Freddy’s Park Stop

655 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington, 519-325-1257

Date visited: July 3

Freddy’s Park Stop is the last place to get ice cream before Point Pelee national park. It offers 32 flavours of Breyer’s hard pack as well as frozen yogurt, sundaes and other specialties, and is adjacent to a full-menu licensed restaurant with standard pub fare and a few dishes reflecting the Lebanese origins of the owners.

Breyer’s, like many ice cream manufacturers, has an unfortunate tendency towards the more-is-more school of design. The all-natural line it flogs in grocery stores features simple clean flavours like strawberry, butter almond, or four varieties of vanilla. For commercial service, though, it leans heavily on gimmicks: a lot of goo-filled chocolate cups with names like Hokey Pokey and Caramel Turtle. The further we get into this project, the less patience I have for these “loaded” flavours.

When in Rome, though, so we ordered Caramel Caribou – toffee ice cream with caramel ribbon and chocolate caramel cups – and Raspberry Bugaboo – black raspberry ice cream with fudge ripple and raspberry filled chocolate cups. I don’t know what I was expecting, but these were some over-sweet candy-crammed ice creams. Marta loved hers of course.

On the plus side, the servings were reasonably proportioned at $2.30 for a single cone. A double costs $3.20 and an upgrade to a waffle cone, waffle cup or sugar cone tacks on an extra 99 cents. Now waffle cones and cups hold more ice cream, so a premium is expected, but a buck more for a sugar cone is unconscionable. Nine weeks in, Freddy’s was the first place I didn’t spring for the sugar cone.

The setting is memorable, though – across the street from Lake Erie and from a public playground, Freddy’s makes the most of its location with a patio boasting a number of tables with comfortable chairs and big sun-screening umbrellas.

Bottom line: Freddy’s Park Stop is worth a stop after a hot day on the beach at Point Pelee and appears popular with its core clientele of cottagers.

Marta’s notes: I liked the ice cream and I liked being able to look at the water.