Fonzerellis Ice Cream Parlour, Belfast

Introduction

I decided to review this Ice Cream Parlour due to the realization that there are many places where I live to review and I haven't reviewed any of them yet. I am glad Fonzerellis is available to review as it is just my kind of place. I will be happy to let people know as much as I can about this wonderful place. My sister is also a regular visitor there and would recommend it too. Fonzerellis is a family run business. It has been providing delicious Ice Cream to customers for over 24 years now and appears to still be going strong. The special recipe for their famous Ice Cream has been in their family for generations now. Fonzerellis customers consist of people from the Shankill area and also people from further afield. You often see families and couples here.

Where is Fonzerellis?

The Fonzerellis Ice Cream Parlour is situated on the Shankill road. It is close to all local amenities and if you live on or around the Shankill area it is within very short walking distance. If you do not live around this area and should wish to visit the address is 173 Shankill Road in Belfast County Antrim and the postcode is BT13 1FP.

Arranging Your Visit

The Ice Cream Parlour is quite distinct in appearance. You know it is an Ice Cream shop looking at it and because it is one of only a few on the Shankill road it makes it that bit easier to find. You do not need reservations in order to eat here. It probably will be busy on really warm days though. You can choose to sit in or take your food with you. You can pretty much wear whatever you want because there is no set dress code.

Our Visit

Myself and my Boyfriend went here on Wednesday afternoon just after we had finished our shopping in Iceland. It is literally just across the road from where I live and so we did not have very far to walk to get to it. When walking past Fonzerellis you always get a sense of how relaxed and happy the customers are. If you happen to glimpse through the window or should you decide to get something to eat inside, you will notice the atmosphere is very chilled out and the customers are usually engaged in conversation with each other, laughing, or smiling.

The Booths are very comfortable to sit in and there is plenty of room for quite a few customers to eat or drink in Fonzerellis at any given time. The Ice Cream parlour looks lovely inside and is very tastefully decorated. When I lived farther away I use to regularly walk all the way down the Shankill road just to get one of their milkshakes which are available in a variety of delicious flavors. I do not usually see some of these flavors in other Ice Cream Parlours that I have visited. Some of the flavors available are the ones we all have come to expect such as Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate but then there are also Mint and Pineapple which seemed a little adventurous to me at first and it took me a while to decide on trying those flavors out because I was unsure if I would like them or not but when I did to my surprise they tasted great. Their Ice Cream tastes lovely and there is a wide range of sprinkles available. My favorite thing from Fonzerellis is their plain Ice Cream with Honeycomb sprinkles and Jelly. The Milkshakes are also available in a thicker consistency and in varying sizes too.

The Ice Cream Parlour was nice and quiet on our visit because there were not many people there. All we could hear was the sound of the three people at the table laughing and carrying on and then our own conversation. Sometimes this place can be noisy and other times it can be quiet as a library. It all depends on how many customers are there at the time you arrive.

Time to Eat

There is a range of classic desserts on offer such as Banana Boat, Smokey, Chocolate Smokey, Knickerbocker Glory, Ice Cream Cones, Sliders and also available are a range of Cold Drinks, Coffee, Tea, Cappuccino etc. We saw these on a laminated menu on the wall next to our booth. The menu was well laid out, easy to read and looked professional. Once we had both decided what we wanted to order. I walked up to the counter and paid for the order and then waited. I was not waiting for a long time but while I was standing there I noticed they sell Nougat Bars, Homemade Fudge, Bags of Honeycomb Pieces that are smothered in chocolate and original Honeycomb rather reasonably priced at around one or two pounds each. I made a mental note to myself to purchase some on my next visit.

They also had a range of brightly colored Ice Cream dips in tiny white containers with a plastic lid. There were blue ones, red ones, brown ones and green ones. Once our stuff was finished being prepared. The lady behind the counter handed it to me with a smile and I bought it and set it down on our table. Paul chose a Chocolate Smokey which looked really nice and he seemed to enjoy it. It was presented in a fancy glass bowl and garnished along the sides with Chocolate Sauce. The bottom was also full with Chocolate Sauce and there was a Chocolate Flake on top of it. There was a very generous amount of Ice Cream in that big glass. In fact so much so that Paul mentioned he was struggling and there were still three layers left to eat. I ordered a large Strawberry Milkshake but decided to get the normal one instead of the thicker variety. My Milkshake tasted really nice! The scent of Strawberry was quite strong without being unpleasant and so was the taste and it was very sweet. My glass was also huge and it was full to the brim.

Price

I have to say I am very impressed because for both my large Milkshake and Paul's Chocolate Smokey it came to under five pounds. All of the stuff in this Ice Cream Parlour is extremely competitively priced and really high quality.

Opening Hours and Contact

Fonzerellis opens from Tuesday to Sunday between the hours of 12 noon and 10. If you wish to contact them the number provided is 0289-031-0550

Payment Method

You can apparently pay by cash or card (Visa, Maestro, MasterCard etc.) but I personally have never seen anyone pay by card in Fonzerellis. I myself only ever have paid by cash and observed that others do the same.

Cleanliness

This place is sparkling clean and is kept in tip top condition. The table we sat at was clear and had no dust or anything on it and evidently had just been cleaned because it was nice and shiny. The floors were clean and the glasses which were used to put our Ice Cream and Milkshake in were clean enough to see your reflection in.

Facilities

There are no toilets here and it probably isn't the easiest place for people with disabilities that confine them to a wheelchair to get access to because there is a step up into it and the door is not very wide. However if you really needed a toilet there is a public restroom just around the corner.

Leaving

The lady who served us was very polite and friendly. She said goodbye and thanked us for visiting on the way out and this was even though she was having a conversation at one of the tables with two lovely wee elderly women at the time. It seemed they were regulars and I can understand why because it really is a place you will want to go back to.

Over All

We both really enjoyed our time here and the stuff that we ordered. I have no doubt we will be visiting again soon. We felt very welcome and I like that there was no rush to order our stuff. There also were no lengthy queues. I am not a fan of how in some places someone hovers over you and repeatedly asks if they can take your order before you have even made it half way through the menu. I always end up feeling pressured and ordering something I do not want. I like to take my time and enjoy the surroundings and in this place I can. I can one hundred percent recommend this Ice Cream Parlour. All in all Fonzerellis is a really welcoming place to get something nice to eat or drink. It has top quality stuff and their home made Ice Cream is top notch. This sort of establishment shows amazing value for money, friendliness and exceptional customer service.