Named among “America’s Best of the Best” by Newsweek this year and deemed the No. 1 ice cream in National Geographic’s “10 Best of Everything,” Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream will open its first Georgia location November 14. Located in the Midtown Promenade in the walk-up space formerly home to Nathan’s and Bruster’s near Trader Joe’s, Handel’s will offer 48 flavors at a time. Twenty of those are Handel’s staples, available at all 148 shops across the country. The other 28 will rotate, with a handful changing seasonally.
“We make our ice cream fresh every day in each location,” says Handel’s regional manager Holly Fredrickson.
Courtesy of Handel's
The opening menu features flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk, Pumpkin Pecan, Rocky Mocha Blast, Snickerdoodle, S’mores, Twixter, and Peppermint Stick, in addition to basic options like vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip. There are vegan and dairy-free varieties such as Coconut Milk, and pomegranate sorbet as well. Look for sundaes, shakes, ice cream sandwiches, Hurricanes (ice cream with toppings mixed in), and Handel Pops (chocolate-dipped ice cream served on a popsicle stick).
Frederickson says the location choice was strategic. “We wanted to be in an area where there are a lot of families who come to make sweet memories,” she says. “Midtown is such a fun community to be a part of, and we’re right next to the Beltline, so we’re excited to be able to cool off our customers during the summer.”
Courtesy of Handel's
Handel’s started in 1945 by Alice Handel, who made ice cream and sold it out of her house in Youngstown, Ohio. To continue fostering that same sense of community, Handel’s is working with local artists to create a mural and installing a Tiny Door outside the scoop shop.
The first 100 people (ages 18 and up) in line at Handel’s on opening day will receive free ice cream for a year. The shop opens at 11 a.m., and the festivities will continue throughout the weekend with free face painting for children and free Dogsters dog-friendly ice cream November 17.
Another Handel’s location is slated to open in Cumming November 21. A Buckhead store will begin scooping before the end of the year.
Courtesy of Handel's
