Original Rainbow Cone Now Open For Its 95th Fabulous Season

CHICAGO — We may be enduring a polar vortex but cheer up, spring is on the way. The Original Rainbow Cone, 9233 S. Western Ave., Chicago, is now open for its 95th season, signaling the first sign of spring for South Side residents.

For those unfamiliar with the many charms of an Original Rainbow Cone, the tasty treat is an ice cream cone piled high with five flavors, including chocolate, strawberry, Palmer house and pistachio ice cream, sliced into segments and topped off with orange sherbet.

From now through Sunday, Feb. 14, ice cream lovers can buy one original rainbow cone and get a second one FREE (one per customer). In addition to ice cream cones, the shop sells cakes and cake rolls.

Original Rainbow Cone was the brainchild of Joseph Sapp, an Ohio orphan who came to Chicago to work as a Buick mechanic, according to a company bio. Ice cream was one of the few luxuries Sapp was able to enjoy as a child. In 1926, Joseph and his wife, Katherine, started the Original Rainbow Cone. Not satisfied with single flavor cones, Joseph and Katherine hit upon the five-flavor combo that still prevails today. A few years later, the Sapps bought the building at 92nd Street and Western Avenue, which still stands today, serving millions of cones across the decades.

In recent years, the building has undergone a paint job. The shop is painted its original color orange every ten years until the sign fades it to Katherine favorite “Pepto-Bismol pink,” granddaughter Lynn Sapp told Patch in 2018. Members of the Sapp family continue to operate Original Rainbow Cone today.

Winter hours for Original Rainbow Cone, 9233 S. Western Ave., Chicago, are11:20 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. They will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays until summer hours go into effect.