With summer just on the horizon, we figured Ice cream would be fitting as the final Tastebuds theme before school comes to a close. It’s no lie that Ice cream is a very popular summer treat, so we’ve reviewed four local locations with the criteria of quality, atmosphere, customer service, and affordability. Whilst each location was its own unique experience, Leo Leo Gelato was the highlight of the group.
Cold Stone
Firstly we made a stop at Cold Stone, a prevalent ice cream chain with stores all around the globe. Though the store in downtown Paso is quite appealing from the outside, with spaced out tables around the vibrant storefront, the inside was a bit lacking in modernized decor. There were warm lights hung up around the frame of the front windows, but they did not continue through the rest of the store. The rest of the store itself felt plain and wasn’t very decorated, except for a very bold, detailed menu placed on the back wall. Aside from this and a vibrant display, nothing else really stood out to us. Despite this, the employees were very friendly and patient with their customers, which brightened up the mood in the store.
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In comparison to the other locations we visited, the customer service was definitely praiseworthy. The menu was very easy to read, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Cold Stone also offers an array of toppings and add-ins for the ice cream that are displayed for customers to easily see. The prices were somewhat affordable; we ordered an 8 oz cup of a stunningly rich Watermelon Sorbet and Classic Cookie Dough for $5.90 each. The cookie dough ice cream had a sweet flavor that melted easily in our mouths. The taste tasted almost identical to eating raw cookie dough. However, there were no chocolate chips in the ice cream and would require a small fee for them to be added. The ice cream was perfectly cold enough to keep the ice cream from melting extensively. Furthermore, the ice cream’s consistency was thick and held its shape well.
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Similarly, the watermelon sorbet was served in a thematic maroon cup with red swirls, and was visually very appealing. The taste lived up to the visual appeal pleasantly well; the ice cream itself was the perfect consistency. It remained cold even in the afternoon warmth. The taste was similarly sublime; a subtle yet sweet watermelon flavor was present in every spoonful. It was never overpowering, and was all in all very worth the price.
Overall, Coldstone landed a 6.25 rating out of 10. |
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Leo Leo Gelato
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Next up was Leo Leo Gelato, another chain of ice cream stores with a location on Spring Street. It’s located inside the Paso Market Walk, a thematic and modern complex with a multitude of small shops and restaurants. Though Leo Leo Gelato itself was only a counter in the cozy outskirts of the complex, it had a distinctive, appealing theme to it. The employee at the counter was also very cordial, and had no problem letting us take a minute to decide from the abundance of flavors available. From all these options we chose to get two 4oz scoops of Mango Sorbet, and White Chocolate. For both, we ordered a small size (5$ each), but we were disappointed by the amount given in comparison to the other shops where we also ordered a small. However, the customer service was exceptional; the employee at the register was very welcoming and patient!
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Another standout of the location was the atmosphere, there was a gorgeous seating area overlooking many of the shops in the complex. The ice cream had been served to us in small colored cups with similarly tiny, flat spoons. For the white chocolate, the flavor did not meet the expectations we had in mind. It did not taste noticeably chocolaty, let alone like white chocolate. Nevertheless, the ice cream felt extremely smooth to where the spatula glided through effortlessly with each scoop. This quality held up in the Mango Sorbet as well, it was notably very light and easy to scoop compared to the other locations. The flavor was very delicate; there were only small hints of mango, but this surprisingly complimented the airy feeling of the sorbet. Even though the servings were small, the delightful atmosphere and customer service made up for this downfall by a great margin.
Everything considered, Leo Leo Gelato comes out with a 8.5/10 rating. |
SLO Sweets
Thirdly we visited SLO Sweets, which, similarly to Cold Stone, is located right in the heart of downtown. The outside of the shop is accented with vivid red awnings, which compliment the bright red and white logo. Inside, the shop is decorated with rows of various, brightly colored products and trinkets. The ice cream, which is displayed aside the register, had a decently sized selection to choose from. After taking a moment to decide, we chose to get small cups of mint chocolate chip and peanut butter cup, each costing $6. The process of ordering was very lackluster; the customer service wasn’t wasn’t up to par, as the employees seemed very disengaged and bored with their job. Another small note to make is that there was no indoor seating, only a few tables in the front of the store, which was a little disappointing to us.
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Our ice cream was served to us in red and white cups adorning the company’s logo, and colorful spoons that added to the appeal. Visually, it was very inviting, however in comparison to the other locations we visited, the taste of the mint ice cream was mediocre. That’s not to say the flavor was entirely bad - it was certainly refreshing, but we wouldn’t go back to that store specifically for the ice cream. It fell a bit below the other locations in terms of quality. On the other hand, a sweet yet savory flavor encompassed the peanut butter cup ice cream. There were small chunks of peanut butter cups mashed into the ice cream that added just a touch of grittiness that complimented the ice cream incredibly. The bits of peanut butter cup mixed in was smashed to a perfect size that did not make it feel overwhelming.
With the disappointing customer service and mediocre experience, we rated SLO Sweets a 5.25/10. |
Negranti
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Our last location was Negranti, a quaint ice cream store nestled in the shops of Tin City (with a second location on Pine Street recently opened.) When we arrived at the grey and white building there was a line stretching outside the door, and as we looked around we realized there was limited seating. The line was a bit disorganized, and the front door was crowded with both the line and people leaving the store. Despite this, the employees were very friendly and patient. We decided to get one cup of blueberry lavender, and one cup of chocolate fudge for $5 each, which were well worth the price; despite being the smallest size there was still a generous amount of ice cream.
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Along with the spoons we were given waffle cone triangles to scoop, which we found added a great texture to everything. The chocolate ice cream had a sugary, brownie batter-like taste. There were chunks of soft brownie mixed into the ice cream that occasionally made the ice cream burst with the brownie flavor. The ice cream and brownie flavors compliment each other superbly. The blueberry lavender ice cream was very refreshing; the flavor of the blueberry shone through and was complemented by a clear hint of lavender. Overall, with the considerably good food quality and customer service, Negranti earns a 8/10.
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