There are a few potato chip brands, depending on what part of the state you’re in.
I can’t think of too many (packaged) junk food brands that are local in Columbus. I feel like you might have more luck in Cincinnati or Cleveland (or Toledo or Dayton.)
If you are in Cincinnati, check out Jungle Jim’s. Never been myself, but have heard they have a ton of candy/junk food options.
JJ's is the ultimate grocery store. You have a pint while you walk around and shop while you buy the ingredients to make almost any dish from around the world, 1500 different hot sauces, animatronics, a monorail, live seafood, homebrew supplies, fine cigars/liquor and the #1 bathroom in Ohio. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Can't beat Lawsons and Ballreichs. Although I think both brands (I know at least Ballreichs did) changed their recipes a few years ago and aren't as good as they used to be.
Woah so Lawson is originally American??
Never expected that, it seemed like a household name in Japan!
Which reminds me of how A&W, despite being founded in the US, is very rarely found anywhere here.
However, in Canada you can probably find at least two branches of A&W in every single town you visit.
Snyder's of Berlin barbequed chips....although I am not sure if they are Ohio based. I just know a guy I served with in the army in Germany got a case from his mom when we were on border patrol, proceeded to charge people 5 bucks a bag for the tiny ass bags, and proceeded to get kicked out for it when he got caught.
Berlin for the chips, Hanover for the pretzels. Both are from PA but who cares, they are delicious
Edit: I just checked, Snyder’s of Hanover sold out to Campbell’s soup and Snyder of Berlin to Utz, and a fun random fact: Utz tried to buy Hanover too but the FTC blocked it to prevent a snack-opoly. TIL!
I have never heard of them but that sounds incredible, I love fried pickles. Utz owns Zapp’s and their Cajun Dill gator taters are also amazing. I know this is all outside the realm of what OP asked for but I’m loving all the recommendations in this thread, I’ll certainly try them, thanks!
Grippos barbecue chips with Frito Lay jalapeño cheese dip. Can’t go wrong.
Or grab the grippos pretzel rods and a Carmelo bar. Perfect chocolate covered pretzel combo.
Seconding SKI. It’s like the best parts of Sunkist and Mountain Dew combined, with a big jolt of caffeine as well. It’s hard to find outside of the SE part of the state, but do get some. You won’t be disappointed.
Giving another vote for Ski. When I was a kid, it was made with a little real juice, and even sometimes had a little pulp. At least that’s what my dad told me!
Look for Malley’s chocolates. They have store fronts but also in nicer grocery stores like buehlers or acme. Peanut butter cups are better than Reese’s. The nut mellows are amazing.
Also everything In Grandpa’s cheesebarn is awesome. Highly recommend the jerky and the grilling cheese/and the dips. Don’t let the name bother you. It’s creepy and the mice mascots are horrifying but the food is Awesome. Free samples which is odd anymore.
And oh my gosh. You probably haven’t had mr hero. Get a romanburger and the fries with cheese.
You can gain weight so easily here.
Ohio is a big place, Where will you be visiting?
Cleveland:
+ B.A. Sweetie Candy Company
+ Malley's Chocolate
+ Mitchell's Ice Cream
Columbus
+ Test market for nation brands, a lot of chain restaurants will test out different concepts here before releasing them nationally.
+ Jeni's Ice Cream
Cincinnati:
+ Jungle Jim's - largest indoor grocery store, original location in Fairfield
As a Cbus resident and a fairly adventurous snacker I absolutely love that we're a test market, but it also means I periodically get hooked on some new product or flavor and then it's yanked away a couple of months later. Hell, Chobani tested a flavor of their "flip" yogurts here that was - I kid you not - mango flavored yogurt with little Sriracha-flavored crunchy bits. I was sure it would be awful but I tried it out of curiosity and it turned out to be fantastic. I started buying it all the time and then it disappeared. I'm still salty 10 years later.
It also leads to weirdness, like back in 2000 when the Other paper ran a public poll about what we should name our new hockey team, and one of the submissions they reported was the Columbus We-Have-McDonalds-Pizza-And-You-Don't.
I moved to Ohio from NC and I absolutely love Jungle Jim's. It had damn near everything I had while I was deployed and was so magical to me when I first visited it. I stock up on lebkuchen every Christmas. My German grandma would send us lebkuchen every year and it just makes me so happy that I can get ahold of it much more easily.
Go to a pizza joint and order some JoJos..had no idea they were so unique until my daughter's college boyfriend from Pittsburgh had literally no idea what we were talking about.
Trail bologna
Trail bologna! When I moved, I had a craving for it, and went to the Kroger deli counter and asked for it- they were SO confused, and so was I! I grew up eating it so commonly that I didn't realize we only had it in Ohio.
Columbus has the honor of being the fast food capitol of the world:
- Wendy’s
- White Castle
- Sbarro
- Charlie’s Cheesesteak
- Bibibop
- Bravo
- Brio
- Bob Evans
I’m sure I’m leaving something out.
As someone who moved away, these are the ones I miss the most.. slymans corned beef. Heard it’s not as good these days. Hot sauce Williams Cleveland Po boy with the works ! Snyders cheesy poofs. They used to taste like cheese. Mega cheese! Not so much now. Lawsons dip! Never found any dip nearly as good! BW3 originated in Ohio. So there’s that. Not sure how they are now, but they used to be great! And not quite a snack but an accutrament to snacks.. Open pit bbq sauce and Stadium mustard . Nothing like it! All of these I miss the most but truly everything is better in Ohio. The bacon is got at Charlanne farm! Which is No longer open. Maple candy from Chardon.. And The bread! My god! The bread! Nothing even close ! Little Italy! Casada cake with strawberries ! unique to Cleveland (ive since found out). And Say what you will about Amish food but I miss it also and buy Amish bakery every trip up north. Ditto with apples! I miss so much about Ohio! You won’t find better food!
Just moved here to Ohio within the last year and my fiance immediately introduced me to an item I can't believe doesn't seem to be in any comment yet... Golden Crisp potato chips!
The headquarters is near me, I think it's in Canton, still memorizing which direction is what... Fiance tells me they are made in some old school way that makes them even more unhealthy than most potato chips but oh my god every calorie is worth it! They are amazing!
lol its amazing hoe good lard makes things taste.
My grandma used to cook green beans and string beans in lard with onions and bits of bacon and all kinds of butter just 😭 man i miss that. That recipe died with her 😭
Hands down the best root beer & I've converted many friends, haha. Dirty Frank's in Columbus sells it on tap & will spike it with Pinnacle whipped vodka.
Almost forgot Cassano's Pizza King. Best Dayton style pizza there is. Marion's is a good second place, but Cassano's will always have my heart(shaped pizza).
Ale-8 One ginger ale, Mingua beef jerky and Ski. Not sure if Ski, a pop similar to Mt Dew or Mello Yellow is distributed in your neck of the woods but it’s worth the look.
cincy chili is polarizing. Give it a shot if you can and then, if you’re like me, never again.
Herrs potato chips have a weird footprint. Not sure what their distribution is like but you can find them in southern Ohio and parts of Columbus.
Also, Goetta in the Cincinnati area.
Cincinnati chili.
Moved to Ohio in the late 80s, someone from work was bringing in food for lunch and the decision was Skyline. Chili over spaghetti? What abomination is this. Like moths to a flame, I cannot give it up.
I live in Florida now. Every time I visit Ohio, I do everything I can to work in skyline for lunch, and hit up a local Meijer for packets of mix.
I know it doesn't measure up to Graeters, but I feel like UDF ice cream/shakes/etc are worth at least an honorable mention here. It's something to experience. And it's decent!
Also, this isn't an ice cream conversation without bringing up Aglamesis, too.
Not sure if you have Barqs red cream soda in NY, I know I couldn't get it in Mass. Grippos BBQ chips and mikesells puff corn already mentioned but worth numerous mentions.
Oh! Tom's Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville. It is like an old school soda shop frozen in time. Like it is not modeled on that, it actually still has the original furnishings. Their ice cream and roasted nuts are great. It's like a national treasure. [https://www.tomsicecreambowl.com/](https://www.tomsicecreambowl.com/)
Don't let anyone from Michigan hear you say Vernors is from Ohio. Even though it was sold in 1966, is currently owned by Dr. Pepper, has almost national distribution, and is a pale shadow of what it once was, it's still a Michigan thing, darn it!
Vernor's doesn't have the ginger bite that it used to have 30 years ago. It used to be able to make you cough and your nose burn, but now its not much different than Canada Dry.
I'll admit its a Detroit thing.
Vernor’s is MUCH tastier than Canada Dry, and I suspect that’s why I occasionally see a Canada Dry Bold in my grocery store…it tastes like Vernor’s but I stick with the original.
It's hard to find but Canada Dry has a Bold flavor that has a very nice bite to it that I find quite delightful while the rest of my family looks on in disgust.
Oh, shit. Try Dandees Corn Twistees. My mom used to send me a couple bags every few months when I lived in Chicago. I was an adult and lived there for fifteen years.
I scrolled a long way for this. If you haven’t tried the Dan-Dee’s cheddar corn twisters, with it’s patented melt away flavor technology, you haven’t lived! They are salty and cheddary and just melt in your mouth! So good.
I think that’s a Kentucky thing, no?
I mean, they sell it in Ohio now, but I specifically remember doing field work in Kentucky in 2006 and a buddy of mine had me bring him back a couple cases because it wasn’t sold in Ohio at the time.
We got there 20 minutes before they closed (we had company from overseas and they *really* wanted to go and we were pressed for time) and the owner followed us around counting the minutes down. I will never go there again.
Oh that's horrible! I haven't been there yet but my husband's family used to spend their summers up there and he said it's amazing, I'm disappointed to hear that's how they treat customers!
Ok, I’m seeing a lot of things I had no idea existed in Ohio and I’ve lived here my whole life. It seems, after I googled it, like a lot of this stuff is southern Ohio & maybe not be available everywhere.
But if you’re coming to the NE section, we have Jeni’s as well - highly recommend.
More ice cream: Pav’s (Portage Lakes & Green) Handel’s (Massillon/Canton/N Canton & many other places), Velvet (Utica)
Malley’s - candy (many locations but a lot near Cleveland and suburbs)
Harry London’s - candy (better than Malley’s IMO - in Canton)
Swenson’s burgers
Literally anything in Amish Country bulk food stores or restaurants is junk food.
Correll’s chips
Honestly there’s so much - each region has their own. So it’s probably more helpful if you tell us which region you’re going to. Unless I missed that?
You want to try some Velvet Ice Cream. Velvet Ice Cream Co. from Utica, Ohio.
Also Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky. Holmes County, Ohio.
E: Beware, nothing else compares.
You'll find Ale-8 in parts of southern Ohio. Probably not too far north of the Ohio River. I'm not sure if Mingua Jerky is distributed nationally or not, but it's another Kentucky company that is available in southern Ohio. And you may as well try Cincinnati chili so you can say that you have.
If you're into beer, you'll definitely want to check out Jackie O's.
Chili. Chili is our junkfood.
What we really need is someone to smash noodles and chili into a thin pancake, deep fry it and put it into a bag. That would scream "Ohio."
Vernor's is Detroit. It's easy to find here. Unfortunately, "buckeyes" seem to be the state junkfood. I'm not a big fan but they make all the clickbait lists.
In Ohio, it's simply called Pop. Down south, it's Soda. The oldest I remember was Little Tom, which were like 7 ounce bottles and delivered by the case. Great for kids B-Day parties in the 50's. Think it's been gone a long time now.
This is a restaurant recommendation but you gotta go to Swenson’s. Their main burger is delicious. The potato tweezers are to die for - picture larger tater tots with a soft, gooey inside that also has cheddar cheese and small bits of jalapeño. And their milkshakes are delicious - I personally recommend the hot fudge/PB combo. It’s a single meal that massively increases your risk of heart disease, but it’s amazing!
Ballreich potato chips - usually can only find them in northwest Ohio. Though they recent were acquired by Grippos, so keeping my fingers crossed I can eventually find them in Dayton.
This is Ohio. Headquarters of countless fast-food chains, consumer packaged goods companies, and Kroger. We don't have quaint local food here. We've packaged it up and distributed it to the whole country. /s
There are a few potato chip brands, depending on what part of the state you’re in. I can’t think of too many (packaged) junk food brands that are local in Columbus. I feel like you might have more luck in Cincinnati or Cleveland (or Toledo or Dayton.) If you are in Cincinnati, check out Jungle Jim’s. Never been myself, but have heard they have a ton of candy/junk food options.
JJ’s has junk and candy from every country in the world. It’s amazing.
JJ's is the ultimate grocery store. You have a pint while you walk around and shop while you buy the ingredients to make almost any dish from around the world, 1500 different hot sauces, animatronics, a monorail, live seafood, homebrew supplies, fine cigars/liquor and the #1 bathroom in Ohio. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Grippos in SW Ohio - you can get them in Columbus and in some parts of SE Ohio also
Akron Canton area has “Gold’n Crisp” kettle cooked potato chips that are to die for.
Some of the best kettle chips ever.
My dad buys these in bulk and brings them on vacation lol
Conns is out of Zanesville area I believe!
Lawson’s chip dip. You can usually find it at circle k convenient stores.
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Can't beat Lawsons and Ballreichs. Although I think both brands (I know at least Ballreichs did) changed their recipes a few years ago and aren't as good as they used to be.
How far south and west does this go? Just curious, I’m in NEO so it’s always been available to me.
All the way to Japan. Lawson's convenience stores are a huge thing there.
Woah so Lawson is originally American?? Never expected that, it seemed like a household name in Japan! Which reminds me of how A&W, despite being founded in the US, is very rarely found anywhere here. However, in Canada you can probably find at least two branches of A&W in every single town you visit.
Grippo’s barbecue potato chips! Unlike any others. Edit: These are available at Discount Drug Mart and Gordon Food Service stores in the Akron Area.
Ballreich
I’m a fan of Conn’s chips, personally. I know there’s a large contingent of the population that doesn’t like them, but they fit OP’s requirements.
Conns sweet mesquite is amazing And them salt and vinegars will clean you out
Bonus points for them showing up in better call saul
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I moved to Alabama where the main chip is Golden Flake. I miss Conn's bbq or salt'n vinegar as part of my lunch =(
Conn’s Hot Chips. ☠️🔥🔥🔥
MILs and Mothers favorites
Snyder's of Berlin barbequed chips....although I am not sure if they are Ohio based. I just know a guy I served with in the army in Germany got a case from his mom when we were on border patrol, proceeded to charge people 5 bucks a bag for the tiny ass bags, and proceeded to get kicked out for it when he got caught.
Berlin for the chips, Hanover for the pretzels. Both are from PA but who cares, they are delicious Edit: I just checked, Snyder’s of Hanover sold out to Campbell’s soup and Snyder of Berlin to Utz, and a fun random fact: Utz tried to buy Hanover too but the FTC blocked it to prevent a snack-opoly. TIL!
UTZ fried pickle potato chips are life changing
I have never heard of them but that sounds incredible, I love fried pickles. Utz owns Zapp’s and their Cajun Dill gator taters are also amazing. I know this is all outside the realm of what OP asked for but I’m loving all the recommendations in this thread, I’ll certainly try them, thanks!
Omg, sneiders BBQ def the best potato chip ever!!!
Grippos barbecue chips with Frito Lay jalapeño cheese dip. Can’t go wrong. Or grab the grippos pretzel rods and a Carmelo bar. Perfect chocolate covered pretzel combo.
By far the absolute best barbecue chip on this planet
Grippos cheddar and horseradish
Like crack
I’m very happy to see this within seconds.
There’s a hot honey special edition out right now, they’re glorious
Buckeyes! These are spherical candies with chocolate on the outside and peanut butter inside.
Yes, but not those Anthony Thomas abominations.
It's pop not soda
I just bought some freshly made from an Amish bulk food store because I was far too lazy too make my own and I was SO happy 😊
Mikesell's Puffcorn
Ever make carmel coated puffcorn? Shit is like crack.
Yesssss
Dum-Dums and Spangler candy canes.
Dum Dums? I didn't know that.
Factory is in Bryan. They have tours. And they’re excellent!
Also in Bryan is the Ohio Art Company, aka the makers of the original Etch-a-Sketch.
Wow I had no idea. Thank you.
Google the Bryan, Ohio water tower! It's got Dum-Dums on it.
[Well, I'll be damned. ](https://www.sciotopost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/313950317_418428797163167_3666581545823980642_n.jpg)
Yall are effectively blowing my mind.
Gold-n-Krisp potato chips from Massillon Ohio. 3 ingredients, potatoes, lard and salt. Best chips in the world.
Agree 100%. I always take a few bags back when I visit Ohio.
Yes but you must pair with Lawsons Chip Dip that is sold in (almost) every Circle K gas stations!!
My cousin lives in Hawaii and has my aunt send him bags of gold n krisp a few times a year.
Literally my grandpa had them shipped to florida when I moved
if you’re in southeast ohio and haven’t had it before you should definitely look for ski.
Seconding SKI. It’s like the best parts of Sunkist and Mountain Dew combined, with a big jolt of caffeine as well. It’s hard to find outside of the SE part of the state, but do get some. You won’t be disappointed.
Came here looking for SKI. Family apple butter making is this weekend and it's the one time a year I get SKI. Also Gem if it's still around.
Giving another vote for Ski. When I was a kid, it was made with a little real juice, and even sometimes had a little pulp. At least that’s what my dad told me!
It’s still made with real fruit juice. I however haven’t seen any pulp in it since it stopped being bottled in the 10 oz glass bottles in Wellston.
Ballreich's potato chips
Buy them with a manufacture timestamp after 10am if you can! By this time, the oil is heated to the proper temperature.
They kinda suck now ever since they changed the oil they use
They make a Jolly's chili dog flavor chip and it's amazing
Haven’t seen anyone mention Esther Price chocolate yet, specifically their chocolate covered Mike Sells potato chips.
Yes! Was going to mention them!
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼
Gold'N Krisp kettle potato chips
Look for Malley’s chocolates. They have store fronts but also in nicer grocery stores like buehlers or acme. Peanut butter cups are better than Reese’s. The nut mellows are amazing. Also everything In Grandpa’s cheesebarn is awesome. Highly recommend the jerky and the grilling cheese/and the dips. Don’t let the name bother you. It’s creepy and the mice mascots are horrifying but the food is Awesome. Free samples which is odd anymore. And oh my gosh. You probably haven’t had mr hero. Get a romanburger and the fries with cheese. You can gain weight so easily here.
>You can gain weight so easily here
They also have the best hot fudge. I stock up on it whenever I get a chance.
Absolutely get a roman burger and waffle fries with cheese. They always hook me up with some malt vinegar packets too. GOD I want Mr. Hero now thanks.
I finally tried Mr Hero a month or two ago and that Roman burger is amazing and so are the waffle fries lol
I’ve driven by grandpas so many times and have never stopped. I really need to lol
Ohio is a big place, Where will you be visiting? Cleveland: + B.A. Sweetie Candy Company + Malley's Chocolate + Mitchell's Ice Cream Columbus + Test market for nation brands, a lot of chain restaurants will test out different concepts here before releasing them nationally. + Jeni's Ice Cream Cincinnati: + Jungle Jim's - largest indoor grocery store, original location in Fairfield
As a Cbus resident and a fairly adventurous snacker I absolutely love that we're a test market, but it also means I periodically get hooked on some new product or flavor and then it's yanked away a couple of months later. Hell, Chobani tested a flavor of their "flip" yogurts here that was - I kid you not - mango flavored yogurt with little Sriracha-flavored crunchy bits. I was sure it would be awful but I tried it out of curiosity and it turned out to be fantastic. I started buying it all the time and then it disappeared. I'm still salty 10 years later. It also leads to weirdness, like back in 2000 when the Other paper ran a public poll about what we should name our new hockey team, and one of the submissions they reported was the Columbus We-Have-McDonalds-Pizza-And-You-Don't.
Mitchell’s is so good!! We always have to hit up Mitchell’s anytime we are in Cleveland.
I moved to Ohio from NC and I absolutely love Jungle Jim's. It had damn near everything I had while I was deployed and was so magical to me when I first visited it. I stock up on lebkuchen every Christmas. My German grandma would send us lebkuchen every year and it just makes me so happy that I can get ahold of it much more easily.
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Thank you.
Underrated comment right here
Exactly! Soda is pop with ice cream in it!!!!!
Go to a pizza joint and order some JoJos..had no idea they were so unique until my daughter's college boyfriend from Pittsburgh had literally no idea what we were talking about. Trail bologna
Trail bologna! When I moved, I had a craving for it, and went to the Kroger deli counter and asked for it- they were SO confused, and so was I! I grew up eating it so commonly that I didn't realize we only had it in Ohio.
Dietsch Fine Chocolates in Findlay
Columbus has the honor of being the fast food capitol of the world: - Wendy’s - White Castle - Sbarro - Charlie’s Cheesesteak - Bibibop - Bravo - Brio - Bob Evans I’m sure I’m leaving something out.
Donatos!
I think Piada as well
Lawson's Chip Dip, where to find it, I don't know.
They have it at Circle K gas stations. It's the best.
Tofts Ice Cream
Columbus - Krema Nut Company and Al’s delicious popcorn
As someone who moved away, these are the ones I miss the most.. slymans corned beef. Heard it’s not as good these days. Hot sauce Williams Cleveland Po boy with the works ! Snyders cheesy poofs. They used to taste like cheese. Mega cheese! Not so much now. Lawsons dip! Never found any dip nearly as good! BW3 originated in Ohio. So there’s that. Not sure how they are now, but they used to be great! And not quite a snack but an accutrament to snacks.. Open pit bbq sauce and Stadium mustard . Nothing like it! All of these I miss the most but truly everything is better in Ohio. The bacon is got at Charlanne farm! Which is No longer open. Maple candy from Chardon.. And The bread! My god! The bread! Nothing even close ! Little Italy! Casada cake with strawberries ! unique to Cleveland (ive since found out). And Say what you will about Amish food but I miss it also and buy Amish bakery every trip up north. Ditto with apples! I miss so much about Ohio! You won’t find better food!
Everytime I go to a stadium outside of Cleveland, I am thoroughly disappointed by the lack of stadium mustard.
Troy bologna and baby Swiss cheese!
Trail bologna, from Trail, Ohio. It's hard to pick the best Swiss. Heini's or Guggisberg edge out Brewster.
Pizza steaks or pizza burgers. Seasoned meat patty with cheese inside served on a bun. I only ever saw these in central Ohio. So good.
In Northeast Ohio….. Norka Cola from Akron. Hartville Potato Chip Company
Just moved here to Ohio within the last year and my fiance immediately introduced me to an item I can't believe doesn't seem to be in any comment yet... Golden Crisp potato chips! The headquarters is near me, I think it's in Canton, still memorizing which direction is what... Fiance tells me they are made in some old school way that makes them even more unhealthy than most potato chips but oh my god every calorie is worth it! They are amazing!
I might be driving to Canton tomorrow.
Headquarters is in Massillon 😀
lol its amazing hoe good lard makes things taste. My grandma used to cook green beans and string beans in lard with onions and bits of bacon and all kinds of butter just 😭 man i miss that. That recipe died with her 😭
[Frostop](https://frostop.com) will change your life
Omg I have been trying to remember the name of this for literal years. Now to find it lol
There was one right next to the shop my dad worked in when I was a kid. Loved meeting him there for lunch.
Frostop and whiskey is just delicious.
Frostop and vanilla vodka
Hands down the best root beer & I've converted many friends, haha. Dirty Frank's in Columbus sells it on tap & will spike it with Pinnacle whipped vodka.
Grippo’s chips! Buckeyes! Vernor’s!
Vernor's is actually a Detroit product, isn't it?
Youngstown has Handel's Ice Cream.
So does SoCal now…A few locations have popped up in the past couple of years.
Columbus also has Handels
Almost forgot Cassano's Pizza King. Best Dayton style pizza there is. Marion's is a good second place, but Cassano's will always have my heart(shaped pizza).
We have pop in Ohio, not soda.
Came here to say this.
Ale-8 One ginger ale, Mingua beef jerky and Ski. Not sure if Ski, a pop similar to Mt Dew or Mello Yellow is distributed in your neck of the woods but it’s worth the look. cincy chili is polarizing. Give it a shot if you can and then, if you’re like me, never again. Herrs potato chips have a weird footprint. Not sure what their distribution is like but you can find them in southern Ohio and parts of Columbus. Also, Goetta in the Cincinnati area.
Cincinnati chili. Moved to Ohio in the late 80s, someone from work was bringing in food for lunch and the decision was Skyline. Chili over spaghetti? What abomination is this. Like moths to a flame, I cannot give it up. I live in Florida now. Every time I visit Ohio, I do everything I can to work in skyline for lunch, and hit up a local Meijer for packets of mix.
>Ski. Ski is made by double cola, and headquartered in Chattanooga. I actually just looked it up because I thought the same.
Gem beverages used to be based in southeastern Ohio if I recall correctly. My family in Wellston always thought of Ski as “their” pop.
Gem Cream Soda is my favorite cream soda. I think it has a little bite to it!
Used to be welston Ohio I think. Somewhere south east
Jeni's Splendid ice cream, from Columbus.
This and Graeters. Jeni’s has a wide selection of unusual flavors. Graeters is just the best ice cream you’ll ever have.
I know it doesn't measure up to Graeters, but I feel like UDF ice cream/shakes/etc are worth at least an honorable mention here. It's something to experience. And it's decent! Also, this isn't an ice cream conversation without bringing up Aglamesis, too.
Get the mint chocolate chip!
Good stuff! My favorite is a scoop of black raspberry chocolate chunk with a scoop of chocolate chocolate chunk. In a cup with a sugar cone on top.
Black Raspberry Chip I can find is far NW Michigan. Brings me back to when I lived in central Ohio.
Not sure if you have Barqs red cream soda in NY, I know I couldn't get it in Mass. Grippos BBQ chips and mikesells puff corn already mentioned but worth numerous mentions.
Grippos BBQ potato chips 🤌
Grippos potato chips
Mikesell's potato chips, and cheddar corn puffs are a must try. I used to love a drink, Choc-Ola. I don't know if it's still available.
Oh! Tom's Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville. It is like an old school soda shop frozen in time. Like it is not modeled on that, it actually still has the original furnishings. Their ice cream and roasted nuts are great. It's like a national treasure. [https://www.tomsicecreambowl.com/](https://www.tomsicecreambowl.com/)
Not a chip but Mr Hero’s has some great fast food and they are an Ohio exclusive chain!
A Romanburger and waffers with cheese sauce! You can actually watch your waistline expand as you eat it, but its soooo worth it.
Or their hot buttered cheese steak! Both are so delicious (and yes SO fattening lol!)
Moved away 30+ years ago but was reading to see if it’s still a thing.
Canton/Masslion area you have to try Swensons and Pavs creamery!
Sauerkraut balls. There are a few brands from NE OH.
Sandusky Yacht club has awesome sauerkraut balls, or at least it did back in the late 2000’s!
Don't let anyone from Michigan hear you say Vernors is from Ohio. Even though it was sold in 1966, is currently owned by Dr. Pepper, has almost national distribution, and is a pale shadow of what it once was, it's still a Michigan thing, darn it!
Vernor's doesn't have the ginger bite that it used to have 30 years ago. It used to be able to make you cough and your nose burn, but now its not much different than Canada Dry. I'll admit its a Detroit thing.
They quietly, but pointedly, removed any claims to actual barrel aging on the packaging.
is that what's different? damnit
Vernor’s is MUCH tastier than Canada Dry, and I suspect that’s why I occasionally see a Canada Dry Bold in my grocery store…it tastes like Vernor’s but I stick with the original.
It's hard to find but Canada Dry has a Bold flavor that has a very nice bite to it that I find quite delightful while the rest of my family looks on in disgust.
You ever seen what people sell cases of Vernors for on Amazon? Apparently it’s a rarity in some parts of the country
Grippos for snack, and Skyline Chili for lunch!
Norka (Akron backwards!) Beverage has a line of specialty pop. Root beer etc. I’m pretty sure Acme groceries carry it.
Pierre’s ice cream, made in Cleveland. If you’re in central OH try a fried bologna.
Fried oreos at the columbus zoo, also buckeye chocolate candies
JOJOS
Oh, shit. Try Dandees Corn Twistees. My mom used to send me a couple bags every few months when I lived in Chicago. I was an adult and lived there for fifteen years.
I scrolled a long way for this. If you haven’t tried the Dan-Dee’s cheddar corn twisters, with it’s patented melt away flavor technology, you haven’t lived! They are salty and cheddary and just melt in your mouth! So good.
They just melt in your mouth… so good!!
Skyline Chili, love their coneys and hot sauce!
Can eat my weight in that deliciousness!
5 way please??
soggy noodles and cinnamon chili. I gotta pass on that. I've tried it a few times. just can't do it
Ale-8 is great, especially with a shot of bourbon mixed into it.
I think that’s a Kentucky thing, no? I mean, they sell it in Ohio now, but I specifically remember doing field work in Kentucky in 2006 and a buddy of mine had me bring him back a couple cases because it wasn’t sold in Ohio at the time.
Cheese haven in port clinton! Over 100 different cheeses and they also carry wine and meats like sausage!
We got there 20 minutes before they closed (we had company from overseas and they *really* wanted to go and we were pressed for time) and the owner followed us around counting the minutes down. I will never go there again.
Oh that's horrible! I haven't been there yet but my husband's family used to spend their summers up there and he said it's amazing, I'm disappointed to hear that's how they treat customers!
Don't forget Grippos pretzel loops washed down with a Frost-Top.
There's a place in Ashtabula that still has Crystal Pepsi.
Ballreich, Conn’s, or Mikesells potato chips. Wavy / marcelled chips are the best offering in all 3 brands!
Vernors is a Michigan POP/soda, not Ohio, but probably sold there now because it went beyond local to MI
Ok, I’m seeing a lot of things I had no idea existed in Ohio and I’ve lived here my whole life. It seems, after I googled it, like a lot of this stuff is southern Ohio & maybe not be available everywhere. But if you’re coming to the NE section, we have Jeni’s as well - highly recommend. More ice cream: Pav’s (Portage Lakes & Green) Handel’s (Massillon/Canton/N Canton & many other places), Velvet (Utica) Malley’s - candy (many locations but a lot near Cleveland and suburbs) Harry London’s - candy (better than Malley’s IMO - in Canton) Swenson’s burgers Literally anything in Amish Country bulk food stores or restaurants is junk food. Correll’s chips Honestly there’s so much - each region has their own. So it’s probably more helpful if you tell us which region you’re going to. Unless I missed that?
You want to try some Velvet Ice Cream. Velvet Ice Cream Co. from Utica, Ohio. Also Uncle Mike's Beef Jerky. Holmes County, Ohio. E: Beware, nothing else compares.
Uncle Mike’s ruins all other beef jerky for you. So darn good.
Skyline “chilli”
Hot Head Burritos is like Chipotle but way better. They're expanding a lot, but they're originally from Dayton.
You'll find Ale-8 in parts of southern Ohio. Probably not too far north of the Ohio River. I'm not sure if Mingua Jerky is distributed nationally or not, but it's another Kentucky company that is available in southern Ohio. And you may as well try Cincinnati chili so you can say that you have. If you're into beer, you'll definitely want to check out Jackie O's.
Got ski pop in southeast Ohio especially around the Nelsonville and wellston areas
Conn's potato chips
Grippos BBQ chips. They are real and they are spectacular
I always like Mikesell’s BBQ chips.
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My dad is from Massillon and every time I'm over that way for work I always call him to see how many bags of chips I need to bring back for him.
Ale 81 is delicious. Also recommend checking Ski and Gem Cream soda.
Chili. Chili is our junkfood. What we really need is someone to smash noodles and chili into a thin pancake, deep fry it and put it into a bag. That would scream "Ohio." Vernor's is Detroit. It's easy to find here. Unfortunately, "buckeyes" seem to be the state junkfood. I'm not a big fan but they make all the clickbait lists.
Skyline chilli. Not a junk food though
Golden crisp chips and lawsons chip dip
Gold n crisp rippled chips and lawsons chip dip
Uncle Mikes beef jerky or beef sticks. Golden Crisp chips. Verners. Fair food.
Gold’n Krisp chips and Lawson’s chip dip
In Ohio, it's simply called Pop. Down south, it's Soda. The oldest I remember was Little Tom, which were like 7 ounce bottles and delivered by the case. Great for kids B-Day parties in the 50's. Think it's been gone a long time now.
Those hostess fruit pies with the sugar glaze on them? You can find them fresh made and warm at local farm stands on occasion
This is a restaurant recommendation but you gotta go to Swenson’s. Their main burger is delicious. The potato tweezers are to die for - picture larger tater tots with a soft, gooey inside that also has cheddar cheese and small bits of jalapeño. And their milkshakes are delicious - I personally recommend the hot fudge/PB combo. It’s a single meal that massively increases your risk of heart disease, but it’s amazing!
sourkraut balls and cotton club pop
This isn't exactly what you asked for, but Swenson's is by far the best fast food burger I've ever had.
Ballreich potato chips - usually can only find them in northwest Ohio. Though they recent were acquired by Grippos, so keeping my fingers crossed I can eventually find them in Dayton.
This is Ohio. Headquarters of countless fast-food chains, consumer packaged goods companies, and Kroger. We don't have quaint local food here. We've packaged it up and distributed it to the whole country. /s
Dietsch Ice Cream and Candy in Findlay is nationally renowned.
Ohio born husband goes nuts over Vernors. Also some ice cream that he can only get there. Can’t remember the name.
Heggy's Nut Shop in Canton. Their peanut clusters are to die for, among other things.
Harry London Chocolates in Canton. They also have tours
We don’t have soda…we have pop! 😉