Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream
| Address: | 48 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003, USA |
| Phone: | +1 646-476-3865 |
| Site: | vanleeuwenicecream.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 8AM–12AM 9AM–12AM 9AM–12AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
LO
Lori Luo
A quaint little shop in the heart of East Village, Van Leeuwen is a perfect blend of coffee shop and ice cream parlor. What started out (and still continues) as an ice cream truck has expanded into several brick and mortar shops across Brooklyn and Manhattan, and the EV is proudly home to one of them. Theres a surprising amount of space given its location, which allows for plenty of tables and seats, while their WiFi encourages people to linger with their computers and tablets throughout the day. They serve up a quality cup of coffee, using Tobys Estate coffee beans, but if youre not in the mood for caffeine, they have a unique array of ice cream flavors available. I opted for the small cup, after deciding on a scoop of the Earl Grey and Currants & Cream flavors. Without a doubt, this is some of the best quality ice cream youll find in NYC. The texture is perfect - not too dense nor too airy, creamy, and well-blended. The Earl Grey is surprisingly subtle, especially when paired with a touch of strawberry, and not too sweet; the flavor reminded me of the mornings in college when Id make a cup (or two) for myself while poring over notes before an exam. The Currants & Cream was a good contrast, as the currants interspersed throughout gave some texture and tartness to each spoonful, and the hint of vanilla was an appreciated addition. Im sure that if I lived any closer to this place, Id be a pretty frequent customer. Nonetheless, its a nice place to stop by after a meal or when you need to wile away some time with a laptop or good book. The good coffee and ice cream is just another plus, of course.
DO
Don Z
Walking out of a ice cream place with a bad feeling; defeats the whole purpose of coming in the first place... And thats how I felt! And not because the ice cream was above average, and good enough for me to think about coming back, but because the service was atrocious and obnoxious... Rude, and unfriendly! Im not here to preach about mannerisms, and stuff; just about common courtesy! Treat your costumers as human beings. just one example is: when I asked nicely if I can try another flavor, instead of telling me its store policy, he reacted in an obnoxious manner by implying that I was trying to rip him off by not making a purchase, despite the fact that my companion - standing right next to me - was already eating the multiple flavors she chosen after tasting... And I can go on and on. Now that I have that out of my system, lets talk ice cream! None of their flavors, besides their honeycomb that I didnt have a chance to try, they were out of it, were something special, or worthy of the craze this place gets... This ice cream parlor shouldnt be a Destination! Especially compared to morgensterns, ample Hills, Brooklyn bells, and ice & vice... Tip: if you wanna try their honeycomb, you gotta come early, because they usually run out of it in the middle of the day. So to wash away my bad taste, my friend dragged me to IL Laboratorio de Gelato...
SE
Seher Dholakia
Dont worry everyone! I know what youre thinking. How in the world do I pronounce one of the best flavors Van Leeuwens offers - gianduja? Simple. John-DOO-yah. Easy as that. Now, go to Van Leeuwens and order a cup of it, and you wont be disappointed! This was one of the first places I discovered while walking around in East Village and I still think about the earl grey tea ice cream - the distinct taste of earl grey, the smell of bergamot, the creamy texture. Its definitely my favorite, but I cant neglect the rest of the amazing flavors - gianduja, ginger, currant, espresso, and the list goes on. The ice cream flavors are great and very unique, and the atmosphere is one of my favorites. Its a great place to meet friends or even to read a book/get some work done (they have wifi!). They dont disturb you no matter how long you linger around. Also, if you need access to Van Leeuwens constantly, as I do, Whole Foods sells the flavors by the pint and it definitely turns out cheaper than going and getting the equivalent amount from Van Leeuwens. Their prices increased twice over the summer, which I think is ridiculous, and a small cup is about $6. Definitely opt for the $7 pint at Whole Foods if you have a favorite flavor. Its just as good.
DA
Daniel Horowitz
Ok so the ice cream is good. This review is not an inditement of flavor. The honey comb is worth taking some abuse for. However, I went in on Thursday night the line was out the door and disorganized, once inside they were blasting all thirteen minutes of American Pie (which is the wrong choice, obviously) so loudly the ice cream slinger couldnt hear my order even after screaming it at the top of my lungs. Ordered 2 scoops, one to stay one to go. The cashier was rude and looked like he was over the whole scene too. Side note: The tasting to scooping to paying chain was a painful thing to watch- 4 people fumbling to service one customer at a time. Disgraceful. Between taking bites of honeycomb my thoughts were as follows. This ice cream is so good/ i am so angry I had to go into that hell space to get it. Was better off getting Postmates to deliver it to the bench out front of the shop. 2.95 delivery fee be dammed. Your ice cream has great flavors and a nice texture. Up your game!
SA
Sandy Leung
I wish Van Leeuwen Artisans would have black sesame ice cream on their menu, ALL THE TIME. The first time we came here was specifically because we heard that they make black sesame ice cream. Its extremely difficult to find and they make an awesome version. Black sesame chunks mixed in with their thick creamy texture. The sad news is they usually dont have this flavor... Its one of their special flavors that can show up on their chalk board if youre lucky. Although, I havent seem it appear in a very long time and isnt on their list of special flavors on their website. Ive also tried their earl grey tea ice cream and this was very light and delicious as well. I like how they use lots of subtle and unexpected flavors mixed into their thick and creamy housemade ice cream.
LI
Linsay Palter
I had the Gianduja and Palm Sugar flavors. Perhaps my error was getting two flavors at once because I could compare them to each other and find faults with both thanks to its partners strengths. The Gianduja, which shouldve been amazing considering it tastes like nutella, was much thinner than the palm sugar, and thus the texture was completely disappointing. It was almost like eating flavored ice. I dons know if this was just a bad batch, but I was continuously disappointed as I took more bites. The Palm Sugar started off great, but after 2 or 3 bites, the flavor kind of disappeared. So Id have to take a break, eat some of the watered down nutella, and return to the palm sugar, but it was still just ok...certainly not worth the high price point.
GU
Gurl InLA
Wow! Simply amazing! We were spending the day in the city (Manhattan) and decided after having lunch in China Town we would find a vegan dessert place. So we found this place and trekked all the way over. Its a small little space with a few seating inside. If it wasnt so hot out, we would have grabbed our ice cream and sat outside. Either way, we came in and chose two flavors off their vegan llist, mint and chip and peanut butter chocolate chip. Was it expensive? Yes. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Even though the vegan ice cream is made with cashew, coconut and cocoa butter, it REALLY does taste just like ice cream! They have regular ice cream and coffee here as well. But definitely come try the vegan flavors!
