It is no secret that there isn’t much to do in Bonaland, but one of the great secrets of our special place has just reopened: Twist & Shake. Now the name alone can get confusing between all the tastes, shakes and twirls, but the one we are talking about this week is the one located behind Home Depot, which is a straight shot out of the front entrance of campus. We went to find out what this place was all about, the greatest flavors and the low-key gems that you probably never would’ve thought of.
I had the *daunting* (jk super enjoyable) task of going in and finding what the best flavors were and learn a little more about this place that is constantly raved about. Perhaps people who are around ice cream are just destined to be in a good mood, but the lovely ladies here were beyond sweet and had a ton to say about all the great things they serve up!
Tara, Hannah, Trinity
Although they get all of their ice cream from the well-known New York ice cream giant, Perry’s, there are flavors that you may not only expect but have never heard of. But don’t worry – we did the dirty the deed of trying them ALL for ya! Here were some of our faves and their great recommendations!
Fireball: although there was a slight cringe from a little weekend PTSD with a bad Fireball interaction, this may make your fireball memories a little better. There was just enough cinnamon, and it was only ice cream coma worthy, not hangover worthy
Maple Walnut: although Sprague’s is gem of its own, you can skip the 20 minute drive down the countryside and stop in for some real maple ice cream that basically tastes like the delicious syrup in ice cream form.
White Lightning: perhaps the unsung hero. It’s dark chocolate ice cream with strips of mint within, and for this mint lover it was like going to heaven
Speculoos Cookie: a chai, light cinnamon flavored ice cream complemented by the Speculoos cookie, a cookie that is apparently very popular in Europe, and one that this writer has never heard about until now.
White Raspberry Cake: cake and ice cream – and not the pretend pieces of cake where you get one little piece per scoop, but actual chunks of cake. AKA the perfect redemption after a stressful week at school.
Although this was only my second time here, like everywhere in Olean/Allegany, you run into Bonaventure people! Nick Papalia and Adelaide Hahn were enjoying the Pittsburgher, which is a burger topped with coleslaw and fries. Yum!
“We come here for food more than anything else, we drive by probably once a week waiting for it to open,” they said.
Clearly food is the unspoken gem of this place. Their chicken tenders are also battered and breaded on site – not frozen!
Not like you ever really need an excuse to get some ice cream, but here are a few of my favorites: real meals for lunch are overrated, the test was TOO hard, that test was TOO easy and my personal favorite – I survived adulting for another day!
2936 Constitution Ave. Olean NY
Monday-Saturday: open at 11 am
Sunday: open at noon