Made in the Shady
Shady Glen, Manchester
August 2009
Shady Glen makes a few appearances on CTMQ. One for their Unique and delicious fried cheese plate, one for their burgers being one of Roadfood’s best burgers, and this one – for its ice cream being on that same Roadfood list.
I’m sure I’ll return to the restaurant in the future to try some more ice cream – especially their seasonal flavors, but for now, Damian’s experience will suffice.
After a quick and delicious lunch, and since he was being such a good little boy, Damian and I shared some of Shady Glen’s peach melba ice cream.
Peach melba is a classic old school dessert which is simply peaches and raspberry sauce accompanying vanilla ice cream. Delicious. So why not combine the three into one peachy vanilla ice cream with raspberry ribbons woven throughout? Genius!
Truthfully, like all of the Shady Glen menu, the ice cream didn’t knock my socks off. Oh sure, it was great and we licked up every last drop, but it wasn’t among the best I’ve ever had. But this was Shady Glen after all, and half the joy of eating there is the atmosphere: Dixie cups of water, menus on the wall, cooks in paper hats, waitresses scampering about in 1950’s uniforms… It is a pretty cool time machine to eat in, that’s for sure.
The Roadfood experience:
Milk shakes are available in every flavor of ice cream made at Shady Glen — a huge repertoire that ranges from chocolate and vanilla to frozen pudding and grape-nuts ice cream and our personal favorite, chocolate Almond Joy ice cream. Fruit ice creams are made from fresh fruit from local and regional farms and available topped with a semi-sweet chocolate sauce that hardens as it hits the cold ice cream and turns into rich, fudgy chunks. In addition to the regular list of flavors, Shady Glen always has seasonal varieties, such as Christmas ice cream (with red and green cherries) and Thanksgiving ice cream (pumpkin-flavored).
Shady Glen may be best known for their unique cheeseburger (four slices of cheese that are fried on the griddle and arranged like huge flower petals over the patty), but it is, in fact, a dairy store where John & Bernice Rieg produce some of the finest ice cream in Connecticut. Malts, sundaes, banana splits, and cones abound, all containing rich ice cream that’s high in both butterfat and taste. The New England favorites Grape-nut and Frozen Pudding are divine, but multiple visits are required for seasonal favorites like Pumpkin and Licorice Chip.
2016 Update: Hm. That’s it? That’s all I wrote seven years ago? That’s not like me at all! I guess I was Shady Glenned out after all the other Shady Glenning. I also lied to you, as I’ve never been back since promising to do so above. Of course, I could go back at some point and enjoy some more ice cream and if I do, I’ll replace this paragraph.
Shady Glen (Facebook page)
CTMQ Eats the Roadfood List
CTMQ’s Homemade Ice Cream Trail (Shady Glen is not on this)
kerri says
August 11, 2009 at 10:47 amFor those who can eat peanut butter without going into anaphylactic shock, I recommend the chocolate peanut butter ice cream.
honeybunny says
August 11, 2009 at 1:59 pmChocolate Almond Joy.!
hb
J says
May 16, 2012 at 2:52 amKerri, the fact that you specified that is incredibly endearing.
People should always remember to go to the “real” Shady Glen, the original location on West Middle, and not the one in the Manchester Parkade. The food and ice cream are the same in the Parkade, but it’s just not the same atmosphere.
Judith M. says
May 14, 2014 at 11:26 amI grew up with Shady Glenn. My Mother was friends with the folks that started the business and I went to school with one of the children.
Joellen Hopkins says
October 15, 2016 at 12:50 pmBest chocolate chip in the world
Doreen says
December 15, 2016 at 9:36 pmthere will never be another ice cream like Shady. The chocolate is like no other and their Christmas special and Easter Special cannot ever be duplicated. My husband lived right down the road from the original owners and the Reigs were one of a kind. Lately the cheeseburgers have changed due to a change in the cheese vendor, but it still is great and the cole slaw is like no other…..Always, go to Shady and enjoy all they have……..
Ed says
March 20, 2017 at 8:40 amShady Glen Ice Cream (Chocolate Peanutbutter at least) is being served at Rein’s Deli (just off x65 on I84), which makes for a great pitstop on our Boston runs (from Ffld Cnty). Getting the chocolate-cherry bread-pudding ‘a la mode’ made it one of the best desserts I’ve ever ordered. Yum!
Randall Crawford says
November 28, 2018 at 6:30 pmMom worked for the Reiggs at the Parkade location for 25 years Starting the day it opened….There is no other Dairy Bar that can compare To shady Glen. From the top of the menu to the bottom of all Pure quality and perfection….
Karen says
January 24, 2021 at 4:13 pmWish you would post your seasonal ice cream flavors on line. When will you be doing “ Bordeaux black cherry??!?
Ruth Bortolan says
February 3, 2021 at 12:55 pmI wonder if Shady Glenn still donates ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce to local schools for the students to eat at dances and school events! We just had to drive from South Windsor to Manchester and pick up the ingredients and return the containers at the end of our events! They even supplied us with cups and spoons! They were so generous !
Laura says
December 10, 2021 at 9:50 pmI have looked and looked and cannot find what EXACTLY is the Christmas special ice cream??? Do they have SPUMONI??
Lori FM says
November 4, 2022 at 12:32 amOK – Steve – you really MUST go back and try the Chocolate Chip. Theirs is pretty unique! It’s unlike any I have had elsewhere, in that the chips are like small shards of real chocolate that melt on the tongue – nothing like hard chunks for chewing, but quite a wonderful taste sensation. I have been known to bring gallons of it home, well wrapped in a cooler, for my 2 hour trip to Boston.
Additionally, Food Network Magazine awarded it “Connecticut’s Best Frozen Dessert:” https://www.journalinquirer.com/towns/manchester/shady-glen-earns-honor-for-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/article_ae40659e-e589-11e2-9917-001a4bcf887a.html
So, DO try it! :-)
Karyn Mugmon says
June 3, 2024 at 7:50 pmWhat flavors of sherbet do you carry. Do you carry the flavor cranberry sherbet. Do you also have sorbets? Thank you.