When you’re walking down the street and you see that everyone is in line for the same thing, that should peak your curiosity. And if you’re walking through downtown Savannah, there’s an excellent chance that the long line is for Leopold’s homemade ice cream.

This place is an institution. They’ll be celebrating their 100th anniversary next year! They carry everything from traditional ice cream flavors to flavors they’ve made since 1919 like lemon custard, to flavors made with local ingredients (like ginger from Verdant Kitchen in Savannah) to more unusual, seasonal flavors like Japanese cherry blossom and lavender. This stuff is super premium, and they offer nice sorbets too, alongside a menu with fancy coffee drinks, sandwiches and soups. (For those of you in New Hampshire, it reminded me of Blake’s a bit in terms of their offerings.)

They’re a little bit pricey compared to what I’m used to – $4 for a single scoop, $5.50 for a double scoop, plus tax – and you can only get one flavor per scoop. But the pricing seems fair for “city” ice cream, and they will happily let you try whatever you like. Of course for the benefit of all of you, I had to try a lot of flavors. Here’s how I did:

Caramel Swirl – This is a caramel base with homemade caramel swirl in it. Basically, this is a perfect ice cream. It’s an amazing blend of creamy texture and caramel flavor.

Lemon Custard – Wow. What a great choice. This is rich and creamy and full of lemon flavor, and it isn’t too sweet. It’s perfect for a hot, humid day in Savannah. My only critique? It is a little one-note, so I’m glad I got multiple flavors to avoid flavor fatigue. (I just invented that. Pretty good, right?)

Japanese Cherry Blossom – This is super smooth, without any chunks and with a very gentle flavor. I found it pleasant, but not exciting.

Ginger – The chunk of local ginger in this bite was amazing. So tasty if you need a kick in your ice cream!

The portions are ample here. I had to wait at least 20 minutes to reach the counter, but they brought out menus and water for waiting patrons and had plenty of seating once I got inside.

The ice cream isn’t the creamiest I’ve had,  but the texture is very, very good. It could use a touch more creaminess – it occasionally felt like a little too much work to take a bite. But the caramel and cherry were the perfect consistency, so it seems to vary a bit by flavor.

If your interest is really peaked, they are willing to ship this around the world for you! Have you tried Leopold’s? Stay tuned for my next blog, where I share another ice cream option in downtown Savannah!

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