The ice cream cone Chicago has been lining up for since 1926 now has a South Florida address. The Original Rainbow Cone is open at 14475 S. Dixie Highway in Palmetto Bay, serving its five-flavor sliced cone from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, in the brand's 100th year.

Five flavors, sliced, not scooped

If you grew up in Chicago, or married someone who did, you already know the order. The Rainbow Cone is five flavors stacked on one cone: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio almond and orange sherbet. Palmer House is New York vanilla studded with cherries and walnuts, and it is the flavor that tends to surprise first-timers.

The trick is the method. The shop does not scoop. The flavors are layered into a block and sliced, so every cone gets a cross-section of all five, and the idea is to taste them together in one bite instead of working down through them one at a time. It is a colorful thing to hand a child, and a nostalgic one to hand a homesick Midwesterner.

A family business that turned 100

The story begins on Chicago's South Side. Joe Sapp, known to the family business as Grandpa Joe, and his wife, Katherine, opened the first Rainbow Cone there in 1926. Joe was never satisfied with a single flavor, so the signature cone had five from the start. A century later, the shop still describes itself as family-owned, and this year its website carries a simple banner: celebrating 100 years.

For most of that century, the cone was a reason to visit Chicago. The brand has since grown well beyond its first shop, with locations across the Chicago area and in several other states. The closest one to Miami until now was in Orlando. Palmetto Bay is the first in South Florida.

More than the cone

The Palmetto Bay menu covers the full lineup. Beyond the original cone, there are sliced creations in other flavor combinations, classic scoops for the purist, milkshakes, and super sundaes served with mini donuts. The donuts, small and made to order, are a Chicago tradition in their own right and worth adding to any order. For birthdays, the shop makes ice cream cakes layered with its signature flavors, decorated in polka dots.

Two practical notes from the shop's own listing. There is a $5 happy hour Monday through Friday until 3 p.m., which makes an after-school stop easy on the wallet. And the brand runs Rainbow Rewards, which gives members points on every dollar, $5 off on their birthday and $5 off after the first purchase.

An ice cream truck for your next party

The company also books its ice cream trucks for events, with a truck finder and booking page on its website. For a school fundraiser, a team party or a backyard birthday in South Dade, that is a very different kind of dessert table.

A note for parents

The brand posts its allergen information online, and it is worth a look before a first visit with kids. The shop notes that some of its products contain egg, milk, gluten, peanuts, soy, tree nuts and wheat, and with walnuts in the Palmer House layer and pistachio almond right next to it, families managing a nut allergy will want to ask at the counter and consider a single-flavor scoop instead.

When to go

The shop is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., so it works as a lunch-break treat, an after-dinner walk or a late-night craving. You can order ahead for pickup or delivery through the brand's site, or call the shop at (305) 507-4017. Palmetto Bay residents will find it right on South Dixie Highway, an easy stop from Pinecrest, Cutler Bay and Kendall.

First visit? Order the original. It is the cone the shop has been making since 1926, and the one that will tell you whether you are on Team Palmer House.