The Damage Has Been Done: LA is Hooked on This DTLA Ice Cream Shop

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Damage DONE RIGHT!

Not much has changed since the night when Little Damage Ice Cream Shop made its grand opening debut six months ago in Downtown Los Angeles. The date was February 18 and droves of curious Angelenos desperate for a different kind of sweet tooth fix, waited in long lines to sample an intriguing dark-colored ice cream flavor called Almond Charcoal.

Fast forward to this summer and the long lines are still there.

The soft-serve ice cream shop has quickly become a popular destination, especially as their original Almond Charcoal’s grey hue started evolving into a pitch black color. Many described the black ice cream, made with activated charcoal and served on a black waffle cone as the best Goth Ice Cream in town.

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“I think someone finally got it right,” said customer Stephen Molina. “First you get here to see what the hype is all about. I mean, black ice cream, really? Then you taste it and it’s really damn good.”

On a recent summer afternoon, dozens of curious customers like Molina braved triple digit heat in a line that extended outside of the Little Damage shop. Once they received their soft-serve cone, oftentimes covered in toppings such as sprinkles, Oreo crumbs, coconut shavings and caramel popcorn, customers made sure to do one thing before savoring the first taste— take pictures of the unique cold treat.  

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The family-owned ice cream shop has capitalized on its popularity. They’ve marketed their cold dessert by reposting customer pictures on social media, providing appealing photo ops (there’s a free photo booth inside) and adopting catchy phrases like: “I licked it, so it’s mine!”

The owners say preparing the ice cream is a labor of love that involves daily small batches of local ingredients supplied by organic dairy farms. The shop’s menu always includes at least one vegan option.

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“We envision Little Damage to be a place where treasured memories are made,” the owners say on the website. Whether it be a first date, family outing, or your go-to lunch break, we wish every visit to be a memorable one.”

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www.LittleDamage.com

Little Damage on Instagram: @Little.Damage

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