Ultimate list of alt ice cream shops in Columbus

Ask any ten strangers on the street what makes Columbus stand out and you’ll probably get ten different answers. But odds are no one will say frozen confections, and that’s a serious oversight.

Sure, Ohio’s ice cream scene has its roots in prohibition era politics and the non-sequitur notion that replacing booze with scoops would somehow catch on. But it’s hard to hate on the idea that the best cure for a hot day is still a cold one — regardless of whether it comes in a can or a cone.

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Jeni’s has definitely raised our international credibility as an ice cream innovator. (Seriously, they now serve it in business class on Scandinavian Airlines flights to Copenhagen.) But the trend doesn’t end there.

Complex flavor combinations and unlikely ingredients abound around town, along with alternate formats that redefine the familiar summertime treat.