Ivanhoe’s in Upland Is a Destination for Strawberry Shortcake and More

A big serving of strawberry shortcake is a sensible place to begin at Ivanhoe’s. The dessert arrives with plenty of fresh strawberries, and the cake has more character than the usual soft, forgettable sponge. During strawberry season, it becomes an especially popular reason to pull into Upland, Indiana, with some fans making a road trip specifically to order it.

Ivanhoe’s has the cheerful scope of a classic ice cream parlor that never saw a reason to limit itself to dessert. A lunch can start with a basket of onion rings or cheddar tots, continue with a tenderloin or burger, and end with a shake in a flavor someone else at the table has never tried. That combination has helped make the place a longtime local gathering spot as well as a repeat stop for families, students and travelers passing near Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University.

The strawberry shortcake is Ivanhoe’s calling card, particularly in summer. It is not a skimpy garnish of berries over a pile of whipped topping; the strawberries are a substantial part of the order, giving the dessert its bright, juicy center.

There is even a useful small customization to know about: extra strawberry juice can make the cake portion richer and a little more gloriously messy. It is a good choice for the table, though taking a large shortcake home also works when dessert is the main purpose of the stop.

For a more traditional sundae route, the choices include hot fudge and Birthday Cake, alongside the strawberry shortcake version. One particularly appealing combination pairs hand-dipped butter pecan ice cream with pecans and butterscotch topping—a full old-fashioned ice cream-counter idea in a dish.

The frozen menu is unusually broad, with roughly 100 ice cream flavors and about as many shake or ice-cream flavor combinations. No one needs to approach that list as a completion project, though it does explain why return visits come up so often. A new shake can turn an ordinary lunch into a different outing from the last one.

Milkshakes are a natural order with a sandwich, and the large selection gives younger diners plenty to study before committing. Soft-serve ice cream and sundaes widen the choices further, so one person can go for a simple cone while another settles into a loaded dessert.

The variety also makes Ivanhoe’s easy on mixed groups. Someone hungry for a full meal does not have to sit through an ice-cream-only stop, and the person who came mainly for a sundae does not have to pretend a burger was the plan.

The food menu stays in the comfortable territory of casual American lunch and dinner, with generous portions and approachable prices. Breaded tenderloin sandwiches, burgers and chicken ranch sandwiches are among the familiar favorites, while a harvest chicken sandwich gives the chicken side of the menu another option.

Chicken salad on toasted wheat brings a lighter, straightforward choice to a menu that also includes salads. It is useful counterweight to all the fried sides and ice cream, even if the cheddar tots have a way of making their case.

Those cheddar tots are one of the standout sides, crisp and snackable beside a sandwich. Onion rings provide the other classic basket-order temptation. Either one can make a sensible reason to hold off on dessert for a few minutes, though not necessarily for long.

Inside, Ivanhoe’s functions as a place to settle in rather than simply grab a cone at a window. Families and groups use the dining rooms, and the back room has a display of older American flags that gives the space a detail you would not expect from an ice cream stop.

Outside, picnic tables and benches offer an easy alternative for a meal or a towering dessert. They suit the relaxed rhythm of a road-trip stop particularly well: order at the counter, carry out the trays, and let everybody compare shake flavors.

Near the edge of the parking lot, a Garfield statue adds another bit of roadside personality. It is a recognizable pause for people exploring the Garfield Trail, and it fits the lighthearted, family-oriented character of the place.

Ivanhoe’s has free on-site parking, with a lot that is generally ample but can fill when the restaurant is especially busy. Weekends can bring crowds, lines that extend outside and a wait during peak periods. Even then, ordering has a reputation for moving along steadily.

Indoor seating and the outdoor picnic tables give diners options once the food is in hand. The place works neatly for a casual lunch, an after-church family meal, a dessert pickup or an intentionally sweet detour on a longer drive.

Families with infants should note one limitation: highchairs may not be available. For everyone else, the biggest challenge is more pleasant—choosing between the strawberry shortcake you came for and the shake flavor that has been waiting on the list.