the words to describe the flavor of the Mexican Vanilla, but it was subtly sweeter than your regular vanilla. That's all I'm saying on the matter, you want more info go get yourself a scoop.
Bottom line: This place is really tasty, if I were local I'd come back. Service was indifferent, not rude, just indifferent.
Even though I have to double up on my diabetes meds whenever Ive had their ice cream, and I do not frequent Amys by any means, I dont even care for it much... I have to say they had Shiner ice cream one day I couldnt pass up.
It was very similar to Carribean Guiness ice cream and not so sweet as other flavours. Apparently this flavour isnt a standard, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Ever wanted an ice-cream fix but not wanted to feel like the last tired jelly-filled donut at 7-11?
Saddle up to some mexican vanilla yogurt, add some crushed Heath bar. Smile.
One more review from this San Franciscan's trip to the wonderful city of Austin, which true to to it's claim, is weird.
Let's see, where shall I begin?
Let's start with . . .
Mexican vanilla with oreos and peanuts
And then move on to . . .
Belgium Chocolate with cinnamon and peanuts.
Very nice.
Fortunately and unfortunately, this fine establishment is close to where we live. I have always been partial to Marble Slab myself, having the luck to have had a little brother who worked at Marble Slab during high school (thanks for slipping me those pints, Rayms!).
However, I'm now an Amy's girl. How could I not? Creamy, potent goodness mixed up with fresh(ish) ingredients, all in a cute sky blue bowl. I dream of their sundaes.
The last couple of times I went there, I had to have their Michelin Man combo: vanilla, bits of Oreos, melted marshmallow with hot fudge. Good god. It's bad enough that I get one after a good, hard workout at the gym. If the put one within walking distance from my office, I'll REALLY be in trouble.
Holy mother of sweet Jesus! Thank you, God, for giving people the intelligence to create Amy's Ice Cream. Thank you for giving me the appetite to destroy it! Amy's is a true Austin staple and I'm kinda pissed that Amy's is popping up in other cities (unless, of course, it happens to pop up in my city.) I usually go for Mexican Vanilla with Strawberries. Maybe Belgian Chocolate with Marshmallow Cream. Or Perhaps Mex. Vanilla with Cinnamon and graham crackers. I even think the Shiner flavor is darn good. Oh my gosh, how do I choose?!
I stopped in on my way home tonight, because I was craving some ice cream. I got dark chocolate with Heath bar. It didn't taste like 'dark chocolate flavored ice cream'. It tasted like REAL dark chocolate. Goodness!
Have you ever had cinnamon ice cream with cherry or apple pie during the holidays? It will blow your mind. But it is terribly hard to find in the grocery store. Thank God for Amy's!
Amy's Ice Cream is the place where I get my ice cream fix. I don't really eat the ice creams, but if I do, I go to this place. Amy's ice creams are impossibly delicious and sweet that I could not stop chowing down! They have many different kinds of ice creams and toppings that you can get creative with your ice cream the way you want. I always order the Mexican Vanilla with the strawberries in a large waffle cone, because it has a very orgasmic sweet. If you love the strawberries, try this ice cream!!! I wish there was Amy's Ice cream next to the Twin Falls, because it will make a perfect perfect hot afternoon for me while tubing.
Any con? Their ice cream (or was it shaved ice?) with the alcohol mixed was nasty. I tried the raspberry ones and I could not finish it. The taste was too strange and sour. Ick.
Having to live with a Dairy-Turns-Me-Into-Rocket-Man affliction, Amy's is on a short list of places (Whole Foods in a short second) to somewhere I can go for "ice cream" and have a decent selection of flavors to cool my ass down in the dead of summer.
Bummer that the HUGE SELECTION OF AWESOME SHIT you can put on top doesn't go so well with most of the fruit flavors.
This is an Austin institution filled with all sorts of surprises: there are tours of the production facility (where you can meet the former Mexican Wrestler who makes the ice cream), you can contact Amy directly on her website with questions of comments, and the company is very well-connected to charities.
Their only form of advertising is in conjunction with charitable events Amy's Ice Cream endorses/sponsors.
AND they have photo booths...
Shit, I'm giving them 5 stars.
I'm not an ice cream expert, but please (as many of the employees will recommend) try the Mexican vanilla. I had it mixed (like Cold Stone for my New York friends) with Graham Crackers, and it was sublime. Now, don't get this confused with Sub Lime, which I am sure is a flavor of ice cream or Sorbet at some other ice cream joint.
PS: I'm not sure this is the particular Amy's i visited, since I was only being squired about Austin for the day, but I imagine they all serve the same product.
I like Amy's....or rather, I like what Amy's probably used to be. It has a history of doing some fairly wacky things to their customers and it seemed like you just never knew what might happen if you went in there. But now it seems like it's trying too hard to be 'out-there'. Amy, you're already out there...just be yourself.
Ice creams are awesome tho'.
You scream...I scream...
Amy's is a special ice cream treat that can only be had (well, at least by me) a few times a year. And one of those times is usually around St. Patrick's Day. My Amy's tip: Get the Guinness! Yes, as in the beer. I usually see it at Amy's around St Patrick's Day and once I drove from this Amy's to the one off Bee Caves b/c this Amy's was out of Guinness but they told us the one on Bee Caves still had some.
When you crave the Guinness, you crave it bad.
Tip #2: Get it with strawberries. It's awesome. Is it March yet?!??
Excellent, excellent ice cream. They have the normal favorites here, and some other off-beat flavors. Every location has different flavors, but they always have the basic vanillas and chocolates. I do wish every location had the strawberry added to the list, but this location seemed to always have strawberry when I went.
I'm not a huge ice cream eater, as it can get fattening, but if I'm going to have ice cream, I want the best. This is better than your average ice cream. Much, much better.
Get the small size, it's almost impossible to finish the other sizes, as its pretty filling.
No matter where you go in Austin, you'll find an Amy's. Several have popped up in north/central Austin, and there are the old fave locations as well, which don't disappoint . For a store that boasts a job application that involves making creative sculptures to showcase your artistic talents, there is no doubt that desserting there will be an equally stimulating experience.
Everyone that works at Amy's is cool. That's an Austin fact. They can throw ice cream around and have it land in strategical placed bowls, and they can wield some mean ice cream cutting appliances. In an establishment where people are known by their ice cream preference, I am proud to declare myself a Mexican Vanilla with Strawberries. Yeah. I said it.
Real Kaluha in the ice cream! Bonus!!!
Who care's what the mixin was.
But, this must've been the night for the 'tudes on SoCo. Both the guy and girl there were hatin'.
This particular Amy's sits in the 1300 block of South Congress Ave. and is perfect for a late-night snack. Like every Amy's location, they serve up multiple variety, flavorful ice cream at premium prices. But this shop is miniature, which makes it doubly gratifying. (I swear there's some mathematical ratio that says the smaller something is, the more amusing it is to our society.)
So here's the plan. Wherever you are on South Congress, plan your trip around a stop at this food-stand-like, order-thru-the-window, hole-in-the-wall Amy's. There are a couple ways to do it. You could shop, eat at Homeslice, shop some more, end up at Amy's. Or, you could get in line for Toni Price at the Continental Club, then sneak away for a cone while your friends unknowingly hold your place. Or, you could go to Amy's first, then window-shop while you eat.
It's your prerogative, really. Just make sure this pint-sized Amy's is on your To Do list. Scrumptious.
I am a really huge fan of anything chocolate, and this place is awesome for satisfying my sweet teeth. Yes, teeth. Multiple. Which only proves that I am a desert master. Like the judges on Iron Chef. That's me, only with desert.
Anyway, this is a great desert place for dates because you can sit out side or stroll the South Congress shops while. Only problem is, all the flavors are excellent, so it is hard to decide. One of my fav's is their Rocky Road, but if you aren't down with chocolate, go for the vanilla bean vanilla with some strawberries in it--to DIE for!!
Never visited this location. I've only had it at the airport (where I got to see the whole rigmarole with the singing and yelling) and at the 2007 ACL Fest food court. I faintly remember the airport visit (other than the ice cream being good) so I'll stick with the latter.
Tried both the Mexican Vanilla and Oreo flavors at the festival. Really good. As for Mexican Vanilla, we really should outsource more spices and flavors to Mexico. I for one would love to see what they can do with maple syrup.
My friend and I's Sunday ACL food court brainstorm to buy two $4 Royer's Round Top Cafe Pecan pies and top them with Amy's ice cream was our best idea since Thursday night's drunken brainstorm about the breakfast pinata (bacon is the new candy...).
OK. I know I am risking Austinite Blasphemy for saying this, but IMHO, Amy's is really overrated. It is just too, too sweet and rich for my taste. If that is what you're into, great. This may be for you. But I think the homegrown, local, campy/folksy Amy's phenomenon has gotten ahead of it self.
Now I will have to look over my shoulder for the Keep Austin Weird hit squad for saying that.
Was visiting from SF, and hankering for Amy's ice cream. This is the best, low-pretense ice cream I've had, traveling nationally. Had the cinnamon with chocolate chips (chunks, not chips!) and grapenuts. Awesome. Only downside is that there's no inside seating at this location. Tip: for reliable parking, go on the side street behind the joint.
amy's is my favourite ice cream treat in town. the gingerbread, if you can catch it, is tied for best with mango.
i've never had any trouble there, everyone's always been really nice and i've never been sick from anything i've had there.
(really though, i question the food poisoning comment... )
it's cheap, and the sizes are generous. keep in mind that the small is really sort of a medium. if you want a small, ask for a tiny. if you want more than a medium- you're on your own. i've never had enough room for more than a tiny.
Neighborhood: University of Texas
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Far West/Northwest Hills
Category: Mexican
Austin, TX
Category: American (New)
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