Mount Desert Island Ice Cream

The ice cream is amazing but please add Free Samples Back! 2020 was a long time ago!

They don’t allow you to sample their ice cream and some stuff know little about the flavors and can’t say what’s in it. Therefore if you ask them which flavor is sour or salty they might not know it and can’t recommend any. So you have to go by luck. I think they have to change their policy.

Took a kid along who wanted to try an ice cream flavor before buying pretty reasonable, right? But nope, this place doesn’t allow samples. You have to buy the flavor just to find out whether you even like it. No exceptions.

Their excuse? It “reduces wait times” and “saves costs.” In reality, it’s a clever little business model: eliminate choice, remove the risk of rejection, and profit whether the customer likes the product or not. Sounds a lot like a scam disguised as efficiency.

But this is D.C. where the lack of real competition lets places operate like they’ve got a monopoly. Too many restaurants and shops here behave as if they’re doing customers a favor just by existing. Try pulling this kind of nonsense in cities like NYC or San Francisco, where flavor matters and service still counts. These spots wouldn’t last a week.

I love that they don’t do samples here.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about no samples, but honestly—it’s kind of refreshing. The line moves so much faster, and the staff isn’t distracted handing out a million tiny spoons. Plus, it makes you commit to a flavor and be a little adventurous, which is part of the fun.

The flavors are so good, you really can’t go wrong anyway.

I actually wish more places did this!

Solid ice cream brand with, unfortunately, major quality control issues. Ordered a scoop of the peach and a pint of their Brigadeiro to go; the peach was grainy and badly frozen, while the Brigadeiro was half melted right there in the shop (luckily I only had to walk a bit to get it to a freezer). I love some of their flavors, but with no samples and bad quality control, you pay a premium price with no clue whether you'll get a premium product.

The ice cream is good. The portion sizes are nice, they do not skimp.The prices are reasonable. They also have interesting, fun flavors. They do not allow tasting, so I played it safe. Not being able to pre-taste took away from the experience.

All of the reviews mentioning wanting samples management please listen!! There are a bunch of really interesting flavors that I haven’t tried because the cost and risk is high. I’ve spent my money on a couple of underwhelming flavors here before so I’m not inclined to take that risk anymore. I would even pay for a 3-spoonful flight or something like that if they’re really dedicated to the no samples thing. Just give people a way to try your weird flavors!! You WILL sell more!!! I tend to choose somewhere else when I’m craving ice cream because of the lack of samples here. All that aside, the ice cream is pretty good, and not too sweet.

MDI may have expensive prices but it is single-handedly the best ice cream in DC.

We were having fun exploring the Mt Pleasant neighborhood and saw the line out the door at this ice cream shop. Friendly staff, creative flavors and the ice cream was fantastic. Our favorite flavors were the Thai Tea, Real Strawberry, and the Coriander Streusel with Blackberry Swirl. So good that we went back the next night!

We came to D.C. from Florida on vacation in July and it’s baking outside. It’s actually hotter here than in Florida. So naturally we’re looking for something to cool us down. We’re half a mile down the road from this nice little shop and I’m glad we chose to go here. I had a vegan alternative Chai Latte ice cream 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Twas the bomb dot com! I was really surprised by the amazing flavor! My daughter had a variation of chocolate that was out of this world and my wife had salted caramel sea salt that was oh so good. They make all their own flavors in the back with skill and add a whole lot of love to their craft. Give them a try and you won’t be disappointed.

Amazing ice cream, tastes homemade. Unique flavors! Must go here..

No samples????

Ice cream is by far my favorite dessert, and Mount Desert Island is one of the best in the city….. BUT there are no samples!

They have an interesting selection of flavors I’ve never seen presented as ice cream but
Ive been quite shy to go out on a limb to order a scoop of something I’ve never tasted before. I imagine I’m not alone as customers in the parlor often share my sentiment.

While the blueberry crumble is delicious, I’m not always in the mood for it. On those days I take my ice cream fix elsewhere. How I wish I could taste all of the flavors. I certainly would go far more often.

I say, bring the samples back ! At the very least during the less busy times of day, or host a tasting party. I love that you have stepped out on a limb to offer more than the basic flavors, but stop teasing us with those catchy descriptions, we want to TASTE it! Proof of work is real people!
Love,
Your loyal blueberry crumble, but hoping for something new, fan! 💜

I would happily sample for hours MDI's inventive yet well-controlled flavor explorations. But, alas, MDI's sampling era ended last decade. So I am now forced to sample scoop-at-a-time each visit.

Great flavor, real ingredients.

Fantastic ice cream, I really like the chewier texture of their ice cream. I wish they resumed samples but to be fair I've never gotten anything that wasn't good. Service is always friendly and there is a good amount of seating in a nicely air conditioned space. Great place for a little break from the heat. I like to come here any time I'm in this part of DC.