Putz's Creamy Whip - Cincinnati, OH

Posted By Michael Stern on May 23, 2006 3:43 PM

Putz’s is a drive-up stand with a menu of hot dogs, foot-longs, burgers, and bar-b-que, but it’s ice cream that stars. Smooth and rich as custard, it is an ivory-hued soft-serve that is great swirled into a sugar cone or waffle cone or heaped into a cup and enjoyed for its simple, pure, creamy goodness. Or you can have it whipped up for an extra-thick milk shake or malt or mixed into a soda.

The best way to enjoy Putz’s Creamy Whip, in our opinion, is to come for a sundae or banana split. Banana splits are long plastic boats that hold three mounds of ice cream plus all the toppings. Sundaes are medium-size plastic cups filled with custard and topped with whatever you like. The best of all sundaes is the turtle, for which the bottom of the cup is filled with caramel, the caramel is topped with custard, then the custard is topped with chocolate syrup. And the chocolate syrup is mounded with whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a cherry.

Putz’s is just off the highway in a little grove all its own (on a street that was rechristened to honor the long-time favorite destination-dessert place). There are pleasant picnic tables alongside that are an ideal place to spoon into creamy-whip perfection. We’ll see you there some time this summer!

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Posted By Grim Jack on October 28, 2005 10:18 PM

Don't get confused by the name. It's not pronounced like they do in New York. It's pronounced "put says", as in "PUT your hat on, Mom SAYS it's cold outside".

This used to be an out-of-the-way location, but as urban sprawl has progressed Putz's is much closer to the city center now than it used to be. As it is in the middle of one of the largest urban forests in the US east of the Mississippi (Mt. Airy Forest), Putz's still has the feel of being out in the country.

Get your ice cream and head further into the forest (paralleling the highway). Eat it near a bubbling brook right off the road. There are shelters, picnic benches, swings and slides provided by the park and it's a great place to let the kids run around and have fun.

A great, safe place to stop on a long road trip.

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Posted By Joe Bag O'Donuts on March 21, 2003 11:43 AM

How many restaurants deserve to have the name of the street they are on changed to match the restaurant name?? This is one of those gems, an institution in Cincinnati, Putz's Creamy Whip. How do they make soft-serve ice cream taste different than everybody else's? They use old-style dispensers that are 70+ years old, and they just don't make 'em that way anymore.

Great ice cream/shakes/malts/sundaes, excellent "school burgers", incredible foot long coneys (ask to have them cut it in half for you - it's not a sign of weakness, rather a sign of experience), and a fun, family atmosphere. To top it all off, the prices are from a different era, and that's a good thing. You'll wonder how they can provide this kind of quality, service and atmosphere at this price. And then you'll make a note to come back again and again and again...

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