Been in this location since 1950. Wow. I think it is probably top of the top three in Columbus. Prices are competitive for premium ice cream. Oh, and they still have cake cones! Ice cream cakes and cookies are awesome and their lunch sandwices are worth going for. My favorite ice creamis their burgundy cherry. High school staff is always happy and working hard. Shop is always clean, thanks for that. Music on Thursdays. read more

I have always visited the Dublin location and was excited to try the original location! The Bexley location has a parking lot. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and it was not very busy, but the restaurant was pretty dirty. Service was prompt and friendly. This location offers a food menu in addition to ice cream, but we stuck with the ice cream. I love that they will server two flavors in one 'scoop' - this allows you to try more flavors but not increase the volume of ice cream! They have more flavors than the Dublin location. I think Johnson's has some of the best ice cream i the city but this was not my favorite location. read more

Always wanted to try this place bc I LOVE ice cream therefore I ended up at this establishment in January! Lol Easy ordering with lots of flavors available and the service was good and expedient. Best part the ice cream was AWESOME! The neighborhood surrounding this place is quaint and adds to the atmosphere. I will definitely return in the warmer months to get the full experience. read more

After looking at all of the reviews for this place, I was super excited to try their ice cream! I was a little disappointed though. I was expecting a much creamier and rich ice cream than what I got. After trying a few different ice creams, I chose to get a scoop of the moose tracts and a scoop of the cookie dough. Both were pretty good overall. The moose tracts had a tone of chocolate and peanut butter cups which was amazing! I am a huge fan of a lot of "chunkage" in my ice cream! But the texture of the actual ice cream could have been better in the moose tracts. As for the cookie dough, there really wasn't a lot of it... I wanted more "chunkage" in this ice cream. The texture was much creamier in the cookie dough though! The service was very attentive. There were a lot of workers that were eager to take my order which I appreciated, however it was a bit much. I felt like I was being constantly stared down as I was choosing which flavor I wanted. I loved that this place felt like an old fashioned ice cream shop. It reminded me of childhood with the menu signs with the push letters and the welcoming staff. It also had all your classic ice cream flavors. One thing that I really wished Johnson's Real ice cream had was a case where I could see the ice cream as I was deciding. Overall I felt like this was just your average ice cream shop. It was classic and was great on a warm, summer night! read more

It any other town, there'd be no contest; Johnson's would hands down claim the title of best ice cream in town. Johnson's however is located in Columbus (ok, Bexley) and therefore has to contend with not one, but TWO ice cream powerhouses (in the form of Jeni's and Graters). So how does it fare in those match ups? Pretty well actually. Johnson's takes a more traditional ice cream parlor approach. More accurately it IS a more traditional ice cream parlor. If you take a look around the store, you'll see that Johnson's has been making excellent ice cream for generations. They are nothing if not experienced. They have the types of traditional flavors that you'd expect. Rocky road. Cookies and cream. Bubblegum. And sundaes. Turtle sundaes. Banana splits. While they often have new and interesting additions to the menu, they're unlikely to push the envelope in the way that Jeni's does. And the atmosphere at Johnson's is different too. It's a place that is very much connected to, and part of, it's community. It's a place where you might casually run into your neighbors who also decided to walk over for ice cream on a warm summer night. And although the ice cream is indeed fantastic, that sense of community is what makes Johnson's truly stand out. It's welcoming and makes you feel comfortable and at home. I can't really imagine a better feeling to go with ice cream. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Turtle sundae. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

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This is one of my top 3 ice creams of all time, nationwide. The quality of their ice cream is top notch, no extra air churned in here! Thick and creamy and every flavor I've had is delicious. My favorite is the French Butter Fudge which tastes similar to a Jello Pudding Pop (if you remember those) but waaaaaay better! They are typically staffed by high school students but they are all very friendly and happy to give you a sample to try out a new flavor. read more

I love this place. A) easy to get in and out of because they actually have a parking lot on Bexley. B) reasonable prices. C)! delicious ice cream! I am obsessed with cotton candy and rj delicious little chocolate pieces. read more

Not bad! As a long time Jeni's fan, I was hesitant to give kudos to anyone else. But Johnson's is pretty good. The store isn't near as simple as Jeni's, it's more like a never renovated Graeter's. They sell cookies, pies, and other treats as well as lunch. They offer a about 20 different sandwiches ans soups and salads. The sweet service is what really made my day. I first I felt like I was getting the stare down when I didn't know what I wanted immediately upon entering. But then after trying a few, I realized that the server was getting an understanding of who I was. Of course, I couldn't try them all, but the tops tastes for me were the Apple Strudel ice cream and the Cappuccino yogurt. She offered the kids scoop for $1.60. I got that and it was just enough. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

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Nothing says summer to me like a local scoop shop and Johnson's is definitely on the top of the list for the Columbus community. When I was growing up, my dad lived in Bexley and we'd ALWAYS go to the Graeter's on Main St. It wasn't until I became an adult and a coworker was talking about Johnson's and how good it was that I decided to give it a try. It's equally as good as Graeter's for sure. I had no idea why I had never given it a chance! Although I don't live that close to Bexley, I do go to Mass there on Sunday evenings. I have been making it a habit of going to Johnson's after Mass each Sunday. I can definitely say that I am hooked! I wish I could give a wide array of recommendations, but the truth is that I'm so obsessed with their "Salted Caramel Choco Pretzel Trap" ice cream, that I haven't really tried anything else (with the exception of a chocolate scoop every now and then). This is by far one of my favorite ice creams of any place I've been to. It consists of creamy (perfect consistency!) vanilla ice cream, tons of caramel swirls and chocolate covered pretzels chunks. I recently found it sold by the pint at a local Giant Eagle and I may or may not have eaten the entire pint in one sitting.... Only feedback I'd have for Johnson's is that they tend to be overpriced for what they offer you. Their scoops are averaged size I guess, but I feel like you get more for your money at Graeter's. I once took my nieces and nephews here and they each got a kids scoop in a cup (the cup was almost the size of a guac side at Chipotle) and I was blown away when they rang out at $4 each (it actually might have been more!). They should have cost no more than $2! Other than that, definitely make a trip to Johnson's before the summer ends! And certainly try the Salted Caramel Choco Pretzel Trap. It may have the longest ice cream flavor name ever, but it is truly scrumptious! read more

Super tasty homemade ice-cream!! Pretty clean, huge menu, staff is friendly. They have places outside to eat as well as a private room for parties etc. $3.50 for a single scoop and over $5 for a small milkshake. Great for out of towners but too pricey for locals to frequent imo. read more

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Johnson's Real Ice Cream is the real deal. And here's why: -They offer homemade ice cream that is creamy but not too rich. -They've got a great selection of flavors. -They've been in business for almost 60 years. So yeah, these folks know what they're doing. In addition to all the frozen treats, Johnson's also sells sandwiches and such at lunch. I can't speak to any of that, but I can't imagine that it's bad. On those days when the Graeter's down the street sounds too heavy, check out this Bexley tradition. Or just check 'em out anytime. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

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Best Ice cream in Town but not only that, sandwiches and soups as well, which are very good as well. Not only the ice cream is delicious but there are so many different tastes. A place to go for a long time already - I will be back for sure!! read more

This has been a long time in waiting. I just don't know if I had the words to describe Johnson's that would justify my love for the place before now.... Graeter's was in my backyard and I barely went there. I lived two blocks away from Johnson's and you couldn't possibly keep me from going there on a regular basis! Now my love for their ice cream is getting in the way of my "wedding diet". I make Johnson's a regular part of my diet whether I like it or not! The fiancé and I cannot stay away from their ice cream sandwiches because no other ice cream shop even comes close to comparing! I also have a regular craving for the "Columbus Crunch". My dads first job was scooping ice cream here, so yes they have been around a long time! My first job was scooping ice cream at Graeter's. And as mentioned, there's just no comparison. Johnson's- I love you. And I simply cannot wait until after the wedding to pledge my undying love and loyalty to you! With udder (pun intended) love, kindness and undying servitude, Your Duchess Alana read more

I love this place and had to return on our visit to Columbus. While a bit updated compared to the last time we were here, it still feels like a hole-in-the wall, and I love those kinds of places! The ice cream is homemade, and they have all kinds of yummy flavors. My go to had always been the black raspberry chocolate chip, so I had that and the seasonal pumpkin spice. It's a bit out of the way, but I will still come back next time we are in town. read more

This is my Favorite Spot for Ice Cream! The owner Jim makes all the Ice Cream himself and is great to talk to. They have so many flavors and compaired to the other Local Favorites Jeni's and Graeters, Johnsons is my fav! He also has another store in New Albany which is very cute and also has cupcakes, cake and cake pops, but the Original here in Bexley is a must taste! read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

I just went to treat myself a few days ago. The vanilla milkshake was insanely good, and reasonably priced, HIGHLY recommend it!! I was pretty let down by the alternative menu they offer after 3pm. Would not recommend their chilly dogs but overall a very nice experience. read more

I love their ice cream and I love eating their Kreme Peanut Butter ice cream and other local flavors. But, I don't think I want to go sit inside this place again. I think I will order and sit outside or just pick up their pints wherever they are sold. It was a little after 4 on a Wednesday and the place had 2-3 other customers in it. Maybe they just finished with a rush of messy kids and I came just after they left but the inside was a mess. My flip flops almost came off because it stuck to the floor. The booths were a wreck with dried ice cream, paper, and other crap on the floor. The tables were not much better and I didn't touch them for fear of being stuck to them. I was just glad I was alone and not here with my toddler who would have thought it was time to play with stuff on the ground. If it wasn't for their tasty ice cream then this would have been a one star place. It wasn't like they were shorthanded either as a girl was sitting off to the side sorting cups and three people were behind the counter. Love the ice cream but I believe I will order and sit outside next time. I did find one clean table to chill at for 5 minutes. I really want to try their ice cream Buckeyes on my next stop. read more

This ice cream is very yummy with a good rich creamy taste! It's more of a classic family feel ice cream shop with your traditonal flavors available. They have shakes and floats available as well. The scoops are a little small for the price but the flavor makes up for it! read more

I always get one scoop (vanilla) sundae with hot fudge and pecans. The nuts taste freshly roasted. I live on other side of town but it's worth the drive. Buckeye fever is the best flavor read more

This is great ice cream. Enjoy sitting on the patio. It's a must try. Mango is very refreshing. Love the strawberry.

Now that summer is here, it's always great to stop by Johnson's Ice Cream for fresh, home-made ice cream. There are a lot of flavors to choose from and I like the milk shakes too. The service is good even when the place is full of customers. We've been coming here for a long time! read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

Nice to find this place open on July 4th. As a new Cbus resident this was also my first trip to Bexley neighborhood. I had one scoop of the monthly special Peach which was light and refreshing in today's heat. My partner had a chocolate milkshake, it was lighter for chocolate than usual (which I prefer but for those who want rich I would get something else.) read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

A Bexley Classic. I love the banana cream pie ice cream. I have not had I flavor I didn't like. Whenever I'm in Bexley, I stop by and get a scoop. The hot fudge sundae is great as well. They have outdoor seating on the patio, which is great on a nice summer night. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

Bang for your buck: 10/10 Quality: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Ambiance/Location: 10/10 Overall: 10/10 This is the best ice cream in the city. We love the simplicity of the flavor offerings but also the vast options. Johnson's is a much more tradition ice cream shop than other popular Columbus ice cream establishments. They offer flavors you know and love in ways with which you're familiar (I.e., a cake cone, a waffle cone, a bowl, etc.). Johnson's also has an awesome selection of lunch and dinner menu items and other desserts such as cookies and cakes. They have ample seating both indoors and out, making it a perfect place to stroll into regardless of the weather! read more

Amazing. Creamy ice cream delicious iced sugar cookies. Kids are working hard which is a joy to see.

Johnson's is a great place for some local ice cream! Their ice cream is always very smooth and creamy. My favorite flavor is their triple vanilla bean. One of the best vanilla ice creams I've ever had! Another great flavor they have to offer is birthday cake. Usually when I think of birthday cake ice cream, I imagine a super sweet flavor, but Johnson's version is just sweet enough, without being overpowering. You should definitely stop in and try a scoop! read more

The black cherry ice cream was good by short on cherry flavor. The strawberry was delicious. The single scoop was very generous. The Sundae deluxe rather interesting. The family had fun. read more

Have been coming to Johnson's my entire life and I've yet to find better ice cream anywhere. My favorite is the Butter Fudge Ripple, but you can't go wrong with any flavor on the menu. Seasonal flavors are great, love getting cinnamon to go with apple pie in the fall and peppermint stick is my go to holiday dessert! Love that this is a family owned business and has been passed down to multiple generations. Hope they keep the tradition alive forever! read more

I'm not from Columbus, so a bit of Johnson's nostalgia factor is lost on me. I love supporting local businesses with a cool history, but I also need the product to be amazing -- and Johnson's just doesn't do it for me. I'm a big believer in doing just a few things -- and doing them extremely well. Make everything from scratch, make it with love, and make it delicious. Johnson's is kind of the opposite of that theory. They have something like 60 flavors of ice cream, yogurt, sorbet, and sherbet... and then there's about 17 different sandwiches on the menu too. With so many flavors of ice cream, I have to imagine everything is made with flavor packs -- it certainly tastes that way. And I can't imagine how an ice cream shop makes so many savory sandwiches fresh. Johnson's is certainly not for me, but I get why people like it. It's a super cute shop, with sweet teenagers working, and they've been around for over 60 years. On paper I should love this place. In reality, I'm just overwhelmed with an enormous number of mediocre choices. read more

I always make sure to stop in at Johnson's at least once whenever I visit Columbus. The ice cream flavors are incredible and there are so so many! Honestly it's a bit overwhelming how many flavors they have because I never know what I want, but the employees are always patient and helpful. I typically get the blueberry pie flavor, and it actually tastes like you're eating a blueberry pie, just in ice cream form. I just recently got a sandwich from their lunch menu and it was good as well, but the real star of this family owned business is the ice cream. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - 2 scoops of blueberry pie ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

I've had their ice cream before and it's delicious but this review is for the lunch I had today. I ordered the Turkey Focaccia. It's turkey on French artisan bread. I must not know my breads because I was told the bread in the picture was French artisan. Looked more like 99¢ Kroger bread. read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Turkey Focaccia - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

Johnson's Real Ice Cream is my all time favorite ice cream shop, ever since I was a little girl. And my all time favorite ice cream is their Peppermint Stick ice cream. It makes me a little sad that they don't offer that flavor all year round anymore, but I'm glad I can still enjoy it at least during the Christmas season (and now also in July). Whenever I eat that ice cream, it brings me happy memories of a much simpler time in my life. Yes, I know.....I'm a nostalgic dork. But, hey. That is perfectly fine with me. read more

I grew up in a town with a local ice cream joint, Toft's, where they offer 30+ "standard" flavors (or slight variations thereof), with big scoops and decent prices. Now in Columbus, I appreciate the gourmet ice cream as just that, gourmet ice cream. But fig-cayenne-whiskey-gouda ice cream doesn't always hit the spot when you're in the mood for the "normal" kind of treat... butter pecan, peanut butter cup, rocky road, ect. Johnson seems to do the hometown ice cream thing very well. They have a huge number of flavors, an ice cream parlor full of memorabilia, and local youth as employees. We tried seven flavors in all, six of which certainly hit the spot. Our only complaint was that one of our flavors was clearly freezer burnt and pretty terrible. They replaced it immediately with a better choice, but I wonder if perhaps during the slow months they could limit their selection according to business and maybe avoid that kind of issue. (Or maybe it was a fluke, they've been around forever... they might have it figured out.) Our particular local youth was named May (Mae? sorry) and was about as sweet and polite and helpful as you could ask for. She gave us time to look, scooped one person at a time while we decided, replaced the bad ice cream quickly (at the instruction of who appeared to be a much less pleasant superior) and even helped me carry my water to the table after I insisted it wasn't necessary. She was delightful, the ice cream was good, excellent prices (1 double sundae and two double scoops for about $12) and we'll definitely be back in the warmer months for more non-ultra gourmet deliciousness. Oh- another note- their website hours are incorrect. We'd gone once before during opened hours (late, given) and they were locked up. We looked at the website tonight and it said they close at 11 pm on weekend in the winter, but I called to make sure and they were closing at 10. No harm... just update! All the time! Everytime! Update! read more

I was thinking about giving this three stars, but it truly was a "meh" experience today. I feel bad saying that because the people were nice enough, but I found the ice cream mostly subpar--out of four scoops that hubs and I had, only one of them I found palatable, the Egg Nog. I also had the Fresh Cranberry Sherbet . . . which tasted like sugar and not really like cranberries at all. Hubs had the Pistachio and Almond, which was day-glo green and tasted mostly like almond extract, and the Black Walnut, which I tasted and literally couldn't finish eating my spoonful. I suspect that the black walnut flavor uses black walnut "flavoring" in the base, which makes it taste like a caricature of black walnuts. (I'm not automatically anti-extract or flavoring, but black walnut flavoring is the yuck.) Mostly, everything just tasted like sugar with some extract added, no real flavors. The texture was a little wonky, too; the ice creams weren't really as creamy as I'm used to. Except the egg nog ice cream. That one was really good--so much like egg nog that you'd get at any store that I wonder if they didn't just churn egg nog that they bought. It's a custard, like egg-based ice creams, so it would probably work as long as the sugar content was high enough. I generally would give a place multiple chances before settling on my rating, but not much about Johnson's beckons me to come back, especially since there's a Jeni's AND a Graeters between where I live and where Johnson's is. (I'm no huge fan of Graeters, either, but that's another review.) read more

Great " OLD SCHOOL " Ice Cream Parlor in Bexley ..... Hasnt changed much since the 1950's ....Like a step back in time .... Yummy Ice Cream ...Fun to visit read more

Johnson's is the best ice cream in the state of Ohio and also the workers there are stellar Brittany, Lucy, Sawyer, and Savannah are the best workers. Sawyer is my favorite he is so kind and always helps me pick out the best ice cream. His taste in ice cream is exquisite and he always picks out the best ice cream that I am craving. The ice cream is always fresh and made right there in store! 5/5 for johnsons great service and food read more

Good ice cream and good peanut butter shake. Not the best peanut butter shake but a very good one. Nice feel to the place and super friendly staff make it a go to place. Saw they had a lunch type menu also but we only had the ice cream. Cool place! read more

Johnson's Real Ice Cream - Menu and staff - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Bexley, Ohio

While killing time before heading to the airport to head home, we came across this place. There looked to be a pretty good selection of flavors. I opted for two scoops of ice cream in a cup. My bf asked for an ice cream cookie sandwich (there are a couple different varieties of cookies on the counter and he was going to chose a scoop of ice cream). The heavyset girl behind the counter told him he could get a premade cookie sandwich from the freezer but she would not make him one! I told him to just get two cookies and a scoop of ice cream and we'd do it ourselves. At the same time, another male worker overhead and said he would make the cookie sandwich for us to which the girl rolled her eyes. Kudos to the young man who tried to make it right, but, if I lived in Columbus, I would find another ice cream shop because of her. read more

theres jenis. and theres graeters. but then there's JOHNSONS. ****BEST ICE CREAM IN CBUS***** amazing ice cream. great quality. great prices. they let you taste test what you want! i know there are alot of jeni's and graeters lovers out there, but TRUST ME. if you are an ice cream queen like i am, you will not overlook johnsons! i already forgot what i got, but definitely 1/2 mint and 1/2 something else. PROTIP: you can get a small and ask for 1/2 and 1/2. thats usually my go to when i go to new places so i can taste test as many as i want without sticking to one flavor (commitment issues, much?) AMAZING ICE CREAM!!! Best ice cream in the area. beats out jenis and graeters by a mile. sweet, delicious, high quality, thick and creamy. worth the trip out to bexley if you're not near! read more

This place serves up Old School real Ice Cream. Just the way God intended. Plenty of flavors, made in house, nothing too bizarre though. Just classic and delicious, in copious amounts. Sometimes that is all you need. read more