I know a lot of people will say Graeter's, Swensons, UDF, etc...... but what smaller, non-chain ice cream places doe you like best in Ohio?

 

I'll start by putting my vote in for Jeni'sin the Columbus North Market.  Unusual flavors ("Salty Caramel" is incredible) and a very rich consistency.

I like "Honey Hut" in the Cleveland area.....

I'm not a big ice cream fan bu I do like Aglamesis in Cincinnati.

http://www.aglamesis.com

And then there is always Young's in Yellow Springs.

McDonald's!!! I have one in Cleveland I go to where the kids there hook me up with a one-foot tall soft-serve helping for $1.

 

Oh wait, you said non-chain.....

Oh yeah..... Young's in yellow Springs.  Forgot about that one Quimbob.... right from the cows!

Aglamesis in Cincinnati is delicious!  That probably is my favorite of the non-chains.

 

For soft-serve, my favorite is Putz's in Cincinnati.

For more unusual flavors I go with Jeni's or Denise's, but at $6 or more a pint for Jeni's it's not something I'd have all the time. My all around favorite place is Young's, which is even better after some hiking in the nearby scenic parks.

Culver's frozen custard. 

Where's Culver's ??

i second Honey Hut in Cleveland, thats some good stuff

Aglamesi's is very good in Cinci.  So is Quirke's in Painesville/Kirtland.  Damn, I love icecream!

Where's Culver's ??

 

They're big up in Wisconsin, but there is one in Hilliard and last I heard one was going up in Powell.    Butterburgers, frozen custard and cheese curds: can't beat it. 

 

I thought we were talking local-non-chain??!?  Culver's is a national chain.  Might as well say Friendly's.

 

I put my vote for Algemesis or Jeni's.  Both are really good.

Does state fair ice cream count?

 

Youngs is good too, although I haven't had the others mentioned.

Just-made ice cream at the Graeters's factory store on Cincinnati's Reading Road right out of the French pots when it still has a creamy-soft consistency before it goes to the walk-in freezer. Something very few people have ever experienced. Nothing comparable.

I thought we were talking local-non-chain??!?  Culver's is a national chain.

 

 

My bad.

Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream in Greater Cleveland. New Baltimore Ice Cream in New Baltimore is pretty good too, but I gotta say that Mitchell's is the best.

As for the best Ohio ice cream, there are many good places around the state. As for the worst Ohio made ice cream, Pierre's takes the cake.

I like Honey Hut in Cleveland.

scooters in downtown willoughby

la gelateria (mmm grapefruit)

I'll throw the Cincinnati westside favorite out there:  Zip Dip "The cleanest creamy whip in the world"

I would say Honey Hut in Cleveland followed by East Coast Custard in Cleveland. 

I love Mitchell's Edmund Fitzgerald ice cream. I believe that they only sell it at Great Lakes Brewery.

I suppose this should be retitled as "Best Ice Cream in YOUR Region of Ohio."

After studying philosophy and then driving past the Dairy-D (maybe on route 82 somewhere east of 271?  Or 303?  I don't remember exactly), I always wanted to buy that place and change its name to the Dairy-Daa, and have a host of dishes named after linquistic philosophers...but I could never follow through and come up with clever names, aside from the restaurant name...alas...

I just bought Caramel Cashew ice cream the other day from the convenience store in the lobby of my dormitory and OMG...........that stuff was awesome.  I believe the brand was Shoep's Ice Cream from Madison, Wisconsin...............GOOD STUFF!

 

As for local ice cream shops, it can't get much better than "Twist 'n Shout" on Route 20 in Monroeville!!!

Man, Aglamesi's is good... love that shop too!  What about Malley's in Cleveland?  Do they make their own ice cream?  I just had Honey Hut for the first time... people are crazy about that stuff!  East Coast Custard is good.  Are they just at Shaker Square?  What about Strickland's?  The other place that used to be on Coventry?  I always loved Graeter's too, but I lived across the street from it on Ludlow, so how could I resist?!

Since no one else has given it mad props, I thought I would..  STODDARDS!!!!  This is a sweet one of a kind custard stand on the Kent/Stow border.  It has better, smoother custard consitency than East Coast Custard.  But East Coast Custard has better flavors.  I'm mixed on Stricklands.  I've maybe tried it 4-5x with varied results.    As far as Swensons, no they really aren't an "ice cream" place.  Everything they do is good but their specialty is burgers.

Putz's or JF Dairy Corner - both or great and just over in Northside.

La Gelataria on Cedar Road in Cleveland Hieghts (Cedar-Fairmount district).

Not all that fond of gelateria.  I was really wanting to like it too, but I find it too sweet, and they use artificial coloring. Love Honey Hut!  And Sandy's out on the east side by E.180 -Lakeshore area, close to wildwood (Neff Rd.)park is a great independent for custard.  Woo City is fantastic, but was recently bought up b a bigger company if I'm not mistaken. 

Well gelato is a little different than ice cream. Do you just not care for gelato?

 

Has anyone tried the gelato at Presti's or Anthoney's in Little Italy? I can't decide which gelato in Cleveland is the best so I just picked Gelateria. I heard there was a gelato place in Lakewood, but I forget the name.

Mickey's Dairy Treat on East 185th Street has this stuff called fruit whip, which is basically soft serve sherbert.  It rotates between 12 different flavors.  It is freaking ridiculous as proof of my several dozen trips there this summer from Ohio City.  Check it out.

Vulpster, I love gelato!  First had it in Itally in the 70's, and I am oh so glad it is now more readily available in the U.S.  But I do NOT like the americanized version. Of all places (!) the best and most authentic gelato is at the velvet tangoroom.  Go figure.  Only 3 flavors, but they say it is organic and from somwhere in NY.  It's the real deal.

The gelato at Presti's et all are "Gelateria" products.  Its OK at best imo.

And I MUST get to Mickey's and try the fruit whip, -hope its not too late.  Thanks for the tip W28!

Aglamesis

Chain or not, Graeters is the best ice cream I have ever had - PERIOD!

 

http://www.graeters.com/columbus/pdfs/top10.pdf

 

"You haven't had ice cream till you've had Graeter's. The butter pecan is Stedman's favorite, and mine, too." — Oprah

 

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/olist/omag_olist_0252_foo.jhtml

 

The New York Times ran an article a few years ago on the ice cream industry. It pointed out that for reasons of chemistry, not yet understood, ice cream made in small batches is far superior in taste to factory-made premium brands like Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's. This article went on to say that “...the ice cream most connoisseurs feel to be the best in the world, Graeter’s of Cincinnati, is made in two gallon batches."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graeter's_Ice_Cream

Chain or not, Graeters is the best ice cream I have ever had - PERIOD!

 

Graeters IS amazing..More like gelato than ice cream IMO (which I prefer). I had no idea they were Ohio based or so highly regarded.

 

For gelato, La Gelateria on Cedar is the best.. Sometimes there's variability in his quality, but when he's on par his peach gelato is astoundingly tasty.

 

 

Graeter's is unreal.  I love ice cream and try it everywhere I go in the country.  Haven't found anything better than Graeter's.  Went to Harrel's in Mass which is supposed to be some of the best in the Northeast and came home and had Graeter's.  Well, Graeter's knocked me on my ass - it just blew me away.  Unreal.  Nothing like it.  Period.  Cincinnati's best food export.

Interesting story discussing the popularity of THE Graeters Ice Cream.

 

It's too late now to send Graeter's for Christmas

BY POLLY CAMPBELL | [email protected]

December 21, 2006

 

CINCINNATI - Want to send an out-of-town relative a Christmas gift of Cincinnati's signature ice cream?

 

Well, you can't. At least, not in time for the holiday this year.

 

Graeter's Ice Cream is all out of ice cream because of tremendous sales of shipped ice cream this holiday season. Any orders placed after today will be delivered on or after Dec. 28, according to the company.

 

Because Graeter's is made in small batches at its Mount Auburn factory, the company has been at full capacity filling orders it's already received, Richard Graeter, executive vice president, said Wednesday.

 

This is the earliest the company has ever run out of ice cream to ship, although you can still buy ice cream at Graeter's stores. Graeter said orders were coming from across the country, not just from local residents shipping to former Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky residents.

 

Graeter's has 12 stores in Greater Cincinnati and 24 regional franchise stores in Columbus, Dayton, Northern Kentucky, Louisville and Lexington.

 

Graeter's national profile has been high lately, with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey discovering it and the company winning mentions in national magazines.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061221/BIZ01/612210326/1076/BIZ

^that's funny. It sounds like the PR director of Graeter's wrote that article and not some unbiased journalist.

nothing like a honey hut cone in the summertime at huntington beach.

 

ohio has incredible regional ice cream and ice cream off shoots all over the state, hard to pick just one, just about wherever you go you can get something w/ a local twist.

I like both Malley's and Honey Hut, although I'd have to say that my favorite is Miller's.  It's a tiny family-owned stand on Rt. 113 just outside of Birmingham in Erie County.  Their blue moon is to die for.  :-D

Sounds like we ought to have a "Best Ice Cream in Ohio" tour this spring.

Some places are disappearing, such as Goshen Dairy, which used to have stores in Dover, New Phila and other Tuscarawas County towns. Peach, pumpkin, maple walnut and my favorite: root beer ice cream, the old flavor of the month for August.

 

But there are newer places, such as Hartzler's Family Dairy north of Wooster. The Hartzlers wer organic when organic wasn't cool -- starting in 1964, though they've never been certified organic. It's just an old-fashioned family farm that opened a dairy store 10 years ago with milk in glass bottles and cream on the top, and some darn good ice cream.

I almost forgot Tom's Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville. Walk in there in 2007 and it's almost like walking in there in 1952. Great ice cream, soda fountain, candy counter, lunches, soda jerks with paper hats.