I thought since it’s week number two in our ice cream tour we’d go to two ice cream shops for this post and the only place that has dueling ice cream parlors in town is Emack & Bolio’s. They have their original store on Prospect Road in Peoria Heights and they also have a seasonal summer store on the riverfront in downtown Peoria. Emack’s is my personal favorite ice cream store in Peoria and their ice cream is so good and flavorful even the most basic flavors are better than any other ice cream in town. So I thought that this week we’d go back to the basics of ice cream and sample the two flavors that are truly old school ice cream: Chocolate and Vanilla.
Emack & Bolio’s in Peoria Heights
Here we are at the original Emack & Bolio’s in Peoria Heights! The address here is 4534 N. Prospect Road and here’s the facecrack page. They have a nice patio area off to the side, but it’s way too sunny for that, so let’s go inside!
Inside
This is a great ice cream parlor and it’s got a welcoming and old school vibe to it. There’s lots of tables up in the front and in the back is a party room that you can rent out for birthday parties or special occasions. Hmmm, that might come in handy for a special party at the end of this tour! Stay tuned for that!
Other Customers
That’s Nicole who’s a manager and bartender at Oliver’s in the Heights in the top photo and the couple in the bottom photo are Carol and Dennis. All three are regular customers in here as opposed to me, who’s pretty much an irregular customer anywhere I go.
The Art On The Walls
I love all the vintage concert posters in here and there’s also original art from Chelsie Tamms and my brother Jim!
I Want Candy!
If you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, but you don’t feel like chilling out with ice cream, they have you covered here at Emack’s! There’s a whole case of homemade gourmet candies that you can’t get anywhere else in town! Check out the Nutella Peanut Butter Cups!
Behind The Counter
That’s my friend and this blog’s Spiritual Guru, Tim Hennessey with Sophie behind the counter. Tim is one of the owners here, Jim Maxwell is the other owner and how cute is Sophie? You’re cute too, Tim, but sorry, you’re no competition for your pretty ice cream scooper!
Chocolate Ice Cream!
Okay time for the first ice cream cone of this post. As I said we’re going back to the basics and Sophie’s making me a chocolate ice cream cone. Emack’s has a large selection of flavors, but I’m old enough to remember a time when pretty much your only selections were chocolate and vanilla. Okay, Sophie’s got the cone all prepared in record time, she’s quite a pro at this!
Wow, this was so good. The ice cream here is really rich and creamy and I think it’s the best in town! Okay let’s go to the other Emack & Bolio’s for ice cream cone number two!
Emack & Bolio’s On The Riverfront in Downtown Peoria
This is the Emack & Bolio’s on the riverfront. This is a seasonal shop and it’s open from April till sometime in October. The building is historical because it’s the oldest building structure in Peoria. It was built in 1852 and was moved to this location in 1997. The address is: 110 NE Water Street and here’s their facecrack page.
Inside
You can definitely sense the history in here and rumor has it that the building is haunted by a guy who died falling down the stairs that lead to the attic in here! There’s a table and chairs opposite the front counter and a large dining area in the back where you can relax and enjoy your ice cream. There’s also a large safe back there that’s never been opened. I’d like to get all Geraldo on their ass and do a blog on opening the safe, but so far I haven’t been able to talk Tim into it. I have a strong feeling that Gary Coleman is hiding in there and comes out at night to snack on tiny bowls of ice cream and I’d really like to rat him out! Stay tuned for that if it ever happens!
Other Customers
There’s some customers we saw at the beginning of the post and a woman trying to decide what kind of flavor to get. I didn’t talk to any of them because I was in kind of a grumpy mood. Hey, it happens to the best of us!
The Art On The Walls
There’s more rock ‘n roll art and pictures on the walls in here and in the back there’s a tribute to two local legends: Richard Pryor and Dan Fogelberg. And just like in the Heights, there’s original artwork by Chelsie Tamms and my brother, Jim. Hooray!
I Want Candy!
Sadly there’s no candy at this location, so you’ll have to enjoy this video instead. Annabella Lwin looks pretty fabulous in this!
Behind The Counter
Tim’s all alone in here and he wasted no time in starting to scoop the ice cream for the second cone of the day. He’s either really into this or he wants to get me out of the store as quickly as possible. I’d bet on the latter!
Instead of a cone, I decided to get my ice cream in one of those chocolate sprinkle bowls. I’ve never tried one and they look really colorful and tasty!
Vanilla Ice Cream!
And there’s Tim with the finished bowl. It goes into an Emack & Bolio’s paper cup. Okay, let’s try it out!
Now this is the way to eat ice cream! The sprinkles mix in with the ice cream and it’s so delicious! The vanilla has a nice rich flavor and when you’re all done you can eat the bowl that has a nice layer of the sweet melted ice cream on top! Thanks to Tim and Sophie for playing along and serving up some of Peoria’s best ice cream! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Ice Cream Rating
Four Ice Cream Cones—Emack & Bolio’s has a lot of different flavors and selections but even the basic flavors of chocolate and vanilla beat any other place hands down! Now if only they’d open up that Gary Coleman safe!
Related Post: Ten Weeks of Ice Cream @ Proctor Snacks ‘N Sodas.