FAQ
Are the two Vaca’s Creamery locations different?
Yes.
Vaca’s Creamery Wicker Park opened in May 2021 is the original Vaca’s Creamery. With only a walk-up window for service and 400 square feet in which to operate, the shop has a slightly smaller menu and has no seating, indoor service, or bathrooms. However, beautiful Pulaski Park is just kiddy-corner from the shop and offers benches, a large field, and a public pool during the summer.
Vaca’s Creamery Lincoln Square opened in February 2023 in the heart of Giddings Plaza and has indoor and patio seating. With a larger and more usable space we are able to offer a larger menu and a selection of 20+ flavors of take home pints and ice cream pies.
Offerings:
Do you make ice cream cakes?
We don’t make ice cream cakes, but we make ice cream pies!
They are only available at our Lincoln Square location in our grab-and-go freezer. We do not take custom orders at this time. Our regular flavors are Fudge Brownie, Candy Bar and Funfetti. Sometimes we make special flavors if we are feeling inspired.
Can I preorder ice cream pies or pints?
No. Our ice cream pies and pints are only available on a first come first serve basis at our Lincoln Square location. Our Wicker Park location has a limited number of pint flavors available daily that is subject to change.
What are your current seasonal soft serve flavors, what’s the base and how long are they available?
We always have chocolate and vanilla soft serve. Our current seasonal flavors can be found on our Facebook and Instagram (instagram.com/vacascreamery). Each flavor is available for roughly one month. Most are oat milk based, but we have a few options of pints and at least one soft serve flavor at our Lincoln Square location made of a different base such as soy, peanut butter or sesame.
The seasonal flavors (2) at Lincoln Square differ from the one at Wicker Park.
Are we able to rent out Vaca’s Creamery for a private event?
At this time we are only open to the public and do not offer private events. If you wish to celebrate a birthday or large gathering at Vaca’s during business hours, please contact hello@vacascreamery.com so we can staff accordingly.
Do you offer wholesale?
We are opening our wholesale scoop ice cream program to a limited number of partners. If you wish to carry Vaca’s Creamery ice cream at your restaurant, bakery or café, please email sales@vacascreamery.com.
Allergies and Ingredients:
Is your oat milk certified gluten-free?
Yes, we use certified gluten-free oat milk, however we do process gluten in our kitchens.
Do you have nutrition information for your products?
No. We are always working to improve our techniques and recipes to deliver the highest quality products possible. As a small batch, limited service restaurant Vaca’s Creamery is not required to list calorie or nutritional information on any products.
Do you have any sugar free or low sugar dessert options?
No. Our primary goal is to provide delicious vegan desserts and at this time we do not specialize in sugar free or low sugar options.
Do you have an allergy list for your products?
Yes, it can be found at www.vacascreamery.com/pages/allergies and you can ask to see a list of ingredients in store.
Are your desserts suitable for very severe allergies?
Some of our ingredients are processed in facilities that also process peanuts, soy, tree nuts, sesame, gluten, egg and dairy.
Though we are careful, we also process gluten, sesame, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and lots of coconut in our kitchen.
If you have severe allergies and want to know more, contact hello@vacascreamery.com
Is your ice cream suitable for x diet?
We are, above all, a vegan company, putting ethics and deliciousness above other things. We love that vegan ice cream means many more people can enjoy our products and we try to be as inclusive as possible by providing different options of ice cream bases for those with allergies. We are proud to say that many of our treats do not need any wheat to be up to our standards, so we happen to be gluten-free friendly. We also avoid artificial colors. Beyond that, we cannot guarantee that our products are suitable for your specific diet. If you have questions about specific ingredients, please email hello@vacascreamery.com.
Do you use any additives?
We get this question a lot, and though “additives” is a relative term, in order to produce delicious vegan and mostly gluten-free treats that do not lack in taste and texture, we use common and safe ingredients that some may consider as additives, such as guar gum, xanthan gum, plant-based mono and diglycerides, etc. We avoid artificial colors. If you have questions about specific ingredients, please email hello@vacascreamery.com.
Company Values
Why vegan and not plant-based?
The term “plant-based” is often used as “mainly made of plants.” Our products and philosophy goes beyond that. “Vegan” means entirely made of plants, by a vegan-owned company, with animal welfare at the forefront of our minds.
Why is Vaca’s Creamery a tipless business?
Tipping is an inherently flawed system that has roots in slavery and sexism. We pay our staff above a living wage so they can accurately predict their income and are not subject to lower pay during off-peak hours/seasons.
Why is it called Vaca’s Creamery?
“Vaca” means cow in Spanish and Portuguese, Mariana's native language, and wow do we love them. Our friendly mascot is a reminder that the joy of eating vegan ice cream means that a baby cow can drink their mother's milk.
We hope to make a difference in the lives of cows and donate a percentage of our annual profits to farm sanctuaries.
Are your products compostable?
Lincoln Square: we use almost exclusively compostable products and have compost bins for customer use.
Non-compostable items include: recyclable pup cups, recyclable drink bottles, and to-go lids for sundaes.
Wicker Park Walk-Up Window: We use a variety of compostable, recyclable, and waste products as we cannot offer on-premises dining or composting due to space constraints.