CLEVELAND, OH — We searched far and wide for the best ice cream Cleveland (and the surrounding area) has to offer. Now, we can all scream for ice cream at these fantastic spots that offer more than just the basic vanilla and chocolate. Unique flavor combinations, inclusive non-dairy desserts for the vegans among us and a variety of ways to consume the ice cream are all ahead in our recommendations of the yummiest ice cream shops.
While it does not have a downtown Cleveland location, Honey Hut is too popular to let that slow it down against other shops. According to the website, “started in Cleveland in 1974, Honey Hut has remained family owned and operated for over 40 years.” That kind of longevity, mixed with their popularity, rightfully earns them a spot among Cleveland’s best ice cream shops.
The honey-sweetened ice-cream (this explains the name!) is a favorite among the suburbs with five locations spread across the area in Brecksville, Brunswick, Old Brooklyn, Parma and Solon. Find their everyday flavors here — including the cult-favorite Orange Blossom — and seasonal flavors here.
Ice cream + cookies = Cathy’s Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches. When they say gourmet, they mean it. These ice cream sandwiches are certainly nothing like the ones you keep in the freezer, unwraping their soggy paper before you eat them. First, they are huge — as in, the size of a regular sandwich, practically. Second, you can design the whole thing, starting by picking a cookie flavor, then, an ice cream and toppings.
If ice cream sandwiches are not your favorite, fret not. This spot also offers single and double scoops, solo cookies, pints of both cookie dough and ice cream, and milkshakes. The menu says vegan ice cream sandwiches vary by location. The only Cleveland location — the original — is in the Cleveland Arcade. The business has expanded to Atlanta and also ships cookie dough nationwide, which is not an ice cream related fact, but it is important to know.
Honorable mention: Youngstown-born Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, which now has locations in almost a dozen states, including in Broadview Heights, Northfield and Twinsburg.
Now that we have shared our picks, please go support Cleveland’s local ice cream shops. Many favorites — Tremont Scoops, Sweet Moses, Ice Cream Joy and more — have closed recently.
Have you tried all of our favorite spots? If we missed it, what is your go-to ice cream shop in the area? Let us and the community know in the comments below!
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