If you open a menu and see foot-long hot dogs and a kitchen sink ice cream available to order, then you’re clearly at Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor. Located at 128 South Federal Highway in Dania Beach, there is no other restaurant in South Florida as charming as this historical ice cream parlor.
According to http://jaxsonsicecream.com/, Jaxson’s official website, a 28-year-old by the name of Monroe Udell opened up Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor in 1956. That year, people flocked to taste “the finest food and Ice Cream anywhere.” What made Jaxson’s so unique was not only its delicious food, but its routine ignorance of segregation laws. Jaxon’s hired and served people of color even before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Seeing that tourists and locals alike loved the food so much, Jaxson’s open a second dining room in the 1960s. Also in the 1960s, Jaxson’s began its famous decorating collection of licence plates on the walls.
License plate–lined walls provided a classic, made-in-America feel to the restaurant. The parlor is divided into two main rooms, the second being the one added after the restaurant gained popularity in the 1960s.
Upon walking through the door, I was immediately surrounded with old time music. To my right, a wax fortune teller booth predicted guests’ futures, and a quaint candy shop offered patrons an assortment of different candies and knick knacks from a range of eras.
Start to finish, the food was incredible. Once seated, a waitress brought over warm buttery popcorn in a red bowl, made fresh from their popcorn machine at the entrance of the second dining area.
The menu was extensive, being as broad as it was, there was something for everyone. There were even healthy options, including grilled chicken and dolphin sandwiches. For hot dog lovers, Jaxson’s offered two monsters: a one-foot hot dog and a one pound hot dog. Burgers, chicken fingers and other American favorites were on the menu as well.
The highlight of the night was the ice cream. With an entire menu page dedicated to homemade ice cream flavors and combinations alone, Jaxon’s signature “dish” is quite obviously dessert.
We ordered four different flavors: chocolate chunk cookie dough with sprinkles, whipped cream and hot chocolate sauce; black cherry; peanut butter chocolate; and pecan praline on a banana split. The sweet treats were amazing. The flavors are original and delectable, and the ice cream itself was creamy and bursting with flavor, – everything ice cream should be. I don’t think there is truly any way to describe the incredible taste of Jaxson’s homemade ice cream and do it justice.
Overall, Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor is a place every Floridian should visit at least once in their life. With something on the menu for everyone and heavenly ice cream, there are not many restaurants like it in South Florida.
