We’re back at Beaches & Cream, babyyyyy!

As you’ve probably heard, mostly because we can’t stop talking about it, today is the official opening date for the renovated Beaches & Cream and we are PUMPED. This iconic ice cream and soda shop has been closed for significant expansion for the past few months. Yesterday, we got in during a soft open and got to try some new menu items. Well, today we’re back for the ribbon cutting AND for some more of those good, good Beaches & Cream eats!

We were super excited to see a familiar face at the ribbon-cutting. In fact, Donald looks beach-ready and like he’s wanting some ice cream!

Beaches & Cream Cast Members were gathered outside in their super cute costumes. The air was filled with excitement, the sun was shining down, and we could practically TASTE the ice cream just inside. Luckily, it didn’t take too long before a guest got to cut the ribbon and we took our first steps into the now-officially-open Beaches & Cream!

Now that we’ve covered the ribbon-cutting we can get into the REAL exciting news! We tried some more of the NEW menu items! We already got a taste of the Storm Along Shake and the Cookie Fries, but what else does the updated menu have to offer?

First off, our lovely server was very excited to tell us that they now have beer on tap. Wooooooooh!

So after our mandatory Vanilla Coke (come on, it’s a soda shop!), we tried a local beer out of Gainesville called the Wakulla Hefeweizen. This drink was delightful! We’d say it had citrusy flavors like a Blue Moon, but we thought it was def better than a Blue Moon overall.

With a beer in hand, let’s dive into the food! Beaches & Cream doesn’t really strike us as a go-to joint for a salad but the Beaches & Cream Salad ($14) was actually fabulous. This salad is a blend of romaine, kale, and arugula tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. It’s then topped with tomato, cucumber, carrots, red onions, sliced radishes, and feta. You can add salmon or chicken for an additional price.

We went with the chicken and thought the salad was light and crisp and the dressing was AMAZING. This is an awesome option if you want a tasty meal without feeling too full for that dessert.

Another meal you might not expect is the Salmon Sandwich ($21) which is a pretty light option too! This is served with bacon -aïoli, Bibb lettuce, and tomato on a multi-grain bun. If you’re a salmon person, this is the sandwich for you! It’s a big ol’ piece of fresh fish and the sauce was really tasty.

Pro tip: Ask for extra sauce if you’re gonna get this sammie, it’s just too good!

Next up, we decided to do a little tour of the tot varieties that are new to the menu. Beaches & Cream used to have a bunch of different loaded fry options, however, the chef decided that the reign of the fry is over at Beaches & Cream. Tots are in! First up, we nabbed the Chilli and Cheese Tots for $9.

These tots are smothered in chili, cheese, sour cream, and green onions. Talk about yummy, right?! Now, since these guys used to fries we do notice one new issue with the tot form of the dish. The tots on the edges stay nice and crispy, but the ones under all the toppings can get a little soggy the longer they sit. So, either gobble them up quickly or be prepared for a soggy tot or two. Overall though, the toppings were delish!

They are also serving up a plant-based Chili & Cheese Tots ($9) option, which we thought were just fine! They actually have a little heat because they aren’t smothered in plastic cheese, but we’d choose the real ones every time. Can you blame us? We really like cheese. Honestly, if they could find a way to make a plant-based cheese SAUCE instead of just the shredded pieces, we might be happier with them.

To finish our tour of some of the Beaches & Cream tots, we snagged the Sock Hop Tots ($8). These are just your standard tots covered in plastic cheese and green onions. These guys were definitely our fave of the tots we tried — simple AND delicious. Can you go wrong with cheese and crispy potatoes? NO!

Of course, after our yummy meals, it’s time to move on to the main attraction — dessert. We started with the last new dessert we haven’t tried yet, the Apple Pie a la Mode ($9). LOOK AT HOW CUTE THIS PIE IS. The new dessert option has vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. Yum.

The pie is really nice. It’s not warm which surprised us but overall it’s cinnamony with a good crust and obvi, it’s adorable. BUT would we order it over a sundae? Ehhhhhh. MAYBE if the pie was warm so you had the hot and cold goin’ on, but as is, the sundaes have it beat.

And for second dessert (TOTALLY a meal course), we couldn’t leave without grabbing out FAVE sundae the No Way Jose for $11! Yes, we were full. And YES, we are still going to eat alllll the yummy peanut butter sauce.

If you’re not an endless pit for ice cream like we are, we have good news! You can actually get a smaller version of the No Way Jose with two scoops of ice cream instead of three. Look how cute!

Overall, we’re lovin’ all the extra space and new menu items over at Beaches & Cream and we will be back for more No Way Jose! 🙂

Click here to check out our review of MORE ITEMS at the newly reopened Beaches and Cream! 

Will you be making a trip to Beaches and Cream sometime soon? Let us know in the comments!