

Mmmmm...free scoops! (Photo courtesy of McConnell's Fine Ice Creams)

The decades-old, artisanal ice cream maker McConnell's will be dishing up free scoops for all this Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of their new Studio City location.

From 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, head to McConnell's new shop on Ventura Place near Laurel Canyon Boulevard to enjoy free scoops of their small-batch, locally-sourced ice creams. The shop will offer a rotating selection of 22 flavors, including both seasonal hits and classic favorites like salted caramel chip, churros con leche and Eureka lemon with marionberries. So, your only worries now are deciding which one you want to try for free and if you should go for the cone or cup. They'll also have shakes, sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and floats available as well, but you'll have to shell out for those.

One new flavor to look out for at the new shop is whiskey & pecan pralines, which is spiked with smoky and spicy Kentucky bourbon with salt-roasted, caramel-coated pecans.

The Studio City shop—which is now open—is McConnell's fifth location, including one in downtown's Grand Central Market and one in Ventura. The popular scoop shop was first opened by Gordon "Mac" and Ernesteen McConnell in Santa Barbara in 1949, long before the whole artisanal ice cream thing was a thing. They source the majority of their ingredients from nearby organic and sustainable farms of the Central Valley and use grass-grazed milk & cream pasteurized from raw at their own creamery.

The new McConnell's Fine Ice Creams is located at 12073 Ventura Place, Studio City, (818) 308-7789.