At long last, Steel City Pops has opened a location here in Decatur. This popsicle chain originated in Alabama in 2012 but has since expanded to four different states, and this is their first storefront in Georgia. Scotties who attended the Week of Welcome pool party will be familiar with the brand, which can cater events with their cart, or offer a bulk pick-up for slightly smaller quantities.
The shop has three main categories of pops: fruity, creamy, and cookie. The fruity pops are made with a water base, refreshing and more along the lines of a traditional popsicle. Creamy pops are for dessert, all containing dairy (except for avocado). The cookie pops have a creamy outside, but at their center is a gluten-free cookie, “so it’s kind of like an inside-out ice cream sandwich,” says Jada, a Steel City Pops employee.
The flavors range from familiar (lime) to wildly inventive, such as champagne white tea, or plum with rosemary. Jada says that strawberry lemonade is a best seller, but that “buttermilk is also strangely popular [because] it tastes more like cheesecake”. To top it off, each pop is customizable. For a small extra fee, customers can “dip, dredge, drizzle, and dust” their pops in toppings like chocolate, nuts, and cayenne.
Steel City Pops uses all natural ingredients, which they try to locally source. This shines through in the pops themselves, which are brightly colored and taste like real things. The fresh approach is clear in their seasonal pops, such as pumpkin, cinnamon apple, and toasted marshmallow.
You can try these pops for yourself at 312 Church Street, located behind Brush Sushi in the parking lot. Follow them on Instagram at @steelcitypopsatlanta, or on Twitter at @steelcityatl.
All photos were taken by the author.