There have been epic showdowns throughout human history, but none rival the competition between Larchmont’s two ice cream shops: Jeni’s and Salt and Straw. I visited the two ice cream parlors to decide which store comes out on top, and after enjoying ice cream from both places with my dad, I have enough information to determine the victor. 

I made my decision based on two things: taste and experience. By experience, I mean how I would generally rate my time in the ice cream place as a whole, such as the ambience and the wait time. 

I’ll begin with Salt and Straw. The line outside of Salt and Straw is typically long, and when I visited during Winter Break was no exception. As I waited in line for around 20 minutes,  I examined the flavors on the wall. The flavors at Salt and Straw are…interesting: Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Honey Lavender, Pear and Blue Cheese, Chocolate Gooey Brownie, and Double Fold Vanilla. 

While my assessment doesn’t include names of ice creams, Salt and Straw certainly wins for the most creative names I’ve ever seen, which I appreciate. I decided to get one scoop of Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough in a bowl, while my dad got Double Fold Vanilla. It was sweet and creamy, and I gulped it down in less than a minute. I admittingly had half of my Dad’s vanilla too. Between the two, the Cookie Dough was my favorite because the cookie dough added a slight crunchiness to the ice cream that was more interesting than just vanilla. 

I would rate my experience at Salt and Straw 8/10. The ice cream was delicious, but the long wait keeps it from a slightly higher rating. 

Next, I’ll now review Jeni’s. After quickly devouring my Salt and Straw scoop, I was ready for more. I decided that the most impartial way to judge the two would be to get the same flavors I got at Salt and Straw at Jeni’s. The line outside Jeni’s was much shorter, and I was at the glass covering the ice cream flavors within 5 minutes. The decorations of Jeni’s are also much cuter than Salt and Straw. The inside is much brighter and has a more fun vibe. 

Unfortunately, Jeni’s did not end up having cookie dough Ice Cream, which was a little problematic for my assessment. I instead asked for the closest ice cream to cookie dough, which ended up being Gooey Butter Cake. My dad and I both got two scoops, one of this and one Vanilla, in a bowl with a massive waffle cone on top. Flavor wise, there was not a significant flavor difference between the ice cream at Jeni’s and Salt and Straw, but eating the full waffle cone was genuinely a life changing experience. It was crunchy, sugary, and practically perfect in my eyes. The ice cream was great, but for some reason eating the waffle cone was such an enjoyable experience I will never forget it.

I would rate Jeni’s 8.5/10, only slightly higher than Salt and Straw. The ambiance of Jeni’s is definitely what gives Jeni’s a slight edge in my opinion. Overall, both places offer delicious ice cream, but Jeni’s comes out on top.