Original Rainbow Cone adds new flavors for first time

For the first time in its 98-year history, The Original Rainbow Cone is sweetening its menu with four new ice cream flavors.

Chocolate Obsession, Cosmic Birthday, Minty City and Orange Dream were added to the beloved ice cream shop’s menu Wednesday, which until then only featured the five-layered Rainbow Cone.

The famous Rainbow Cone, long served from the shop’s bright pink location at 9233 S. Western Ave. in the Beverly neighborhood, is stacked in slices — not scoops — of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (New York vanilla with cherries and walnut), pistachio and orange sherbet.

Each of the new flavors add a “delightful twist to the classic favorites served on a cake or waffle cone,” Rainbow Cone said.

“We’re not just adding to our menu, we’re crafting a new chapter in Rainbow Cone’s storied history,” Joe Buonavolanto III, executive vice president of The Buona Cos., parent company of The Original Rainbow Cone, said in a statement.

The ice cream shop merged with Buona, the Italian beef restaurant chain, in 2019.

Before the partnership, The Original Rainbow Cone opened its second location at Navy Pier in 2016.

There are now 14 Original Rainbow Cone locations throughout the city and suburbs, with one soon to open in Wicker Park and another in Flossmoor. The company recently expanded to Wisconsin and Indiana. More locations are planned for Michigan, Florida, Texas and California.

“As we rapidly introduce the brand to new markets, we’re blending innovation with tradition,” Buonavolanto said. “Our new sliced creations build upon the legacy of our iconic five-flavor ice cream cone, and we’re eager to share them with our newest fans, as well as those who have enjoyed Rainbow Cone for generations.”