Since opening up as a quickly iconic pale yellow ice cream truck in 2008, the folks at Van Leeuwen have been changing the ice cream game in the city and beyond. They still making all their ice cream from scratch in Greenpoint, but now boast 16 locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn—plus the trucks. As of today, October 14, they’re adding number 17: Rockefeller Center, which will become the brand’s flagship location.
To celebrate the opening, they’ve paired up with another New York dessert icon, Magnolia Bakery, for a banana pudding flavor that will be available for a limited time at just this new spot. Because Van Leeuwen has added an extensive lineup of vegan options to their menu in recent years, expect those classic cashew and coconut scoops along with their new oat milk line. This fashionable plant-based milk allows for a non-dairy, nut-free treat for anyone looking for low allergen selections. Expect seven new flavors: Chocolate Oat Milk Cookie Dough Chunk, Oat Milk Brown Sugar Chunk, Brownie Sundae Raspberry Swirl, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl, Oat Milk Mocha Latte, Oat Milk Caramel Cookie, and Strawberry. On the coffee and tea side, Van Leeuwen has paired with Partners Coffee and Rishi for organic tea.
For the opening, there will be $1 scoops of 24 options, including both dairy and non-dairy, at what will be the ice cream brand’s largest location yet, designed by Carpenter and Mason to capture the entire story of the brand—from truck to shop, from coast to coast, from cow to cashew.
