Dillen’s Family Ice Cream – Medieval Madness

Family Friendly Ice Cream Shop Off the Strip in Vegas

Walking into Dillen’s, I can tell this isn’t like all the many other ice cream places I’ve been to before. Games are stacked on tables and in cupboards, and the light feeling of fun is spread throughout the room like Christmas morning after all the presents have been opened, and kids are now playing with their newly received treasures. It’s a contained excitement that is palpable when watching from the outside.

As I take all this in, an older gentleman (maybe in his early 60s) sees me looking around and comments on what he sees me seeing.

“The games are free to play. We have tons of them, and people can play them whenever they want for however long they want when they come here.”

I take a moment to look inquisitively and he proceeds to explain further.

“It’s all about the customer experience here. I’ll be honest, if you heard about us from Buzzfeed and are looking for spectacular tasting ice cream, you might’ve come to the wrong place. We don’t make our own ice cream, we use Thrifty’s- a creamery distributor in the West. And to some people that’s disappointing.”

My eyes looked down a bit. I totally was disappointed. The old man continued.

“But you know what? People seem to love us, because we take care of our patrons. We try to make every person who comes in feel welcome, and not just see them as a dollar sign to usher them in and out as quickly as possible. I do my best to talk to every customer who comes in and stays.”

My heart lightened. Sure, I was still disheartened that a reputable publication like Buzzfeed listed Dillen’s as the best ice cream in the state when their ice cream doesn’t even come from said state, but still, I get where this guy is coming from, and I respect his dream to put a modern spin on the romantic idea of a family friendly ice cream parlor.

After hearing this little monologue of his, the two of us proceed to talk about customer service and the ice cream experience for a solid 15 minutes. And truth be told, this honest heart-to-heart was something almost more refreshing than the ice cream itself. So with his little speech in mind, I order the Thrifty’s Medieval Madness.

Medieval Madness Ice Cream

It’s important to note that before even ordering this flavor, there is a special process that takes place. In order to order, you must first request for Medieval Madness in your most maniacal tone, preferably adding a “muwahahaha” at the end. Without such a gesture, Mr. Dillen won’t even scoop the ice cream for you. It’s this fun nature of Dillen’s that is kind of embodied in the ice cream. Seemingly mundane, with a fun little twist to make the experience even slightly more fun.

The flavor itself consists of Three Musketeers bars in vanilla ice cream, and that’s pretty much it. It isn’t a ground breaking flavor in any sense of the word. That said, it does still have some things going for it. For one, the milk chocolate coating of this candy bar acts as a light, soft chocolate chip- which contrasts from traditional chocolate chips that can have intense snaps when biting into them. Furthermore, the fluffy Three Musketeer innards are blended in the ice cream well, and provide small pockets that are kind of like softer cookie dough chunks. It all comes together quite nicely, and while not overloading with the amount of candy bars mixed in, there is still enough to give you a sense of the candy bar in all its glory.

Medieval Madness Conclusion

This flavor is seemingly basic, but delicious all the same. Furthermore, because it’s served from such a fun establishment, the ambiance and friendly nature of the business definitely helped to elevate the Thrifty’s brand even further. Finally because it is Thrifty’s, this allows Dillen’s to sell such an ice cream at drug store prices, and provide fun ice creams, at an affordable cost.

At the end of the day, there are many fancy ice cream spots littered around the oasis in the desert that is Las Vegas. This spot might not have the highest quality or the most unusual flavors, but it does have one thing that can help to bridge that gap. Heart. Heart and love for all people who enter, and a fun and friendly environment to eat, play games, and enjoy the company of those you love.

If you want to find this fun family ice cream shop, you’ll have to go outside the strip, to 5960 Losee Rd #121, North Las Vegas, NV 89081.

Read Another Review!

If you want to hear about more family friendly ice cream shops, peruse through the other flavors found on my royal reviews page. There are a lot of ice cream places all around the country, and reviews on that page are just a handful of the more recent places I’ve been to. Read on to learn about those flavors!