Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant

Daily ice cream, made the old-fashioned way

The ice cream counter in Dania Beach is the reason to walk to Jaxson's, an old-fashioned parlor and restaurant making its ice cream on the premises daily since 1956. This is not a coffee bar with a freezer case added on; the dairy program is the center of the house, with more than 50 flavors and a menu built around sundaes, milkshakes, floats, banana splits, and waffles carrying scoops on top. The named flavors run broad rather than precious: butter pecan, coffee, black cherry, pistachio, and the kind of American parlor standards that make sense under whipped cream and syrup. The house also keeps sorbets, vegan ice cream, sugar-free choices, and reduced-fat options in the mix, which matters when a table includes children, grandparents, and someone who came only for a spoonful after lunch. The kitchen side follows the same broad, old-school line, with burgers, dogs, deli sandwiches, salads, and made-to-order comfort food working as the meal before the scoop.

A parlor, a restaurant, and a country store in one stop

The room works like a South Florida family ritual, not a quiet dessert counter. The dining room handles small and large groups with booths along the walls, long central tables, and parlor-style chairs, while a covered patio and walk-up ordering window give the ice cream side its own rhythm. The country store is part of the visit rather than an exit path: penny candy, novelty toys, T-shirts, barrels of sweets, retro knick-knacks, and memorabilia keep people moving while the table waits or the last spoonfuls disappear. Outside, the retro sign, candy-striped awning, and children’s merry-go-round set the tone before the order is even placed. Inside, license plates, flags, antiques, and collected objects crowd the walls. It is busy in the family-dinner sense, with high chairs, a juniors menu, and enough dessert theatre that children know when something large is leaving the kitchen.

Order the Kitchen Sink if there are four spoons

First order, with enough people, is the Kitchen Sink sundae. It is built for parties of four or more and the scale is the point: about one pound of ice cream per person, chosen flavors piled with bananas, homemade whipped cream, mixed nuts, cherries, housemade chocolate syrup, marshmallow, pineapple, cherry-pineapple, and strawberry toppings. American flags and lit sparklers finish it, and the siren sounds when it leaves the kitchen. That order turns the parlor into the occasion, so do not choose it for restraint. For a smaller table, keep to the ice cream program rather than treating dessert as an afterthought: a milkshake shows the churn more plainly, a float leans into the soda-fountain side, and an ice cream-topped waffle gives the hot-and-cold contrast without needing a crowd. If lunch comes first, the mile-long hot dog or a burger made from a brisket, chuck, and sirloin blend keeps the order in the same American diner register. The move is simple: eat something savory if needed, then let the counter do what it has done for decades.