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Try this Hilltop hidden gem

A large cone is just $2.50 at Hilltop Dairy Twist. Add sprinkles for 65 cents! Photos: Alissa Widman Neese/Axios ​​ Alissa here. Nothing tastes better on a warm summer day than soft serve ice cream from a mom-and-pop shop. Driving the news: I was shocked when I moved to Columbus and couldn't find any local hotspots. My hometown of just 25,000 people spoiled me with three. I worked at one of them, Dairy Frost, every summer of high school, serving up deep-fryer food and crafting the art of the perfect spiral cone. Yes, but: I finally found my fix this week in , a carbon copy of my hometown favorites down to the boxy, red-trimmed building, paper menus taped to the windows and dirt-cheap prices. What I ate: A hot dog with a pile of chili-cheese fries, washed down with a Pepsi.The main event: a large twist cone covered in rainbow sprinkles. All delicious. All for just $10.35. The bottom line: Sure, chains like Graeter's and Jeni's have their place in the ice cream rotation, but nothing compares to a nostalgic Ohio summertime tradition. If you go: 2860 Sullivant Ave., 2-9pm daily, except Sundays, with a drive-thru. Cash only. Open through Oct. 31.Hilltop Dairy Twist's menu includes milkshakes, sundaes, z-zwirls (à la Dairy Queen's Blizzard), sandwiches, deep-fryer munchies and more than 30 flavors of soft serve ice cream. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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