The suburban shops worth a special trip are mostly making the thing in the building: four-gallon batches at Cap’s, hand-packed high-butterfat ice cream at Petersen’s, frozen custard made hourly at Andy’s. Chains have their uses, especially when it is late. The independent places give you a reason to get off the errand route.
Frozen custard is richer and denser than ordinary ice cream because it is made with egg yolk and served fresh. Ice cream parlors give you more flavors and longer histories. Both categories have one recurring local problem: plenty of places do not open until afternoon.
Hours and locations below were checked against each shop’s own listings on August 13, 2026.
On this page: The Scoop Shops · Frozen Custard · The Chains, Honestly · When to Go · Questions About Suburban Ice Cream
The Scoop Shops
Cap’s Ice Cream, Mount Prospect: Cap’s makes four gallons at a time at 10 S. Pine Street, so the case changes more often than a factory brand’s does. It spent about 25 years as Capannari before shortening the name, which is a long time to build recognition and then decide fewer syllables would be better. If you remember Capannari, you have found the same shop. Summer hours are noon to 10 p.m. daily.
Petersen’s Ice Cream, Oak Park: Hans Petersen started the business in 1919, and it has been at 1100 Chicago Avenue since 1931. The ice cream is packed by hand and runs 16% to 18% butterfat, so plain flavors are a perfectly serious order here. The catch is timing: Petersen’s opens at 2 p.m. A century-old ice cream shop has no need to hurry through lunch.
Homer’s Ice Cream, Wilmette: Gus Poulos made the first batch in 1935, and the original shop remains at 1237 Green Bay Road. Homer’s is a full-service restaurant as well as a parlor, with burgers and shakes, so this is the place for dinner followed by dessert rather than dessert improvised after dinner. It is the easier choice when one person wants food and the other came prepared for a sundae.
Kimmer’s Ice Cream, St. Charles, Wheaton, and Elmhurst: Kimmer’s has exactly three locations: 1 W. Illinois Street, Suite 100, in St. Charles; Wheaton; and 110 W. Park Avenue, Unit B, in Elmhurst. The order to know is the Sparkle Cone, a sugar cone coated in white chocolate, sanding sugar, and edible glitter. It is as restrained as it sounds. The shop’s year-round status could not be confirmed, so check before building a January plan around it.
Tate’s, La Grange: Tate’s has made its own ice cream at 25 S. Ashland Avenue since 1988, with 32 flavors including Irish Mocha Chip and New York Cherry. The old-fashioned soda-shop setup is the draw as much as a scoop. It opens at 1 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. Its website no longer resolves, so Facebook is the current place to check before you go.
Graham’s Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream, Geneva: Graham’s makes both the chocolate and the ice cream at 302 S. Third Street in downtown Geneva. That gives you more than 25 flavors and a good excuse to leave with a piece of chocolate too. It has been around for 30 years, opens at 10 a.m., and stays open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For a morning downtown Geneva errand, it is the only place here that will meet you halfway.
Village Creamery, Niles: Go to 8000 N. Waukegan Road at Oakton for flavors the rest of this list does not attempt: ube, buko pandan, halo-halo, jackfruit, lychee, and mangosteen. The shop opens at noon. Its former Skokie location closed in January 2014, so do not head there based on an old map result. The business points customers to Facebook rather than its own site.
Colonial Cafe, St. Charles and Naperville: Colonial is the sit-down choice, tracing its name back to a 1901 Fox Valley dairy. The remaining restaurants are at 1625 E. Main Street in St. Charles, open daily 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 1101 S. Washington Street in Naperville, open daily 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The ice cream is part of a meal, which is useful when the family group contains someone who regards dessert as optional. Elgin and Crystal Lake closed in August 2018; Randall Road closed in 2020.
The Original Rainbow Cone, 13 suburban locations: The Beverly original turned 100 in 2026. Its five flavors are sliced onto the cone rather than scooped: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio almond, and orange sherbet. Lombard was the first suburban location, but it is no longer the only one by a long stretch. Rainbow Cone now has suburban shops in Bolingbrook, Darien, Flossmoor, Glendale Heights, Gurnee, Harwood Heights, Kildeer, Lakemoor, Lombard, Mount Prospect, Oak Park, Orland Park, and Skokie. The Orland Park store is at 15721 S. Harlem Avenue and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. If you live near Flossmoor or Gurnee, you do not need to make a special Lombard expedition.
Frozen Custard
Andy’s Frozen Custard, Schaumburg, Countryside, and Naperville: Andy’s makes custard fresh every hour. The Concrete is blended thick enough to hand over upside down, and the Jackhammer adds a filled center. It is a chain, but it earns the stop because the product is still made continuously rather than pulled from a freezer. Illinois locations include 390 N. Barrington Road in Schaumburg, 5745 S. La Grange Road in Countryside, and two Naperville stores: 450 E. Ogden Avenue and 3104 Anna Marie Lane. It is open year-round, typically 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Greg’s Frozen Custard, Mundelein: Greg’s at 1490 S. Lake Street has served walk-up custard since 2000. It is the seasonal stand on this list, and it publishes no fixed hours because the opening and closing dates move with the weather. The staff direct customers to Google or Facebook instead. The season usually runs from spring toward Thanksgiving. It is currently open. Check before heading over, or call (847) 837-4175.
Julie Ann’s Frozen Custard, Crystal Lake: Julie Ann’s at 6500 Northwest Highway, Unit A, makes dairy-free custard with coconut cream. It is served Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with a dedicated blender, scooping freezer, and cleaning schedule. Dairy-free Julie Bars are available too. If dairy-free is why you are going, choose the day first. Service is limited to those three days.
The Chains, Honestly
Culver’s makes fresh custard through the day, and a Concrete Mixer is the reason to stop. Dairy Queen has the Blizzard. Rita’s does Italian ice and gelati, with custard layered into the ice. They usually remain open when a small parlor has turned its sign off.
Oberweis remains open after its 2024 bankruptcy sale to Hoffmann Family of Companies. The Winnetka scoop shop at 510 Winnetka Avenue opened in August 2025, the first new shop in five years and the first under Hoffmann. The company has said it plans more than a dozen additional stores in Illinois, Missouri, and Florida. Treat any old note about the Winnetka store being planned or opening soon as expired.
When to Go
Do not assume an ice cream shop is open for lunch. Petersen’s opens at 2 p.m.; Tate’s opens at 1 p.m. weekdays; Village Creamery opens at noon. Graham’s is the reliable early option at 10 a.m.
For frozen custard, Andy’s is the low-planning choice. Greg’s is the weather-dependent one. Julie Ann’s requires you to line up the visit with its dairy-free days. If the trip is longer than a few miles, check the shop’s current listing first. Suburban dessert hours have a strong preference for changing just before you promise someone a cone.
Questions About Suburban Ice Cream
What is the best ice cream shop in the Chicago suburbs?
For a classic ice cream parlor, Petersen’s is the strongest pick: more than a century old, hand-packed, and unusually rich. Cap’s is the better choice if you want a smaller-batch case that changes often. The best answer depends on whether you want the plain flavors done very well or a new one to try.
Where can I get Rainbow Cone in the suburbs?
There are 13 suburban Rainbow Cone locations: Bolingbrook, Darien, Flossmoor, Glendale Heights, Gurnee, Harwood Heights, Kildeer, Lakemoor, Lombard, Mount Prospect, Oak Park, Orland Park, and Skokie. Lombard was the first suburban store, not the only suburban store.
What is the difference between frozen custard and ice cream?
Frozen custard includes egg yolk and is usually served soon after it is made, giving it a denser texture. Ice cream parlors generally offer more flavors and can hold the product longer. Both work when the place makes them well.
Which suburban ice cream shops open early?
Graham’s in Geneva opens at 10 a.m. Colonial Cafe opens at 6:30 a.m. in St. Charles and 7 a.m. in Naperville, though it is a full-service restaurant rather than a scoop-shop-only stop. Most of the dedicated parlors start at noon or later.
Is there dairy-free frozen custard near Chicago?
Julie Ann’s in Crystal Lake makes coconut-cream dairy-free custard and uses dedicated equipment for it. Dairy-free custard is served Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, so plan the trip around those days.
The old-school places are worth the drive when the timing lines up. If you are heading out before lunch, start with Graham’s. It is open.