Located right near the pier in the historical district of downtown Philadelphia, Kyle and I first heard about The Franklin Fountain on this show.  After seeing the charming historical setting and delicious frozen treats, we knew that we must check it out as soon as we were in Philly.

I Scream You Scream

Taste: 9

Presentation: 8

Originality: 10

Service: 8

Appearance: 6

Value: 5

Restrooms: Didn’t use it.

Well, you know the rest…

Taste: The ice cream is homemade, made from all natural and local ingredients.  The taste is excellent, so rich and creamy!  They also have a wide variety of flavors to choose from and make sure to ask about their historical options.

Presentation: They dish up the goodies in these old-school medal bowels and keep the ice cream nice and chilly.

Originality: Even though The Franklin Fountain opened it’s doors in 2003, you would have thought that it has been around for 100 years.  The founders of this establishment, the Berley brothers, wanted to create a unique “step back in time” experience by serving up homemade sweets at a soda fountain.  Their attention to detail does them credit.  I didn’t know that this business was so new until I looked them up.

Service: Very warm, helpful and friendly, the customer service was one of the best things about this place.

Appearance: The architecture of this building is worth the visit alone.  The ceilings are ornate and decorated and the floor is the original porcelain mosaic tile that was there when the building was first built in the 1900′s.  The ceiling fans are run on a conveyor belt and all of the furniture looks like it was hand picked from an antique fair.

Value: I honestly don’t remember the exact price, but it was a little pricy for “just ice cream,” maybe $4 or $5?  But each scoop is very generous and I remember regretting getting two scoops because it was so much ice cream.

Restrooms: They have a little restroom in the corner of the restaurant but neither of us used it.