Justin's Ice Cream Co

Scoops on the River Walk since 1981

The counter deals in frozen desserts and does not pretend otherwise: ice cream in a cup or stacked in a cone, gelato, Italian ices, shakes, floats and sundaes. Justin's Ice Cream Co has been on the San Antonio River Walk since 1981, named for its founder, whose interest ran to Italian ices and gelato as much as to American scoops. It is a dessert shop rather than a café with a coffee or tea programme, and everything is made fresh and by hand. Drinks stay tied to the same idea, with Topo Chico for the heat and Mexican hot chocolate when something warm suits better.

A stop on the way along the river

Service is direct and informal: pick a frozen dessert, a shake, a float or a sundae, then carry on walking. The shop sits on the river level, which ties it to the slower pedestrian rhythm down there rather than the street above. Texas weather does a lot of the ordering. A cold scoop, a float or a Topo Chico makes sense for most of the year, and the hot chocolate covers the handful of days when it does not. The shop also sells by the gallon for wholesale and handles catering, so it is more than a passing tourist novelty.

Order the churro sundae first

Start with the churro sundae, the named house signature and a better first order than a plain scoop. The chocolate milkshake is the other standout, and it has built its own reputation over the years. Beyond those two the path is simple: choose a flavor for a cup or a cone, or turn the same ice cream into a float or a shake, which the counter will do with any flavor on the board. Topo Chico gives the drinks list something crisp and cold, and Mexican hot chocolate gives it something warm without turning the shop into a coffeehouse. Four decades of handmade scoops on the same stretch of river is the real argument for stopping.