Restaurant: Sebastian Joe’s, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Every city has one. A local gem that houses the best ice cream treats anywhere. The locals know it. In fact, they frequent this place often, telling their friends and even complete strangers about where to find the best ice cream in town.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota…it’s no doubt this honor would go to Sebastian Joe’s.
As I have established before, one of my favorite ice cream treats to indulge in (with the help of my roommate) is a banana split. Life doesn’t get much better than a banana topped off with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, and whatever else that particular shoppe adds to theirs. I was in the mood to indulge. It was my last day in Minneapolis and I had already eaten a delicious lunch. But that didn’t stop me from seeking out the best ice cream the Twin Cities had to offer. I found it too…at Sebastian Joe’s.
Sebastian Joe’s has been a staple to the Twin Cities since it opened back in 1884. This family owned, community-minded business has been churning out delicious premium ice cream using only all-natural ingredients of the finest quality. That means that the owners are very particular about what they put in their ice cream, which to me, speaks a lot about their standards and how highly they regard their products.
I entered the shop late one afternoon with Cathy. We were still full from lunch, but we really just wanted to treat ourselves to something good. Since we both love banana splits, we decided to do Sebastian Joe’s version of it…The Banana Boat ($6.79). What is the Banana Boat? Well, it’s a chopped banana, layered with three flavors of ice cream of your choice. We went with as close to the standards as possible (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry). They didn’t have a plain strawberry flavor, so we opted for the strawberry banana to go with our vanilla and chocolate standard. On top, we were served hot fudge and caramel, and it was topped off with another topping of our choice…which we chose almonds. And then whipped cream layered the top part.
Oh…this was going to be heaven in a dish. The Banana Boat was impressive. So impressive that a local who asked if we had ever had this ice cream before said that it looked delicious and commented on me taking a picture of it. Yeah…drool-worthy!
One thing I did notice that set this banana split apart from any other I had before is that they chopped the banana up into slices. This made it so much easier to eat. I wasn’t having to saw through the banana on my own. I could just scoop it up with my spoon and whatever flavor I had at that moment and enjoy. Oh…so good.
First bite…and I was hooked. The ice cream was melt-in-your-mouth smooth. Full of flavor. And that Strawberry Banana flavor was beyond delicious. It is a personal favorite. Doesn’t do me much good as I don’t live anywhere near Minneapolis…but if you happen by…get a scoop for me and eat it in my honor. You won’t be disappointed.
Every flavor melted well into the next. And I think I possibly might have enjoyed the best banana split I ever sat down to. And, trust me, I’ve sat down to many a banana split in my life. It has always been my favorite ice cream treat. Some things never change.
It didn’t even matter that I was full when I walked in there. My stomach found room for bite-after-bite of this delicious Banana Boat. It was well worth the extra indulgence.
Looking to support a long-standing, local, family owned business around the Twin Cities…find Sebastian Joe’s and try out one of their flavors. Or, go for broke and get one of their famous sundaes. I highly recommend The Banana Boat. And if you want someone to share it with…I’m happy to help.
The Celiathlete 
Excellent! The last banana split I had the banana was served frozen hard so it ruined the whole effect. If I ever get to ‘Minnie’ as my friend calls it I will check out Sebastian Joes.