Holy Cow

My favorite ice cream spot on Earth. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby and I’ll never stop going. The lines get super long in the summer, but they go quickly. Cash only! All the ice cream is made by them and you can’t go wrong with a flavor. My favorite since probably age 5 has been the chocolate peanut butter — rich chocolate with huge, creamy chunks of PB that melt in your mouth. Just amazing. Also love the black cherry. They have every topping you can imagine, including hard shells, which I used to love as a kid. The cherry on top (no pun intended) is that this place is dirt cheap… a small cone is less than $ 2! I don’t know how they do it but Holy Cow remains epic after all these years.

This is a really interesting location in that it’s very small town feeling, but given the location it would be. Cash only in this place, which I’d incredulous annoying considering its 2016 and I can go the store and flying camera drone. The ridiculously good ice cream here makes up for that huge misstep but I’d definitely give this place five stars if they’d tidy up the place just a bit and and didn’t seem so standoffish when taking my ice cream order. Other than that if you’re the area, I’d definitely go here for ice cream. Just make sure you have cash on you though!

Love coming here for ice cream with friends and family! Prices are reasonable and everything we’ve ever had is super yummy, this place is our go to for ice cream cakes and ice cream sandwiches for all of the bbq’s and parties our family has. Only thing I could say is we wish the staff was a little bit friendlier, seems when they are busy (which is always) they get annoyed and frustrated. Overall this is a great ice cream spot!!!

Well I would love to give 5 stars but what terrible customer service. They close when they want. The website and the hours on the door say 10 however I was there at 9:30 and they were closed. We drive a pretty good distance to come here and to have some disappointed kids is no good. What a shame we are going to have to find a new ice cream place.

I’m not sure what’s so special about Holy Cow, except the name.
We have been going for years, mainly because it’s quick and right by Route 9.
Very disappointed with the prices and service lately. The line goes fast, but the toppings (hard shell) was not applied evenly and the server refused to fix it (in a bowl, so it wasn’t like they had to dip the cone again).
Ice cream is nothing special either.

Went yesterday and will try to go tonight.
Anyone within a 15 mile radius who doesn’t go is nuts. We only order soft ice cream and yogurt. Hard icecream I can get @ supermarket We always buy a box of ice cream sandwiches for those 3am cravings. Cakes and pies are heavenly. With a good cooler and a ton of ice packs we have successfully brought them to Queens. Don’t let the long lines on warm evenings scare you; they’re reslly fast.
Oh I almost forgot VERY IMPORTANT: Always ask for toppings before you take cup or cone in your hand. They will NOT ADD THEM ONCE YOU TAKE THE CUP OR CONE nor will they give/​sell for you to add on. Trust me No amount of pleading or bribing or screaming child will sway them. Quirky but worth it

I don’t understand how this place has such wonderful reviews. The incredibly friendly and welcoming staff could not begin to make up for the terrible ice cream. I had an m&m razzle and my boyfriend had a chocolate milkshake and both were pretty disgusting. Would not recommend, will not be returning.

No nonsense ice cream shop with limited flavors, but efficient service and reasonable prices for cones, cups and simple sundaes. The pistachio was notable for having strong flavor and lots of nuts (the so-​called blueberry pie, by contrast, and the peanut butter chocolate, did not fare as well); no complaints about the hot fudge sauce either, but the lone cherry wasn’t exactly full-​size! Outdoor seating adjacent to the parking lot.

Perfect place to stop on the Yankees vs Mets weekend! Signed plaque from Phil Rizzuto & Yankee signs all over!!! Go Yankees!!!
Best homemade ice cream in the area!!! So worth the wait ~ line moves quickly. Old fashioned ice cream store ~ go now!!!

Great ice cream and inexpensive… the ice cream is good enough to make up for the attitude of the girl with long pigtails who wasn’t very nice… Eat some ice cream maybe you’ll be nicer to customers.

I got a soft cream and it was good and price is very decent. Usually all these ice cream places charge too much money so I was very happy. They are nice and friendly and made my day bright.

Holy cow! Great ice cream at an incredible place. This is such a unique place that I think is well justified for it be so revered in Red Hook, and overall in Dutchess County. If you are in the mid-​Hudson Valley, this is a great place to visit. A favorite of everyone I know around here.

I recommend the ice cream cake. Scrumptious! Holy Cow has reasonable prices, kind staff, and delicious treats.

Delicious ice cream, amazing prices! You can tell how loved this busy shop is the minute you walk in, I love that they are open year round.

Total random find, we saw a bunch of people sitting outside with their ice cream so we gave it a shot. Delicious ice cream with hot fudge on top! Tons of flavor options and friendly service. Grab something cold and grab a seat outside!

If you’re from anywhere at least within a half hour radius from this place you know it! The ice cream is good and the prices are better. You would be hard pressed to find someone that really doesn’t like Holy Cow. Most people in the Hudson Valley are obsessed with it.

Delicious, cheap ice cream. Open year round and always has a line out the door (even in the bitter cold!).
Excellent ice cream cakes. Good customer service.

One of my favorite stops in the area. The soft serve ice cream is outstanding. I can’t bring my self to try anything else. Very inexpensive I think it’s like $ 1.95 for a large soft serve with sprinkles! The only thing Holy Cow could stand to do is hire people that are more friendly… And take credit/​debit cards.
A few more great things about this place…
1. Open year round!
2. Soft serve and FroYo pints/​quarts packed to go for like 3 bucks.
3. The (always long) line moves quickly

Really creamy ice cream. Yum.

You might say «Holy Cow» when you see the long line coming out of this Red Hook gem on a summer evening. You might also say «Holy Cow» upon tasting their ice cream.
I was finally able to schedule a trip through Red Hook which allowed me to visit Holy Cow again for the first time in a few years at a slower part of the day. Even so, business was steady and turned-​around quickly thanks to 3 women behind the counter serving, and a 4^th decorating cakes and making specialty items.
My barometer for hard ice cream is butter pecan. In my opinion, a good butter pecan should have a buttery flavor and not a butterscotch flavor. Theirs is buttery — so much so that the taste remains on your tongue. It’s as if the pecans were sauteed in butter before going into the ice cream. It’s probably my second-​favorite butter pecan ice cream of all time. To have the best, you’d have to get into a time machine and go back to the early 1960s to the original Schuyler Farms in Schuylerville, NY.
They don’t have column after column of hard ice cream flavors — perhaps maybe a dozen. But it’s better to do a few extremely well than to go crazy trying to out-​flavor Baskin Robbins.
The price is very reasonable too. A small cone for $ 1.80 is a very competitive price.