The only thing better than indulging in unadulterated, golden-tinged nostalgia is doing so while sucking down gourmet versions of your childhood treats. Indulge your sweet tooth and your fond summer memories with a visit to Steel City Pops, Louisville’s first gourmet popsicle shop.
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The space that formerly held Wild & Woolly Video at 1021 Bardstown Road (RIP) has undergone a makeover, with the back half dedicated to a bustling popsicle kitchen where the employees of Steel City Pops create their gourmet small-batch treats by hand. The kids in attendance at the soft opening last week were excited to watch the process of the pops being made through windows into the kitchen, while their parents stood at the front counter and made their difficult popsicle decisions. The shop has some counter seating space, but foot traffic is sure to be high as the weather in Louisville warms up, so don’t count on finding a seat right away.
The store is open Sunday – Thursday noon to 9 p.m. and Friday – Saturday noon to 10 p.m. A single pop is $3, a 4-pop bag is $11 and a 12-pop box is $33. Cookie pops are $4.50. Here’s what you should order at Steel City Pops as an adult: these recommendations come from an adult palate.
Image: Steel City Pops
Before ordering, resign yourself to getting more than one pop. You’re going to want to try them all. If you’re a coffee person, get an Americano or espresso: basically go as bitter as you can. Use the coffee to cleanse your palate between popsicles or your mouth will go numb and you won’t taste anything.
Start with the “fruity” section of the menu at Steel City: for adult consumers, blood orange was pleasantly tart and cucumber lime was refreshing. The pineapple jalapeno pop had a nice kick and a great, real fruit texture: these treats aren’t flash-frozen sugar water, they’re sweetened with raw organic cane sugar and have no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.
Next, move to the “creamy” menu items and get the coconut, avocado, and blueberry cream pops. Do you really need to try all three? Absolutely, because they explore different aspects of that perfect creamy popsicle taste and texture: coconut is delicate, almost floral, avocado is smooth as butter, blueberry cream is the ideal marriage of fruity and creamy. If you can only stomach one popsicle per visit, order the blueberry cream.
End your tour of Steel City with a vanilla chocolate chip cookie pop.
Cover Image: Eat Love Louisville. All other images by Elizabeth Myers.
