The Outside Scoop

Visited this fantastic ice cream shop on a Friday evening for the first time ever! Both employees were super friendly and gave us a couple samples. It was so hard to pick what to get due to them having so many delicious sounding options, including a few seasonal choices! They offer sundaes, ice cream cake, pints, quarts, and have a decent selection of vegan options. The sizes pictured were one of their smallest and even still it was a great size. The store is super clean and tidy too. My only minor complaint is that they only have one milkshake size and it seems to be pretty large. I wanted a milkshake but didn't want a huge one. The price was relatively high too which was a bummer because shakes are usually my go-to. Overall, this didn't take away from the experience and we absolutely loved the ice cream shop!

In the nicest way possible, this place was so overwhelming!! There were over 60+ options & flavors to choose from. Everyone working there was so kind and patient with me. They let us try as many samples as we needed and let me roam around the flavors for several minutes because I couldn’t make up my mind LOL. I decided to be simple and get my reliable Rocky Road, but they had a lot of vegan, milk friendly, sorbet options as well! They were very generous with their scoop sizes, I don’t know why my friend insisted on getting 3 scoops . I would be interested in trying a sundae next time!

IA is not my neck of the woods but I ventured out to this ice cream place and was not disappointed. Plenty of GF flavors and yes, they will open to a new tub for you to avoid cross contamination with a clean scooper. Don't be afraid to try the blueberry or cherry with goat cheese. It was quite tasty. They even have GF cones to boot.

I hadn't been back in quite some time but, The Outside Scoop is still (by far) my favorite ice cream shop in the Des Moines metro. It's actually creamy and the flavors are on-point! I usually get a scoop of the goat cheese and roasted cherry with a toasted house-made marshmallow on top! Try it!

This was my first time visiting The Outside Scoop, and I was really impressed by their professionalism and friendliness. I’ll admit the prices were a little on the higher side, but that’s to be expected in Ankeny—and honestly, for what you get, it’s fair. The quality and overall experience make it worth it. If I’m ever in the Ankeny area and craving ice cream again, I’ll definitely keep them in mind!

I took my sister and niece to The Outside Scoop yesterday, and we all walked away absolutely thrilled with our ice cream — it was that good. From the moment we walked in, the inviting atmosphere and the smell of freshly made waffle cones set the stage for something special. The ice cream itself? Phenomenal. I’ve been eating ice cream my whole life (36 years of dedicated experience ), and I can confidently say this is the best ice cream I have ever had. Every flavor we tried was rich, perfectly textured, and bursting with flavor — nothing generic or bland here. The attention to detail and quality really shows in every scoop. The staff were friendly and helpful, and they have a great variety of classic and creative flavors to choose from. It’s obvious why locals rave about this place — from the handcrafted, small-batch ice cream to the family-friendly vibe, this spot earns every one of its positive reviews. If you’re in town — whether you’re a longtime ice cream lover or just looking for a delicious treat — I highly recommend stopping by The Outside Scoop. You won’t regret it.

The family and I are always impressed with many of the ice cream found at The Outside Scoop in Ankeny. Plus, the store is always very nicely decorated for Christmas. My wife and kids enjoy this local ice cream shop. I personally like several of their items such as the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake flavor and the chocolate Cookies and Cream flavor. I've ordered in and ordered to-go. Both options are perfect.

I enjoyed my time at the Outside Scoop. The service was very pleasant. As for the banana split, the ice cream was a bit stiff and hard to dig into. I didn’t taste much of the chocolate ice cream, the vanilla was good for flavor, and strawberry ok. The flavor was in the chocolate syrup and the waffle chunks that were added. At $14, I had better quality splits for much less. The rest of the experience was really good.