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Hours
Sun
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Mon
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tue
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wed
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thu
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Fri
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sat
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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CUISINES
American
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
FEATURES
Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
Is this restaurant good for dinner?
Details
About
About Tom's Ice Cream Bowl ‟At Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl we only serve the freshest old fashioned foods. ” In 1948, two first cousins, Jack Hemmer and Tom Mirgon, formed a partnership to create a restaurant business specializing in homemade ice cream products. With only four tables and counter seating for seven, they opened a small business on Linden Avenue in Zanesville , Ohio. Jack Hemmer Ice Cream soon outgrew its original location, and in October 1950 they moved their restaurant to its present location at 532 McIntire Ave. About Tom's Ice Cream Bowl In 1953, Tom bought Jack's interest in the business, leaving his own career with the Pure Oil Company, to own and operate the restaurant full-time. In 1957 it became known as Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. Tom contributed the success of his business to the quality and generous portions of food and ice cream he served, to the personal customer service of his past and present employees, and to all those special people who frequented his restaurant.
CUISINES
American
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
FEATURES
Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.5
341 reviews
Excellent
236
Very good
61
Average
23
Poor
10
Terrible
11
Cruiser302319
Hartford2 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
We love our visits to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. My Mother was here visiting and we make it a family tradition to have lunch here with the kids and grand-kids. 4 generations have enjoyed this spot. The candies,cashews and sundae's are the best!
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen H
Nappanee76 contributions
Oct 2020 • couples
Had lunch at Tom's and the guys got the fried baloney sandwich which was great! The women had various menu items all of which were excellent. Everyone had Tom's ice cream which is absolutely top notch. The waitress brought us complimentary fresh roasted cashews and we all ended up buying more. I have never had better cashews. Tom's is a must stop for lunch or just a snack.
Written October 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Adventurous Diva
Trafford188 contributions
Aug 2023 • couples
What a quaint little place. You step back in time as soon as you walk through the door. You can sit at the original counter watching the "soda jerks" create the many delicious ice cream treats, while waiting for your meal. We opted for the chili cheese dog with fries and cheeseburger and onion rings. The ice cream sundae with caramel swirl topped the meal. Great food, amazing ice cream, friendly service, and very reasonable prices are worth stopping in for, but the old fashioned candy counter filled with Heggy's chocolates and caramels keep bringing us back!
Written August 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carla I
Pittsburgh4 contributions
Aug 2022 • couples
We went very far out of our way to go to Tom's. My husband will do that for good food and icecream. I ordered a small burger and it took 45 minutes to come and was overcooked and nothing special. The icecream was ok but when you have had the best in Ohio (Handel's) you have big shoes to fill. Service was poor at best.. waitresses standing around talking during a full house. A party of 13 came to the patio and the fry cook couldn't figure out how to cook everyone's order. I'm really getting tired of being told about understaffed restaurants. They told us there was only one cook but you could see into the kitchen and there were two. You could also tell there were no hairnets on anyone! Not friendly, not good, not going back!!!
Written August 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David H
1 contribution
Apr 2022 • none
I was visiting a friend in Zanesville and he took me to Tom's for a light dinner before I headed back to Delaware, Ohio. The menu description of the Ribeye sandwich sounded enticing and I figured it would be better than a burger. Unfortunately the sandwich was terrible. The meat was very tough and filled with gristle. I gave up less than halfway into this sandwich and gave the rest to my friend who wanted to take it home to feed the dogs. Based on this sandwich alone I rate the place as terrible. Also extremely noisy - terrible acoustics - too loud to talk to the person seated next to me. Basically an unpleasant experience and I see no reason to return.
Written April 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1Prettybird
Zanesville6 contributions
Sep 2023 • family
We are life long residents of Zanesville. We have enjoyed numerous ice cream treats here from childhood to adulthood. But for the first time we tried a burger and fries. The burger was compacted, tuff, tasteless like it was from a frozen consistency. The fries appeared to be refried after sitting for awhile. They definitely weren’t hot and fresh. They were very dark brown with lots of little pieces. And /or not fresh fried in clean oil. They put hotdog relish on top of the mayo which made the bun soggy and inedible. With tap water and two small sundaes the bill was over $30.00. An employee came over and asked how it was but I told her we haven’t had time to try anything yet. She never came back or I would have told her this personally. Needless to say, we will never order food from there again. Too pricey for what you get. Plus the restaurant itself needs a tremendous cleaning. Especially the women’s bath room. There is grime in the corners and around the wall trim from when the place first opened. They have never put a dime in the decor of the place so the prices of the food should be more reasonable for such a small town. I appreciate them keeping the place the same for nostalgia reasons but cleaning it up would be a huge improvement. We will stick to having carry out ice cream from this point forward.
Written September 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yostella
Baltimore39 contributions
Sep 2023 • family
A friend had tipped us off about this little treasure. It is not a huge place but seemed to have a huge menu with lots of food and meal choices. I was really impressed with how Lauren and Raven C kept food and people flowing. We had ice cream and were very impressed with the generous portions. While we were working our way through the delicious ice cream, we watched a wide variety of customers, business folks meeting for lunch, seniors out for lunch, families with small kids, and other folks. You can also get carry out meals. I watched awesome looking sandwiches and onion rings and fries go by as I was noshing on my Brownie sundae. This place is worth a stop and all the locals seemed to know that. The choices of ice creams included the standards as well as seasonal offerings. That made choosing some tough but we managed to get through that! Lol!
Written September 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NMDMom
Dexter City152 contributions
Aug 2021 • couples
We went out of our way to stop by Tom’s for chili and ice cream. We had the chili last December and it was delicious. We ordered 2 bowls of chili to go. When we got to our destination to eat it, one bowl was 3/4 full and other 1/2 full. Both were mainly just chunks of tomatoes. The 1/2 bowl honestly had 2 bites of hamburger and 3 kidney beans. The other bowl was mainly tomatoes also!! We paid $4 plus per bowl. 🙁. Then the review of the maple nut ice cream, yuck! Very dry and grainy!! It tasted old.
Written August 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kmc11_11
Waynesburg291 contributions
Jul 2022 • none
Traveling through the area on the way home from vacation, and had seen Tom's on the "Ohio Ice Cream Trail" list. Not far off the interstate, thought it would be a nice break from the road, and why not for good ice cream.
Tom's does serve food, and has chocolates/nuts also, but we were just there for ice cream, and were not disappointed. They have a list of year-round flavors, plus special summer flavors. We had four different of the specials and not one was disappointed.
Reasonable price, great service, friendly staff, not a large dining area, but they do have outside seating.
Written July 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kristaPGHPA
Pennsylvania408 contributions
Aug 2022 • family
We visited Toms, as it’s a recommended stop when in Zanesville by many people. It was very crowded and looks like an old fashioned diner inside. It’s very simple and quaint. Many people had hamburgers and fries, they looked good. We had ice cream and ate outside where there are lots of tables. The ice cream choices are really tempting. My ice cream was very rich and had a homemade taste. I had English Toffee flavor. There is a case of candy as well, for sale.
I would definitely recommend a stop at Toms if you are in the area!!!
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
susan m
Naperville22 contributions
Nov 2022 • none
Stopped at a visitors' center on the border of IN and OH. The nice lady there, when asked about a recommendation for a cool spot to eat, said well there's Tom's but it's a bit of a drive. (3 hours in fact.) Make the drive!
Stepping into Tom's Ice Cream Bowl is like stepping back in time. The old fashioned building, complete with original furnishings from the 1940's, is an absolutely feel good kinda place. The ice cream is home made. And served in bowls -- hence the name. Numerous flavors to choose from, all delicious! Be sure and get some of the chocolates on your way out. (You buy those by the pound)
I was in twice. The first time for ice cream and chocolates. The second, to have a quick breakfast before I bought MORE ice cream and chocolates to bring home. Yes the place is crazy busy. Worth the wait.
Written November 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara B
McCordsville37 contributions
Jul 2024 • couples
We were told this place was like going back in time and it was. We did not realize they served food, just went for ice cream. Along with a variety of flavors they had a row of chocolate candy. I called it the devil's den! Too many temptations. A must see on a Zanesville visit.
Written July 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary Jo F
Newark1 contribution
Jun 2021 • couples
We went to Tom’s for lunch while in the area. Spent a good deal of money for lunch, ice cream, candy, and nuts. We ordered the fried bologna sandwich and it was NOT a good thing. It was full of gristle and I could not eat it. Purchased a pound and a quarter of candy that I picked out myself. Most of what I picked was NOT what was put in the bag. NOT. a good experience at all. Do away with that bologna!!!!
Written June 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Margaret B
West Jefferson50 contributions
Sep 2020 • couples
We ate lunch here, and then came back later in the day for ice cream. Sandwiches were great, reasonable prices, and the service was wonderful. We ate outside, and Kylee was a wonderful waitress. Would definitely eat here again. Oh and ice cream was fabulous!
Written September 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greg C
1 contribution
Jun 2021 • solo
Been going to Toms since 1957. Any time we pass through Z town we gota stop. The place hasn’t changed in 70 years. Excellent icecream, fresh nuts and candy. Takes me back to my childhood. Treat yourself
Written June 19, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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