Get ready, West Valley ice cream lovers. Novel Ice Cream is opening a new location in Old Town Peoria. Owner Shawn Allard is keeping the exact location under wraps, but shares that the new shop is coming soon.
"We are working on a third shop, and our fourth spot will be a mobile ice cream truck for events and catering," Allard says. "We wanted to build community in Peoria and felt like Peoria was missing a creative local spot like Novel."
Just like an exclusive toy or sneaker drop, the anticipation is building on Instagram.
"It is being kept on the down low until we launch in August," Allard adds.
If the new location is anything like the circa-2017 ice creamery's downtown Phoenix or Mesa locations, the West Valley is in for a big treat. 
On a recent visit to the downtown Mesa location, the walk-up ice cream counter was buzzing. About a dozen people of all ages eagerly awaited scoops of Novel's small-batch, handcrafted ice cream. The crowd included a family, couples and friends heading to a nearby Mesa pub. One customer even zipped by on old-school roller skates with a cone of butter pecan in hand.
That night's menu showcased flavors like Bourbon Caramel Toffee Crunch, Cookie Monster, Madagascar vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, honey lavender, Fat Elvis, key lime pie and banana Foster, plus mango and Paloma sorbet.
"We make only two to three 5-liter pans of our rotated flavors at any given time. All of our staple flavors never sell out, so we keep much more on hand," Allard says. Cookie Monster, a staple flavor, is electric blue-colored vanilla ice cream often requested topped with Cookie Crisp cereal pieces and a chocolate drizzle. The Muppets would've been proud.
A single scoop of ice cream costs $3.95, a double costs $4.95 and a triple is $5.95. The scoops can be served in a cone, a cup or a float, or inside a doughnut or a waffle — forming the Leslie Knope ice cream sandwich.
We ordered Novel's famous Dough Melt, an ice cream sandwich with two pressed glazed donut halves and a scoop of Straight Up Strawberry ice cream topped with Fruity Pebbles, sprinkles and waffle cone pieces. The warm, doughy outside and the cold, gooey, yet crispy inside were a scrumptious meld.
The $5.95 Dough Melt earned a spot on Delish's "50 Best Donuts in America."
"The Dough Melt's origins came from looking at what was missing in the world of ice cream and ice cream sandwiches," Allard says.
Patrons can customize their sweet doughy treat with any ice cream selection and toppings, including other popular cereal varieties, marshmallow charms, Oreos and drizzles in caramel, chocolate or raspberry syrup.
In May, the ice cream chefs dropped a new flavor, Ethan’s Creamy Surprise, a Ube-based ice cream made with marshmallow pieces, chocolate drizzle and a Halaya swirl. Ethan got the purple-colored Ube ice cream named after him by accepting a challenge posted by Allard in the fall of 2023 to visit Novel for 30 days straight.
"We work together on developing new and improving existing recipes," Allard says. "We test new things all the time."
The unique names match the unique ingredients. Fat Elvis is made with peanut butter, honey-glazed bananas and bacon, while Bourbon Caramel Toffee Crunch includes bourbon, chocolate- and caramel-covered toffee treats.
The $11.50 "Indecision" is a buffet of five ice cream scoops — a flight of sorts — plus a topping for those overwhelmed by options.
Brandon Douglas and his wife Jennifer opened Novel Ice Cream in 2017. Allard purchased Novel in August 2023 and continues to bring creativity and community together in each scoop.
So, stay tuned, ice cream fans. The delicious mystery of Novel Ice Cream's new Peoria location will be unveiled soon, and it promises to be another sweet success.
1028 Grand Ave. #6
40 N. Macdonald #2, Mesa
"We are working on a third shop, and our fourth spot will be a mobile ice cream truck for events and catering," Allard says. "We wanted to build community in Peoria and felt like Peoria was missing a creative local spot like Novel."
Just like an exclusive toy or sneaker drop, the anticipation is building on Instagram.
"It is being kept on the down low until we launch in August," Allard adds.
If the new location is anything like the circa-2017 ice creamery's downtown Phoenix or Mesa locations, the West Valley is in for a big treat.
Cookie Monster, a staple flavor, is electric blue-colored vanilla ice cream often requested topped with Cookie Crisp pieces and chocolate drizzle.
Mike Madriaga
On a recent visit to the downtown Mesa location, the walk-up ice cream counter was buzzing. About a dozen people of all ages eagerly awaited scoops of Novel's small-batch, handcrafted ice cream. The crowd included a family, couples and friends heading to a nearby Mesa pub. One customer even zipped by on old-school roller skates with a cone of butter pecan in hand.
That night's menu showcased flavors like Bourbon Caramel Toffee Crunch, Cookie Monster, Madagascar vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, honey lavender, Fat Elvis, key lime pie and banana Foster, plus mango and Paloma sorbet.
"We make only two to three 5-liter pans of our rotated flavors at any given time. All of our staple flavors never sell out, so we keep much more on hand," Allard says. Cookie Monster, a staple flavor, is electric blue-colored vanilla ice cream often requested topped with Cookie Crisp cereal pieces and a chocolate drizzle. The Muppets would've been proud.
A single scoop of ice cream costs $3.95, a double costs $4.95 and a triple is $5.95. The scoops can be served in a cone, a cup or a float, or inside a doughnut or a waffle — forming the Leslie Knope ice cream sandwich.
We ordered Novel's famous Dough Melt, an ice cream sandwich with two pressed glazed donut halves and a scoop of Straight Up Strawberry ice cream topped with Fruity Pebbles, sprinkles and waffle cone pieces. The warm, doughy outside and the cold, gooey, yet crispy inside were a scrumptious meld.
The $5.95 Dough Melt earned a spot on Delish's "50 Best Donuts in America."
"The Dough Melt's origins came from looking at what was missing in the world of ice cream and ice cream sandwiches," Allard says.
Patrons can customize their sweet doughy treat with any ice cream selection and toppings, including other popular cereal varieties, marshmallow charms, Oreos and drizzles in caramel, chocolate or raspberry syrup.
In downtown Phoenix, Novel Ice Cream resides in a tiny house behind the Wayward Taproom.
Novel Ice Cream
"We work together on developing new and improving existing recipes," Allard says. "We test new things all the time."
The unique names match the unique ingredients. Fat Elvis is made with peanut butter, honey-glazed bananas and bacon, while Bourbon Caramel Toffee Crunch includes bourbon, chocolate- and caramel-covered toffee treats.
The $11.50 "Indecision" is a buffet of five ice cream scoops — a flight of sorts — plus a topping for those overwhelmed by options.
Brandon Douglas and his wife Jennifer opened Novel Ice Cream in 2017. Allard purchased Novel in August 2023 and continues to bring creativity and community together in each scoop.
So, stay tuned, ice cream fans. The delicious mystery of Novel Ice Cream's new Peoria location will be unveiled soon, and it promises to be another sweet success.
Novel Ice Cream
1028 Grand Ave. #640 N. Macdonald #2, Mesa
Peoria address to be announced
