(708) 761-6979
12301 S 86th Ave
(123rd Street)
Palos Park,
IL
60464
41.6672
-87.8303
Hours:
Mon-Thu 6:30am-9:30pm
Fri 6:30am-10pm
Sat 8am-10pm
Sun 11am-9:0pm
Price:
$
Last updated 8.27.11
What People Are Saying About The Plush Horse
The Owner
The Plush Horse
Owner
The Plush Horse offers delicious homemade ice cream with a nostalgic flair. Made with only the finest and freshest ingredients available, we invite you to experience our legendary ice cream in charming Palos Park, IL. Nestled in a quaint tree-filled location just 20 miles southwest of Chicago, you'll enjoy a tasty selection of over 30 flavors in our newly remodeled historic store. Eat inside and experience the charm of yesteryear or stroll outside to our beautiful courtyard. Cones, shakes, malts, sundaes and banana splits are just a few of the delicious sweets and treats we offer. While inside, visit the coffee shop and discover an assortment of coffees and baked goods. Planning a party? Our delicious ice-cream cakes are ideal for birthdays, holidays and special occasions. We are also excited to present our Ice Cream Social Catering.
Featured Review
Contributor
Contributor
In Short – Set in a 1893 home, the Plush Horse has just a few tables and serves everything with plasticware. Cones, sundaes, shakes and floats are concocted with your choice of more than 30 flavors. Banana splits get three scoops and three toppings; top flavor picks include rum raisin, Italian lemonade, amaretto almond and apple pie. Seasonal selections are also offered, like pumpkin pie ice cream in fall. A bakery offers coffee drinks, fresh-baked muffins and scones. –
Editor's Tips
- The Extras:
- Ice cream is also available by the quart. Ask for it foil-wrapped and it'll be good for up to an hour for the ride home.
- Know Before You Go:
- Lines get so long on hot summer nights that police cadets are called to help direct traffic.
| ambiance | 100.0% positive |
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|---|---|---|
| dessert | 100.0% positive |
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| food quality | 100.0% positive |
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| overall | 100.0% positive |
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| return potential | 100.0% positive |
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| service | 100.0% positive |
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| value | 100.0% positive |
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friendly and keeps high standards
by Levi71
I love the Plush Horse, mainly because its one of those rare places that keep a very high standards of both product quality and customer services. It is one of the best ice creams in Chicago, if not the very best.
Sunday afternoons
by davesch
I grew up in the 60's and 70's in nearby Palos Heights. My Dad used to pile us all into the car on Sunday afternoons in the summer to go to the Plush Horse. Both of my older brothers worked there in high school and the lines were so long that they would wake up with a start in the middle of the night and say "Can I help you, sir?" and then go back to sleep. The lines didn't matter because you knew half the people and made new friends out of the rest. Usually the men waited in line while the women chatted on the back patio waiting for us to bring them their ice cream. Palos men were a chivalrous lot.
Back then we used to call it Sophie's amongst ourselves because Sophie (the original owner's wife, I think) was still with us. She was very elderly but had jet black hair and still worked in the day to day operations right up until she passed. She always seemed to find the extra scoops for the kids if Dad was digging for change to pay. She had special treats for the regulars. There used to be a merry-go-round horse in the window that had a plush velvet-like surface. Sophie would have my Dad put us up on it. The plush surface became worn, but she didn't care. She loved us kiddies.
The hand packed ice cream was the order of the day. It cost more but was a better value and made a better tasting cone. Folks in the know ordered it in advance. Since my brothers worked there, we always had hand packed in the freezer. Butter Pecan was my Dad's favorite.
I'm pleased that the things the made the Plush Horse great from the beginning hasn't been lost on her subsequent owners. The Plush Horse is a generational thing, with parents (and now grandparents) from this period making the pilgramage whenever they come back to where they grew up. I hope that my kids (now teenagers) can take their kids to have the same experience that we had.
South Side favorite!
by southside67
What can I say? My family and I have been going to the Plush Horse since my older brothers were small. This place is awesome! The homemade ice cream is extra delicious, the portions are huge, the prices are cheap and the look of the place and the atmosphere are reminicent of an olde ice cream parlor. What a great place to sit outside and chomp some on a summer night!
- Pros: Great value, Great atmosphere, Great taste
- Cons: long lines, long lines, long lines
Best Ice Cream In Chicagoland
by bluelightning42
The Plush Horse has been my favorite ice cream parlor since I was a child. I have been to many of the other ice cream parlors in and around Chicago, but plush horse is by far the best. It is a great value and two scoops will fill up anyone I have ever brang there. Oh, and if you like Cookies-&-Cream, it is the best ever!
- Pros: Great Value, Great Enviorment, Tons of flavors
The REAL thing!
by taj1972
The Plush Horse is the definition of summer for me. Growing up not too far from the ice cream parlor, this was the biggest treat on a hot evening. They have the best mint chocolate chip ice cream I've ever had, and my Mom favors the Hawaiian Delight. Truthfully, you just can't go wrong with any selection here. Now that I live in the city, I have to make excuses to go back to the south side for this incredible treat. Keep it up Plush Horse - I can't imagine summer without you!
- Pros: Great value, No small scoops here!
- Cons: Long lines on weekend
The Details on The Plush Horse
Place Categories:
- great homemade ice cream
- great place
- favorite scoop
- great plush horse
- great value
- great prices
- best homemade icecream
- favorite ice cream parlor
- good rainbow cone
- love kids
- unique taste
- friendly everyone
- best cheap
- incredible treat
- like cookies
- best mint chocolate chip ice cream
- favorite butter pecan
- very reasonable great ice cream
- great home
- huge portions
- great date spot
- great service
- favorite south
As Seen In…
Message from The Plush Horse
- Ice Cream
- Catering
- Coffee and Baked Goods
The Plush Horse offers delicious homemade ice cream with a nostalgic flair. Made with only the finest and freshest ingredients available, we invite you to experience our legendary ice cream in charming Palos Park, IL. Nestled in a quaint tree-filled location just 20 miles southwest of Chicago, you'll enjoy a tasty selection of over 30 flavors in our newly remodeled historic store. Eat inside and experience the charm of yesteryear or stroll outside to our beautiful courtyard. Cones, shakes, malts, sundaes and banana splits are just a few of the delicious sweets and treats we offer. While inside, visit the coffee shop and discover an assortment of coffees and baked goods. Planning a party? Our delicious ice-cream cakes are ideal for birthdays, holidays and special occasions. We are also excited to present our Ice Cream Social Catering.


