After biking along the Erie Canal on a hot summer day, nothing hits the spot like ice cream. Fortunately, in Pendleton, New York, right next to the trail, is such a spot: Uncle G’s Ice Cream.

Uncle G’s has recently celebrated it’s 20th anniversary. It was opened in 2005 by Terry and Cheryl Krentz. Cheryl was the driving force for the operation. Opening the ice cream shop had long been a dream of hers. Along with operating the store, Cheryl and Krentz shared a love of old cars and spending time with their grandchildren. During their ownership, Uncle G’s regularly sponsored car shows.

I don’t know how long the Krentzes owned Uncle G’s, but in 2017 it was sold to Rachel Lindemann. She made some changes, adding indoor seating and extending the menu to include savory items, but otherwise little seems to have been changed.

A display on a wall shows the history of the building. It has existed since at least the early 1900s. (Pendleton itself was settled in 1821, by postmaster Sylvester Pendleton). In 1922, the house was sold by Mr. William Wire to Earl Lyman, who was looking for a new location for his meat market. The Lyman Meat Market operated for decades, until Mr. Lyman passed away. Several people owned the house after that, until 2005 when it became the home of Uncle G’s.

Menu

Uncle G’s mostly serves Perry’s ice cream. I’ve written about Perry’s before. It is a regional ice cream brand common in Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania. It is headquartered in nearby Akron, New York. Uncle G’s has 46 flavors of Perry’s (arranged alphabetically), plus dairy free, sorbet, low sugar, and yogurt options. There are also two flavors from Gifford’s, a premium supplier of ice cream that I have also mentioned before.

There’s any flavor of ice cream that you could desire, from Butter Pecan to Toasted Coconut. Seven of the Perry flavors I have not seen before: Banana Cream Pie, Cinnamon Bun, Dirt Sundae, French Roast Coffee, Gold Bar (caramel with peanut butter swirls), Lavender Dream, and The NutHouse (caramel, brownie batter, and peanut butter cookie dough). The Gifford’s flavors are Maine Wild Blueberry and Black Raspberry/Chocolate Chip Yogurt. (I’ve had wild blueberry ice cream elsewhere; it has a strong, unforgettable flavor!)

My Ice Cream

Despite all these flavors, I decided to go with a sundae. There are 8 options, including Cannoli, Cookie Monster, and Worms in Dirt. Without noticing the synergy, I decided to get The Pendleton.

The Pendleton, like all their sundaes, is made with soft serve ice cream. The Pendelton’s toppings are peanut butter sauce, “Rich Hot Fudge”, peanut butter cup crumbles, and Oreo cookie crumbles. I was expecting the hot fudge to be a sauce, but it actually is solid chunks of chocolate fudge.

I got my money’s worth with this sundae. There are copious amounts of both ice cream and toppings. The soft serve is very good, smooth and creamy while not being overly sweet. The peanut butter cup crumbles were cut very fine, perhaps too fine. I loved the peanut butter sauce, which was creamy and had a strong taste. Chocolate, peanut butter, and ice cream. A perfect combination.

Savory Dishes

Uncle G’s has a small savory menu with Starters & Sides, Burgers & Dogs, and Chicken & More which includes a variety of sandwiches. The starters feature a variety of fries or onion rings, as well as mac & cheese. Notable sandwiches are Buffalo Chicken, Nashville Chicken, and a fish sandwich called “G” By The Sea.

I decided to get G’s Texas Hot Dog. For the uninitiated, Texas Hots are not from Texas. They are a regional dish that originated in Buffalo’s Greek restaurants. Even today, most Greek restaurants in Buffalo carry them. Texas Hots are a chili dog. Being in the mood for something regional, I ordered two.

Uncle G’s version is made with Salem’s hot dogs, a local brand. Therefore, the quality of the dog is quite good. The chili was not at all spicy, but had good flavor. It is an all meat chili with the beef ground very fine. It goes great on the dog.

Atmosphere

Uncle G’s is located in a rural area and has a phenomenal pastoral ambiance. They have a big lawn with plenty of picnic tables. In 2017, Rachel added some indoor seating as well. The inside seating is typical dinner style, but the space is made lively by decorations covering all the walls. I was expecting to have to wait inside for my food order, but that was incorrect. Your order is brought out to you wherever you are. In general, the service was friendly and helpful. The staff gave insightful advice concerning the menu. Uncle G’s is a great place to sit and relax and have some ice cream.