One of the oldest buildings in downtown Papillion has stood since 1870. It began as the H.A. Sander General Store. In 1939, it became Abel’s Bar and Grill, where in the 1950s, customers could get a burger, fries and a drink for just two bits.
Today, the building is home to Graley’s Creamery and Confections, and its owners Bryon and Joanna Compton, have taken care to preserve its historical integrity, bringing back the original wall colors and refurbishing a lot of the woodwork.
Graley’s interior lighting and decor
Walking into Graley’s feels like stepping back into the late 1800s. From the preserved decor and turn-of-the-century music to the Victorian-era dress code for the staff, the experience immerses you in the charm of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
The Comptons began selling ice cream wholesale in 2017 and opened the store a year later.
“Joanna was a little skeptical at first,” Compton said. “And then about six months later, we were looking for another place to start a church, and she looks at a building, and said that’s where we’re going to open the ice cream shop. And I was like, okay, so this is a thing now.”
Scooping ice cream at Graley’s
What began as a modest mom-and-pop ice cream parlor quickly became a community favorite.
“We opened an ice cream store in downtown Papillion and people went nuts,” Compton said. “The lines were out the door for our first soft opening. We had a line for over three hours.”
That initial excitement has since turned into six years of steady business. A key to their success is their well-trained, enthusiastic staff, who greet every customer with a warm, friendly, “Welcome to Graley’s!”
Scooping ice cream at Graley’s
“I put my staff up against anybody’s staff as far as awesomeness,” Compton said. “They’re what make the place run. We’re a family owned business, we treat our staff like family and they work hard for us.”
Of course, the other reason for their success is the ice cream. Compton sources real cream from dairy farmers who care for their cows, and as much as possible, he keeps ingredients local.
They also sell delicious savory and sweet hand pies between fall and mid-spring. This season there are 11 types of savory pie. They rotate weekly, and there are typically three types of fillings per week.
Jennifer and I visited twice – on a Monday and Wednesday. The second visit was strategic – I wanted to try the reuben hand pie, available only on Wednesdays.
Beef empanada outside crust
Our first visit found us trying all three pies available that day. The beef empanada, chicken pot pie and the spinach artichoke. In order to sample as many ice cream flavors as possible, we had one of their flights, which was six single scoops of ice cream lined up in a row. For the flight, we selected Mexican chocolate, mocha almond, pomegranate sorbet, cotton candy, cherry almond and Cookie Monster.
Before we get into the pie flavors, let’s discuss the crust for a moment. The crust is sturdy enough to carry the ingredients of the pie. They’d hold up well if you ate one while walking through downtown Papillion. While the crust is sturdy, it’s neverthelss tender, flaky, buttery and perfectly baked.
Chicken pot pie
The spinach artichoke was savory, cheesy with a hint of sour from the artichoke. The fillings were a perfect accompaniment to the crust’s buttery flavor.
The chicken pot pie seems like a no-brainer for a hand pie. The chicken, moist and tender, is accompanied by peas, carrots and corn with just a touch of creaminess. This one is simply delicious, hand-held comfort food.
Beef empanada pie
The pie of the day was the empanada. Inside is ground beef seasoned with Caribbean spices, small chunks of tender potato, peas and carrots. The hint of spice really takes this pie to a new level of savory goodness. Squeeze just a touch of the lime to add some citrus zing for a perfect bite.
When you try the ice cream, you can tell there’s an emphasis on fresh ingredients. Every scoop was abundantly fresh, rich and creamy. At Graley’s, there’s no artificial flavorings.
“That’s the thing about ice cream – it’s straight ice cream,” Compton said. “There’s no chemicals, there’s no fake food coloring. If I can’t spell it, it doesn’t go in the ice cream and I’m a horrible speller.”
Fresh made waffle cones
Graley’s also makes their waffle cones in-house, and their soft crunch and fresh vanilla flavor pair wonderfully with any ice cream selection.
The first scoop in our flight sampler was Mexican chocolate. It’s dark and rich with a fantastic tinge of heat. The spice isn’t overpowering, but you know it’s there. It complements the creamy, rich dark chocolate.
Graley’s ice cream flight
The mocha almond ice cream is packed with a coffee punch. The almonds help make this a rich, decadent selection. Coffee lovers, like Jennifer and myself, are sure to enjoy this.
The pomegranate sorbet is mouthwatering. There’s a nice prominence of pomegranate and its natural tanginess pops. There’s just the right amount of sweetness to round out the tart pomegranate.
Regarding the cotton candy, it’s a mildly sweet selection. The ice cream is rich and creamy, but I found it difficult to detect the cotton candy flavor. It was there, but not as prominent as I had hoped.
The cherry almond is a delicious scoop. The combination of almond and cherry give this an amaretto vibe. You won’t regret putting this on a freshly made waffle cone.
A carryover from Halloween, the “Cookie Monster, is a cookie ice cream. I had to try it. It’s blue color comes from a natural food coloring and is adorned with two edible googly eyes with bits of cookie mixed in. Though I wished for a more prominent hit of cookie flavor, some might find it to be just right.
Graley’s reuben pie
The Graley’s reuben hand pie is worth a trip to downtown Papillion on a Wednesday. I appreciated how they put the house-made thousand island dressing on the side. It allows you to enjoy the pie filling, which is traditional reuben fare, and dip into the dressing as you see fit.
This pie is only made once a week, and for the full week surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, because it’s a time-consuming pie to make. The corned beef is made fresh in house and is the pie’s standout hero. Once we reached the last bite, we would have easily ordered another if there weren’t two other pies to try.
Mac ‘n cheese pie
We next tried the bacon mac ‘n cheese pie. I love a good mac ‘n cheese, though I was nervous it would be overwhelming in a pie. Not so. The mac filling, with the bits of bacon, was fantastically creamy and savory.
Chicken cordon bleu was our third savory pie. It’s another winner with all the prominent flavors a good cordon bleu is known for, except it’s packed inside a pie. Like the other pies, it pairs well with the crust.
For ice cream, we had a scoop of mango raspberry habanero, german chocolate, butter brickle, coffee, pumpkin and cinnamon.
Mango raspberry habanero
The mango raspberry habanero brings the heat, and the flavor, to this tropical recipe. The heat comes from the house-made ribbons of habanero infused raspberry preserves that line their way through the mango ice cream. If you can tolerate a little habanero heat, this combination is complex and wonderful.
The German chocolate is made with dark chocolate ice cream, pecans and coconut. The dark chocolate is rich and decadent and the accompanying elements will satisfy any sweet craving.
German chocolate, butter brickle and cinnamon
One of Graley’s signature, and most popular, flavors is the butter brickle. This is a toffee ice cream with chunks of toffee mixed in. The ice cream itself boasts buttery toffee flavors and the toffee chunks put a nice exclamation point on the profile. The toffee isn’t hard or frozen and has just the right amount of soft crunch. It’s easy to see why it’s popular..
The coffee ice cream is exactly what fans of coffee flavorings would hope for. It reminds me of a sweet café au lait, but in a rich, creamy scoop of ice cream. I think this flavor would pair with nearly any other scoop in the Graley’s ice cream case.
Pumpkin and coffee scoops
The pumpkin ice cream tastes just like pumpkin pie. It’s perfectly balanced – neither too sweet nor bitter – and has become one of the few pumpkin-flavored treats I’d consider breaking my personal avoidance of the fall pumpkin craze for. If you love pumpkin spice lattes or classic pumpkin pie, this is a must-try.
The cinnamon ice cream is prominent in its spiced profile but not at all overpowering. It’s a fantastic ice cream on its own, and it would easily pair well with other desserts, other ice cream scoops or a simple cup of coffee.
Graley’s has made it a tradition to kick off their sweet pie offerings during Papillion’s annual Winter Wonderland festival, where they set up a pie cart in front of their store. This year, they’ll feature six different selections.
Cherry pie outside crust
After a bit of pleading, Jennifer and I were treated to a sneak peek of one of the sweet pies – my personal favorite, cherry pie. Made with the same crust as their savory pies, it’s every bit as delicious as the best cherry pies I’ve ever had.
Graley’s Creamery and Confections is more than an ice cream shop – it’s a destination. Named after the Comptons’ children, Greg and Haley, it remains a true family business. Since opening, Haley has graduated college, and Greg is pursuing a film degree, but they still pull shifts from time to time.
Graley’s interior
“Anybody can make ice cream.” Compton said. “What makes us special is the feeling when you come in. We’re not just regular ice cream shop. We’re a destination location. That’s what we strive for. We want to be a place when you walk in, you step it back into 1890. From the staff dress code, the way you’re greeted, the recipes that we have, the music playing, the look and feel of the place, it’s all tied to that.”
Graley’s is a portal to the past when ingredients were fresh and a kind greeting was guaranteed. It’s a quintessential, old-time ice cream parlor that celebrates the best of the past.
Graley’s Creamery & Confections
