A beloved ice cream parlor owner who passed earlier this year soon will have a lasting honor.

Cincinnati City Council unanimously voted Aug. 4 to give Allston Street in Oakley the honorary secondary name of James T. Aglamesis Way, so named for the longtime purveyor of Cincinnati’s famous Aglamesis Bro’s Ice Cream and Candy. Also known as “Jim” or “Mr. A.,” Aglamesis passed away Jan. 23 at age 93.

“Dad’s passing was naturally hard on our family — we miss him terribly. But his passing was made a little less painful through the outpouring of wonderful sentiments expressed by the city community of Cincinnati,” Randy Young, the current president of Aglamesis Bro’s and Aglamesis’ stepson, told the council. “It touched the family in so many ways, but especially in the fact that we were witness to the magnitude of his lasting impact on our community and all the memories of him that were shared with us. He was mostly known as ‘Mr. A.’ to the hundreds of employees and countless thousands of customers and he met over the eight decades of working in the business.”

City Council member Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney had submitted the original proposal, which passed out of the neighborhoods committee on Aug. 2 before going to the full council.

“I know everybody’s at Aglamesis all the time getting that ice cream, and they (Aglamesis Bro’s) have been in that community for a long time and are just really important members not just in the Oakley community but of the city,” Kearney said during Monday’s neighborhoods committee meeting. “We recently lost Mr. Aglamesis, and so the honorary street naming will be in memory of him.”

“It is great to honor yet another institution of Cincinnati and Oakley. When I think about just how dramatically Oakley has improved over the last 10-20 years, a constant rock has been Aglamesis,” Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley responded.

Kearney noted Monday that the Aglamesis family planned to host an “ice cream day” when the street is dedicated. Details are forthcoming.

Aglamesis led the family ice cream parlor in Oakley for more than 60 years before dying in January from pneumonia. Two of Aglamesis’ uncles launched Aglamesis Bro’s Ice Cream and Candy in 1913 after founding selling a different ice cream parlor. Jim Aglamesis took over the business in the 1950s and continued to oversee it until recent years, when he passed its leadership to third- and fourth-generation family members. 

A second Aglamesis Bro’s location is in Montgomery.

Numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Taste of Home magazine, the Food Network’s “Food Feuds” and others have praised Aglamesis Bro’s Ice Cream and Candy over the years for its distinct character, authenticity, and of course, delicious ice cream.

The brand is well-known for its opera creams, a Cincinnati signature sweet made from fresh cream, milk and butter and covered in a dark chocolate covering. The Aglamesis Bro’s website claims the opera creams are “a nationally renowned delicacy.” Additionally, they offer a wide range of candies and chocolates, homemade ice creams and Italian ice varieties. 

And locals agree. In 2020, CityBeat readers voted Aglamesis Bro’s Ice Cream and Candy as No. 1 for Best Chocolates, No. 1 for Best Gelato/Sorbetto/Frozen Ice, No. 2 for Best Ice Cream, and as No. 1 for Best Candy Store in CityBeat’s Best of Cincinnati.

Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get the latest on the news, things to do and places to eat delivered right to your inbox.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


This article appears in Jul 21 – Aug 4, 2021.