Farrell’s in Rancho Cucamonga returns you to the fun of old fashioned ice cream (Photos)

For her birthday, Dorothy and I drove out to Farrell’s in Rancho Cucamonga. We both have fond memories of Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlors. Moreover, Dorothy had a coupon for a free sundae on her birthday as a gift from her membership in their email club.

When you arrive, the building’s whole design and color scheme of red with white letters announces that this place if for fun and nostalgia. The interior reinforces that feeling. The walls add the blue for America’s red, white and blue. You even encounter the Statue of Liberty as you enter the dining area.

View slideshow: Any day can be a celebration at the Farrells Ice Cream Parlor in Rancho Cucamonga

When you go to Farrell’s, be prepared to celebrate excess with The Pig’s Trough, the Hot Fudge Volcano and Farrell’s Zoo. Decades ago when I first encountered Farrell’s in Riverside, I was young enough to indulge myself in The Pig’s Trough, which is a double banana split. Today I can only marvel at an appetite capable of chowing down on that much sweetness.

Location: Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor

34.106571 ; -117.570189

Celebration of Abundance and Fun

Another more positive view is that Farrell’s Ice Cream parlors are a celebration of abundance, good times and celebrations. There is a lot to be said for finding someone who still gives super-sized portions.

The management and staff do their best let you know that they are glad you’re here and want to help make your visit a memorable and enjoyable experience. They look for occasions to celebrate and make merry with lots of noise and occasional ribbons. Even the names of the dishes, like the Gastronomicaldelicatessenepicurean’s Delight, are meant to be fun and frivolous.

Fresh Brewed Iced Tea

I was delighted to find that Farrell’s serves fresh brewed iced tea. Katie-Grace, our server, was very good about seeing that Dorothy’s water and my iced tea were refilled throughout our dining adventure. She even got me a small takeout cup of iced tea as we left.

Gastronomicaldelicatessenepicurean’s Delight

By the time we arrived, we were hungry so we started with lunch. We split a Gastronomicaldelicatessenepicurean’s Delight. Boy, are we glad that we chose to share one as it was big! Each half was probably the size of a 4” Subway sandwich.

The Gastronomicaldelicatessenepicurean’s Delight has corned beef, stacked ham, and roast turkey breast with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Italian dressing served on a Parmesan buttered roll. The flavor of this sandwich was wonderful. It had a generous serving of meat.

Farrell’s served a garlic pickle spear per half plus a choice of several types of potatoes or string onion rings. Dorothy and I indulged in Farrell’s delicious string onion rings. They reminded us of the canned shoestring onion rings that were crisply fried. However, these were better as they were fresher and thinner.

Free Birthday Sundae at the Rancho Cucamonga Farrell’s

It’s hard to believe that Dorothy’s free hot fudge sundae was only one scoop because it was the size of a normal two scoop sundae. The scoop was about 3” in diameter. The afternoon crew even came over to deliver Dorothy’s sundae with candle and song, accompanied by a drum

Gold-Digger

Two Farrell’s sized scoops of butter pecan ice cream with banana ‘nuggets’ (a full banana sliced into chunks) with hot butterscotch sauce topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Need I say that this was delicious? We both thought that their ice cream is rich and creamy.

Extraordinary Service

We had wonderful service from Katie-Grace Watson. She was one of the most attentive and friendliest servers we’ve had anywhere. We’re grateful too to Kelly who took Katie’s picture with Dorothy and me. The manager Preston Lowry greeted us warmly outside before we even entered. He had Travis Lee, the manager of the new Riverside store, with him. We delighted in receiving truly superb service all around.

Farrell’s Rancho Cucamonga was the complete package: delicious food, entertaining environment and wonderful service. It’s free birthday sundae is an added bonus. Farrell’s will do its part to make your visit enjoyable. The rest is up to you. Enjoy yourself.

Additional information
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant