Great lunch food and ice cream in a fun environment. Only drawback is parking in the area, which was difficult to find for people who aren't local. read more

Great service great atmosphere great food. Highly recommend The Root Beer Floats were amazing read more

Zaharakos is a family favorite for us! We love to play at the Commons and then head over for lunch and/or ice cream! It's so quaint and a cool experience. My 5 yo's current favorite is the old fashioned root beer float - it's delicious! BUT If you have toddlers and they happen to like the same flavor of ice cream, I would suggest splitting it as they do not have kids sizes. One scoop is very big! We've been many times, but we went to Zahakaros at Christmas last year for the first time and quickly decided that this is a new family tradition! It was so charming and a special memory for everyone. All of their ice cream is fantastic, but the peppermint reigns supreme! We love Zaharakos and will continue to come back! read more

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Brownie sundae was fantastic! I added nuts. There was plenty of fudge and the brownie was soft and chewy. read more

Zaharakos - Brownie sundae with nuts - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

Shockingly we found this because I asked AI to find some cool spots on the way from Nashville to Chicago. I'm really glad it came up, as the town is adorable and this place is a gem. It's the definition of old school cool and they have some of the best decor you'll find. Be sure to play the music machine, or whatever it's called, in the room off the main dining area. I've never seen a self playing machine with multiple instruments, but it's truly amazing. The ice cream is great and reasonably priced. Well worth the trip if you're in the vicinity. read more

Zaharakos - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

I had already eaten but I really wanted to stop in to see all the cool things in person that I had seen online. On a busy Wednesday afternoon I popped in Zaharakos to see all the cool old timey soda fountains. When I got inside there was only seating and no actual bar area where I could sit like an old 50's diner and get a milkshake. No big deal. I order a couple scoops to go and have time to walk around looking at all the old soda fountains while I wait. Customer service was 10/10. Super friendly people who were more than happy to give information about the machines. It was really cool walking through the mini museum and reading all about the soda fountains and music machines. read more

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FOOD - Root Beer Float: tasty ice cream in hand pulled root beer. Delicious! 4.5/5 - My kids enjoyed their chocolate and strawberry ice cream. 4.5/5 SERVICE: Our server was friendly but it took her forever to wait on us after we sat down. People who came after us got to order before us. It was pretty busy but we should have been waited on before people who came after us. 3/5 FINAL THOUGHTS: I would come back but hopefully they provide better service next time. read more

Zaharakos - Root beer float - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

Talk about a true experience when you're in Columbus!! Zaharakos has been here for 125 years and it is truly like stepping into the classic past. read more

Zaharakos - Entrance to restaurant featuring their flavor of the month for May 2025 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

A few days ago, I posted my review of an establishment that had been a very important memory to me as a kid growing up in Columbus, Indiana. In fact my last time visiting was with my late mother who was ninety at that time several years ago. My wife and I had wanted to share that memory with grandsons aged 9 and 5. That experience was a disaster and a wait list system at time had failed. I expressed total disappointment in a YELP REVIEW of a 1 star. My review was sharp but heartfelt. As an Elite Yelper, I feel that is my responsibility. This update is to acknowledge that the owner had changed the wait list program by the end of this week and posted on FACEBOOK. I applaud that action and the true attempt to maintain the reputation of Zaharakos. Therefore, I updated the review and hope to be able to post a five star review on the new reservation/wait list system. I look forward to a GOM sandwich and soda like in the old days. Thank you for listening. read more

Zaharakos - Main entrance area - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

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It was like stepping back in time. The food and atmosphere were absolutely wonderful!

Zaharakos is definitely worth a stop since you'll feel like you've been transported in time once you walk inside. Really cool old school ice cream and soda shop that has been kept up and restored over the years. The ambiance itself was a highlight. Apparently this spot has been around since 1900. On a Friday night around 6pm we were seated immediately. Our server got our drink and food order first. Aside from your usual soda offerings, they also have a variety of retro fountain soda options which are hand mixed. Make sure you specify if you want a fountain soda. As for the food, it was fine. Basic diner fare and the price point is pretty cheap. We tried the burger and grilled cheese. We were both asked if we wanted a side of fries or fruit when we ordered so we tried both. Sides are up charges though so keep that in mind. My bad for not paying more attention to the menu I suppose, but at least they were cheap ($2-2.50). After making sure we saved room for dessert, we ordered our ice cream. I went with a one scoop sundae - raspberry chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. My partner ordered a single scoop of vanilla topped with sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. They brought a small cup of chocolate chips on the side too since they didn't stick well. The ice cream was decent, and the portion sizes were HUGE. A one scoop sundae was $5.25 and I could barely even finish half of it. The hot fudge was very good. We saw someone else order a banana split that was bigger than my head. Definitely a fun place to grab an indulgent dessert to share. Overall our service was fine, and I would recommend stopping in once for the experience if you're in the area. You can skip the food and stick with the ice cream, but if you need to eat, it's not bad. read more

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Best creamy ice cream and old time soda fountain atmosphere! The old time organ has the great old time look and feeling. The servers are prompt and polite. read more

Fun place to visit. Went for the dessert but was pleasantly surprised by the food. Wife and I both had burgers and fries and it was quite good. read more

Waited 30 min and nobody took our order. It wasn't very busy and there were several staff members standing around. Have no idea how the ice cream tastes. Cool building though. read more

Got the Avocado grill sandwich and a brownie sundae with vanilla and strawberry ice cream! Food tasted great, service was great, ambience spectacular. It's got an old time style on it, real nice place! read more

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Came here a couple of years ago and had an absolutely delightful experience. This time around was not great. We were here for nearly 2 hours and there was just a handful of tables. Staff running around like chickens with their heads cut off and not organized. Everything felt wildly chaotic. read more

Menu offered good, reasonable choices, especially for kids (e.g., Kraft Man 'n Cheese), which is wise because we're all there for the historic charm and the ice cream. Online wait list works well too. Friendly, efficient service. Overall a great experience! read more

Extremely slow service- from putting in our name, until leaving the restaurant, we spent 3 hours of our day there. Food was subpar- my daughter and I got the cheese burger and it tasted like the burger patty was previously frozen. Many fast food restaurants have a better tasting cheese burger. The ice cream itself tastes pretty good and the atmosphere is nostalgic. If you choose to try this place out, I suggest only going for ice cream and even then, it's not amazing. read more

We came here just for ice cream, ie dessert. The ambiance of this place is fantastic. Established in 1900, I have never been in a place this authentic as it reminds me of the ice cream parlor on Main Street at Disneyland. The nostalgia from the previous turn of the century is unparalleled with its automated organ and museum. read more

A relic from the past, I am really happy that places like this are still open. Came here with my nephew to get him some ice cream, had a very pleasant experience and friendly service. read more

Completely unacceptable service. We were the only brown family there, and while every other table received silver spoons to eat their ice cream, we were given plastic ones that could barely scoop the ice cream. Additionally, other tables received their checks in a book, while we were handed only a loose bill. The difference in treatment was very noticeable and made the experience feel uncomfortable. The staff was also just generally rude and dismissive. We will not be returning. The ice cream itself was also extremely mediocre. read more

Food was good however service was poor. We waited to be seated about 15 minutes. After being seated it took awhile for waitress to come ! She was very inattentive and after she dropped the food off we never saw her ! Cute restaurant and food was good however service can ruin it. read more

Cute place, good ice cream! There was a section in the restaurant separate from the main area that had soda fountains, and a bit of the history of the restaurant- was a fun thing to stroll into. read more

Great Museum for soda fountain memorabilia! We were disappointed in the restaurant. I'm not sure if we hit a bad day or if it is always like this. We arrived around 5:00 on a Saturday there weren't many people there, a lot of open tables and no one seated at the ice cream bar. We had to be placed on the waitlist. The place had several uncleared tables and debris on the floor around these and other tables. The staff was pleasant but there was a lot of inter-staff talk about problems with staff members, being the only one working and no one keeps me informed, etc. We saw 1 food order come out of the kitchen and the ice cream bar was backed up with orders the entire time we were there. We left after a 50 min wait. read more

Ice cream may be decent, but service is horrible. The staff are very good at apologizing for their poor management, but their friendliness isn't enough to make up for their incompetence. read more

Recommend you reserve your table online. They are extremely understaffed! We had shakes and malts and they were very good. Burgers were good, sent the Mac and cheese back as it was barely warm and fries were warm and limp. Server was sweet but needs trained. We had no ketsup or mayo on table. After waiting several minutes for her to return we finally helped ourselves to some at the empty table beside us. She returns and says she went to the basement to get them for us. She also delivered food in that time we were waiting. Really cool atmosphere. Next time we'll just go for ice cream.! read more

Nice place but rude staff. There Allways seems to be some problem there interfering with service. I am crossing it off my list of plàces to go. read more

The tenderloin was excellent. As was the root beer float! What a fun atmosphere! I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone in the area. A one of a kind experience read more

We waited an hour to be seated. They had tables open and yet had so many people waiting by the door. We then waited longer and longer for 4 people to just get ice cream. We dget how they could be low staffed and have a lot of customers, but this was unreasonable. We had somewhere to be and our server payed absolutely no attention to us what so ever. Each one of us ordered water and it came out about 25-30 minutes later than when we sat down. The ice cream is very mediocre. We all thought the ice cream would be better at UDF, or Dairy Queen. Next time, we know not to come here and waste 2 hours of our time when we could have a better Ice cream experience overall at somewhere cheaper and faster. read more

I drove from Indy for what I thought would be a good dinner! Well I ordered a water and a Coke was brought, then we waited forever for our food which i ordered a chef salad without onions, and it came with onions, the final straw is I ordered a chocolate sundae and it came with no chocolate. I will not plan on going back! read more

We went on parade night....not knowing it was parade night. Made a reservation....there was a table ready right on time. Our server was busy but we were not neglected. Soda drinks always take a bit longer but that is somewhat expected. Food is comparable to an old diner. My burger was great. The atmosphere is second to none. Make sure to take a few quarters with you to play a couple of old machines. So very cool. read more

Zaharakos - Beautiful old counters - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

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We had a large gathering over the Christmas holiday and it was GREAT! From scheduling to staff to food to service to overall experience, it was wonderful! Our food was delicious and hot! Dessert was amazing! Staff took such great care of us and bent over backwards to make our experience a wonderful one! Highly recommend trips to Zaharakos! read more

I loved how cute this place was!! It definitely gave off ice cream parlor vibes :) I thought it was amazing that they made soda the old fashioned way. They even had a nice $8 lunch special that included half an entree and a side dish :) it definitely felt like a good deal. While eating I heard the organ play and they had Christmas music playing as well. It had me in the Christmas spirit! Another thing I took note of was how they have a small kids table which was adorable. For anyone looking to explore Columbus, IN, you should make a stop here and take in the amazing food, ice cream desserts and ambiance. read more

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This is a mini gem in the middle of Columbus IN downtown. We just happened to walk in this place and were taken by surprise. They serve ice cream and chocolates and maybe some food too. We did not eat food. I just bought some chocolates and coloring books from their museum. Their museum is attached to the store which is a small place but has old musical instruments. You can listen to music if you put it in quarters. The customer service was quick and easy. This will be a fun place for families with kids. I highly recommend this place. read more

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The ice cream is really good and the ambiance of the old ice cream shop is nice. Service was slow unfortunately due to too few preparers behind the bar. Overall an enjoyable experience though and the kids loved it. read more

A step back in time. I have never seen anything like this place. When I think of an ice cream parlor I think old school but not this old. There is a lot of history here and you'll want to take your time taking it all in. From the antique equipment to the architecture inside. Walking in your olfactory is immediately pleased with the smells of sweets and waffle cones. The menu has old timey classics like floats and ice cream sodas so of course an ice cream soda was in order. Having old style soda is the difference maker. The whole aura of this place probably makes everything taste better but I'm not here to argue that. read more

Brown County, IN and Columbus, IN are destination visits for us. We always visit Zaharakos in Columbus, IN for ice cream and a trip back in time. Zaharakos was founded in 1900, and this business is preserved in history. We recommend a tour of the photographs at zaharakos.com. Zaharakos is a magnet calling us to ice cream. is a longstanding Columbus tradition. We like that Zaharakos is in the center of Columbus; we like that there is adequate parking. This shop is busy year round. We enjoy a visit to Columbus; neat shops, restaurants, and parking. Products Five Star Service Four Star Ambience Four Star My favorite ice cream always begins with C. My wife is aft to adventure through the menu. The ambience is dairy fresh and diary clean. We like the service. The tariff is appropriate for the fare. read more

Going here is like stepping back in time to an ice cream parlor of yesterday. We had lunch which was tasty followed by ice cream for dessert, which was the creamiest I've ever tasted. Putting some coins in the for music added just the right ambience for our day! read more

This is one of those times where I wish I could give 3.5 stars. The food and especially our ice cream drinks were phenomenal. However, it took a really long time to get our food. I could kind of understand, as they seated a very large party just before we arrived. But two other tables who came after us were served before us - one table even finished their food and paid before our food came out. My order was wrong, but I'm not sure the server could fully hear me order. They have a VERY LOUD player piano and it started playing right as she was trying to take my order. Looking back, I wish she would have read it back to me to confirm it was right. It wasn't a terrible experience, and we will definitely be back, if only for the ice cream. I'm hopeful we will have a better experience on the service side. read more

We never got food. Or ice cream. After an hour wait for a table )while we could see plenty of empty tables)!we were finally seated.. She took me out orders for ice cream only and for the next 45 minutes we watched hundreds of orders be packaged in front of us and sent out.. she told me I really shouldn't come on the weekend. It's too busy, but it wasn't too busy for the locals getting their ice cream to go. I don't care how charming the places it's a pathetic establishment for customers. read more