Big Softie opens its second location in Atlanta’s Poncey-Highland neighborhood
Soft serve ice cream shop Big Softie is open in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
The shop will be open from 3-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30-Sunday, Sept. 1 with regular hours starting Saturday, Sept. 7, during a Poncey-Highland block party. Owner Sarah O’Brien said the full hours of operation will be announced on Instagram closer to the opening.
Located at 632 North Highland Ave. NE, the newest Big Softie location will offer the same menu as the original Summerhill shop, O’Brien said, with rotating seasonal soft serve ice cream flavors like matcha, mango and cantaloupe, as well as core offerings like chocolate, vanilla and a vegan option. There will also be housemade waffle cones and toppings like honeycomb, strawberry shortcake crumble, choco cookie crumble and cornflake streusel.
In the coming months, O’Brien said the Poncey-Highland location will also offer cakes and other grab-and-go treats in the freezer up front.
O’Brien first opened Big Softie in 2019 next door to her bakery Little Tart in Summerhill. It was one of the first tenants to open along a redeveloped Georgia Avenue and was later joined by eateries like Little Bear, Boca and Junior’s Pizza. O’Brien also owns three locations of Little Tart Bakeshop, including one in Summerhill next to Big Softie.
In Poncey-Highland, Big Softie will join a growing list of popular restaurants and bakeries nearby, including Colette Bread and Bakeshop, non-alcoholic bottle shop the Zero Co., Fishmonger, Sweet Auburn BBQ and Tio Lucho’s.
“I’m always looking for these spaces in Atlanta that are these wonderful kind of unicorns,” O’Brien said. “We want to be walkable where people can get off of work and be like, ‘Oh, what I really want is an ice cream’.”
Big Softie is decked out in green terrazzo floors and counter. There will be no seating, as O’Brien expects people to get their soft serve while “walking down North Highland.”
632 North Highland Ave. NE., Atlanta. bigsoftieatl.com.
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About the Author
Olivia Wakim is a digital content producer on the food and dining team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.
