Columbus is rich in good ice cream, from heavy-hitters like Jeni’s and Graeters to heritage brands like Johnson’s and smaller shops like Mardi Gras, Cream & Sugar, and Double Happy. These are all worth seeking out, but sometimes it’s nice when the ice cream comes to you.
A couple years ago we learned about a family-run food truck whipping up delicious (and highly Instagram-able) soft serve and sundaes, and finally last summer, when we were all looking for socially distanced treats during the pandemic, we caught up with Little Ladies Soft Serve parked outside Bleu & Fig in Clintonville.
And we pretty much haven’t looked back.
Out of their little white truck, decorated with pastel-colored sprinkles, Little Ladies serves up, honestly, some of the best soft serve I’ve tried it my life. I’m no connoisseur, but I know what I like. It’s just so wonderfully creamy and perfectly sweet, great on its own or in one of their creative sundaes.
The truck is generally active from April to October. Pretty much every Friday night in season you can find them on Galena Square, although their schedule varies the rest of the week. They make a lot of neighborhood appearances, and they’re great at updating the schedule on social media and on the Truck Tracker page on their site.
Little Ladies’ menu is fairly straightforward: chocolate, vanilla, and twist cones – with or without sprinkles – plus a collection of creative sundaes. All which has sweet ladies’ names like Mabel or Margot or Essie or Ida.
You can’t go wrong with the plain soft serve, although we’ve loved all the sundaes we’ve tried. You get your choice of soft serve as a base. I almost always choose vanilla, because I like it as a “neutral” base for the toppings.
One of my personal favorites – and I suspect one of their greatest hits – is Aggie. Crushed puppy chow, mini buckeyes, peanut butter sauce, hot fudge. It’s a Midwesterner’s dream come true.
Essie layers a lemon cornflake crunch with raspberry compote and whipped cream.
This is Daphne, a special from last summer featuring peach compote, dulce de leche, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cinnamon Life cereal, all on top of a chai-filled Tupelo Doughnut.
On our most recent visit, I finally tried Luella, a mixture of brown butter graham cracker crumble, Nutella, and a toasted marshmallow. Just delicious.
Regardless of what we’ve ordered, we’ve loved every taste from Little Ladies. They just kicked off their 2021 season, so make sure you treat yoself and track them down multiple times over the coming months. It’s the perfect treat as we look forward to sunnier days.
Little Ladies Soft Serve
littleladiessoftserve.com
Track them on Facebook and @littleladiessoftserve on Instagram
