Dairy Queen is a franchised company with the first location opening in 1940, in Joliet, Illinois. The Delaware Dairy Queen is located on the corner of U.S. Route 36/37 and State Route 521. 

Dairy Queen offers many items ranging from ice cream to hot food and is open year-round. Their ice cream menu features the icon Blizzard, which comes with many different mix-ins, and Dilly Bars, as well as sundaes and Buster Bars. They also have monthly/seasonal flavors of blizzards, which are available for a limited time.

There are many options available for ice cream enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy, but there are many better options for customers to spend their money at, due to their ice cream not being as fresh tasting or creamy as others.

Dari Point is located at the point, where it gets its name from, of E Winter St. and U.S. Route 37. They offer outdoor seating under a metal canopy as well as a few benches inside the shop. They are family-owned and operate from February through October every year.

Dari Point serves hot food and soft-serve ice cream, which is made in shop. Their menu features Cyclones, which is ice cream incorporated with toppings, as well as the famous Papa Smurf, which consists of blue raspberry ice cream with a cherry-dipped hat and a face.

They have many good items on their menu, but with Dairy Depot being a very similar style joint, they take the cake.

Dairy Depot has been serving Delaware for over 65 years, situated on N Sandusky St. in the northwest neighborhood.

They serve both ice cream and hot food. Their menu features flurries, which is a mix of ice cream and toppings, and soft serve. The Depot is open from March until September when their season ends. They feature covered outdoor seating, for customers to enjoy their ice cream. 

If you want the old-time summer ice cream shack feel or the perfect soft serve, Dairy Depot is the place to go.

Ciao, a fairly new cafe to Delaware is located on the corner of N Sandusky Street and U.S. Route 36. They feature gelato (ice cream in Italian) which is richer and denser than ice cream but has all the same ingredients. Their gelato is authentic Italian gelato and is made fresh daily.

The cafe features other options as well like coffee, crepes and sandwiches. They have an indoor seating area featuring a few tables as well as a bartop looking out onto the streets of Downtown Delaware.

Whether you want an authentic Italian delectable or a freshly made sweet treat Ciao is the place for you, with their ever so changing and many flavors, you’ll be sure to find something there to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Whit’s is a fan-favorite in Delaware and it lives up to the hype. Whit’s is franchised but has a more local feel than corporate companies, the first Whit’s opened in 2003 in Granville, Ohio. Whit’s is located in Downtown Delaware on Sandusky Street and features a few small tables inside of the store or patrons can find a bench around downtown Delaware to enjoy their treat.

Whit’s features hot food but their main attraction is their frozen custard. The only difference between ice cream and custard is that custard contains 1.4% pasteurized egg yolk.

Whit’s has their own creation Whitsers, featuring their frozen custard with toppings dispersed throughout and they also have Whitties which is custard between two cookies. Whit’s has weekly, daily and monthly flavors as well as flavors pertaining to the city it is located in. For example, there is the Delaware Delight, Battling Bishop and Sandusky St. Gem.