Indiana has a soda fountain that has been open since 1900 and looks almost exactly as it did back then. Maple floors worn smooth by well over a century of foot traffic.
A 50-foot mahogany backbar installed in 1911. Two Mexican onyx soda fountains from the 1904 World’s Fair still pouring Green River sodas the old-fashioned way.
A 1908 Welte orchestrion with 184 pipes that fills the entire room when it plays. Ice cream made fresh on-site every single day.
The Gom sandwich is still on the menu. Columbus, Indiana is not the most obvious road trip destination.
This one parlor earns the drive and then keeps you there far longer than you planned. Plan accordingly and bring an appetite.
Over A Century Of Soda Fountain History In One Room
Few places in America carry a founding date like this one. Zaharakos opened in 1900, started by three Greek immigrant brothers who first ran a candy shop on Washington Street.
Over the decades, that candy shop grew into a full ice cream parlor and soda fountain. The original maple floors still creak underfoot.
The 50-foot mahogany backbar, added in 1911, still lines the wall with its stained glass and mirrors catching the light.
The space holds walnut and oak wood paneling, marble surfaces, and Tiffany glass details that have never been replaced or reimagined. Each fixture tells a different chapter of the same long story.
Zaharakos received the State of Indiana Century Business Award, a recognition that very few establishments ever earn. Visiting feels less like stopping for ice cream and more like stepping into a working museum that also happens to serve the best sundaes in the state.
Zaharakos is located at 329 Washington St, Columbus, IN 47201.
The Welte Orchestrion That Still Plays Its Own Music
Hear that? That rich, layered sound filling the room is not a recording.
It comes from a 1908 Welte orchestrion, a self-playing pipe organ with 184 individual pipes.
This machine is one of the last of its kind still functioning and displayed in its original location anywhere in the world. When it plays, the entire room shifts.
Conversations pause. People look up from their sundaes.
The orchestrion was originally sold when Zaharakos closed in 2006. The parlor reopened in June 2009.
The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana recognized the restoration with its Southern Indiana Preservation Award. That decision alone says everything about the commitment to keeping this place authentic.
Staff may play the orchestrion for first-time visitors, so it is worth mentioning it is a first visit when ordering. The sound of 184 pipes filling a room lined with mahogany and marble is not something that fades from memory quickly.
Plan to stand still and just listen for a moment.
Two Soda Fountains Straight From The 1904 World’s Fair
Not many lunch counters can claim World’s Fair provenance. Zaharakos houses two Mexican onyx soda fountains that were acquired directly from the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
These are not decorative pieces. They are part of one of the largest public collections of pre-1900 soda fountains still in existence.
The onyx stone has a cool, translucent quality that catches light differently depending on where you stand.
Old-fashioned sodas here are made the right way. Seltzer water is mixed by hand with syrups drawn from the original marble fountains, not from an auto-carbonation system.
That distinction matters more than it sounds.
The result is a soda with a lighter, fresher character than anything poured from a modern machine. Green River, a lemon-lime flavor, is the most popular choice.
Paper soda straws served in glass jars complete the experience in a way that feels completely deliberate and not at all performative. This is simply how things were always done here.
Hand-Dipped Ice Cream Made Fresh On-Site Every Day
The ice cream at Zaharakos is made fresh on-site using a unique vanilla base that runs through every flavor. That base gives each scoop a recognizable richness that sets it apart from commercial brands.
Popular choices include hot fudge sundaes and brownie sundaes. The Big Z Sundae lets guests pick multiple scoops and sauces, making it a solid choice for groups who want to try several flavors in one sitting.
Flavors like mint chocolate chip, pistachio, cookies and cream, and birthday cake appear on the menu alongside classic options. Gluten-free bread is available for certain food items, which makes the parlor more accessible than its old-fashioned setting might suggest.
The portions tend to be generous. Ice cream is scooped by hand at the counter, and the process is visible from most seats in the dining room.
Watching it happen adds something to the experience. The ice cream is the headline act here, and it earns that billing without any exaggeration needed.
The Gom Sandwich And A Menu That Goes Beyond Dessert
Most people arrive planning to order ice cream and leave surprised that they also ate a full meal. Zaharakos serves a real food menu alongside its desserts.
The Gom sandwich is the standout savory item. It is a classic sloppy joe with a Greek-influenced preparation, which reflects the founding family’s heritage in a direct and unfussy way.
It pairs well with fries and a hand-mixed soda.
Other menu items include a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich and a club sandwich. The food menu is described as limited compared to the dessert options, but what is offered tends to be satisfying and well-prepared when the kitchen is running smoothly.
Arriving with an appetite for both food and dessert is a reasonable approach. Skipping one or the other means missing part of what makes a visit here feel complete.
The menu is not trying to be a full-service restaurant. It is aiming for something more specific, and it mostly lands there with consistency.
The Museum Room, Library, And Upstairs Apartment Worth Exploring
Beyond the main dining counter, Zaharakos holds a museum room, a soda fountain library, and a mechanical music library. These spaces are part of the building, not a separate attraction.
The museum room gives context to the fixtures and machines visible throughout the parlor. Seeing the equipment in the dining area and then reading about its origins in the museum room adds a layer that most food stops simply do not offer.
Upstairs, the apartment once used by the Zaharako family has been remodeled to reflect its historical period. It offers a glimpse into what daily life looked like for the family who built this place from a candy counter into a century-old institution.
Plan to spend more time than expected. The building rewards slow exploration.
Most visitors underestimate how much there is to look at before the food even arrives. Moving through the space at a relaxed pace makes the visit feel much more rewarding than rushing straight to a table and leaving after dessert.
The Restoration That Brought Everything Back To Life
Zaharakos closed in 2006 when business slowed and the health of the third-generation owner declined. For three years, the building sat quiet on Washington Street.
A Columbus businessman purchased the property and committed to a full restoration. The process was meticulous.
Original fixtures were preserved, and the Welte orchestrion, which had been sold off during the closure, was tracked down and returned to its original spot.
The parlor reopened in June 2009. The restoration was recognized with the Southern Indiana Preservation award.
That recognition reflects the level of care taken to keep the space historically accurate rather than simply refreshed for modern tastes.
Nothing about the interior was simplified or modernized for convenience. The mahogany backbar, the onyx soda fountains, and the original maple floors were all kept intact.
The result is a space that feels continuous with its own past rather than nostalgic about it. Visiting now means seeing the real thing, not a curated version of it.
What To Expect When Visiting On A Busy Day
Wait times at Zaharakos can stretch longer than expected, especially on weekends and warmer months. Knowing this ahead of time makes the experience easier to enjoy.
A waitlist app is available that sends text alerts when a table is ready. This means time spent waiting can be used to explore the area around Washington Street rather than standing inside watching the door.
The parlor has both indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor seating surrounds the original soda fountain counter and the mechanical music displays.
Service rhythm may vary depending on how busy the kitchen is running on a given day.
Arriving with a relaxed pace in mind is the most practical approach. Expecting a quick in-and-out visit may lead to frustration.
The space is worth settling into rather than rushing through. The combination of food, ice cream, music, and history is genuinely layered, and the experience rewards patience more than it rewards efficiency.
Coming prepared makes all the difference between a great visit and a stressful one.
Why Indianapolis Monthly Named It A Must-Do For Every Hoosier
Indianapolis Monthly ranked Zaharakos as the number one item on its list of the top fifty things every Hoosier must do. That is not a casual distinction for a soda fountain in a mid-sized Indiana city.
The parlor was also filmed for the 2024 movie The Ice Cream Man, adding a recent cultural footprint to a legacy that stretches back over a hundred years. Recognition like this tends to reflect something consistent and real rather than a single viral moment.
The location on Washington Street places it near other Columbus attractions, making it a natural anchor for a longer afternoon in the area. The kids museum and the commons area are close by, which makes it a practical stop for families already exploring downtown.
Columbus, Indiana is known for its architectural significance, and Zaharakos fits that identity well. The building itself is a piece of the city’s character.
Finding it is the easy part. Deciding what to order first is the harder question.