Tenderloins and soft serve? Diet starts tomorrow. Plus, who doesn’t love fried food alongside their ice cream? Dairy Zone is known for having a killer food menu as well, filled with cheese curds, tenderloins, and pizza pockets. Serving up some of the best soft serve in town, you can get a brownie tornado, with everyone’s favorite Cosmic Brownie on top.

Head over to the east end of Des Moines, and you’re sure to see a drive-thru line 20 cars long. That doesn’t even account for the line outside the shop as well. Make sure to bring your pup so they can get a free cone and hang out on the swinging chairs for a while. Specializing in soft serve, you can get a cone or a sundae or even an arctic blast (ice cream mixed with toppings). With a truck and two storefront locations in Indianola and Ankeny, The Outside Scoop creates all their ice cream in small batches from scratch. Their stores serve 24 flavors on a rotating basis, while the trucks serve five to seven flavors. Keep things traditional with vanilla or strawberry, or expand your palate with flavors like Dutch letter, goat cheese with roasted cherry or coffee toffee.Ī Des Moines institution, Snookies has been making families happy since 1986, and has retained its old-school vibe. Located in the charming Beaverdale neighborhood, you know it by its iconic neon sign that is as beloved as the ice cream (it's an official Des Moines landmark!). If you’re from Greater Des Moines, you’ve likely seen the bright pink The Outside Scoop ice cream truck driving around town (perhaps even chased it down).

Tutti frutti ice cream game