AC Petersen Farms

Go for the over priced ice cream! Tasty, innovative flavors and the whipped cream is fresh. Skip the over priced food unless you’re nostalgic for middle school hot lunch. Service is hit or miss both in the dining room and at the ice cream counter.

This place doesn’t even deserve 1 star I only put it because Unilocal forces me too! When my boyfriend & I 1^st got there the place wasn’t packed so we got seated quickly but before we got seated we heard one of the waitresses a blonde woman mutter «omg this is a mess today» my boyfriend & I ordered 2 sundae’s i got the volcano sundae he got the brownie I believe our waitress was named taylor well thats what the recipt said anyways because she didn’t tell us her name. & we were gonna share chicken tenders but before ordering we asked does that come with fries she said YES the chicken tenders come with fries. Than she came back exactly in this order– the 1^st time she came back she asked «what kind of ice cream did you order?» I told her politely I didn’t mind I’ve waitressed before so I was more sympathetic towards her. The 2^nd time she came back she asked what kind of ice cream did my boyfriend order… the 3^rd time she came back she told us the ckn tenders DONT come with fries so we said okay than we’ll have a buffalo wrap with NO TOMATO at this point we weren’t annoyed YET. until she came back with a buffalo SANDWICH not a wrap she left so quick i had to wait for her to check up on us to tell her we ordered a wrap not a sandwich! She appoligized & returned it & gave me a wrap but the wrap had tomatoes! at this point i started giving her attitude & said we no longer wanted the wrap because I knew they were just going to take the tomatoes off & rewrap it. when we got our sundaes they sucked so bad because she didn’t warm up my volcano cake it was cold i ate like half of it so we ended up leaving unsatisfied, hungry, annoyed… DON’T RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL THE SERVICE SUCKS!

Decided to try this out because I heard that it had good ice cream and the best milkshakes in CT. It was a Friday, so they were pretty busy but the service was still attentive! I like the 50s diner like atmosphere/​feeling and was a better alternative than DQ/Friendly’s. We didn’t try the food, just came for the ice cream. And I really like the homemade ice cream. We had ordered the smores milkshake, the lava sundae (I got mine with smores ice cream), and the cookie dough boy sundae, and cookie pie a la mode. All the things we ordered were very good. The smores ice cream is VERY good! They definitely give you a lot.
The reason I gave it 3 stars is a complain about the person who took our order. She started off nice, but with time she came off a little rude. Especially after my cousin nicely asked a question and there was a miscommunication on how the waitress explained something. It was our first time there so I wish she was more patient, but overall if I’m ever craving ice cream this is a place I would consider!

As a preface, I did not sit down and eat here, I ordered ice cream at the counter to go.
I was really pleased with the experience! I had never been and was frankly overwhelmed with all of the choices (it had been way too long since I’d eaten ice cream) so I took longer than I normally would. The server couldn’t have been more gracious! He was very patient and friendly, offering samples if we wanted. I got a sample of the raspberry chocolate chip froyo and it was very good but who was I kidding, I’m not at an ice cream place to get froyo! I ended up with a single dip brownie batter cone, it was PLENTY of ice cream and very yummy. My boyfriend had an oreo milkshake which he liked more than my ice cream choice (fine by me, that meant there was more ice cream for me)! The experience was really made that much better by the guy at the counter. He did great!

Terrible service and the food is sub-​par at best. Went last night with a group of friends and it took more then 30 minutes to get our actual menus and even longer to order and then finally receive food. After that one of my friends after one hour and many ‘Excuse Mes” was able to order ice-​cream. What was only supposed to be maybe an hour dinner turned into a sad almost 3 hour wild goose chase that was us trying to find some competent enough server to help us out. I would maybe be okay with this terrible service if the food was good, but sadly it’s not. So, most likely will never come to this establishment again, which is said because this place has been somewhat of a staple for me growing up.

I had breakfast here with friends a few months ago and enjoyed it, even if it didn’t blow me away. The pancakes were huge, fluffy, and tasted very buttery. The sausage was your standard small, frozen breakfast sausage. I was hoping they’d be the casing-​less kind, but sadly they weren’t. Overall, it was a decent meal for a reasonable price. Two pancakes and a side of sausage was more than enough food for me, and I struggled to finish it all. The service was great – our waitress managed our large table of 11 people like a pro. I’ve yet to try the ice cream, but from the tempting list of flavors, it doesn’t look like I’ll be holding out much longer. In short, this is a cute old-​school diner/​ice cream joint that offers your standard breakfast options, done well. Not a bad option, especially if you’re with a group.

Great restaurant with plenty of seating and full ice cream shop attached! Standard breakfast plates available all day (priced $ 5-​$ 8) with the option of grilled or standard homefries. (There are omlettes, too) My French Toast was perfectly done and delicious, with no cinnamon, just the way I like it. The bacon wasn’t the greatest of quality (which surprised me, considering everything else), but the home fries made up for it. My mom ordered the pancakes, and they were huge!!! Lunch options also yummy, and feature soup of the day — my brother ordered a bowl of the red pepper soup and liked it very much. They also bake their own muffins — ask for one grilled, as an appetizer before your meal arrives (banana nut is the bomb!). And, if you’re too full for ice cream after your meal, they offer hand packed quarts of ice cream to go. Perfect place for a family lunch or breakfast! One of my favorites!

Nice local joint. My server was great. I was there with my kids and she simply did a nice job being attentive and there when we needed here.
The food is OK, but the kids love it. It is a great place for ice cream. I go there more for the nostalgia of yesteryear.

I really enjoy A.C. Petersen for breakfast on the weekends and their ice cream is so good! I wish more Unilocalers could see this establishment the way I do. The food is your typical diner food, but it is good. I have never been disappointed with what I order.
I love their ice cream, simply because I know the origin of the milk and the final product. I love family businesses like A.C. Peterson. They support local causes, which I think is great.
Their breakfast is great and at a value. My boyfriend and I always leave full, almost barely finishing our orders. The breakfast selections are very reasonably priced and are so delicious. Their blueberry pancakes are so fluffy and filled with blueberries.
A.C. Petersen is a West Hartford fixture!

Only been here one for ice cream after seeing a show at Playhouse on Park but it was tasty!
Three words: Pumpkin Ice Cream!
Also the sundaes are delicious! The ice is homemade and creamy goodness!

ICE CREAM FAN.
Food, on the skimpy side but Burgers are good.
Breakfast too is good and so is coffee.

Went for lunch, was not happy with service or food. Staff was nice, but service was too slow. It took almost 30 minutes to get a «basket» of mozzarella sticks — there were six pieces and they were hardly warm. We ordered wraps, and both were less than impressive, to say the least. The portions were tiny and my wrap was falling apart before it got to the table. The wraps did not have what we requested in them either. I could have gone to the frozen food section at Walmart and made this lunch for myself in much less time, not to mention less $$$.
I cannot speak for the ice cream or desert. We did not care to waste more time and money after the quality of our lunch. However if you are looking for a less than average meal with slow service this is the place for you.

It makes me sad that Unilocalers aren’t big on this place. Okay, yes, the food isn’t mind blowing, but it’s not bad by any means. Just average. The ice cream, however, is doooope. And they’re open late, which is awesome for me when I have to drag my boyfriend out late at night so that I can get something sweet. If you’re going to dine in, I highly recommend going for the mini dipper — one scoop with hot fudge & their **HOMEMADE** whipped cream with a cherry on top. It’s truly perfection.
I was there the other night with my boyfriend and the sweet kid working there gave us a BANANA SPLIT sized «mini-​dipper» for the price of a mini dipper, just so we had enough to share! It was ultra thoughtful of him. So if you’re reading this dude, YOU RULE!
I remember grilled cheeses and curly fries here being pretty good. Everything else is aight. I’ve been coming here since I was five, y’all. Crazy.

Love this place! The desert menu is out of this world. Turkey club with curly fries was delicious.

Good ice cream, HORRIBLE RESTAURANT.
I’ve been here before and I love love love the ice cream. It’s not too sweet, tastes fresh, and has interesting flavors.
The restaurant portion is horrible. The food is bland and lukewarm. Tiny portion of fries, even if it was a side order. I ordered a cookie sundae and it was definitely microwaved. The prices are outrageous. $ 8 for a sundae that’s barely 2 scoops of ice cream???
The service we got was also horrendous. It took at least 10 minutes for a coffee refill, and I had to ask. I finished the water at the same time and didn’t even get a refill. My plate wasn’t cleared at all even though he stopped by multiple times. Really, it’s more worth it to go to mcdonalds than to get food here.
Go here for the ice cream then leave as fast as you can. Never bother to sit down and try to enjoy a meal.

I like AC Petersons, but the quality of food is diner food at best. I have gone for lunch and dinner and would just recommend going for breakfast. They have great breakfast, eggs, omelettes.
However the past 2 times I have gone, the service has been less than par. We waited 40 + minutes for breakfast and it wasn’t that busy. The waiter came over after 20 minutes to ask us what we got, so he clearly forgot to put the order it. It was obvious… We were in a rush but hungry so we stayed. Orange juice isn’t that great either, tastes like the generic OJ my mom used to buy when I was a kid
Ice cream is 5 stars though! Delicious hot fudge, whipped cream, LOTS of different flavors. Go for breakfast or ice cream!

To be honest, the only thing that’s different about this place from Quaker Diner, across the street, is a bigger menu and a bigger space. Classic greasy spoon type breakfast, which is decent, simple, and cheap. Plus, it’s open late which can be good if you’re craving a late night sundae. Also, patio dining in the spring and summer makes for a nice breakfast.

To me, this is like a slightly high-​end diner. The food is decent, the service is pretty good, the coffee is drinkable, but to me there’s nothing about the food portion that really stands out. It’s a convenient place to get just about any meal.
I do really enjoy the ice cream portion. For a while, this was the only place I could find really good coconut ice cream (that was years ago, and it’s become more popular and easier to find now). I like that you can purchase containers to bring home, and many of the flavors are really good. If I’m in the mood for ice cream and not Froyo, I come here.

A.C. Petersen has always served up creamy, flavorful ice cream and milkshakes. Since I was little, this shop has had delicious treats that make happy bellies.
The following is based on ice cream only, but I’ll definitely be back to try the food with my ice cream treats. (There are so many options to pick from, with wraps, sandwiches, burgers, and salads.)
A must-​try: the delicious and perfectly sweet coffee ice cream, and in liquid form [a milkshake]. It’s done right at A.C. Petersen. For milkshakes, you have the option of two-​scoop or three-​scoop. I opted for the three-​scoop to make it thick and it was excellent! The coffee flavor [of the ice cream] is just right, and tastes spectacular with the right mix of milk. The price for the three-​scoop is a little steep at $ 6.79 (the two-​scoop is $ 6.29), but it’s great quality ice cream and definitely worth the splurge. You get an entire mixing cup full of this creation with a classic milkshake glass.
I sampled several other flavors, including graham cracker, rum raisin, and crushed ginger. The graham cracker was tasty and had little pieces of graham cracker in it, as there was little bits of ginger in the crushed ginger. Each ice cream had a great texture and flavor.
The sundaes dished here looking amazing, as well! They don’t seem to hold back when they scoop and create.
The service was pretty good, and the atmosphere is a comfortable retro-​diner.
My milkshake craving was satisfied, but I’m already wanting another one from A.C. Petersen again soon! Shake it in on over to a place that always been consistently good, and grab a shake!

Great little place perfect for dining and eating out with children.
The service was a bit slow for being one of only 3 parties in the dining area.
The dinner was a bit expensive for diner food, but the ice cream was worth it. The selection was fantastic.
Overall, if you looking for a kid friendly place alternative to Friendly’s, this is it.