You can't miss Maximillian's Ice Cream Café as you drive up Hope Street toward Pawtucket - the side of the building is emblazoned with an oversized likeness of an ice cream cone. As with the mural, the rest of the Maximillian's picks up where Ben & Jerry's leaves off.
The servings are large, the atmosphere is quirky and there is a bit of craftsmanship in every cone.
Always friendly, the servers tend to scoop a bit more into every cup or cone than one expects from counterparts at more corporate ice creameries. And if you're lucky, they'll also charge a bit less than the prices listed on the colorful chalkboard behind the counter.
Combinations like green tea with apple cream pie might not sound appetizing, but the richness of the ice cream means that at Maximillian's, they usually are. Rumored to have a butterfat content approaching legal limits, Maximillian's ice cream is not for the faint-hearted.
The high butterfat content is a result of Maximillian's commitment not to compromise any of ice cream's essential ingredients, which are all absolutely pure, without artificial flavorings. For better or worse, you won't find any Splenda here.
But you will find some other options, if you're one of the few people cursed by an aversion to ice cream. You can also order tasty and affordable sandwiches, and in the winter months, you can pick up hot chocolate here as well, but the ice cream remains the specialty - and the best pick.
And walking back from the Hope Street location down near Blackstone Boulevard will help you burn off those pesky but oh-so-satisfying ice cream calories - so when you get back to Brown you'll be ready to head back again.
