Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream and Twentieth Century Bowling Alley

This place absolutely rules. The staff is friendly, the ice cream delicious, and everyone has a smile on their face. The lanes have recently been upgraded with automated scoring and pin setting; it's a truly modernized experience. The rates are affordable, and it's great fun. We bring all our friends who visit from out of town to try a unique Boston activity. 10/10 and highly recommended to everyone of all ages.

Been eating ice cream from Rons for 30 years. It's always been the best around! But I just had my first disappointment. The cookie dough ice cream I got had barely any cookie dough in it, seemed like I was eating plain vanilla ice cream. Years ago there use to be big chucks of cookie dough in every bite you take. Definitely a little disappointment.

Great ice-cream. Lovely staff can be a little crowded on the weekends. Overall great place to do bowling with the little one while enjoying something sweet.

Ron’s is a magical blast from the past! We showed up on a Tuesday midday and were the only ones in the alley. We were greeted by friendly staff, given a few bowling tips by Mr. Ron himself and had A TON of fun candlepin bowling. The ice cream also lives up to the hype (voted as #3 ice cream in the world by Nat Geo at one point in time!). To put it simply, I’m a 32yo female and I’d want MY birthday party at Ron’s!

They make their own ice cream and have candle pin bowling. Not many places like this left. A true gem and definitely a taste of the old school. Please support this place as it truly is great and very authentically Boston.

Candlestick Bowling that has amazing ice cream. Tried Eggnog and Apple Pie flavor. The Apple Pie flavor has apple chunks, pie crust, apple flavored cream. It tastes exactly like apple pie. Can't wait to try other flavors! Friend tried Ice Cream Sandwiches and was in love with the creaminess.

No frills candle pin bowling alley with a restaurant with several tables! Went to a birthday party there! I parked out back, but I think you need to park across the street in the municipal lot.

I absolutely loved the ice cream. I took the rum raisin and it was seriously one of the best I’ve ever had. Not too strong, creamy, even the little cone was actually pretty good. The girls were really nice too. We haven’t played bowling but it could have been fun! The place itself doesn’t like much but really recommend it!

I visited with my three young children, and every member of the staff was extremely helpful to us (from helping lift my carriage up a small set of stairs, to setting up our pizzas when I was trying to juggle the kids and bowling). This was our first time at Ron's, and we will definitely be back!

This review is just for the ice cream! Flavors - 3.5/5 Textures - 4/5 Presentation - 4/5 Value for Money - 3.5/5 I got grapenut and vanilla. I loved the texture of the ice cream - very smooth with an elastic quality that resembles melted cheese when pulled. The flavors were ok. Good level of sweetness but no wow factor.

My family loves this place. They have an array of hard ice cream to chose from. There is also soft ice cream, ice cream cakes, and other desserts to chose from. The staff are always nice and quick! Ron's offers bowling at a cheap price which my children enjoy!

Some of the best ice cream I've had. Super unique flavors that everyone loved to try. They also had a nice bowling alley that I'd love to visit. Atmosphere was great and so was the service!

I found Ron's by searching for candlepin bowling in the greater Boston area. I was looking for something that felt a bit more like the classic New England bowling alley without the glitz of restaurant and bar that has been tacked on to so many places closer to the center of town. Ron's fit the bill perfectly. It's a small space, but still sports a full 10 lanes of candlepin bowling, while still offering an amazing supply of ice cream, pizza, snacks, and even beer and wine. The staff was delightful and the lanes were well maintained and worked just as expected. I couldn't have asked for a better day out for bowling.

I tried their black raspberry and brookie dough. The prices were in line with those of other premium ice cream stores, but the ice cream tasted very average. I liked the texture - it was very creamy. However, the flavor itself wasn't anything special. The black raspberry wasn't fruity enough. The brookie dough was just okay. Definitely not bad, but the ice cream scene in Massachusetts is quite competitive. Unfortunately, Ron's didn't really stand out to me.

Sitting in Hyde Park this is the perfect place for kids or a chill date. Ice cream and bowling go hand in hand as the flavors of ice cream churn for hours. Staff is extremely nice and knowledgeable. Make sure you try their ice cream cakes and other assorted specialties. Soft serve options are plentiful and the owner Ron himself told me to remember that mint ice cream will only appear green because of food coloring. Thank me later, follow me now, stay eatin' bruh!

Ron's has old school candle bowling and a classic vibe. Keeping scores and resetting between each turn is done manually. The equipment is still in good quality and kept clean. Please be mindful to only wear bowling shoes on the floor. The ice cream is very good, doesn't taste like it has too much sugar.

My daughter had THE BEST birthday party here. I called ahead a mentioned the theme was Stanger Things and they made a Stranger Things cake (with mini egos!). I couldn't believe the detail. Just wonderful. The staff is great, the bowling is fun and everything is right there. (also they put a Happy Birthday Sign above the lanes!). Just the best!

Ron you never disappoint!!! I love love love all your flavors. Thanks for being an authentically good ice cream joint with a side of bowling ;). My ultimate favorite is ginger (with real ginger bits), apple pie (yes with whole pie y'all. I've seen them make it), grape nut, pumpkin, butter pecan, vanilla, pistachio (a good way to tell your pistachio Ice cream is good if it doesn't have green food coloring). There ice cream, is creamy deliciousness there is no air in it. Keep up the good work Ron.

This review is long overdue! I love Ron's so much. I think it's safe to say that their ice cream is the best I've ever had and I've had a lot of ice cream. It's gourmet quality ice cream that is absolutely creamy and delicious you won't even need to add toppings to it! I'm so thankful to all the staff at Ron's who make and serve this wonderful ice cream because you guys are the real MVPs!! Let me tell you, any flavor you get here is going to be the best you have ever had. I strongly recommend you try and let every bite of this ice cream change your life. LOL Ron's is perfect for any occasion. Going through a breakup - choose Ron's. Bad day at work- choose Ron's. Roommate pissing you off- go to Ron's! LOL Oh snap I just noticed this is my second review for Ron's.... hahaha wow obsessed much.

Today the service was outstanding. The young female there was extremely helpful. I ordered watermelon sherbet in a cup. So refreshing and perfect in a hot humid day. Thank you

I don't know how, but this place makes the BEST bacon egg and cheese sandwich ever. Its the way everything is cooked, way better than Dunkins or Starbucks microwaved crap. I just wish they made frappuccinos, but the sandwich is a must.

Ron's gourmet ice cream has been a staple in my growing over the years. I remember leaving the Rogers after school to get some ice cream with my friends after we got some pizza. While over the years the staff has changed, the taste of the of the ice cream and the richness the remains the same. I love this ice cream and everyone that I introduce them to love the experience and they always come back for more.

Much to my dismay, I'm on break from dairy. Thankfully Ron's has a tasty vegan vanilla that scratches the itch. Nobody's saying it's as scrumptious as real ice cream, mind you. Only that it will be cool to see what other vegan options show up. (There's a dairy free cookie dough flavor, but alas, gluten. Also taking five from that. Such problems, I know.) TG 4 Ron's.

Best ice cream parlor. Been coming here for years and years. Good place to Eat and Bowl Ice cream is beyond the best in the area!!! Always come by when in the Hyde park area

So difficult to find the GREAT ones but when you do... it makes that much more enjoyable! Thank you Ron for a wonderful experience! The lanes are fast and the ice cream is a blast!

Just served a birthday cake from Ron's today, and everyone at the party agreed: it was the best ice cream cake they'd ever had. Ron's is the best. (We've had so much fun bowling there, too!) I'd like to attach a photo, but we ate it.

Hosted my son's 5th birthday party here a couple of weeks ago. It went great and the kids had a ton of fun. Jay was fantastic, helped to give a quick explanation and demo of the game to the kids and was very helpful with keeping the flow of the party going for a bunch of young, energetic kids. Definitely recommend, and plan to return with the kids in the future.

Believe the hype. The ice cream is smooth, savory, and stupendous. The bowling alley is neat, too.

Amazing! Who knew that such yummy ice cream could be found in this bowling alley? 1) vanilla sundae with pineapple and walnuts-unlike every other place that gives you huge chucks of walnuts, they are so finely chopped (think slightly bigger than sesame seeds) so you can get a nice bite of everything with each scoop 2) pistachio ice cream-perfect 3) rum raisin ice cream-way better than Hagen Daas 4) ginger ice cream-not too sweet not too spicy. Just 100% delicious High quality ice cream at very affordable prices. Since we were taking this to go, they were nice enough to give us cones, chocolate sprinkles and of course spoons. I got a kiddie cup and it was enough for 2 servings! My friends got the regular size cups and they too could not finish. The staff here are so friendly and helpful. Now that I know this place exists, I will definitely be back.

Tough review to write. I'm a native of Hyde park and Ron's is a local institution. I will say the ice cream is phenomenal, even worth the price. The kids love it, even if it hasn't had a facelift since the Clinton administration. So I've been back to Rons twice with my son. He loves the bowling and the food, so I can't complain-- What I don't like is the fact that there's 6-8 kids behind the ice cream counter, nobody assisting the lines waiting to get shoes or to pay for their time on the lanes. I get it. They're kids, but jeez, some supervision?

Absolutely the best ice cream and great staff. Tip them well as the staff work hard and remain friendly.

Best ice cream in Boston. My family is obsessed. Whenever I visit them, we stop here multiple times to pick up quarts to share. I gain weight on every Boston trip now that we've found Ron's. My sister thinks the black raspberry is the best she's every had. My dad goes for the cherry vanilla, which is my second favorite. I love the carmel brownie chunk. All their ice creams are creamy, smooth, and down right delicious. Bonus you can order your ice cream on their website and pick it up in a separate cooler, 1 to save time and 2 to social distance. Gotta love Ron's.

Ron's is the best ice cream in Massachusetts hands down. They also have bowling at their Hyde Park location. Everything is reasonably priced. If you're going anywhere else you're wasting your time. I've been a lifelong customer and that's never going to change. They also deliver via Uber Eats now.

A friend told me this place was good and it was absolutely the best ice cream i ever had!!!! The Salted Caramel is sOoooo good!!!!

This review is for a kid's birthday party. Ron's gets it done! He's a bit brusque and the set up is pretty old school (we needed an adult to man the scoreboard on every lane), but for a huge crowd of kids it works. Ice cream cake was tasty, staff was efficient getting the drinks in and out, the pizza in and out, and the cake in and out. I'd give more stars if the staff and Ron were more friendly and welcoming. But I fully acknowledge that is a minor nitpick! I would consider hosting a party here. Kids had a blast.

Love the ice creams. Butter Pecan and Strawberry are my favorites. Staff is very friendly. There is always a line which indicates the greatness of this establishment.

The absolute best!!! I will walk 500 miles, for this ice cream. Rum Raisin is my favorite. I've also had Oreo, Strawberry, coffee and chocolate. Will not disappoint you

Slightly above average ice cream. Meh. The kids size is twice the size it should be. I don't need Timmy having this much ice cream lol

Always high marks for Ron's ice cream ! This is truly a 5 star organization when it comes to ice cream . They are my go to for hot fudge sundaes or if I just want to bring home a pint . Their staff is friendly and their ice cream is always fresh . When I purchased my last pint I was also nicely surprised that they bagged it in an insulated bag . High marks for that . I also had an issue over the summer where I lost a gift card and they replaced it with no trouble at all ! Ron's is my favorite treat place hands down !

Their ice cream is soooo good! Any ice cream with nuts comes stuffed with nuts, not just nuts every third spoonful, but every single one and I LOVE it! The fact that they deliver ice cream makes me LOVE them! Lol My faves: Butter Pecan Pistachio And the Oreo Cake Batter is my go-to treat during that time of the month, ladies. frfr Coffee Madness

To me Ron's is an ice cream parlor. Never bowled here, never eaten the food. The ice cream is the absolute best I have /ever/ tasted in all my days. Im not quite sure how they do it but it truly is indescribably good ice cream. Every flavor I have tried has blown my mind. The ice cream is about the same price as Ben and Jerry's we pack up a quart every few weeks for the house. Love having them in the neighborhood. Kind of a blast from the past inside but dont miss out on the ice cream.

My favorite neighborhood ice cream parlor / bowling alley. Love taking my kids to bowl a few strings and then top it off with the best ice cream. Friendly service and a personal touch to every visit. Rim also personally looks after things so well that there is never a problem. It's great to have this gem in the neighborhood. Ive also had a couple of birthday parties here for the kids which work out great during the younger years.

Best. Ice Cream. Ever. One of the only places with Grapenut ice cream so that's a huge plus! Their ice cream is super creamy and delicious, always satisfied.

I love this place. Every school vacation we come here, bowl and eat ice cream. They are all so kind there, such a great neighborhood place. Still the best place around if the kids are on vacation. Old neighborhood feel, down to earth people and obviously amazing ice cream

One of the best ice creams I have ever had! The coffee madness is my absolute favorite.

Can I give Ron's 6 stars? They offer an unbeatable combination of first-rate ice cream and candlepin bowling, which is more challenging and fun than 10-pin. The young employees were very friendly.

Awesome, awesome place. The owner is such a nice guy and the bowling is so fun. Amazing ice cream ( way better than the ice cream smith here in Milton) I would come here with friends or kids anytime.

I usually put a lot of details in my reviews but this one is just simple. Great ice cream!

The best ice cream anywhere hands down! The ice cream cakes are also a huge hit in this family! They have 2 locations which is great and one is the bowling alley in Hyde Park. Bowling is always a fun activity when your having the best ice cream ever!

I would give Ron's a good review, because their ice-cream does beat others out. But...the rudeness is unforgivable as far as I'm concerned. I walked in one day and ordered a child sized cone, i was asked " who is this ice cream for?" being caught off guard, I answered truthfully "it's for me". I was then told I couldn't order a child cone because I'm not a child. What kind of crap is that? I didn't fell like a small, med, or large serving of icecream at that moment. I wanted a child size and thats it. I even tried to change the story and say my child was in the car, no way. If they didn't see a "child" I wasn't getting a child cone. It's my right to purchase any sized anything on this planet, who are they to dictate to me? small ,med, large, child size, or super sized. Ron can keep his icecream. After that I went to McDonalds and ordered a happy meal. No one asked me if it was for me, my kid, my dog, or anyone. I wanted it and I got it. No questions asked. Ron's needs lessons in customer service

This place is alright, but nothing too spectacular. It's a great place to bring the kids to bowl and kill some time. The ice cream is delicious too. I did not order any food, so I cannot comment on it. The employees are usually friendly, but the owner, Ron, is a jerk. One time when I took my son there, he was in all of our business, pretty much micromanaging us and telling us we can't do anything. It made us feel really uncomfortable and not "welcomed" at all.

Frappe goodness! mmmmm. what's the difference btwn a frappe and a frappe? i don't care, cuz whatever they call it, its tasty. The ice cream is above par and way better than JP Licks, and I really enjoy JP Licks. Ice cream, history, and bowling, how can you go wrong?!? The lines are usually long, yes even in the winter, but oh so worth it. I have yet to bowl here, but its decently priced for a game or 2.

Candlepin bowling and ice cream - the perfect formula for a first date, a family outing, or just a night out with friends. Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream / 20th Century Bowling is surprisingly easy to get to. It's right on Hyde Park Avenue next to the Boston Police Hyde Park substation, and there's a municipal lot right across the street. This place has ten candlepin lanes. All are equipped with "bumpers" - retractable rails that keep balls from going into the gutters. They have computer scoring with the Compu-Score semi-automatic system. You punch in the score, and the computer adds it up for you. The ball returns are "outside the pair", which suggests that this is an older house. The lanes themselves are synthetic, though the approaches are, at this time, still wood (preferred by many bowlers). The scoring action is very good. House bowling balls are in fine shape. While they could probably put up some new wall decorations, everything else looks great and the pinsetters ran flawlessly while I was here. The settee area seating is comfortable, though the actual bowling area is small, lending an intimate feel to the place. Prices are very good at only $3.75 per game as of this review. Ron's is famous for its ice cream, and for my maiden dish, I ordered Cow Tracks. It was very tasty - not too soft as to be soupy, but soft enough as to be easily dug into with a spoon. There were plenty of little chocolate caramel nuggets in there, as well as a little fudge to liven things up. My small, one-scoop cup was less than $3, which was nice. They have a freezer full of homemade cakes, and they all looked very good. I would definitely go back to Ron's for bowling, ice cream, or a combination of both. It's not that far from 93, and it's about a 15 to 20 minute drive from downtown, so it's worth the trip!

Love all the ice cream here, they have great selection. I would definitely recommend the Oreo cake batter or the grape but ice cream. All there ice creams you can tell that they're made fresh. My only issue with this place is the prices are a little high but they accept cards. Everyone in there I've met and they are very friendly (:

If there were a reason to go to Cleary Square, this is it. My friends and me stumbled upon this place while doing a show at Riverside Theatre and it became a sort of running joke -- as in "hey, let's go to Ron's after rehearsal! That guy smoking outside the door can't be wrong" --but we relented on the impulse one wintry afternoon and acted on it. Three stars because we didn't try the bowling. The ice cream is incredible -- creamy, great flavor, inexpensive! Again, it's Ron's Gourmet Ice Cream and Candlepin Bowling. Not 20th Century or whatever. The list regarding the atmosphere: 1. children everywhere 2. delicious ice cream 3. random arcade games shoved in a corner 4. clownish decor + wood paneling 5. stale cigarette smoke engrained in everything 6. old guys in wife beaters on the lanes 7. it's still candlepin bowling + ice cream which is 8. an amazing combination. Worth the trip to Hyde Park.

Ah... Ron's ice cream! What can I say that hasn't been said. Nostalgia fills you when you step into this hidden gem! The ice cream is some of the best I've ever had. Their location right by the police station makes you glad to be safe and that no one will mug you for your ice cream. The only bad part is that costumer service is hit or miss there. And when it's a miss... You just feel like having a fit and throwing the ice cream cone down the bowling alley. Side not... These guys could really use some modernizing of those bowling alleys. The 80's want their atmosphere back!

I. luv. this. ice cream. 'nuff said. I don't need to bowl or play arcade games or anything like that, although those things give the place a fun atmosphere. It definitely has it's regular customers, and the employees are wonderful and friendly. Most of all they have ice cream! Khalua chipp is the best, with big hunks of chocolate, and if you let it thaw a bit you can smell the khalua flavor coming off of it. They have so many flavors and I've tried most of them. I don't think you can lose with these guys. They also have a place in Dedham (but I never been there) and I saw them on Good Morning America or something because they were voted one of the top three or four in the country or something.