The Best Ice Cream Shops In Columbus

I scream, You scream, We all scream for ice cream!

Okay, so maybe we don’t scream for it (we are adults, after all) but we can certainly be excited about it. Living in Columbus, we have so many amazing ice cream options that you could eat a different flavor and style every day of the month and never repeat an option.

It doesn’t matter if you’re on the hunt for international treats like paletas or a classic cone of soft serve. If you want it, you can find it. Here are the best places in Columbus to grab a scoop. Picks come from years of eating across the city, not from review scores.

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Location: Various locations
Treat to try: Nothing says summer like a scoop or two of Graeter’s Banana Chocolate Chip ice cream. Once a summer-only special, this flavor is now an everyday menu item available all year round, so it’s there whenever the craving hits.
More info: Graeter’s Ice Cream

Johnson’s Real Ice Cream

Location: Various locations, including the original Bexley shop and a newer Italian Village scoop shop
Treat to try: Go classic at Johnson’s and get yourself an ice cream sundae. You can get one, two, or three scoops of ice cream topped with whipped cream, nuts or sprinkles, and a cherry on top.
More info: Johnson’s Real Ice Cream

Little Ladies Soft Serve

Location: 673 Worthington Rd, Westerville (plus a truck that travels Central Ohio)
Treat to try: The sundaes are the move here. Start with vanilla, chocolate, or a twist, then pile on toppings like Fruity Pebbles or crushed puppy chow. What began as a food truck now has a full-time Westerville shop, and the truck still books events all over Central Ohio.
More info: Little Ladies Soft Serve

Diamonds Ice Cream

Location: 5461 Bethel Sawmill Center, Columbus
Treat to try: Stop what you’re doing right now and go grab Paleta from Diamonds. Any flavor you want. I promise you won’t regret it.
More info: Diamonds Ice Cream

Toft’s Grand Scoop

Location: 1288 W. 5th Ave, Grandview Heights
Treat to try: Toft’s has been making ice cream in Ohio since 1900, and the Grandview scoop shop serves two dozen hand-dipped flavors of it. Go for the Lake Erie Cookie Island Monster, a bright blue scoop loaded with cookie pieces.
More info: Toft’s Grand Scoop

Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream

Location: 1947 Hard Rd, Columbus
Treat to try: If you want to truly step outside your “chocolate-vanilla-strawberry” comfort zone, please go to Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream. The international flavors are off the charts and the Malai Kulfi flavor is the stuff dreams are made of.
More info: Mardi Gras Homemade Ice Cream

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

Location: Various locations
Treat to try: My personal favorite from Jeni’s is one scoop Middle West Whiskey & Pecans and one scoop Milkiest Chocolate.
More info: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

Dulce Vida Ice Cream Factory

Location: 1127 N. High St, Columbus
Treat to try: I know I’ve already suggested paletas once on this list, but let’s get real: fruity, creamy popsicles will always be something I recommend.
More info: Dulce Vida Ice Cream Factory

Hilltop Dairy Twist

Location: 2860 Sullivant Ave, Columbus
Treat to try: Get your two favorite flavors of delicious soft serve ice cream twisted together! My personal suggestion? Peach mango! After nearly two years dark, the Twist reopened in July 2026 under new owners, now with 30 soft serve flavors on the board and card payments accepted.
More info: Hilltop Dairy Twist

Whit’s Frozen Custard

Location: 3339 N High St, Columbus
Treat to try: I know what you’re thinking. “Chelsea, how could you? Whit’s is frozen custard, not ice cream!” Technically, you’re right. But Whit’s is SO good that I just couldn’t not include it. If you aren’t sold on frozen custard, order the Buckeye Madness Whitser. It’s vanilla custard with Reese’s Cup, chocolate syrup, and peanut butter and it’s SO. FREAKIN’. DELICIOUS.
More info: Whit’s Frozen Custard (Clintonville)

Mona’s Eats & Treats

Location: 4362 Broadway, Grove City
Treat to try: I like to keep things simple (and slightly nostalgic) at Mona’s Eats & Treats and go for a classic chocolate dipped cone. You really can’t go wrong.
More info: Mona’s Eats & Treats

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream

Location: 5665 Feder Rd, Columbus (west side) and 399 W Olentangy St, Powell
Treat to try: Youngstown’s Handel’s has been scooping since 1945, and the two Columbus-area shops carry the full lineup. The move here is a Hurricane, vanilla ice cream churned up with your choice of mix-ins like Oreo, Heath, or Reese’s.
More info: Handel’s Feder Rd | Handel’s Powell

Tony’s Coneys

Location: 5266 W. Broad St, Columbus (Lincoln Village)
Treat to try: Tony’s has been a west side fixture since 1951, and it’s a coney shop first. Walk past the counter, though, and there’s a whole ice cream room serving soft serve, hand-dipped scoops, malts, and a whole list of specialty sundaes. One heads-up: it’s closed on Sundays.
More info: Tony’s Coneys on Facebook

Clown Cones and Confections

Location: 3431-F Cleveland Ave, Columbus (back of the Northern Lights Shopping Center)
Treat to try: The ice cream is the excuse. The reason to go is the room: hundreds of clowns cover the walls and ceiling of this North Linden parlor, which has been scooping since 1976. Nearly 40 flavors share the room with a bulk candy counter for the road. It hides at the very back of the plaza, so keep driving past the storefronts.
More info: Clown Cones and Confections