Pizza and ice cream are officially going steady on Evanston’s Central Street. Billy Bricks, the Chicago-area wood-fired pizza group, has folded Moo Joe’s ice cream into its Evanston location, serving the award-winning scoop brand alongside its Neapolitan-style pies at storefronts and from its vintage trucks.
The family-run outfit is keeping it simple: one stop for a thin, blistered crust and a novelty cone. For locals, that translates to weeknight dinners and dessert under the same roof instead of a second stop down the block.
On WGN Radio’s Chicago’s Very Own Eats, CEO Ric Gruber called the mash-up a natural extension of Billy Bricks’ events business. The segment notes the company now operates seven suburban pizzerias along with a fleet of mobile pizza and ice-cream trucks that pull up to parties, festivals, and neighborhood events.
Moo Joe’s lands on Central Street
According to What Now Chicago, Billy Bricks opened its first stand-alone Moo Joe’s inside Parlor on Central at 2002 Central Street in Evanston, with operations beginning Dec. 3, 2025. Evanston Now reported that the ice-cream parlor sits next to Backlot Coffee and Tag’s Bakery and is just steps from the Central Street Metra station, making it an easy stop for commuters and families alike.
From trucks to a shop
Company materials explain that Moo Joe’s started as part of Billy Bricks’ Bricks on Wheels program, which features a vintage 1958 Ford ice-cream truck and carts that the group books for events. Those same materials show the brand now offers truck and cart packages for private bookings. The Daily Herald has tracked Billy Bricks’ growth and notes that Gruber’s family operation has been building its suburban footprint for about two decades.
Awards and flavors
What Now Chicago and company listings highlight Moo Joe’s wins at competitions, including the World Dairy Expo and the LA International Dairy Competition. The menu leans into playful, high-butterfat flavors, from salty-sweet spins like “THIS $&@! JUST GOT SERIOUS” to Blue Moon and Fat Elvis, a lineup that has turned the brand’s novelty scoops into a calling card.
What this means for the neighborhood
The Daily Northwestern has covered Parlor on Central as an emerging neighborhood gathering spot, and Moo Joe’s gives Central Street another evening destination for commuters stepping off the Metra and families lingering after dinner. For Billy Bricks, the Evanston shop anchors a mobile success story with a permanent storefront in a dense retail strip that already punches above its weight in local food options.
For more information or to arrange truck and cart bookings, visit moojoesicecream.com or the group’s event site at Billy Bricks on Wheels. Ric Gruber’s full interview is available through WGN Radio’s Chicago’s Very Own Eats.
