Graeter's Ice Cream

I was excited about trying Graeter's ice cream while I was on a work trip in Cincinnati. We ordered a chocolate covered strawberry milkshake, double chocolate chip cone, buckeye blitz chocolate chip cone and a black raspberry chocolate chip cone. Everything was fantastic. My favorite was their signature flavor that is their best seller and is nationally recognized, the black raspberry chocolate chip. I've never tasted anything like it. The chocolate pieces in it were huge but they also had a softer, creamy texture. I loved it because the chocolate pieces in ice cream are usually hard and disruptive to the texture of the ice cream. They also had a lot of other goodies throughout the shop that were intriguing, like gourmet topping jars, an assortment of candies, cookies, black raspberry scented candles and even a Sundae Bar in a box kit. The staff was courteous, helpful and very fast with getting the orders out. It's located in a lovely neighborhood. We took a stroll while we enjoyed our desserts.

The ice cream was good, but one of the servers seemed to get unreasonably mad at our group because we didn’t know what we wanted before getting to the counter. There were two other server lines open and no one behind us, so asking what we wanted over and over, crushing a cup in our face, slamming the ice cream shut and walking away felt uncalled for.

Great treat! Walk across to the park to eat it & enjoy the silence of the fountain. Great flavor :)

What a nice little ice cream shop with a little section of toys that my kids loved. Everyone also loved the cute little eyes they put on the ice cream to create little smiling frogs. Definitely makes you smile! I ordered the black cherry flavor because I heard it was what they were known for. Everyone enjoyed the ice cream.

Graeter’s is the best ice cream in the country without a doubt. Try the coconut chip in a waffle cone. We also loved the banana pudding. Delicious!

The black cherry chip was delicious! It's definitely worth checking it out. It's not the original, but it's the oldest location still open.

Short changed me on my serving size and no bathrooms. Literally had to wash my hands in the drinking fountain after. Will never return.

This was recommended to use by a waitress a different restaurant and it did not disappoint. I got the salt caramel & boldly bearcat in a cone 😋🤤

Love the ambiance here. The place look warming and welcome despite the rundown parking lot. I love that they have quite a variety of flavors, also ice cream cake and pint for convenience sake. The service was great, the employees were help with choosing the flavor. The place look clean, so the employees must be on top of cleaning duty, which is such a big plus. Love them!

It is not my favorite ice cream in Cincinnati but it is still very good - lots of flavors, special limited time flavor offerings, and great service. I love that I can try multiple samples and the workers happily give them to me (especially because they have new/fun rotating flavors that I always want to try). Their flavors that have chocolate have HUGE chunks of chocolate. Some people love this, but I am not one of those people (and this is the main reason it's not my favorite ice cream place). To each his own, so I will not hate on that preference! I still absolutely LOVE the black raspberry chocolate chip! They also sell tons of other things like cookies, chocolates, merch, and more. Stop in one of the many locations and you won't be disappointed!

If your every in Cincinnati, treat yourself to Graeters. We were tourists from NC and our server from the Echo recommended that we try Graeters. I got the pineapple upside down cake and my grandson got the midnight snack ice cream. The ice cream texture is very standard, with their ice cream flavors being slightly above average. Not the best ice cream we've had but it is definitely better than average. Good job.

This is my favorite location of this local chain. I love most of the chip flavor ice creams, especially the mocha chip. I don't typically eat any of their candies or pastries, so I can't really speak on those. I have had those things on rare occassions, but I don't recall what I thought about them. I will say that the one less than stellar thing about this particular location (and I do realize it's in an old building) is that the entrance is not wheelchair accessible. I don't know that there's enough space inside for a wheelchair user to be comfortable maneuvering, but I do like the old "soda shop" feel of the place.

First time in Graeter's shop, wet and somewhat cold outside but still great time for ice cream! Service was great and still busy with less than an hour left of operation. Great place to get Christmas gifts too! Not to mention fantastic ice cream! Smooth and with great flavors. I really liked the Dutch chocolate.

I've had Graeter's multiple times, and it never disappoints! This was my first time trying the sundae. I got a double scoop with the Boldly Bearcat and Midnight Snack. Boldly Bearcat has Oreos and chocolate chips, and Midnight Snack has peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels and brownie pieces! The toppings were great additions as well!

Try the black raspberry chip - per our friend's recommendation!!! This was some of the creamiest unique flavored ice cream! The butter cookies were divine as well! Take a bag home with you like we did . You can order lactose or gluten free ice cream - be sure and specify other allergies as well and see what they offer!!

Got a sundae and it was so yummy! The employees were very nice and generous with the portions. It was my first time at this location, it was decorated so well for Halloween, how fun!

Graeter's has gluten free/vegan options! Sorbet isn't my favorite treat, but people with food restrictions appreciate the novelty of a safe treat. Or, I do. Mango, lemon, watermelon, raspberry and (NEW!) dragon fruit. Mango is my favorite but that dragon fruit color is brilliant!

If you come to Cincinnati and don't come to Graeter's, I feel VERY sorry for you. This ice cream is amazing - there are no other words to describe it. So creamy and flavorful and a ton of options to choose from. If you're a first timer, get the black raspberry chocolate chip and thank me later :) the chocolate chips are more like chocolate slabs. Ive even had pints shipped to me and those taste just as good as going to a brick and mortar. Extremely high quality stuff.

We visited Cincinnati at this was highly recommended to us by many. We came on a crowded Saturday night, but they got us through the line very fast. I got the raspberry chocolate chip and it was very good. The workers were all young and moved fast. It was loud and slightly overwhelming for my first time, but the ice cream was good so I would come back!

Just had Graeters peach ice cream. Not one piece of peach found in the whole container! Very disappointing.

I LOVE Graeter's! It has to be my favorite ice cream! I actually love it so much that I made it a point to come to this particular Graeter's location because it is their oldest standing location (Est 1922!). Such a Cincinnati staple! I had been near this Graeter's last summer when I was in town for the Hyde Park Blast, which takes place right in Hyde Park Square. I never made it that night, but I always wanted to go back (I live in Columbus, so not the quickest drive to get here!). I ended up going with my family after a trip at the Cincinnati Zoo this summer. This Graeter's is smaller than every other Graeter's I've been to-- but the scoops and delicious flavors are all the same! I got the new birthday cake flavor with some chocolate in a waffle cone. Always such a treat. I also love how you can tell right away that this is a vintage Graeter's. The signage up front makes you feel like it hasn't been touched since the 1930's (it may even be the original 1920's signage!). I love all things vintage so to be able to go to this Graeter's was a special field trip for me. Keep serving up those delicious flavors, Graeter's! You make Cincinnati proud! I hope to get back to this location again one day!

Placed order on 4/14/24. As of 4/26/24 no communication so I called to check on status of the order. Ridiculous that no movement in the warehouse for that much time! Woman I spoke to was EXTREMELY rude! I've ordered before. First shipment came with one of the jars of fudge sauce broken. This was the last time I will waste my time and money on this unprofessional company.

This is definitely a busy location! But they kept the line moving really well. My only complaint is the ice cream was a little soft and not as frozen as it normally is. It very well could be because they were constantly opening the freezers due to the amount of people there!

their black raspberry chocolate chip was very delicious! did not taste like any other ice cream that i have had. the shop seemed clean and although the line was long, it did not take long to get the order.

Excellent ice cream! I've had their mango and raspberry ice creams, which were non-dairy and had an amazing flavor. My favorite from them is cookies and cream ice cream, which was heavenly. The Oreo pieces are actually large enough to see and are just so tasty. Definitely a classic ice cream shop to go to when visiting Cincinnati!

I'm always a fan of local ice cream shops. I was super excited to try Graeters and I wasn't disappointed. The sugar cone was standard and the birthday cake ice cream was one of the best I've had. Also, my sister went with me and ordered a scoop of the black cherry chocolate chip. Unfortunately, the Grater's employee showed us that it was too soft so my sister had to order another flavor instead. That was a little disappointing but at least the employee informed us of the issue. Anyhow, Graeters is rightfully a Cincinnati staple!!

Very overrated and very overpriced. It literally tastes the same as any normal ice cream that you can buy in a store. Don't waste your money.

Parking can sometimes be a challenge at this location. But the great ice cream and good service is the same I've found at the other locations. Our most recent visit was around 4p on Memorial Day. It wasn't very crowded - I think due to the impending rain. Both my husband and son got a double shop in a cone. My dad and I got a double scoop in a dish. Every month they always have at least one seasonal flavor. But it's this part of the summer where they offer bonus flavors! My son enjoyed the Orange Cream. My dad and I had the Strawberry Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Malted Pretzle - so good!!

Went in on a hot day for some ice cream! Ended up getting a two scoop waffle cone of the seasonal peach and Oregon strawberry. I also asked for whipped cream to be added on top. It was delicious! My only complaint is that the cashier was very slow in checking me out, so unfortunately my ice cream was melting by the time I was able to get to a table.

Just went to Graeter's Fort Thomas for a extra thick malt and got chocolate milk. This is not the first time for this and but it will be last. Will not be going back to any location. They have raised their prices and made the portions smaller. The bottom of the large cup is about 2 inches up from the bottom lip so that the volume is decreased but the appearance is that it is the same amount.

if quality ice cream is what your looking for then look no further. With a vast variety of flavors, ranging from well know like chocolate and vanilla. To black raspberry chip and boldly bearcat. Graeters has it all.

ice cream was good but the employees were very rude, one threw the ice cream on the counter after we had ordered and another had a snarky response when my friend asked if they still sold cinnamon squares.

Extremely clean. Delicious ice cream. My favorite is toffee chip and black raspberry chip! Very friendly staff. Love to see the staff cleaning up constantly. Makes me feel better coming to get ice cream knowing the sanitary precautions they take. They even brought out a little pup cup for my dog! So sweet! Highly recommend this location!

This Graeters like most is pretty good. My husband and I stopped in while in Hyde Park, after our lunch at E+O kitchen. This location is cute and has fun little items inside like cookies, ice cream cakes, ice cream pints, and etc. I also like this location as it's nice to be able to stop by after or while walking around Hyde Park. I got one scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This was my favorite ice cream flavor growing up, so I wanted a scoop of my old classic. It was really good. The only thing I didn't like was the huge chucks of chocolate in it. They were definitely bigger than the dough and chocolate chip size. It was some what over powering. More like it was chocolate chip ice cream rather than chocolate chip cookie dough. I would be chewing and get huge chunks of chocolate pieces. I like chocolate but sheesh. It wasn't what I was use to. Overall, Graeter's has good ice cream and I enjoy their ice cream from any of their locations.

As a Cincinnati native, I really enjoy everything Graeters has to offer - pastries, cookies, candies, ice cream, etc. If you are visiting for the first time, black raspberry chip ice cream is a must try!! This location is in Hyde Park Square, so it's perfect for grabbing a cone or cup of ice cream and sitting in the grassy area of the square.

I love Graeters but this location is very small. I prefer the mocha chip and double chocolate chip. Candy is excellent. I love the ice cream cakes. Premium pricing. Place is usually packed. Parking is challenging at this location.

purrrr. Love it. The midnight snack flavor BRUH. so good. Anyways, Thank you Grant Graeter.

Delicious old school ice cream! The service was really friendly even when I asked to try about ten different flavors. My favorite was the buckeye- chocolate ice cream with peanut butter balls and chocolate chips. Luckily more places don't have this or I would be in trouble.

No wonder why everyone rants about this place. The waffle cone? Amazing. The ice cream? Best ice cream ever. Can I come back already?

If you want to find the world's best small ice cream company, look no further than Graeter's Ice Cream. Whenever I'm craving a cold treat, I reach into my freezer and grab a pint of Graeter's Black Raspberry ice cream. For $10, they stuff the tub with loads of freezing flavor, and the chunks of dark chocolate are amazing. There are normally a lot of people at the locations, but the employees move the line along pretty fast. If you don't feel like going in, most locations offer a drive through as well! They have more options than just ice cream as well. Almost anything sweet, they have. You can even get it delivered right to your door! Amazing work Graeter's!

Graeter's and their cooler was a definite great dessert for our son's wedding. The couple was happy without a cake (their choice) and they both have favorites at Graeters so it was a grand idea to serve the wedding guests the best ice cream in Columbus out of Cincinnati. Jennifer Dixon was exceptional in her position for running the catering at Graeters with prompt and efficient communications and delivery to get the order right! The servers for catering the reception were very excited to get some dessert too! Easy drop off and pick up of the cooler by Graeters for the celebration. Thank you again Jennifer for your GRAET business professionalism for Graeter's catering.

I know this place gets enough reviews, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say how great it was. We visited Cincinnati for the first time and ate here twice. I had the Oregon Strawberry and the Double Chocolate Chip. It was just absolutely the best I've cream I've ever eaten. I didn't get a picture, but it it's exactly as the other picture reviews. If you are in Cincinnati you MUST have this ice cream! Visit any location!!

This Graeter's is always popping but they usually have a pretty great handle on the crowd. They have a nice staff that seems to have a good process in place for busy nights. They have a great assortment of candy and sweet treats. I'm assuming all locations have the option to buy pints, but they have that here as well. I like that they have different events going on throughout the month. I want to come back for dogs night out! The only thing I wish is that they had a restroom. Tip: their water fountain is like liquid gold.

Who doesn't love Greaters!? I mean come on...Black Raspberry Chip anyone? Kind of the biggest deal in ice cream here in Cincy. But while black raspberry chip is pretty much amazeballs... it's not the only epic flavor available here. May I introduce coconut chip and the buckeye flavors. OMG. If you love coconut and chocolate you must meet and become acquainted with this delightful flavor. Moreover, it's kind of mandatory that you at least try the buckeye flavors in the buckeye state. And you won't be dissapointed. This location is central in Hyde Park and the interior is very large considering. They also offer coffee and cakes and well as bakery items. I mean donuts at an ice cream place? Could they be any more tempting? You can also purchase pints in the freezer on your way out.

America is a nation of immigrants. Even the Indians by land and the Vikings by sea! Cincinnati's two oldest hand crafted ice cream stores were started by immigrants. German immigrants started Graeter's in 1868, selling it at the Court Street Market. That would be about the same time my German relatives moved to Over the Rhine, and shopped at that same neighborhood market. This location is the oldest Graeter's in it's original location. My grandmother and her sisters were always Graeter's loyalists, this was their neighborhood store, and I'm sure they knew the family. Of course, my mother had to show her independence and support "the other" ice cream business in Oakley! Growing up, Graeter's ice cream was reserved for special occasions. Graeter's also makes Winter holiday tea cookie collections which are unique and excellent. Graeter's ice cream is stiff, dense and sweet. Their vanilla bean is my go-to ice cream and stands the test of generations. This store has a few taller bar type tables and overlooks the Square. The benches on the Square is a great place to enjoy your ice cream too! The staff was great. Of course one of the best things about Graeter's are their many branches all over the city. And in December, keep an eye out for their cookie assortments. They are almost as good as the ones my German grandmother and her sisters made!

(Based on just 1 visit) Ok.. SO much hype about this place I drove out here on my visit to Cincinnati! My first recommendation came from TSA in the Tampa International Airport ... the Cincinnati native couldn't resist telling me to make a stop... so that alone may have set my expectations to high... Either way- I love the area, the shop, and the wonderful service... did not LOVE the ice cream. It wasn't bad but it wasn't really special in anyway. I had the Brownie Sunday with Coffee & Vanilla ice cream (& ate all of it, so no its not bad)... but wouldn't be particularly interested in coming back or raving about it. Perhaps, as some other reviews state- there is no need for toppings? May need to come back for just a scoop of the coffee ice cream to truly appreciate the ice cream here! Definitely an old fashioned shop with refreshingly kind staff so I will give them another try! Its great to see the support in the community for this shop so 100% will be back!

Awww, Graeter's is adorable and their ice cream is delicious. I love the throwback feel and the prices are great--we got two single scoops and a small sundae and it was about $11. (I had the Buckeye; chocolate peanut-y goodness!) Walked away smiling; what more could you ask for?

***Graeter's is a longstanding ice cream brand out of Cincinnati; it has several locations throughout the city and is sold at some of Cincinnati's popular restaurants like Montgomery inn; it is more of an old fashioned ice cream parlor like Baskin-Robbins and Fosselman's than the newer artisan spots like Ohio-based Jeni's; Graeter's is a satisfying ice cream spot, but you will be able to find more interesting as well as more delicious ice cream flavors elsewhere*** Graeter's is one of Cincinnati's (as well as Ohio's) most well known ice cream brands. Its popularity is due to its long history in Cincinnati (it has been around since the late 1800s), its availability at popular and longstanding Cincinnati restaurants like Montgomery Inn, and its signature and not found everywhere flavor black raspberry chip. Graeter's has moved beyond Cincinnati. They have other locations throughout Ohio and pints of a few of their flavors are now available at Ralphs locations in California. Graeter's is an old fashioned ice cream parlor with mostly traditional hand scoped flavors and throwback sundaes and desserts like banana split. They have gotten a little more modern with some seasonal and more interesting flavors though Graeter's is still a lot like places such as Fosselman's and Baskin-Robbins. I tried three of their flavors. I went with one of their seasonal flavors--strawberry chip. It was good. The strawberry ice cream had the right amount of sweetness and tartness. The chocolate chips were also good, thick and rich. They have a lot of other chocolate chip flavors. Their black raspberry chip is popular, but I find the ice cream base on that flavor too tart. I also had their Elena's blueberry pie. This flavor was quite strong. The blueberry flavor really came across--like very potent blueberry pie filling. There were also crisp shortbread-like cookies in the ice cream (kind of like pie pastry). I thought the flavor was pretty good and some would probably really like it. I am not sure if I would get it again though. I also had the caramel and this was average. It did not have the complexity of the more contemporary salted caramel flavors. It also did not have the richness or sweet flavor of a really good caramel. The consistency of the ice cream was good but not great. It was creamy and smooth and was not icy. The ice cream though did lack the denseness and creaminess of the really good artisan ice cream now available at shops like Sweet Rose Creamery, Bi-Rite Creamery, Three Twins, Jeni's, and Carmela. Prices were good. Graeter's is more of a big scoop place so you do not get the variety of flavors in a smaller serving size like Carmela or some gelato shops; however, the portion sizes on scoops are very generous. Service was okay--polite though not as friendly as other places I visited in the Cincinnati area. Graeter's is worth trying at least once due its popularity and long history. I find it just okay compared to the newer and more upscale gourmet ice cream shops (like Jeni's in Ohio), but with Graeter's many ice cream flavors, sundaes, toppings, and shakes, I think most will be able to find something they like here. This Graeter's is located in the charming and quaint Hyde Park Square shopping district and you can find metered street parking and free street parking in the nearby residential area.

Huge Graeter's fan. My favorites are Black Raspberry Chip, Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan and Mint Chocolate Chip. It's too hard to choose and recently I fell in love with their new line of Gelatos. I was in the Hyde Park Square location and wanted to get my free Birthday Sundae. Every year I get the 1870 Tower (brownie on the bottom, black raspberry chip (or your choice of ice cream) with whipped cream, chocolate syrup drizzled all over and cherry on top). Delish and mouthwatering. The person waiting on me was a elderly woman and was really sweet. She made my sundae and the serving looked quite large. Not complaining at all! This location is fairly small, yet have a great selection of cookies, pastries and ice cream to go in the freezer section. Very clean. Thanksgiving is coming up and my parents are looking forward to me bringing the butter bit rolls and cookies home (Georgia). If you have not signed up for the rewards program, please do! It is worth it! It's also free!

THIS ICE CREAM WAS AMAZING!!! I got the double chocolate chip and it was soooooo delicious and creamy. This place is a MUST and I can't wait to go back!! Konnor was also very helpful and a great worker!

This is my neighborhood Graeters and it's my favorite location. Just off of Hyde Park Square, you could make a whole afternoon of getting ice cream here and then hanging out in the square, shopping, walking around, people watching. My favorite flavors are Black Raspberry Chip and Buckeye Blitz, and I always get the kids size because the small is a pretty big scoop.

Looks are deceiving! Found a hair in my single scoop cup of ice cream, and my daughters Milk shake tasted sour. Manager happily issued us replacements, but after leaving my other daughter found 2 large ice cubes in bottom of her single scoop of ice cream. I could no longer eat my ice cream, told both my daughters to immediately stop eating their ice cream worried we'd get sick. I contacted the manager and they offered to refund full amount. Will NOT return to Graeters, more importantly definitely not this location! Also don't see why all the hype - ice cream isn't that great, have had much better tasting ice cream!

This is an awesome Graeters. I usually only come here after eating at a nearby restaurant, but it's nice to skip expensive desserts at a restaurant for delicious Graeters. I always love the turtle sundae. As others have said, this location tends to be busy. When it's nice outside, the inside isn't very crowded and the few outside benches are often full - but you could always walk around the square or sit in the park across the street.

This place is delicious and adorable! The service was speedy. Although the line went to the door, we only waited about 5 minutes or less to be served. The quality of the ice cream was delicious as always! It is a little on the pricier side though. (I got a strawberry milkshake with wild cherry syrup which makes it taste like black raspberry ice cream! So yummy! I like to do this instead of the black raspberry chocolate chip because the chocolate chips are too big for my liking) This particular shop's location makes it the perfect date spot! You can grab some ice cream and then go for a stroll around the square or sit on one of the many benches in the area. So adorable. I love it!

I am not a huge sweets person. Now don't get me wrong, I love them from time to time but I don't think I'm a good critic for them. If it's too sweet I possibly won't like it and this was on the brink of too sweet, too creamy. lol. But it was good and I'm really glad I gave it a try. I heard it was supposed to be like, the best in the country? I had a couple flavors, including the black raspberry chip. It was my favorite and absolutely amazing. The chips were actually big, solid chunks of goodness. I also had a scoop of the Buckeye Blitz. Yep, loved the Buckeyes. I am so glad I got the black raspberry. It's by far my favorite ice cream combo ever! To make the experience even more amazing, my cone was a pretzel cone! Wow! Because Graeder's uses the French pot method, ice makers produce the ice cream in very small batches, by hand, daily! Two totally amazing happenings due to this adventure? I found a cute area of town I'd love to explore further. The homes were cute and the area surrounding the ice cream shop was like a park and I think it had wi-fi. There were lots of little shops. Another cool thing? They also have candy, including buckeye chocolates. I was very happy to see them because I had originally bought some at Jungle Joe's to take home to my family but SOMEONE ate them! (blushing a little) First, the guy gave me a free sample of one to see if I approved and then I bought a box. To be honest, the ones at Jungle Jims were way better in my opinion. They were mushier. But the Graeter one's were fancy, nice thick chocolatey shell and clean peanut butter. Much better for gift giving as far as professional packaging and presentation go.

I tried the buckeye flavor and had high hopes for this given that I grew up in Ohio. So when I saw it in a store in Chicago I just had to try it. I was very disappointed. And confused. First, there are no full buckeyes in there as you'd expect. There's chocolate chunks and there's peanut butter chunks. But both have the same texture, rubbery, and I couldn't really separate the taste of the two. In reality, the textures and tastes of both should be different, like eating a real buckeye. But nope. I def didn't get a buckeye flavor. Won't buy again.

This ice cream is delicious! The black raspberry chocolate chip was listed as the fifth best ice cream from Food Network in 2015. I've never had a flavor I haven't liked. Some of my other favorites are: peanut butter chocolate chip and toffee chocolate chip. This location is right in the middle of Hyde Park square. You can buy a cone and then sit in the middle of the square and enjoy it. You can also take home pints. One for now, one for later!