As a chain of small shops throughout the Midwest region, Ashby’s Ice Cream can only be found in small towns far from the hustle and bustle of larger population centers and their competition. Instead, the business places its shops in small and friendly towns, often sharing a building with another eatery. Athens’ Ashby location is no different, conveniently located inside a pizzeria and across the street from the community center, allowing families to walk over for sweet treats after a day at the pool. After getting a taste of the competition, though, I’m hesitant to recommend this place.
A variety of ice creams are available and I’m sure most, if not all of them are produced at a central location and dispersed out to the various locations throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. I was struck by how it didn’t taste quite like it was fresh. As if the ice cream had been packaged and sent out a long time before it found its way into my cone.
- Eskimo Kisses, a coconut-based confection with chocolate chunks, was very creative and ambitious. I was impressed by just how chunky the chocolate is, and how fresh the coconut tasted. Unfortunately it was the only flavor that impressed me.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup is supposed to be a mix of two of the best flavors in ice cream. Unfortunately it just falls flat. Instead of some kind of peanut butter ice cream, the flavor attempts to add actual peanut butter to chocolate cream, and fails completely. The sticky peanut paste overwhelms the ice cream completely and neutralizes its flavor. If you’re able to finally able to get the peanut butter out of the way, you find the chocolate is very, very bland.
- Orange Sorbet: A lighter choice if you don’t prefer one of the ice cream flavors, the sorbet is very sweet but a bit less thick, which is nice.
- Mint Chocolate Chip: One of the most popular flavors, a nice balence of sweet minty goodness and chocolate chunks. Good for warm summer months, and a simple pleasure.
The service was consistently mediocre. I’ve gone to Ashby’s and been met with a local teenager working alone behind the counter. While this doesn’t seem to slow things down, the teen doesn’t seem to be very aware of what she is doing. She doesn’t know what the best nor most popular flavors are? She doesn’t know much of anything helpful and she didn’t seem very friendly. I suppose it’s just one person, but it’s a shame she brings down the experience with her attitude.
Really, Ashby’s has the potential for a friendly place and a mainstay of the Athens community. Unfortunately the ice creams just don’t hit the spot like they could. Only one flavor stands out to me, the rest are uninspired.
Recommendations
- This is definitely a family-friendly establishment. Bring the kids.
- In addition to ice cream, Ashby’s also sells chocolates and other confections.
- A drive-up window also means you can pick up your ice cream on the go.
Another Food Critic 