Huge ice cream news: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams opening its first Charlotte scoop shop in South End this summer

This will also mark the first Jeni’s location in North Carolina. It’ll be located in the jewel box in front of Design Center on Camden Road.

I feel like an idiot because I didn’t know Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, but as it turns out, it’s kind of a big deal.

Jeni’s was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 2002 by Jeni Britton Bauer, a James Beard Award winner and pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement who introduced the modern, ingredient-driven style of ice cream making that has caught fire in recent years.

When we posted on Instagram that Jeni’s will open its 27th storefront on Camden Road in South End, people freaked out. The post generated 95,000+ views, 3,000+ likes and 650+ comments.

Jeni’s will immediately join Two Scoops, Golden Cow and Elizabeth Creamery in the top tier of Charlotte ice cream shops.

Like a good investigative journalist, I went to Reid’s and bought two pints of Jeni’s Ice Cream to taste test with my 3-year-old.

If you’re looking to try Jeni’s ice cream before they open their scoop shop in South End, pints at Reid’s, Earl’s, Dean & Deluca, Common Market, Earth Fare and Fresh Market. Here’s their pint locator.

Pints were $10.99, which is next-level expensive. I ended up buying a Milkiest Chocolate pint and a Salty Caramel pint.

Both were freaking delicious. It’s rich, smooth ice cream. My 3-year-old boy preferred the Milkiest Chocolate and although I loved both, the Salty Caramel was my favorite.

Top 5 flavors at Jeni’s:

Brown Butter Almond Brittle – Brown-butter-almond candy crushed into buttercream ice cream.

Darkest Chocolate – Mouth-filling and palate-gripping with a pleasingly dry finish. The most amount of Fair-Trade-Certified cocoa possible and the least amount of anything else.

Salted Peanut Butter w/ Chocolate Flecks – Salted ground roasted peanuts with grass-grazed Ohio milk and crunchy, dark chocolate flecks.

Salty Caramel – A perfect balance of salty and sweet: sugar caramelized in our kitchen, blended with sea salt and grass-grazed Ohio milk.

Brambleberry Crisp – Oven-toasted oat streusel and a sweet-tart “brambleberry” jam of blackberries and blackcurrants layered throughout vanilla ice cream.

As South End booms and with a brand/product as strong as Jeni’s, I expect their scoop shop to be a hit this summer.

Cover image via Jeni’s.