The Franklin Fountain

Category:	Ice Cream Shop
Address:	116 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
Phone:	+1 215-627-1899
Site:	franklinfountain.com
Rating:	4.6
Working:	11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 11AM–12AM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 9

Tata Formica

Let me start by saying I am a Philadelphian and have lived there for 25 years and have never heard of this place until I was in college and had friends who went to school in the city who would rave about it. I also saw them featured on an episode of Bizzare Foods and it looked pretty cool so me and my wife thought we would give it a try. We got there and it wasnt too busy, but there are only a few seats on the inside which were taken and it was raining so that was kind of a bummer so we couldnt really use the outside seating...Anyway, the inside is a nice atmosphere just tighter and smaller than I expected. They apparently make their own root beer and ice cream there so me and my wife wanted to try the floats. 2 floats were $17.30 after tax, but hey its the city, and from what I watched on Bizzare Foods they give you a big huge glass with a few nice scoops. Side note: everyone who works there was super friendly and they all seemed to like their job. So our order comes out. One small scoop of ice cream served in what I would say was a 16 ounce cup...I guess we were taking them to go... The root beer in the float was decent, definitely an original brew no bottle or can stuff, less carbonated than that stuff but it tasted good. The ice cream was good, better than the carton you get at the grocery store but Ive had better. Way more root beer than ice cream in the cup, the ratio wasnt great. To sum it up i understand they had to make things look good for the camera but for what you were paying it just didnt meet my expectations. When it came down to it everything just came off as kinda gimmicky like a Ginos or Pats steak. Not a bad place, I would just consider it a little hidden gem, more like a hidden crystal. Probably not a bad place to take a girl on a first date, if youre willing to pay $8 bucks for her ice cream it may persuade her to think youre worth a lay;)

Marcus Ng

I am a supreme Haagen Daaz fan, so use that to help judge my review. Old-fashioned ice cream place. Classic decor and they use "Hydrox" cookies instead of Oreos for their cookies and cream. They still make their sodas the old-fashioned way with syrup and seltzer. Ice cream isnt bad, and they have a huge variety of flavors, including seasonals, that make it a fun place to be. They are generous with their serving sizes. Sometimes they take the old-fashioned thing a little too far though. Its not really convenient eating ice cream out of a Chinese take out box since the whole thing is melting and getting everywhere. Drinking a milkshake through a paper straw is infuriating at times. I was informed when I went that this was a cash-only enterprise, so keep that in mind, as well.

Leigha Normann

We found this place online when searching for desserts in the city. We both love ice cream so we figured it was worth a try! Im not a huge fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream but the mint syrup, dark chocolate chunks, and homemade vanilla ice cream sounded too good not to try. This was hands down the best ice cream I have ever had before!! All of the treats served while we were there looked incredible and made me wish I could have one of everything!! Absolutely go! If ice cream isnt your thing (they have vegan ice cream options, dont worry!), there was an assortment of other desserts and homemade drinks such as rose water, lavender water, and root beer. I dont think you can go wrong with anything you get from here!!

Yetunde Ogunfidodo

Love the Franklin Fountain. They have delicious old school ice cream. My favorite is their cookies and cream, which they make with the Hydrox cookie. Its a precursor to the Oreo. It has a higher cream content, so it tastes better in ice cream. The one sad thing about writing this positive review is that the lines may be even longer now. Typically the line is out of the door. Sometimes down the street. I almost gave them 4 stars when considering the many frustrating experiences waiting, and waiting (and waiting still) or having to choose not to wait, because I had later plans. Of course its not their fault that the ice cream is so popular. So go. You will love it. Plan a lot of TIME!

Stephen Weber

There is a very good chance youll always find a line at The Fountain, but it is always worth the wait. It is conveniently located a short walk from the 2nd Street subway station as well as Penns Landing, depending on the direction you are coming from. The menu is extensive and there is a special menu for the colder months. Remember to stock up on cash as they do not take cards. This is a trip back in time after all. Be sure to save your receipt (docket for those of you visiting from overseas) and visit their sister shop, Shane Confectionery, conveniently located a couple doors down. Youll get a discount with valid receipt.

Cayla Frontino

I went here to get a fun, late night snack. After standing in a pretty long line, we finally ordered and I purchase a strawberry milkshake. Finally reaching the end of the line to pick-up, I waited 15 minutes for one regular sized milkshake. Im utterly disappointed and unsatisfied with my purchase. It was watered down to the point that it looked like strawberry milk, there was no whipped cream added on top (Ive never bought a milkshake without whipped cream, unless it was from a gas station) and it took 15 minutes! Absolutely NOT worth nearly $9. I will never recommend this ice cream parlor to anyone in Philadelphia.

A Private User

No one ever took our order when we came in the door. Stood in line just short of 30 minutes got to the register to be told we had to go to the back of the line to place our order again. Ridiculous is an understatement. When trying to reason with the cashier that we had already stood in line for 30 minutes we were told "thats just how it is". Needless to say, we left with an extremely disappointed 4yr old, while all of the people who were in front of us in line returned to the back of the line to stand for another 30 minutes. I couldnt help but laugh at the insanity of the situation I had just witnessed.

Tony Finan

Franklin Fountain produces some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted. While it is definitely more expensive than a typical ice cream store, you are definitely getting a much higher level of quality and flavor. All their ice cream is made on premise, with many of the ingredients being locally sourced. Heck, they even have their own bee hives for honey. Even their homemade hot fudge is great, its not the typical hyper-sweet choco-flavored goo. Definitely a local treasure and worth a trip. But try to hit them during the week, weekends can be a wait.

Nazarena Luzzi Castro

I just went tonight at 9:30 - what a bust. This place does not live up to its hype....My partner and I just moved to Old City and were excited to try it. Ice cream is sub-par, at best - but what really did it was the fact that it is $2 extra if you want two flavors instead of one. In what world can you only get one flavor for $6, in a sugar cone?????? So of course, I get one flavor, and they give me like 4 scoops of it. Why, instead of 4 scoops of banana, couldnt I get 2 of banana and 2 of chocolate? Total rip off. Needless to say I wont be back.