National Ice Cream Day is July 21!
Green tree canopies, butterflies, pool visits and an abundance of festivals are all inevitabilities of summertime in Columbus. One particular food stands above the rest as a staple of summer: ice cream.
If you’ve stopped at Dairy Queen or UDF after enough Little League games this summer, here’s a breakdown of several options in Columbus worth a visit for a fresh frozen fix:
With multiple locations all throughout the city, Jeni’s Ice Cream and Graeter’s Ice Cream are popular choices for Columbus residents. Part of what makes Graeter’s special is its “French pot” style of ice cream-making.
Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
French ice cream involves using a large drum that stays frozen, and spinning cream within the drum quickly to make it freeze while it mixes. This style results in a creamy texture that can only be achieved with a specific speed and temperature. Graeter’s black raspberry chip is famous across the nation, with Food Network naming it one of the five best ice cream flavors in the U.S.
Jeni Britton, is all about the flavor. Novel collaborations including Ted Lasso biscuit-flavored ice cream and limited-time eclipse flavors have helped Jeni’s popularity skyrocket in recent years.
Jeni’s won Best Hometown Product five times in CityScene Magazine’s annual Best of the ‘Bus readers’ poll. Interestingly, Graeter’s beat Jeni’s for Best Ice Cream in 2023. Check out the July/August issue of CityScene Magazine to see who takes home each award this year.
Take a trip to Dublin and visit Dell’s Ice Cream and Coffee. Dell’s offers classic and seasonal ice cream and sorbet flavors, and is known for its massive ice cream cookie sandwiches. With banana splits, dellogato sundaes with espresso and ice cream, and hot chocolate freezes, there are plenty of special treats for those thinking outside the cone.
Courtesy of Kilwins
Kilwins is a longtime, family-owned staple with locations in the Short North and Dublin, and their classic recipes have a special place in many ice cream fans’ hearts. Kilwins candy-making efforts have informed its ice cream flavor crafting, which makes it a dangerous place for chocolate lovers’ wallets.
With six locations around Columbus, Johnson’s Real Ice Cream is one of central Ohio’s favorite ways to experience a culinary blast from the past. The shop's recipes go back as far as 1950, and simple scoops, sundaes, cones, malts and shakes make up its menu, keeping things simple and classic. If you are looking for some fun seasonal ice cream treats – like a turkey or an easter egg – make sure you put your order in early since they are very popular.
Handel's is an Ohio favorite, and although it was based out of Youngstown, it now has locations in Hilliard and Powell. The shop offers more than 100 flavors – its flavors of the month are Mint Chocolate Chip, Lemon Bar and Peach.
Diamonds Ice Cream offers icy Mexican-style treats, with fresh ingredients all made in-house. From refreshing lemon pie, to Ferrero hazelnut and pine nut with pecan, you will find flavors here that you won’t see at your typical ice cream shop. To make the deal even sweeter, its creamy texture is uniquely refreshing and complementary of a blistering hot August afternoon.
Tyler Kirkendall is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.
