COUNTRYSIDE CONES
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★
District: Aksarben
Custard Shop
Perfect For: Baked Goods/Desserts; Casual Dining; Takeout
Standout Dishes: Vanilla Custard; Custard Cookie Sandwich; The Chunky Dunk
When most people in Omaha hear the term “custard”, their mind immediately moves to the frozen desserts from the chain Culver’s.
This is not what you’ll find at Countryside Cones, Omaha’s first frozen custard shop.
And while the product looks like soft serve ice cream, that’s not quite right, either. Countryside Cones falls somewhere in the middle: a soft serve custard that’s rich and dense, yet achieves a velvet-y texture. It’s something wholly unique to Omaha.
It’s what owner Ali Woodward fondly remembers savoring on Sunday nights with her family on the boardwalks of New Jersey. Those occasions still trigger warm memories today, and that’s what she wants to help Omahans create in her shop.
Countryside Cones absolutely succeeds at this. Its atmosphere, from the pink walls, open counter, and giant cartoon paintings on the walls, is extremely warm, inviting, and kid-friendly. When one imagines a place to take a first date or visit during a family walk through the neighborhood, this is it.
The menu, too, was designed with kids in mind. It’s very simple, asking the diner to make only a few decisions:
- Custard flavor: Chocolate, Vanilla, or Twist (the latter two can be ordered dairy free)
- Delivery device: Dish, sugar cone, or waffle cone
- Toppings: rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, crushed coconut, chopped peanuts, crushed Oreos
- Drizzle: chocolate, strawberry, caramel, peanut butter, marshmallow
The limited menu options not only make ordering easier for little ones, but they highlight the quality of the base product. Without a mountain of extra ingredients or sauce to hide underneath, the custard itself must be the star.
The main difference between ice cream and custard is additional butterfat and the presence of egg yolks, both of which add richness and result in a heavier, creamier product. Custard machines also incorporate less air, giving the dessert a silkier mouthfeel.
The result is brilliant, even when enjoyed with no toppings. The sweet notes burst forth from the aromatic Vanilla Custard, and the Chocolate Custard is a worthy homage to the greatness of cocoa.
Custard also melts much slower than ice cream, so you can casually enjoy your treat rather than having to wolf it down to avoid it melting all over you.
In addition to its base custard creations, Countryside Cones also offers four specialty cones, all of which provide a fun surprise. The center of the ice cream in these cones is hollowed out and filled with a sauce, creating a “core.” Even though you’re expecting the filled center, it’s still a fun surprise when you take a bite and discover a new texture and flavor.
Take, for instance, the Chunky Dunk (featured in the header photo). A peanut butter core is surrounded by chocolate custard, which is rolled in chocolate sprinkles. If a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup were presented in custard form, this would be it.
Leaving Countryside Cones without a waffle cone is a mistake. These cones are made in house with a waffle iron and the employees rolling them in plain sight of the customers. They’re subtly sweet, and while they’re firm enough to make a great delivery vehicle for the custard, they also have a pleasant chew.
Another special treat is Countryside Cones’ Ice Cream Sandwich, which stuffs about a half pint of custard between two chocolate chips cookies. The cookies themselves are tremendous: chewy and studded with large chunks of chocolate, they’re delicious on their own.
But Countryside Cones also manages to sidestep the problems that fells most ice cream sandwiches. Typically, the ice cream is too soft and squishes out the backside upon first bite.
This isn’t a problem with Countryside Cones’ version. Because the ice cream is more firm and dense, it holds its shape and make for a more even and less messy sandwich experience.
Delicious as the custard is, Countryside Cones is special for the emotions it evokes. This is the type of place you bring a baseball team after a game or your daughter after the big spelling bee. It’s where you impress a girl on a first date or fuel up for the second half of a family walk.
Or you can just come by yourself and enjoy some awesome custard. Because while Countryside Cones is a terrific environment to create shared memories in, the flavor of this custard alone is enough to draw someone in.