The Franklin Fountain

I’ve sampled a few of their ice creams since coming here and the caramelized banana is still my favorite. I wish their green tea wasn’t matcha flavored or else that would be my favorite.
They give you a heaping scoop for a small. I believe I paid $ 4 – 5 for a small which can be pricey to some.

Delicious! I visited the food truck location near the river.
The black raspberry ice cream was very flavorful and creamy. I topped it with hot fudge and brownie bites. (I highly suggest both!)
Reason for the ⁴⁄₅ stars – PRICE! Very expensive ice cream.

Old Timey ice cream shop in downtown Philly.
We went just before noon on a Tuesday, and there was no line. Unfortunately, their Pistachio Ice Cream was too hard to serve, so I couldn’t sample their Southern Sympathizer proper.
I swapped out Butter Pecan instead, and it went well with the rum soaked raisins.
The price was reasonable, and the ice cream was decent.
Seating was limited to a handful of small tables in a roped off section on the corner. It was nice because it was empty, but I can imagine it being difficult to get a seat when crowded. It’s a good thing ice cream is perfect on the go.
4 stars for a cool treat on a hot and not so crowded day.

It’s a small ice cream shop with a lot of choices. Employees were friendly and the ice cream was perfect for the hot weather.
We had a «broken heart» which cane with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, semi –crushed strawberries, and 2 heart cookies on top. ($ 11) They give very generous scoops of ice cream.
There is no indoor seating, but tables and chairs were placed outside.

Delicious freshly made ice cream. In old town which is charming. ALSO CASH ONLY. Come on Philly stop it with the cash only establishments. Don’t you realize your actually losing money since people would be spending more here could they use their cards? Anyway, this is still a great establishment. Seating is really limited and you will probably be waiting in line for a good 20 minutes-​1 hour. It’s worth the experience. The servers are all dressed up and very professional.

SO GOOD! So far this place has the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted. I visited them on Memorial Day and the line was not that long. Probably 15 people in front of me but the line moved relatively fast. I ordered a single/​small Pistachio in a cup and my partner ordered the Dovey’s Sundae which was ENORMOUS! Somehow, someway he managed to down the whole thing himself. We got both orders to go and even the sundae was prepared very nicely. They serve their items that are in «cups» in chinese take out containers! Its absolutely adorable and does not leak! The items on the menu are pricey but then again who eats ice cream daily? LOL, I kid, I kid. It definitely worth every penny! Next time I visit, I will definitely make it a priority to visit again!

Being that I travel all over the country, I have had my fair share of ice cream and while the ice cream at The Franklin Fountain is fresh and good, I would be hard pressed to return. Why, because they are way too old school for me and I am not a fat tourist that thinks amazing ice cream equals how big the servings are. Speaking of servings, I concur with most of the my fellow Unilocalers in that it’s extremely ridiculous that in order to try two flavors, you have to actually get two scoops of ice cream and I’m not talking baby scoops. I ordered the caramelized banana and peanut butter and received a Chinese fried rice container overflowing with ice cream. It was a bit ridic. I mean, it’s 2016, not everyone wants to be obese and you need to give your customers that would like to remain slim the option to split one ginormous scoop into two different flavors.
I would much rather go to a higher end ice cream parlor with more exciting flavors, that accepts credit cards, allows you to try samples, and allows you to split scoops so you don’t look and feel like a fatty when you leave.

YUMMM! Good lord that black raspberry was delicious. Only downside was that I was walking around outside and my ice cream started to melt a little through the cute box they put the ice cream in. Small size is a very generous portion! Workers were very efficient and friendly.
Next time, I want to try one of their house made sodas!

Overpriced. Cash Only. Icecream is good but so is Ben&Jerrys or Talenti, which I can buy with my credit card at Wawa. I ordered an icecream with 2 scoops, but because it was considered their «small» I couldn’t get two different scoop… I had to get 2 big scoops of peanut butter ripple, because it would’ve been SO HARD for them to move over two feet to scoop a different icecream.
I spent years working at an icecream shop, so I can say with experience that it’s not a very hard job. Overwhelming at times, yes, because the place gets so busy. But really? When your rule is no two different scoops, that pretty dumb. I’ll stick to my drugstore ice cream, until you can fix the credit card thing, the different scoop thing, and (dare I say it) maybe lower your prices a little bit. $ 5 for a small?

I love the idea of this place. It feels like it’s been the same for 50 years and the people who work there play the part.
I would give them 5 stars, but one of our two flavors of ice creams (strawberry) was very icy… as if it had melted and been refrozen. The Coffee flavor was great though.

Really great ice cream in cute cartons that resemble chinese food boxes. It’s an old building that looks like a soda/​ice cream bar. The line is long enough that they give you menus outside.
It’s a date spot. Cute. Like you go there once and spend 30 dollars on ice cream, regret it, and then most likely never go back.

Delicious ice cream and very generous portions, but pretty pricey! Love that they serve the ice cream in Chinese style takeout boxes!

First Visit: 02/​20/​2016, last visit before the end of the trip: 02/26/2016…total of 3 visits during a short trip: D
Must know: CASH ONLY :)
This place is that good. that’s all I can say. For a trip that was only about a week long, and 3 visits spent of coming here that says a lot! Their flavors are so delicious and even in those 3 trips, we still finish trying all the things we wanted to try. Kinda lucky or else I’d have to be at the gym religiously: D
Favorite flavors: Pistachio, Hydrox Cookie, Mint Chocolate Chip, Banana, and I know there was another one… but I forgot :/​
Even their milkshakes are delicious! During one of my visits we tried their homemade whip cream and it was alright, we just wanted to try it to see: D Guys, seriously, if you have an ice cream craving, this is the spot to beat!!! I haven’t been to one more delicious so far: D

Holy baby Jesus, the ice cream here was insanely good. It’s probably one of the best ice cream shops I ever been to. I am usually a skeptic when I hear of a place from TV but Man vs Food hit the spot. The ice cream was amazing and I freakin love the old ice cream parlor feel. The charm of the shop is uncanny, it’s worth visiting alone but the added bonus happens to be the bomb ass ice cream. FYI, the waffle cone is $ 2 bucks but $ 2 bucks worth of awesomeness. The fresh made waffle was perfectly crispy and it was cooked to perfection, it’s basically a must add.
The food:
Pistachio– Philly-​roasted and salted California Pistachios. This ice cream was excellent, the texture of ice cream was perfect, it had a fantastic chew which made the ice cream great. Then the flavor of the ice cream was really good, it wasn’t too sweet and had a very pronounced pistachio flavor. Lastly, the pistachio pieces were huge, they basically left the pieces whole and there were a bunch of them, it’s unheard of to me to use whole pieces and it made a world of a difference.
Butter Pecan– butterscotch with jumbo Pecans. Omg amazing butter pecan, butter pecan has always been my go to flavor since I was young and this place did it right. There were whole pieces of jumbo pecans that added such an amazing texture and the butterscotch in the ice cream added such a pronounced butterscotch flavor that was great.
Chocolate Chip– Classic Vanilla bean with bittersweet chocolate chips. I really liked their chocolate chip ice cream, it wasn’t too sweet and they used a very good quality chocolate chip, I’m a fan.

After almost two years of visiting Philadelphia, I finally made it to Franklin Fountain!
Things I loved:
+ Ambiance — great apparel on your servers, small /​quaint and bustling with chatter
+ Ridiculous variety of flavors — couldn’t choose so the bf gave up his choice of ice cream to accommodate one more of time hehe
+ To go boxes — you get your ice cream in these cute Chinese food type take out boxes — adorable and enough to fit a LOT of ice cream
+ The ice cream doesn’t melt so fast — such a necessity when you get this massive portion of ice cream
+ Coffee ice cream — get it. No questions asked.
Things I didn’t love so much:
— Longish line (moderately fast pace, we waited around 15 minutes on a Saturday night at 10:30 pm) — this was on a super cold windy night… not sure how crazy the wait must be in the summer /​day times
— Only one flavor in a small (weird considering how large a small is)
— Limited seating (plan for this when it’s cold out, or enjoy your ice cream in an über as we did)
Tips:
* Cash only
* They serve ice cream, sundaes, flavored sodas /​drinks, and brownies /​cookiestoo
Verdict — will be back when I get those ice cream cravings and Ben and Jerry’s just won’t cut it.

We absolutely love their ice creams, sundaes, milkshakes, and floats. Yes, we have tried all of them. Their creations are fun and all the flavors go well together. If you choose a cup rather than a cone, they come in a Chinese takeout box. Beware of portion size though, the sundaes and shakes are pretty big. Might be better to split it with someone.
The only complaint I have is their paper straws. I never really understand them because they ultimately wither away even though I haven’t finished my drink. Wish there’s another option.
All in all, we love the atmosphere here and the ice creams are great! We came during summer time and the line’s out the door but it goes pretty quick. Not much of a line in winter time. Cash only!

Get ready to experience the 30s! Franklin Fountain will send you back and you are going to love it.
This little corner ice cream and soda shop is adorable. My friend and I went here during a quick weekend getaway to Philly and it was wonderful. We ordered two small ice creams, the Wherly Berley for me and the Cookies ands Crème for my friend. YUM. There was nothing «small» about these dishes. I couldn’t stop chowing down on my choice – so, so delicious. I only wish I could have tried the other 20 flavors as well!
This place is so adorably old-​timey that you truly think you’re experiencing history. Cute old décor, even little old treats for sale like vintage candy. The staff dresses in vintage uniforms that you’d see in a movie. Simply charming!

Considering this place was featured on the food network and rated #3 of best ice cream spots, let’s just say the bar was set high! We basically decided to visit Philly so we could try the ice cream here. There was a bit of a line that went rather slow, but we waited and split their classic sundae with vanilla bean ice cream and a scoop of chocolate on the side. The sundae was absolutely amazing and lived up to my expectation. That whipped cream and chocolate sauce was seriously the best I’ve ever had.
Now while the vanilla sundae was great, their chocolate ice cream was far from spectacular! At #3 rated spot I expected all of their ice cream to be amazing, not just the vanilla bean. Also, we ate our ice cream there (versus to go) and they served it in Chinese take out containers, which based on the pictures appears to be the norm. I thought that was bizarre given the old fashioned theme. Plus it was difficult to get to the bottom of the container with the little plastic spoon. I like my fancy ice cream served in glass thank you very much!

I have been to their pop up shop by the pier. Their ice cream is so delicious, not too sweet. The whipped cream and the concoctions offered are not to be missed. Prepare to wait for the treats tho.
The market street location is always busy. I avoid that.

I don’t really get Franklin fountain honestly. I thought everyone was all about it because it feels like an old time ice cream parlor (that’s definitely part of it), but apparently everyone is really into the homemade ice cream as well.
I’ll definitely give it points for ambiance; everything from the menu to the counter tops to the outfits is like a throwback to the fifties (or my perception of the 50s based on movies like Pleasantville…) It would be cooler if the space was bigger and you got to sit inside or at the counter though. You basically get to experience the inside for the 15 minutes that you wait in line and then you’re just in old city eating ice cream out of a Chinese food container… And the ice cream isn’t all that.
As a side note I’m really into toppings but they’re slacking in terms of that. They have brownie bites but only in winter AND they have no microwave so you can’t even have them warmed. Lame.
Overall unimpressed.

The Franklin Fountain is one of those places that takes you back to a simpler time with their décor and ambiance. A time where you could buy an ice cream sundae for only a quarter (or less).
Despite the look and feel of a retro ice cream parlor, the prices do not reflect the theme (obviously). But wouldn’t it be nice?
The menu on the board, and even in their menu books look pretty intimidating. When you’re craving something sweet, what do you want?! This shop was so many options, that we were just kind of standing there for 10 minutes with no idea what we wanted.
Eventually, we ordered the Mt. Vesuvius with vanilla ice cream. The store has a very limited seating selection, so we had ours put in a to-​go container, which resembles a Chinese take-​out box. How lovely!
Our order came out fairly quick and we were lucky to have found a table. After one bite of the Mt. Vesuvius, I feel in love. When combining brownies and ice cream in sundaes, the brown has to be delicious in order for the combination to satisfy. The chocolate brownie here meshed so well with the vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. This was the kind of ice cream dish that, when you were finished with it, you felt a bit of sadness because it was all gone.
I will definitely be back again to try the other menu items! Or, just to get the Mt. Vesuvius again.