Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream may be the newest ice cream shop on the block, but one of their classic flavors will quickly become a traditional pre-holiday treat.
The festive decor at Jeni’s is the first thing you’ll notice when you walk up to their 14th Street shop, which started scooping in the District at the end of September. From the bright sign outside and darling sayings printed on the walls to the colorful tables and chairs, Jeni’s is the sweetest place in the District to enjoy a scoop of ice cream.
And the shop’s fans will confirm that. With 27 scoop shops across eight cities, Jeni’s has gathered a loyal band of followers. Any student hailing from the midwest will be quick to rave about the large selection of unique flavors that this shop keeps in stock.
The wide selection has classic flavors alongside out-of-the-box options like sweet potato with torched marshmallow, goat cheese with red cherries and wildberry lavender. They also introduce new seasonal flavors every few months, so there’s always a fresh new flavor to enjoy.
One of the shop’s classic flavors that stands out from the rest is the gooey butter cake. Once you taste it, there’s no turning back.
Jeni’s starts with fluffy cream cheese ice cream, which is decadent enough by itself, but they don’t stop there. The rich cream cheese ice cream is mixed with crumbles of chewy vanilla cake that tastes fresh out of the oven. The cake crumbles add a nice texture to the smooth ice cream and add more flavor without making it too sweet.
After all that, the flavor is topped off with swirls of sweet caramel butterscotch sauce. The sauce adds a rich, nutty flavor to the ice cream and works together perfectly.
Grab a single scoop ($5.50) to commit to the gooey butter cake flavor, and upgrade to a waffle cone ($1) for an extra decadent treat. If you can’t pick just one, Jeni’s offers an option to accommodate the indecisive ice cream lover.
To sample multiple flavors, Jeni’s offers a flight of minis ($6.50) – three half scoops of ice cream – allowing you to mix and match flavors topped with a wedge of crispy, homemade waffle cone. Head in this week to try Jeni’s famous salted caramel or a limited-edition holiday flavor before it’s too late. The gooey butter cake will be the perfect third scoop to complement both.
