Cold Comfort: The Sweet Appeal of the Ice Cream Shop Knows No Age Limit

Spring is here and that means the heat of summer is just around the corner. Nothing says summer like ice cream, and a flurry of new ice cream shops around the Atlanta metro area are ready to provide us with some sweet relief.

David Abes and DASH Hospitality opened a new dessert shop called Good Vibes Ice Cream Shop and Soda Pop on March 6 to an eager Dunwoody audience. The shop has a retro cool interior, reminiscent of the 1970s, complete with a disco ball spinning at the front entrance and classic arcade games inside. Abes, who also owns Bar{n}, Morty’s Meat & Supply, and Message in a Bottle in Dunwoody Village, wanted the shop to appeal to all ages, and be a hang out spot for everyone.

While ice cream shops can easily be written off as just for kids, Abes and his crew are embracing the idea that adults like sweet treats too. The menu offers not only creative ice cream flavors, like Superman (fluorescent lemon yellow, strawberry red and bubblegum blue) and 285 Pothole (tar-like fudge in chocolate ice cream with chocolate ‘asphalt’ cups) but also Fizzy Craft Sodas with names to appeal to the neighborhood. Wildcat Wave (a cherry-vanilla Coke) honors Dunwoody High School’s mascot, and OTPoolside (a blueberry, pomegranate lemonade) is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the shop’s outside-the-perimeter location.

Shops like Good Vibes can offer a non-bar space for adults to meet up for dates or social gatherings where alcohol doesn’t take center stage. In addition to the creative sodas above, Good Vibes also offers a slate of flavored waters called H2-Ohs, available sparkling or still, and the option to create your own flavor. “When our guests are hanging out in the Village courtyard, they can have a Fizzy and not have to drink alcohol,” Abes says.

Drinkers should have no fear, however. “I have been studying a few concepts out west who do ‘Dirty Sodas,’ and I felt this would be a great compliment to our ice cream and brownies,” Abes says. “It was amazing to see how many adults had Fizzy’s this weekend. The secret menu is to bring it to Bar{n} and make it a ‘Fuzzy’” by adding alcohol, he says.

Many ice cream shops with buzzy appeal are offering flavors that appeal more to the foodies than the kiddies. New York-based ice cream shop Van Leeuwen will open on the ground floor of Ponce City Market this summer, offering grown-up flavors such as Honeycomb, Sicilian Pistachio and Earl Grey Tea. The chain started as an ice cream truck in 2008 and has since expanded to over 70 shops nationwide. Their French-style ice cream, which is made with more than double the amount of egg yolks as standard ice cream, quickly gained a loyal following.

Hal Blackman, owner and creator of the Halidom food hall on Moreland Ave., just opened an ice cream stall on March 18 as a collaboration with popular Atlanta ice cream brand Morelli’s. Hal’s Ice Cream features classic Morelli’s flavors such as Butter Pecan, Oreo and Banana Cream Pie, as well as a new pink flavor named after his wife Rosa.

Abes is incorporating an egg-free, edible cookie dough into an ice cream flavor and topping option at Good Vibes, made by his wife, Julie, the former owner of the Batter Cookie Dough Counter in Ponce City Market. Doing an egg-free cookie dough removes food safety concerns from the mix and makes the popular flavor more accessible to a wider audience.

While not new to the market, Big Softie in Atlanta’s Summer Hill neighborhood continues to lean into a sense of nostalgia with its soft serve concept, while also honoring quality organic and locally sourced ingredients and current flavor trends. Owner Sarah O’Brien, a three-time James Beard nominee for her bakery Little Tart, says she wanted to scratch her own nostalgic itch for soft serve on a hot summer day while also offering a superior product that everyone can eat.

“Our thought process is really that ice cream is for everyone! Our flavors run the gamut from my two kids’ perennial order (vanilla & chocolate twist with sprinkles) to grown-up concoctions like matcha and pineapple twist with cornflake streusel…all vegan! We just really want the most people possible to be able to enjoy our work, including folks who love soft serve but can’t or don’t eat dairy. At least half of our menu at any given time is made up of vegan/dairy-free flavors.”

Lara Creasy is Beverage Director for Rocket Farm Restaurants, overseeing eleven Superica locations in five states. She loves all things beverage from tea to tequila, coffee to cocktails, whiskey to wine, and gets to make a living at it.