Reviews & Ratings for Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream Cafe

12/17/10

Sebastian Joe's Excellent Place

by Not a Minnesotan at Citysearch

Every time we visit Minneapolis (our daughters) we have to go to Sebastian Joe's on Franklin street for the ice cream variety and the coffee. It's a great pleasure to take the grandchildren who pick a different ice cream flavor each time. Mine is the pot hole chocolate. The coffee is so good I order it sent to me at Christmas time to give as gifts. My favorite is Italian Espresso. Last time we were there I was impressed with the seemingly endless line that went out the door. The wait was enjoyable as a people watching experience. This place is on our "Can't be missed place" each time we visit the Twin Cities.

10/17/10

Meh.

by shanajo11 at Citysearch

We were vising the area and spent some time searching around on-line to find a good place to take our kids to get ice cream. We came across Sebastian's and the reviews looked good, so we decided to try it out. Due to where we were staying it was a 1/2 an hour drive to get there, but we thought it would be worth it.

Least to say, it was so not worth it. The cashier was extremely rude for starters. Then it was over $4 for a cone with one scoop of ice cream. The ice cream was not even pushed down into the cone, and the one scoop that each cone got was way too big for the size of the cone, so it was tipping off of the cones. Not to mention that the ice cream started melting immediately and two of my kids had to throw their cones out after only 4 minutes of eating them because it was melting all over their hands.

My husband and I got coffee and it was truly the worst coffee we've ever had at a coffee shop. A cup of Folgers with some Coffeemate creamer would have been better. Both of us felt ill after drinking 1/2 of our cups of medium lattes. The coffee was so, so bitter to the point where it almost sour. My pumpkin latte just tasted like bitter coffee with a scoop of mushed pumpkin mixed into it. Not good.

I have no problem spending a good chunk of money on good coffee and desserts, but this was not worth what we spent at all. Huge disappointment and we will not be returning.

12/03/09

yummy!

by miss mazy at Citysearch

love this place !

at times, bad service, but who cares?!

great prozen yogur, great malts

• Pros: best frozen yogurt!
• Cons: service...

10/25/09

bad customer service

by welshie at Citysearch

I don't know why I expected warm fuzzies when I entered Sebastian Joe's for the first (and last) time in years today. Perhaps it was because I have such good memories of going there when I was little; I didn't expect the cold welcome and the rude comments by the cashier as she told me and my husband that we could not stay in the establishment because we had dunn bros coffee in our hands. Perhaps the owners of the two establishments are in a bitter blood feud, and cannot stand even the sight of the other store... regardless, I think it is bad policy to humiliate one's customers

• Pros: best ice cream, nostalgia
• Cons: crabby cashier lady

09/21/09

The best ice cream in twin cities.

by Pavel Ushakov at Citysearch

They have pretty much the best ice cream in twin cities. I especially like Oreo! Also Rum and Raising is very good.

I see they now have a fan site at sebastianjoe com

• Pros: taste, location
• Cons: price

06/22/09

Yummy!!

Contributor at Citysearch

Soooooo delicious!

06/07/09

Love the ambience

by LJoo83 at Citysearch

I love this ice cream shop! It has a very quaint, old town feel in the middle of a big city. They have this pretty indoor seating area with a fireplace and also an outdoor seating area with twinkly lights.

The only complaint I have is they should shove ice cream into the bottom of the cone. Otherwise you eat the ice cream and all you are left with is the cone. Give me a reason to eat the cone! It would be nice if they put an M&M in the bottom so ice cream won't drip out. (Hint, hint).

• Pros: Great seating area(s)
• Cons: Give me a reason to eat all the cone!

05/23/09

DON"T BOTHER

by dssjrf at Citysearch

I brought my family here after a nice Sushi dinner. Looking for a good ice cream desert. NOT! The children, 12 year olds, were disappointed when they received their Dixi cup sized single scoop for $3.05. I had a single scoop of chocolate with syrup, whipped cream, and nuts for $6 plus. This they call a Sundae? Guess they have never visited Baskin Robins! I've had better from Cub. Next time we'll go to IZZY'S.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: $$$$$$$

02/24/09

My new favorite place

by Emers1214 at Citysearch

I've lived in the Uptown area for close to a year now and have heard many things about Sebastian Joe's, negative and positive. The one time my boyfriend and I actually made it in for a visit, it was the middle of summer and the place was PACKED. We gave up and left just for lack of patience, but my curiosity was officially piqued. I read all the reviews I could find and have to say I was a little hesitant, but I still wanted to make my own judgment. So today ended up being the day and I was not disappointed.

The girl behind the counter was very sweet and, after hearing that it was our first visit, encouraged us to taste everything (tempting, but we limited ourselves to just a few samples). We ended up getting the Pavarotti Sundae and a two scoop cup with Oreo and Sebastian's Favorite. It was all absolutely delicious. The consistency of the ice cream was perfect and it was very rich in flavor. The Oreo was seriously heaven and I think my bf regretted not ordering that in a sundae.

I have to say, if you're thinking about trying this place, try it! Don't let the negative reviews sway you. There's a reason the lines are out the door in the summer. I concede that everyone has different tastes and may not agree with my assessment, but giving this place a shot and deciding for yourself probably isn't going to break the bank. And if that is a possibility, go during the winter. The lower the temp, the higher the discount. And it will be less busy too. In summary, I recommend this place.

• Pros: Delicious, friendly, nice atmosphere
• Cons: No free refills on fountain drinks when dining in

02/19/09

Delightful, quality, home-made ice cream in charming, friendly, settings. Great coffee, too!

by epicurian2009 at Citysearch

Rotating selection of ice cream flavors with favorites always available. Now they are roasting their own coffee beans as well. Sometimes they even have coffee flavored ice creams! Yay! A marriage made in heaven.

(velocityno9 needs to get a life or learn how to eat ice cream)

• Pros: Service, parking, ambiance, run by good people
• Cons: need more non-sweet food at LH store...soups are there now but maybe sandwiches?