By Paul Villalobos

If you have never been to Afters Ice Cream, you are sorely missing out. Their ice cream is to die for.

Thankfully one of their shops is located just four miles from Riverside City College  in University Village.

If you are someone who screams for all things ice cream then Afters is a must.

As soon as I walked in, I was instantly greeted by an army of smiling Afters employees.

The atmosphere inside the shop was electric, like you’ve been transported to a small, fun party with your friends.

Instagram enthusiasts will find themselves in hashtag heaven. This place was built for the selfie takers and social media junkies.

Several spots inside the shop offer opportunities to take pictures of your ice cream.

One such spot is off to the side by the cashier where a black wall with the Afters logo plastered all over is ready to greet customers who are photo inclined.

This particular spot in the store feels like you’ve been transported to a red carpet in Hollywood, where the main star of the show, of course, is your delicious ice cream.

Okay, enough picture talk, let’s talk about the ice cream!

First of all, can we just talk about that Milky Bun! Oh my goodness, what a genius idea.

The Milky Bun is a glazed doughnut ice cream sandwich filled with your choice of ice cream and toppings, or in other words, pure sugar madness.

Knowing the person that I am, I knew I just had to try one.

The result was basically heaven in a doughnut.

I got the Milky Bun with their Cookie Monster flavored ice cream and Fruity Pebbles. All of the flavors harmonized perfectly.

The ice cream itself was smooth and creamy, it had a luscious yet airy taste that worked well with the soft and warm glazed doughnut.

The Fruity Pebbles added texture and another dimension of flavor that brought me back to the time I was a kid eating cereal for breakfast.

With so many ice cream flavors and toppings to choose from, the combinations are endless, and that’s what makes Afters such a breath of fresh air compared to other ice cream establishments.

“The flavors sound crazy, but they taste amazing,” Javier Santiago, an Afters enthusiast said. “The Mint Monster is the best mint chip ice cream I’ve ever tasted. It even had Oreo cookies inside.

Honestly some of the best ice cream here in Riverside. It’s definitely not your typical Cold Stone, Ben & Jerry’s or local supermarket ice cream.”

As far as flavors go there are plenty to choose from such as Madagascar Vanilla, Vietnamese Coffee and Jasmine Milk Tea, just to name a few.

All of their ice cream is handcrafted and comes with the option to add an array of toppings such as Fruity Pebbles, Captain Crunch cereal or mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Afters is not your typical ice cream place that you go for a good ol’ fashioned ice cream cone. It’s more than that. 

According to their website, “Afters is more than just ice cream, it’s a lifestyle.”

While Afters may cater more towards the young, hip millennial types, if you are someone that likes to try new things, then Afters is the place to be.

I was so enthralled by my visit to Afters, and I can’t wait to go back for that Milky Bun to feed my sweet tooth once again.