Denise’s Homemade Ice Cream

When I’m not in the mood for Jeni’s shi-​shi flavors, and I’d rather have giant chunks of chocolate in my ice cream, I go to Denise’s. You can tell it’s kind of a Jeni’s rip-​off, but I don’t mind. They have quite a large selection of flavors and a few flavors with huge pieces of cookie. I like that. Ooh, and the chai tea ice cream is really good. The girls that work there are unfriendly and lethargic, but the servings are enormous, so I can deal.

For the first few years of Jeni’s Ice Cream’s existence, I can remember reading articles about Jeni’s and Denise’s being in some unspoken competition (because they both offer strange flavor combinations). Well, if that were the case, then it’s clear who won.
While Denise’s may not be featured on television, or opening a new location every week, they do ice cream okay. They have more booze-​flavoured ice creams than Jeni’s at least. lol.
A few years ago a drunk driver drove through the front of the store. The storefront was boarded up for what seemed like months. I’m sure that didn’t do much for business.
I’d hate to see Denise’s close, but unless you live in the area, you should honestly just go to Jeni’s.

I really enjoy Denise’s ice cream, my favorite flavors are the chai tea, the ginger snap, peppermint/​candy cane (not sure what they’re calling it anymore) and my all time favorite is the carrot cake, with real pieces of carrot cake/​icing mixed in.
It’s delicious and I love the owner, he’s really quirky. He’s always super nice to me and my husband when we come in. Haven’t had too many chances to go lately as I have been super swamped with work, but when I get the chance I bring home a pint of the carrot cake.
The wait staff can be hit and miss, depending on the day, but all in all it’s a good experience. :)

Maybe it’s because I went to Denise’s a bunch of times before I ever tried Jeni’s, but I always thought they were about equal in taste. But my last few visits to Denise’s have really disappointed me. Today, I got two scoops, one of candy cane and one of amaretto cherry chip. The candy cane was like a flavorless glob of gummy, cold jello. I could barely discern any mint flavoring at all, and there were no candy-​cane pieces to accent it. The amaretto was slightly better but still very lightly flavored and had a weird texture. The last few times I’ve come here, I’ve noticed that texture issue… the ice cream is almost gooey, like a clump of mozzarella cheese. Very strange.
Now that Jeni’s is in Clintonville, it’s going to be hard to convince me to come back here.

This is a tough one for me to review, because I am not a fan of Denise’s. My husband, on the other hand, prefers Denise’s over Jeni’s and Graeters.
My biggest barrier with Denise’s ice cream is the mouth-​feel. It has a very odd fatty texture that creates a film in my mouth. I usually enjoy about 5 bites before that texture overwhelms me. Yuck.
They do have some nice flavors — not quite as ‘odd’ as Jeni’s, but still interesting. The mint hot chocolate (with cayenne) and rum raisin are fun. Extra kudos for using real, natural ingredients.

I’ve been wanting to try Denise’s for a while since everyone has been comparing it with Jeni’s. I went in one night while searching for dessert and it was empty except for the women at the counter. My friend and I were able to try a dozen or so flavors which was lovely (although we may have annoyed the poor girl). Each of us took home two flavors, I had the chocolate peanut butter and the coffee oreo and my friend tried the peach and apple cider sorbet.
The ice cream was good, but I wouldn’t say it was outstanding. I had it in a waffle bowl and I wasn’t impressed. The sorbet was refreshing, but not all that dazzling. I’m not sure if I’ll be returning, but the price was right and the customer service was fantastic.

I love Denises! It’s a little too conveniently within walking distance. I’ve always had great customer service there — the folks behind the counter are always extra friendly and helpful. Also they know how to make a chocolate soda which I believe is a dying art. My current favorite flavor is the thin mint oreo, but I like the chai and guinness varieties too. Their sorbets are pretty spot on too. Was lucky enough once to be in there after they’d tried a brand new recipe and they gave us complimentary scoops for being taste testers.
I like their art dispays too. It’s a wonderful little business and a nice addition to Clintonville.

I was genuinely surprised to see bad reviews on here! I loooove Denise’s. The service has been great everytime my husband and I have gone here. Their flavors are unique – there aren’t just a handful of odd flavors, there is a large array!
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The chai tea is my favorite.
I like the atmosphere. Very clean, and the music is always fantastic. I love their late hours.
They are great about letting you know that you can try anything you like first, and multiple times!
And almost as good as the ice cream are the prices – considerably less expensive than Jeni’s.

This place has a lot of really great potential, but there’s something that’s vastly missing from it.
Situated right next to my apartment complex’s gym (i.e lack of motivation), across the street from the bus stop, and just in my general vicinity, this place is constantly on my radar.
Thankfully, this is place is not the best ice cream in Columbus… so thus, I don’t eat it very often… so, FUCK YOU GYM HAHAHA.
Okay, seriously. No more ranting about my personal vendetta against the gym (why do you hate me?!). Denise’s has a ton of flavors and they all definitely taste homemade. However, after trying a couple of these flavors, they all started to taste similar. I had the chocolate once. Okay, good, solid. Then I decided to try the chocolate and brownie supreme. Um, where were the brownies? I got like two crumbs and the rest was all chocolate. Disappointment!
The cookie dough was equally disappointing. It was Vanilla ice cream with. teensy crumbs of cookie dough.
I’m going to make a really pretentious statement now. Gird your loins:
In Physics, matter that is of different masses tends to not disperse equally in a container. Rather, the heaviest of matter tends to settle at the bottom of a container (that’s why you loose your cell phone in your purse all the time!) So, I’m guessing all of these little brownie and cookie dough chunks are at the bottom of their containers. So, if you guys could, um, stir your containers more, ya know, it’d be real cool.
–A message from your soon-​to-​be-​science-​teacher-​nerd.

This ice cream shop is a really great place to go for a special treat with unconventional ice cream flavors. My personal favorite so far is the coffee ice cream with hugh-​jass chunks of Oreos.
Amazingly, there seems to be a flavor for anyone. Traditionalists can grab a cone of vanilla or chocolate. But somebody looking for a flavor to tame their wild streak can sample flavors like Honey Fig or Green Tea.
The only gripe I have is that the shop isn’t terribly busy (which isn’t bad) so I feel a lot of pressure to choose a flavor while the staff is staring at me, waiting to take my order. I guess its great customer service and its not really a complaint. Sometimes I need the pressure or I could stand there all day!

I have had Denise’s Ice Cream before but I can’t say I remember what it was like, after a return visit I know remember my lack of remembering. I wish we just had a 2.5 «Ok» option, but I am stuck with «A-​Ok».
The place only had a few other people there and 3 people working behind the counter, so I was hoping that the service wouldn’t hinder as previous reviews mentioned on Unilocal.First, my wife and I tried a couple of the flavors, she found what she wanted on the first go, after my second taste I felt like I was taking up too much of their time so I just went with the basic chocolate chip, my wife salty caramel and creamy something.
We were both left disappointed, my wife said her salty caramel was creamy and her creamy something wasn’t. I only had 3 chocolate chips in the whole scoop, granted one was pretty big, but I think it still warranted at least a few more.
Another thing that irked me was that my wife ordered two scoops, but really only wanted the equivalent of one, which unless I missed a big sign, wasn’t an option. (Think the small scoops at Jeni’s) Until after we paid I heard the other server tell another customer that he could serve several flavors into one scoop. I know they are not telepathic, but when we say, «Man, I do not know which to choose, I really only want one scoop, but I want to try a couple flavors together» it is irritating.
O well, I would say remember that for next time, but I think we will just stay within walking distance of our house (Jeni’s) and go to a place that I do not think too much of the price when I order, if I think about it at all.

Following Piece of Cake we made our way further down the street — what better to go with cake than ice cream? While Jeni’s is usually the only choice for frozen sweets in Cbus, the word of my friend earlier in the morning told me there was another — one called Denise’s that now sat where the disappointing Maggie Moo’s once stood. Walking up to the small entry way my sister noted that she felt like she was cheating on Jeni — but onward we pressed.
Entering the shop I was surprised at how roomy the store actually was — myriad seating options to match the myriad flavor choices on the board. From carrot cake to cucumber, chocolate to yuzu, and burnt sugar to black licorice — the menu was at least thrice the size of Jeni’s and the flavors equally compelling. Stepping into line each of us asked for a taste of something different and were instantly impressed by the variety of tastes and textures. Amongst items tasted by myself were burnt sugar (an interesting concoction that taste like a bitter yet salty caramel,) cucumber (really did taste like an icy cucumber,) and honey fig (wonderful, exactly like it sounds) while my family members opted for others. Unfortunately, unlike Jeni’s where samples come with smiles and suggestions, the samples at Denise’s came from a sourpuss who kept asking «do you know what you want to order yet?» as though we were likely to sample and skip out. Not one to normally feel uncomfortable I must note that her repetition was actually quite offensive and she was lucky we didn’t simply skip out. Making our selections we made our way to a table (note, there were only 2 other couples in the whole store.)
Selecting a 2-​scoop option of White Russian and Buttered Sweet Corn my first taste was that of the Sweet Corn and I have to admit I was impressed — without a doubt better than the Jeni’s sweet corn with blackberries and possibly third only to Humphry Slocombe’s Secret Breakfast and Balsamic Caramel in San Francisco. Heavily textured with pieces of corn yet buttery, complex, and sweet — like creamed corn but better — amazing. Next up, the White Russian and yet another winner. Complex and creamy with heavy hints of Kahlua and vodka that were tempered well by the sugar and sweetness — a truly pleasant mouthfeel and a very hearty flavor.
Like myself, the rest of my family agreed that their flavors were as good (if not better) than those at Jeni’s and my sister particularly loved the Guiness while my aunt raved her sorbet. With that said, we all also agreed that the customer service was borderline offensive and that we’d be hard pressed to return when the people at Jeni’s are much more overworked yet much more pleasant. Ice cream is ice cream whether it is gourmet (Denise’s) or not (Graeter’s) and ice cream is meant to be fun. While I certainly won’t be shunning Denise’s quality for Graeter’s trans-​fatty mess and loud indoor playland, at least the servers at Graeter’s are friendly.

My boyfriend lives in Clintonville, so we decided to stop by while we were out on a walk. He happened to be wearing a Jeni’s t-​shirt. I asked the girl behind the counter if I could taste something and she was extremely annoyed. She proceeded to flirt with my boyfriend and serve him before me, even though I was in front of him and ready. After she waited on him, she went to doing something else, so I had no opportunity to order.
Then, a man came out wearing an apron and proceeded to talk very badly about Jeni’s, brought on by the t-​shirt. I don’t even want to write the things he said… He went on for 10 minutes, without us saying much of anything. To say the least, it was a bizarre experience. Also, the lychee ice cream my boyfriend ordered tasted like vanilla.
very uncomfortable experience.

I am usually not a big fan of ice cream in any way shape or form. Denises has altered that. I love getting a mango smoothie from them because it reminds me of a mango lassi. Its incredibly delicious.
Personally i’ve never tried the more complicated flavors and although the service can be a tad slow at times… i’ve found that its due to the personal attention they’re willing to give you.
Only one ice cream compares… coffee and mint chocolate chip (together) from graeters.

Not bad, but not my favorite. The servers were very eager to try to find the perfect flavor to follow my Indian lunch (4 hours ago). I don’t like Indian desserts, that’s why I came for ice cream. I don’t care for mango or pistachio. I did appreciate the attempt at pleasing me from the get go.
I knew I had to try the guinness ice cream. I didn’t like it. I also go to try the sugar free vanilla. it’s called something else. They warned me that it would be bland. See, they don’t know me very well. I thought it was perfectly refreshing. Sometimes the simplest of flavors is the best (especially following the complexity of an Indian meal… even if it was 4 hours ago).

We never got a chance to try the ice cream — the customer service was so horrid, that we ended up walking out before ordering.
We had Entertainment book coupons that were about to expire, and wanted to use them to purchase 2 pints — which would qualify under the «menu item» that the coupon was good for. The older lady behind the counter told us we could not do this — since my husband wouldn’t be able to eat a sundae (and we were going to buy them for later consumption anyway), my husband said «never mind» and walked away into the dining area. I was still waiting to be waited on (planning on getting a cone, sans coupon), but she was being so rude and snarky and confrontational and argumentative to my husband that she completely ignored me and the other 4 people behind me in line. I’m a very patient person, and usually, as a customer give a lot of leeway to those behind the counters, but this woman was so unbelievably out of line with my husband that I got disgusted and left.
I proceeded to go to my normal haunt, Jeni’s, where I got fantastic service and delicious ice cream, as usual. I would have loved to try Denise’s, as I’ve heard good things about it and the list of flavors looked interesting, but the treatment we received will ensure that we will never darken their doorstep again.

While you’ll never see me turn down ice cream (lactose-​intolerance or no), I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Denise’s Homemade Ice Cream. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s homemade…
I had the Chai Latte, which tasted like my favorite chai latte from a great coffee shop in Athens, OH. That’s no small feat, considering most coffee shops in C-​bus don’t even compare with that wonderful flavor.
Denise’s atmosphere leaves a little to be desired. It seems a little cold. Plus, the employees there the day I went in looked like they just rolled off the pages of a fashion magazine — not exactly the girls you want to be reminded of as you’re gorging yourself with ice cream.

If you want great homemade ice cream in flavors that are mostly familiar, Denise’s is the place to go. While they might offer competition to Jeni’s, they’re not quite the same thing in my mind: Jeni’s is far more exotic and different– Denise’s offers some of that (like salty caramel) but also offers plenty of more regular flavors, too– almost any flavor you could think of, basically.
Denise’s ice cream is damn delicious, too. I tend to overindulge– many more scoops than I can really stand, sometimes in banana split form. If you think you can handle that kind of size, go for it. Fresh bananas. Lots of toppings to choose from. Good times.
There’s no reason to choose one or the other, Denise’s or Jeni’s. They do two different things very well and they both deserve to be visited by any true ice cream head in town.

Denise’s Homemade Ice Cream gets a lot of comparisons to Jeni’s. That’s a little unfair and not particularly apt. Jeni’s boutique ice cream flavors are like designer fashions. Denise’s actually gets a little closer to another C-​bus ice cream titan, Graeter’s.
With flavors that range from Burnt Sugar to plain old, delicious chocolate, Denise’s toes the line between being populist (Graeter’s) and being chic (Jeni’s). Denise has her own Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip. On the other hand you can also find flavors like Guinness Stout and Red Bean. One of my favorites is the Chai Tea, which tastes like a really great Chai Latte.
The sorbets are also very good. I love that they have Black Raspberry and Red Raspberry. And they’re both great.
The atmosphere isn’t as good as either Jeni’s or Graeter’s. The interior of the Clintonville shop has little flavor at all. Too bad.

Let the Ice Cream Wars begin!
If any Ice Cream is good Ice Cream, then how can one separate the good from the great? Denise’s secret is in the name itself. HOMEMADE Ice Cream. Small batches with unique flavors means Ice Cream packed with fresh ingredients. Take for instance, my favorite flavor. Banana. Sure it’s not too daring, but this is made with REAL bananas. No artificial banana flavoring here!
If comparison between Jeni’s and Denise’s must be made, I’ll say this. Jeni’s palate is much more refined and delicate, combining flavors you would never expect in Ice Cream. Denise’s takes flavors we already love and elevates them to a whole new level. Example, the Chai Tea Ice Cream. Everyone loves Chai Tea! Milk, honey, sugar, tea, and spices in a creamy Ice Cream blend is a sure thing.
Denise’s is also slightly cheaper than Jeni’s, with their scoops of Ice Cream about double the size of Jeni’s.
I’m not taking a side on the Ice Cream Wars. I’m a passive observer who loves all kinds of Ice Cream.