Colleen’s

I love Colleen’s! Great ice cream, friendly staff, and the place has a nice charm to it too. They also have great events like arts & crafts pop-ups so you can come for the food and stay for the fun!

We went down to grab a pint of ice cream to try out our new drink mixer. Marco and Maggie were great and gave an amazing recommendation for our milkshakes! Awesome place!

It was 102 degrees outside today, so I thought I would chill out at the local ice cream parlor. I hadn't eaten so I thought I'd eat and review, I decided to try the Rueben as it's one of my favorite sandwiches and the mac n cheese, because who doesn't like a good mac n cheese? Rueben - One of the best Rueben sandwiches I have had in a long time, slightly toasted but still refreshing, on a day where it is 102 outside and like 90+ in a room with no AC this was a fantastic sandwich. The sandwich wasn't even drenched in Thousand Island dressing like so many bad Rueben places do, to mask the sour kraut, but this place does it right. The Rueben came along with two sweet pickle slices and I must say with how delicious they were I wish it came with more of them. 5/5 stars. Environment - Nice and Cool as you expect from an Ice Cream parlor its heavily Air Conditioned which is amazing to feel on a 102-degree day. 5/5 stars. Mac N Cheese - This was not good, the noodles were hard and the cheese sauce tasted grainy, The Mac N Cheese tasted like it was frozen and heated up in the microwave, I didn't eat more than enough to confirm the taste. 1/5 Stars. Simply put do not go hear for the Mac N Cheese, it sounds ridiculous like its an Ice Cream Parlor, Why would I get the MnC? Well, I for one usually get things that sound problematic and sound like they wouldn't taste good. I also try to get things I think that kids would get and I'm glad I did. The Mac N Cheese here is a waste of money, if you want good MnC go to Wellington's Pizzeria down the street, the best Mac N Cheese I have ever had. Go here to be cool stay out of the heat, and hang out while eating sandwiches and Ice Cream. With so many customers and fast and kind service, this is the place to be on a hot day. Total Cost $22 for $12 Rueben and $10 Mac N Cheese. Total Stars 11/15.

This ice cream is truly amazing! The texture is silky smooth, and it's not overly sweet—definitely the best ice cream I've ever had. After dinner, I can't help but want to go back for a scoop; it's the perfect dessert. Especially love the chocolate and coffee ice cream.

Delicious sandwiches and ice cream in this eclectic diner. I got their Abby sandwich, and it was unlike anything I ever tasted (positive). I also got a milkshake, which was nice and thick. The staff always go above and beyond & I make sure to stop here whenever I have errands nearby. Wonderful gem in Medford.

Had a delightful visit to Colleen’s in Medford! It’s a classic spot that really lives up to its reputation. I tried the coffee Oreo ice cream and it was fantastic—perfectly creamy with generous chunks of Oreo. It’s clear why this place is a local favorite. Highly recommend stopping by for a scoop or two!

Lovely place for young kids and I can recommend the mac'n'cheese! Ice cream us also exceptional. A choice of lattes and espressos would help.

Kudos to this restaurant who takes their business seriously. They must pay their servers fairly because the restaurant doesn’t ask for tips (at all!), and on top of that, their taxes are included in the price. So when it says $5 for ice cream, it’s literally $5. I definitely noticed, and I definitely appreciated. Such that I took a photo for this review too. We got a delish sandwich for me and ice cream for kids. Excellent taste. Will be coming back.

My husband & I walked to Medford Square for exercise. On the way back, we decided to stop @ Colleen's for lunch. We each ordered a Rubin Sandwich. There were 2 young ladies working together who were very pleasant. Our order arrived after a short wait. The sandwich was delicious! The bread was nicely toasted, the meat was sliced thin & was tasty, the onions & sauerkraut were mild & did not overpower the sandwich. It came with 2 sliced pickles which were mildly sweet & tasty. Afterwards, we decided to have ice cream. My husband had 2 scoops of Coffee fudge in a cup. The combination was delicious. I had 1 scoop of rum raisin. Haven't had this in years. It was just OK. I had 1 scoop of mint chocolate chip which was delicious! Kudos to the 2 young ladies out front & the cooks out back. The place got increasingly busy shortly after we arrived & we noticed the staff had everything under control. We will be back soon! Thank you!

My first time. Ordered a Chicago style hotdog...yum! Better than home. Friendly service too.

One of the few spots in Medford to get some ice cream! My only complaint is that there are not a ton flavors to choose from. With that being said, you can easily find a flavor to satisfy your ice cream craving and the ice cream is great quality!

Colleen reached out after my review apologizing for the mistake and made it right. Reopening means new hire training and sometimes mistakes are made. Very cool and classy move for her to acknowledge and address.

Finally reopened! Came by twice this week already and love the sandwiches (perfect portions) and the fresh milkshakes! Tried to say hi twice to the owner because we share a mutual friend but they have been super busy! Will definitely come back

The foods and drinks are very delicious, and really great! Unfortunately there were few times incident that a lady did use mimic deaf voices to my friend and me. We did not like it and very disrespectful to us. And, recently we went there again, a person cut the line front of my friend, and he order his foods. The same lady who was doing his orders, I tried to confront to him, let him know it's not nice to do that and he talked too fast. And I just don't know how to tell supervisor. I decide to not bother it. We like to go back there and eat there again!

50's diner feel, great-thick and creamy- vanilla malted, and excellent breakfast sandwiches. We all got egg, cheddar, avocado w/ hot sauce. One breakfast-mate also added tomato. Went back for another breakfast sandwich. Yum! Perfectly toasted bread, crispy bacon, egg and cheese, and a nice lemony avocado addition. Also saw some chunky chocolate chip cookies come out of the oven. Cookie with ice cream next time? Yes please!

I know it's just a little diner but I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Colleen's :) We were SO hungry so maybe that had something to do with it, but left very satisfied with our order of a Teddy sandwich, a Peyton sandwich, and some scoops of ice cream (coffee Oreo and mint Oreo). Everything tasted fresh and service was really friendly! We were only visiting friends in the area but I could see myself walking here often if I lived nearby.

This was a cute 50's style diner that had more seating than expected and served both food and had a large selection of ice cream. My husband and daughter both got vanilla frappes that they loved: extra thick with full vanilla flavor. I got a coffee heath frozen yogurt, which I thought was a nice change from the usual options at other places. Service was quick and helpful. Will come back soon!

They are extremely cheap they are great service! I also like that they support a bunch of blm and lgbtq+ communities! They have lots of space and toppings. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is they seem to run out of flavors a lot.

Went there the other day with my daughter and her husband and son. Turns out my son in law knew the owner. This place a throwback to the ice cream and sandwich counters of the 70s. Food was good. Service was good. And there was a pop up art show to boot.

I used to love Colleen's, however, my last few experiences haven't been great. The staff is just absolutely miserable. And it's been that way consistently. Never a "have a nice night" or even a slight smile or friendly face. Hopefully this is seen by the right person so they can hire some folks with people skills. Until then, I think I'll be bringing my business elsewhere.

i ordered a raspberry lime rickey with less ice, traditionally one lime half goes in, they decided to put the whole half (strange, right?) and they left the sticker on the lime. nice! tells me a lot about how they clean the food right? ever since the original owner passed away, this place has gone down. high prices and subpar food. not the same anymore.

4$ gets you a very generous small cup of ice cream. It's quite creamy, though a bit over sweet. The service was quite disinterested, and could have been much more aware of customers

I've only ever gotten ice cream here, so I can't comment on the regular food. It's a really solid ice cream spot. I have no idea if the ice cream is homemade or not, but they have a good selection of flavors, and everything I've tried has been pretty good. The peanut butter oreo is my personal favorite, and I'm enough of a peanut butter lover that I also get their peanut butter sauce on top, which is especially good. The prices are fairly reasonable (the ice cream sandwich is a real steal!). Best of all, all of the employees I've encountered here have been so friendly and welcoming. It makes it such a nice experience. The vibe of the restaurant is super cute too--it's got the retro 50's style diner feel. I haven't been able to stop in since COVID-19, but prior to that, I loved sitting inside with my ice cream and watching people come and go. We need places like this to survive in Medford Square!

A very cute, traditional vibe ice cream shop that also serves food. They have THE BEST raspberry lime rickeys I have ever had. They will give you extra lime! We also love their butternut squash soup, it's perfect for the fall weather. If you are local, definitely check it out. The venue space is also quite large perfect for events. Given the unique circumstances, ice cream to go is a must and who doesn't love ice cream any time of the year?

Considerably better this go around. Was able to walk in and order easily. Only iffy thing was the (boisterous) couple and (volume heavy) mom ahead of me in line commandeering the whole counter making it impossible for anyone else to order but I digress.... I ordered a half and half frappe. Coffee and Coconut. WOW! It reminded me of the ice coffees I've order at DD but better. Frozen refreshment on a hot summer afternoon. A well earned treat after an arduous afternoon working my fingers to the bone and getting no where but yet again I digress....

It's not just that the customer service has been bad lately... I know that this summer is challenging, so I'm trying to give some grace wherever I go... but this summer at Colleen's, it's been downright disrespectful. It's always the same shift manager complaining about her job, distracting the counter staff, and dismissing the customers every time I have a bad experience. The times I've visited and she's not there, it's fine. Nobody goes to an ice cream shop to leave frustrated by miserable customer service... particularly when there are other options less than a mile away. Shape up, Colleen's!

Reasonable prices !! The warm brownie sundaes are where it's at for me :) would be 5 stars if soft serve frozen yogurt was available .

I stopped in here to kill some some before a show at the Chevalier Theatre. Short menu, I think it's mainly an ice cream shop. My hot dog, chips and Snapple were very good. The workers were well-mannered and efficient. The bathroom was clean. Recommended.

Please clean the panini press. Customers can see you making sandwiches and can see that the panini press has never been cleaned. Even if customers could not see the press, believe it or not when you cook a sandwich in a panini press that has never been cleaned people can taste the burnt residue. It is something very simple that would make a huge difference.

Visited the Store earlier and was pleasantly surprised . Very nice clean interior with super friendly owner . Ordered the 'Boston' hotdog which came in a delicious Brioche bun with a side of chips and pickles FOR $6 . Amazing ! Will be returning later for ice cream :)

9:30 on a Wednesday night and Colleen's didn't close for another half hour so we figured hey, let's pop in for some ice cream. As soon as I spotted half the chairs already set atop the tables I should have sensed the staff's eagerness to leave, but we went inside anyway. We were "greeted" by silent, blank stares of 3 young employees, all with frowns on their faces. We should have waked out right then; instead, we stupidly ordered a kiddie cup of lousy chocolate chip and - what I can only describe as - the worst frappe of all time. $6+tax for a cup of cheap, food service milk. Completely tasteless, the consistency wasn't even as thick as heavy cream. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT GO HERE. There's a convenience store around the corner and I'm pretty sure they sell Good Humor ice cream bars. To Colleen (or whomever owns this establishment), you may want to consider spending more time at your restaurant before your teenage employees drive away all of your customers. To that end, you may want to consider some staffing changes.

Not super impressed by the quality and flavor. Ice cream Just seemed like full of air and not rivaling the quality/creaminess of Bedford farms, Rancatore's, etc.

Delivery-quality deli food in a throwback soda shoppe storefront that acts a magnet to the nearby St Joseph's Parochial school children and neighborhood teens. Translation: cafeteria sandwiches for short money, and if you're over the age of 17 and not accompanied by your own kids, grab your lunch to go. The menu is the basic protein, cheese, sauce on semi-stale bread you'd find at a place that tucks menus in your door. By no means life-changing, but my BBQ Chicken & Swiss on a pretzel roll came hot with a bag of Wachusett chips and a fountain drink for less than $8. Sustenance familiar to any hospital or school employee in need of a quick and cheap fix, and a slight bump for friendly service and the inventive ice cream options that might have me coming back sooner than expected. A cannoli sundae? If you insist. I cannot stress enough that the dining room will be swimming with young folks (shmyeah, shmyeah) which makes even the short wait for your order feel... creepy? Yes, creepy; that's the word. Creepy.

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon ordered a BLT it was the best BLT I have had!! Cooked to perfection exactly the way I asked for it!! The love that they put into it shows!!! You two ladies and one gentleman you guys rock!! PS thanks for the love note

Any ice cream parlor can be a recipe for disaster on a hot summer night. This place, no different. There were kids zipping around, no older people (who they seemed to belong to) caring much for the mayhem. The ice cream is good. The food, has not been outstanding, in my opinion. Perhaps I'm just ordering the wrong things... If you want to stop in for ice cream, I suggest you take it to higher ground, a bit further from the running and the screaming for ice cream. I buy mine, run out the door, and eat it while I take a walk.

Definitely the best ice cream shop in Medford, my husband and I have being going there for years and they never disappoint. Never tried the food there, but the ice cream is to die for. Love this place.

Ice cream is OK--nothing remarkable. Selection subpar. The decor is cool but they seem to think that decor makes up for lousy service. It doesn't. I don't know what it takes to get a smile from the weird assortment of kids/adults working the counter on a given night, but in 25+ visits in the last 18 months (it's right around the corner from our house) I've yet to experience anything more than a barely-audible "you're welcome" without any eye contact. Seriously, it's very odd, and remarkable. This place could be awesome in so many ways, and it just isn't. Tonight was the last straw. 9 pm on a Saturday and they were closed due to a power outage. I searched for other ice cream in Medford and found CB Scoops. So glad Colleens was closed because CB just found themselves a new customer.

This place went down hill. My wife was here last week and they screwed up on her order. They make me a chocolate chip frappe and they say to us they don't know which frappe is mine. I don't think I will give them another chance after screwing up 2 times in 1 week. They didn't even fill it all the way !!

I'd rather not. I want to love it but can't. Cute place with basic ice-cream. I've eaten there about 8 times because my daughter loves ice-cream after her doctor appt nearby. I've been disappointed more times than not. I've tried the pastries twice and both times they were dry and seemed old. The beef stew honestly tasted and looked like it came straight from the can and it was barely warm. I had corn chowder once and enjoyed it but tried it again a couple weeks ago and it was cold and coagulated like it was very old or made poorly. Sandwiches are not bad but not much flavor. I do love their window displays!

Colleens was great. I had a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and a red velvet cookie. Bakery items and food is good. I am tired of yelp reviews. They tend to not to a place justice and people on yelp seem to be a lot more PICKY than people on tripadvisor and other sites. Maybe its the yuppie culture/snobby culture of today but its just wrong some of the reviews people write and give like 1 or 2 stars for petty things. I had great service at Colleens and the food was delicious. I haven't had the ice cream so can't review that but overall it was worth the 4 stars. it was a welcome place on a 6 mile hike I did along the Mystic Riverwalk...from Winchester/Medford line to Wellington. I stopped and got a water and they also have restrooms there which came in handy. Overall Colleens is a good place to come in and sit down and have a decent lunch.

The place is dirty. The people working there are unclean with their appearance as well as their service - not to mention customer attention is really lacking. Dirty rags reused over and over; gloved hands are touching EVERYthing including the food, the counter is disgusting, the floors are sticky and nasty... the best way to spread bacteria and viruses. Seriously.

Breakfast Sandwiches Part 4 I go to a Doctors office near this place, A Cafe / Diner style place. Great fresh quality food. I frequent this place for the Soups & Chowders. especially in the winter & Fall. But I also found that they have very good Breakfast Sandwiches. This Breakfast Sandwich is actually my own creation. I was waiting for the bus got hungry went to colleen's needed a Breakfast Sandwich. So here it is. 2 Eggs, Sausage, extra Swiss Cheese on a toasted Bulkie Roll. It was big and yummy. I manly sandwich! I paid about $5 for it. It was worth every penny! Washed it down with a large hot French vanilla coffee Extra cream. Go order one let me know what you think. I think they should ad it to the Menu and Call it the "Big n' Yummy"

How does this place not have 5 stars? Do people not like delicious ice cream? Do they not like extremely generous portions of said ice cream (pro tip: order "small", unless you intend to share it with 5 people)? Maybe people really hate friendly, courteous service? This place has all those things, in addition to a fantastic, retro-looking environment. If you're still reading this, that means you haven't started walking or driving there yet, and you should be - right now! You won't regret it!

It was awesome! Yes, if you come by during school lunch or the after-school rush, the shop will be filled with kids BUT late on a Saturday afternoon on a hot June day, go get ice cream. This place *beats* JP Licks's for taste and value. Plus, tons of seating, to relax and enjoy your ice cream treat with friends. Coffee ice cream and pistachio ice cream flavors come highly recommended. Only negative--I couldn't find a tip jar...to pay it forward.

This review is solely based on the sandwich I had. I grabbed a spicy turkey sandwich and right away I knew something was wrong. I was eating the food and I had triggered a memory. I wasnt sure why, but then it hit me. The tomatoes lettuce cheese bun etc is the same company who provides Wendy's and other fast food places with their ingredients. I felt like I was eating a Wendy's burger, but substituting the hamburg for turkey. It also wasnt even spicy. There is so many other places nearby that get better quality ingredients for their food for the same price. If you want good food pass on this place

What a great selection of ice cream and sandwiches. Nice pit stop for us heading home and this did not disappoint. Haven't been to Medford in a while, but will be back again soon. We had the salted caramel truffle in a split (yummy) after a pastrami sandwich. Fun place!

I don't know how this place stays open. We loved across the street and decided to check it out as a little treat for the kids. The sandwiches were made by a kid not wearing gloves, the food was bland and the service was slow. I'm at a loss as to how this place keeps getting customers. West Medford square has much better sandwich places and ice cream places. Next time we will drive 5 extra minutes to west medford

Ice cream is delicious! Service was great - I believe they are just doing take out. Pricing was cheap comparatively to others in the area. Will deff go back - sandwiches/other food looked good too!

I haven't been here in years and was pleasantly surprised to discover that they no longer serve Brighams ice cream. The locally made ice cream is fantastic. Staff is friendly and the place looks clean. Definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for good ice cream.

Friendly and professional service. Great ice cream. Love this place!

Really good hot dogs and grilled cheese sandwiches with interesting bread and topping options. Food much better since new ownership took over. Ice cream and milkshakes good too. Def worth a visit if you are in Medford Sq.

I want to like Colleens, I've tried it a few times but this was my final straw. I've eaten lunch there and ordered ice cream in the past and it was just so-so. The inside always seems to have the same cleaning folks as Friendly's, everthing seems a bit dirty and sticky. Today I stopped in to order some ice cream to go. The server was rude, rolled her eyes when I asked her a question about the seasonal flavors and grabbed my credit card without even telling me the price. Not only was she rude to the customers but this teen was also rude to other staff members. I understand we all have rough days but when you work in the service industry at leat try to fake enjoyment for the few minutes you're helping me.

First went here in the summer of 2013 and could not stop going back! Their sundaes are amazing. Recently had a blondie brownie sundae with vanilla and cookie dough ice-cream with hot fudge and nuts - DIVINE. Additionally, the staff is great - I left my wallet there on a Sunday and they were so honest and responsive and I had my walle back on Monday! Colleens - you rock.

If I want a soaking wet tuna on burned bread I could have stayed home. I almost killed my husband for suggesting this place. Our sandwiches were terrible. I mean...how do you screw up a sandwich?? Seriously! Oh and it comes with 4 flimsy slices of pickles. I noticed them when I was scraping the black stuff off my bread.

My husband and I stopped here last night to get some ice cream and it definitely satisfied my craving! I had a pistachio sundae with all the trimmings - hot fudge, chocolate sprinkles (Not from NE and I just can't call them jimmies) and whipped cream. The ice cream was excellent, with real pistachio nuts. Hmmmm. Just thinking about it makes me want to go get some more. We didn't have any food there, but from the looks of it they have a nice selection of sandwiches.

A hungry doctor is a useless doctor. Down to Colleen's, as the closest eatery within walking distance to the hospital. Reminded me a bit of Cabot's Ice Cream, in Newton, where I spent some of the best days of my youth. Except that they didn't give off a "sit down and eat here" vibe, more of a "better take it to go" vibe. Diner look, sambiches, icecream, ok, we can handle this. Although, I thought, why so little flavors? And where are all the OTHER great diner sandwiches NOT on the menu? Like the BLT? Fortunately, the high school boy behind the counter was smitten and promised to make me a BLT off the menu... BLT was ok, and the milk shake was ok - but both together cost over $10?! Welcome to the nineties, I guess!!

I had a terrible experience last night at Colleen's. Famished after an intense evening dance class, my friend and I were looking for a cheap bite to eat near the studio. We came upon Colleen's around 9pm, and asked the girl at the counter if they were still open. She assured us that they were open until 10pm. My friend asked if she could have a sandwich item served as a salad, and the girl informed us she'd have to ask. When I asked what might be the difficulty so I could choose something easy to make, she replied, "I dunno, I'll just have to ask." In the end the cook could prepare our meals as asked--both of us are on a diet program, so asked for no bread or cheese. That said, our meals were surprisingly bland, unsatisfying, and overpriced for what we received. I went up to the counter to see if I could order something else, and the girl replied I could. I took a moment and decided on a chicken salad sandwich, and was told I couldn't order any food because the grill was shut down. All in all the interactions with the staff were a bit baffling and my friend and I left feeling very annoyed. Edit: Also the chips that came with my meal were very stale--they tasted like cardboard. Disappointing.

I really do like coming here. I have brought friends and family here and they also feel the same way. The ice cream is good obviously but what I like are the unique flavors she has. This past holiday she had flavors such as pumpkin and egg nog. The prices are very reasonable You can get a filling lunch/dinner for under 10 dollars and being a college student looking to save money, that is very good The Monte Cristo is delicious as well as the Roast Beef and Swiss. My friend got a turkey wrap and loved it. Each meal comes with chips and pickles. They also serve breakfast all day which is awesome