Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

This place serves fantastic ice cream, and their pistachio flavor is my favorite. I usually stop by during the summer, but I couldn’t resist when I spotted their seasonal special last weekend after brunch. I tried the Sicilian Pistachio Cream Sundae for about $16 and it was amazing! It featured two generous scoops of pistachio ice cream, topped with crunchy honey almond slivers, hot fudge, pistachio sauce, and whipped cream. The mix of textures and flavors was the perfect treat to end a meal. The service was quick and friendly as always. It’s a small spot that gets busy, but the line moves quickly. Highly recommend!

Of all the many ice cream shops in the neighborhood, this is the most committed to vegan ice cream, with 7 flavors! (While most other shops have 1 or 2, if that.) And they are delicious! However, lately, in summer 2025, they no longer have them in stock and it’s not clear when they will have them.

I’ve been eating Van Leeuwen for some years, but this was my first time going to one of their scoop shops. The staff was very kind to my family and I. I had gone for the special Hello Kitty collab but it was sold out. A staff member told me how to be able to get collab flavors more likely, and I thank him for the tip! I tried their Passionfruit Berry Pop. Such a great flavor that perfectly depicts summer. It was sour with a sweet flavor as well from the fresh strawberry jam. The passionfruit and blue raspberry ice creams were so creamy and velvety. They worked perfect together Their waffle cones were excellent! Crunch, sweet, & fresh! I also tried my aunt’s Ice Cream Cake flavor. It was a 10/10. Tasted exactly like a Carvel ice cream cake. It has the chocolate crunchies, vanilla ice cream, & that frosting they use to write happy birthday. So nostalgic.

During a recent visit to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, I decided to have a make-your-own sundae experience. The concept was, allowing me to choose my own 2 flavours and 3 toppings. However, while the ice cream itself was of good quality, I found the overall experience to be a bit too sweet for my liking. For my sundae, I opted for two scoops of ice cream: Big Face Coffee Affogato and Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie. The Big Face Coffee Affogato had a strong coffee flavor that I enjoyed, and the Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie was rich and decadent. Both flavors were well-executed, and the texture of the ice cream was smooth and creamy. Moving on to the toppings, I added toasted walnuts, hot fudge, and chocolate sprinkles to my sundae. I appreciated the quality of the ingredients used by Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. The flavors were distinct and true to their descriptions, and the ice cream itself had a luscious texture.

Terrible ice cream, it tasted like it melted several times and was freezed again. Terrible service. Staff gave a terrible attitude because I didn’t leave $2 tip on top of this $8 disaster ice cream. Price is crazy for small cup of melted sugar

Mmmmmmm! Ice Cream!! So tasty! Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is doing a great job with their flavors. They have multiple locations throughout New York and I believe they are continuing to expand throughout the country. And for good reason too! The flavor is so rich and they use high quality ingredients to really make their ice cream shine. The atmosphere of the storefront we went to was bright, bubbly, and welcoming. The only thing I didn't like was the black on the ceiling near the vent as you can see in the pictures. Was a bit of a turn off. The service is counter service and was friendly and helpful. I will be looking for this ice cream shop while traveling the country because it's too good to pass up! Definitely recommend this ice cream shop. I got a homemade waffle cone with one scoop of Marion Berry Cheesecake ice cream and my wife got a scoop of Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Chunk in a cup. When we ordered, we were told by the cashier that it was Topping Tuesday and that we were able to get one free topping of our choice for each of our ice creams! We had no idea and there wasn't any signs that said that so it was very nice of her to mention that to us! I also got whipped cream on my cone and my wife got Honeycomb Candy bits on hers. To start, my ice cream was amazing! For those that don't know, Marion Berry is a type of Blackberry so it was essentially blackberry cheesecake ice cream but it was so fresh! Tasted like they threw in the while cheesecake and mixed it with their vanilla ice cream. The ice cream base was rich and had swirls of Marion Berry with little chunks of graham cracker crust throughout. The waffle cone that it came in was also fantastic. You could tell it was homemade and not the generic waffle cones that every other ice cream place offers and it's worth the work because the texture was perfect, the spices and vanilla in it was there and you can taste them. The only minor gripe I have is that the whipped cream just tasted like... Whipped. Cream. No sugar or vanilla. I'm not sure if they missed adding that or if that's how it is but definitely not my favorite whipped cream but I appreciate that it was free and homemade. My wife's ice cream was delicious as well with rich brown sugar flavor and a decent amount of cookie dough chunks throughout. I liked her Honeycomb crunch topping that she had on it because it was basically crystalized honey that added a nice crunch texture to the ice cream but also had delicious flavor. Overall, with the stellar service, cute atmosphere and mind bending ice cream, this is a shop that will forever leave an impression in my mind as one of my favorite ice cream shops in the country so far. Their popularity proves that their doing something right. The price isn't unreasonable considering the quality so try them out! Food - 4.9 ⭐ Atmosphere - 4.5 ⭐ Service - 5 ⭐ Overall - 5 ⭐ Follow me for more reviews across America 😎🍔🍕🍨🍦🦖🔧

I don't understand how I had never heard of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream before... I mean, i never paid attention to it cause I'm sure I have seen the pints but simply ignored them. Although, I think it would have been better if I'd ignored them forever. I'm a HUGE fan of cookies and cream, and that's what I went for, I had 2 scoops on a waffle cone, one of "Cookies & Cream" and the other was "All the cookies". Let me tell you, they were soooooooooooo good!!!!!!! All the cookies was delicious but C&C was DEFINITELY my FAVORITE, it sure didn't let me down!!!!!! I got C&C on top but after trying them both decided to swap the scoops. Hohohoho!!! Icecream is on the pricey side, but it's totally worth it and nobody will have it everyday, so it won't hurt you get some every once in a while, it's soooooo worth it!!!!!! Definitely reached the Top 6 of my favorite icecream brands. Would love to try more of their seasonal flavors.

Totally delicious. It's such high quality ice cream that even one scoop feels like such a treat (and is still worth it at $7.50!).

I'm not sure I've ever had a flavor here I didn't enjoy. I've had pleasurable experiences at this particular location each time I've come to stuff my face with copious amounts of ice cream. They have many options for both regular and vegan and funny enough I find myself reaching for the vegan flavors a bit more. Does that make me a vegan? Whatever! Point is... I enjoy their many flavors and you should to : )

We've been big Van Leeuwen fans since it was just a food truck in the West Village, without any brick and mortar locations. That food truck, which we encountered every day on the way home from pre-school, is where we discovered that our then three-year-old preferred Earl Grey and lavender to chocolate or vanilla ice cream, despite some supremely picky eating habits in other domains. I'm happy to report that all these years later, Van Leeuwen is still serving truly excellent ice cream, made with high quality ingredients. It's a wonderfully traditional, dense, creamy product, beautifully straightforward. Vivid, natural flavors are highlighted on the core menu--though there are now a number of specials where mix-ins share the spotlight. Unlike many ice cream purveyors, even "artisinal" ones, Van Leeuwen uses cream as its primary ingredient, before milk. (Others list milk as the primary ingredient before cream.) Van Leeuwen has a clear advantage in mouthfeel over its competitors as a result. To date, Van Leeuwen sources our favorite frozen confections on Ice Cream Row, as we've dubbed the stretch of Amsterdam from the upper 70s to mid 80s where ice cream parlors and gelaterias abound. (But we eagerly await the opening of Salt & Straw, a place we've really enjoyed on the West Coast, so we can do some more taste testing!!) Van Leeuwen's ice cream is not as flashy than Ample Hills with its extravagant mix-ins, its presentation not as aesthetic as Amorino's signature rose petal cones, and itsdecor not as elegant as Gentile's. But the ice cream itself? *chef's kiss!*a

Amazing vegan ice cream, always great service and selection. Love having it in the neighborhood!

[Please see below for a description of our revised review system!) Vibe: 8/10 - had seating and was clean! Service: 8/10 Value: 5/10 Brown sugar cookie dough: 6.2/10 - enjoyed the flavor, but didn't love the texture of the ice cream. A bit icier/harder than we like Fudge brownie: 6/10 - enjoyed the brownie chunks, but didn't love the overall texture of the ice cream Overall: 6.64/10 (3.32/5) [To clarify our review system: 10 = we'll never have anything else as good as this in our lives (we use 10 very sparingly!) 9 = extraordinary 8 = great 7 = above average 6 = average Anything below 6 is being critical]

I'd like to attribute my consistency of Van Leeuwen's Earl Grey Tea to this specific location-open late until midnight, this is the perfect pick me up spot for your sweet tooth craving while walking alongside Central Park. They truly do not hold back on the concentration of the tea, which reminds me of Hong Kong tea so I appreciate the boldness! Love that this brand is accessible throughout the city and in different supermarkets for their pints.

Great ice cream! My friends and I stopped in for dessert after dinner and had a fantastic experience. Van Leeuwen has so many flavor options and several vegan options as well. It was so hard to pick which flavors I wanted to try. I decided on cookies and cream which was amazing, not too sweet and great texture. I will certainly be back soon to indulge in more ice cream. Cute small location with seating inside. The bright colors on the walls were inviting and pumped you up for a great ice cream experience. Staff were friendly and provided quick service.

I had a great experience here tonight! Van Leeuwen has the coolest flavors of regular and vegan ice cream. I had the praline butter cake flavor in a cone and it was SO GOOD! It was the perfect texture and I would get it again and again. What I really want to highlight is the super quick service. The ordering process when so fast, even with a long line and my ice cream was ready almost instantly! These people are working so fast to get people in and out efficiently. There are a few small tables, but this is mostly a grab and go location. This is the perfect summer spot for ice cream!

It's ice cream! Many choices - vegan, cheesecake based, plant based. You can try out sample flavors. I requested the least sweet flavor which was strawberry. It was good. Less sugar than other brands. No disappointments here with any of the flavors. Surprise yourself! Try it!

Ok. this is an ice cream shop with some of the best flavors including some vegan. I decided on a mint shake based on seeing a photo on their social media Secondly the staff is pretty cool and accommodating. I notice it is cash only. if one doesn't have a debit / credit card there is a machine that will create a card for them. I also had a taste of the Midwest malt shop french fries cream and it tasted like creamy cold French fries

$6.90 for 1 scoop may seem pricey, but their scoops are top quality and definitely bigger than most other gelato places. We got 1 scoop each and our ice creams looked really big. They were out of quite a few key flavors (hence the detraction of 1 star), but their dark chocolate with brownies did the job. Rich. Smooth. Solid... it actually does last more than a couple of minutes, which is nice, considering that most gelati melt within a minute or two. Recommended.

Oh man this place is the real deal. You can taste just from the texture that this is made different than other simpler ice creams. The coconut and brownie were such good flavors. I got a cake/sugar cone and it was fine. Big scoops. $8.50 total. The worker was nice and offered for me to try flavors which was his idea and I appreciated. Hardly any line. Small hole in the wall in upper west side but so glad it's here!

Got a pint of the peanut butter brownie honeycomb and WOW! So so so yummy. Lots of honey flavor which I love. Some brownie bits throughout and peanut butter swirl. Really really great flavor!

I don't understand how I had never heard of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream before... I mean, i never paid attention to it cause I'm sure I have seen the pints but simply ignored them. Although, I think it would have been better if I'd ignored them forever. I'm a HUGE fan of cookies and cream, and that's what I went for, I had 2 scoops on a waffle cone, one of "Cookies & Cream" and the other was "All the cookies". Let me tell you, they were soooooooooooo good!!!!!!! All the cookies was delicious but C&C was DEFINITELY my FAVORITE, it sure didn't let me down!!!!!! I got C&C on top but after trying them both decided to swap the scoops. Hohohoho!!! Icecream is on the pricey side, but it's totally worth it and nobody will have it everyday, so it won't hurt you get some every once in a while, it's soooooo worth it!!!!!! Definitely reached the Top 6 of my favorite icecream brands. Would love to try more of their seasonal flavors.

Had variety flavors with cones and cups. Up to 3 scoops, and it was very delicious. A little nice spot to fill your sweet tooth.

This ice cream is PHENOMENAL. One star off because it is super pricey, but I still find myself coming back for more...

Have been here 3 times.. everytime its a different experience depending on the workers! The second time there were a LOT of workers and none of them were focused, the first time it was okay, and now the third time has been the BEST SERVICE AND BEST ICE CREAM, the guy gave us a very prompt service, loved it!! He made me gave this review a 5, my draft had 3 before .

Probably the best ice cream we have ever had. Every bite had peanut butter and brownie. The texture was incredible. Worth every cent. Worker was very sweet! Open late, went at 12 am.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is pricey but OH SO good. I did learn from them early on that I hate vegan ice cream. I won't get the vegan peanut butter again. Or any vegan ice cream for that matter. Van Leeuwen is hard for me to resist because they have locations in the neighborhoods where I hang out including this one. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunks is great and so is the Espresso. I've never have bad service at this or any location. The employees on the Upper West Side at this location are just as knowledgeable as any other location. They must have a very good employee training program considering the consistent treatment I've received from location to location. It's always a nice treat to have a scoop no matter where I'm hanging out!

Came here after visiting the LA location a few months back. This one is definitely smaller, but their ice cream never disappoints. Cute spot on a very busy street and a quick place to grab dessert!

It was nice being able to try new flavors that can't be found in all stores, but dang, it's pretty expensive! Location is very teeny, but cute. The employee was very nice and allowed us to sample. Glad I finally crossed this off the bucket list.

They make some of the best vegan ice creams around. They actually taste good. As with the UES location this one is pretty much its twin. Small shop, with a refrigerator full of pints to grab and go, small counter where you pay for your order, and a menu with all their ice cream flavors on hand ( regular and vegan ) overhead. They also offer a rotating group of special flavors. Today I went with a small cone with one scoop of vegan cookie crumble strawberry jam. Delish! Of course I went for a three mile run later on!

Small shop with a variety of flavors . If you were expecting basic ice cream I'd go elsewhere . Yes it can be seen as pricey almost $7 for a single scoop but it is worth it in my opinion . Very good quality and the flavors they have make you wanna try them because hey who knew those even went together . I love the amount of vegan options as well

WOW was actually blown away by the Praline Butter Cake. I got a single scoop, ate it outside, and when I finished, I genuinely considered going in to get another scoop of the same flavor because it was just that damn good...I loved the cake bits they had in it, it was a pleasant surprise. The ice cream itself is the perfect creamy consistency. Definitely want to come back and try the other flavors!!

The vegan ice creams do not disappoint! This will be a regular stop when I'm visiting the UWS. There are tables inside and a few benches outside to sit and savor your selection. The staff is friendly and happy to assist with flavor suggestions and answer and questions.

I love the flavors here. Lots of room for playful yet yummy combinations! I love to pair honey comb with just about anything else on their menu. The ice cream is very rich so a small is enough for me. The shop itself is tiny so expect a line, especially in the evening. This goes for ANY location in the city. (But it's worth the wait)

YUM! I've been wanting to try this place and I can now see why it's so popular and delicious! They offer a wide variety of ice cream flavors, seasonal and also vegan options which I think is wonderful. After various samples, I elected for their vegan cookie crumble strawberry jam which was made with a coconut base and it was SOO GOOD. It had a thick creamy coconut flavor with bits of cookie and hints of strawberry and just reminds me of the ultimate summer dessert. I inhaled this scoop before it melted in this sweltering heat. The only bummer is that it is pretty expensive for a scoop of ice cream.. nearly costing $6 with tax!! Definitely more of a treat yourself ice cream shop!

Always friendly staff here. Helpful and fun. Tried this new flavor on a whim and wasn't disappointed! My son was able to try a couple of flavors and was eager to go back a second time as we passed by a different location.

If you're going to get ice cream, this is where to get it - I didn't try the vegan stuff but was told it's unique among the vegan substitutes for getting the texture much better than lots of places. I went for raspberry layercake and honestly, one of the best scoops of ice cream I've ever had - the fruit really popped and the cake added a really nice bit of texture to the ice cream. Bonus points for the waft of waffle cones coming out every time the door opens.

After dinner, we decided to come by Van Leeuwen for dessert. I had a scoop of the spring special "All the Cookies" on a sugar cone. Cookies and ice cream are two of my favorite things so I really enjoyed this flavor! The cone was crunchy and I loved that the ice cream lasted all the way to the bottom of the cone. Staff were very friendly.

We got a scoop of pistachio and earl grey. They were pretty sweet so a scoop was enough as a dessert. If you like sweets definitely check out! It was alright for me because I don't like too sweet stuff. Just think all flavors of ice cream here are generally sweeter than other ice cream shops.

Just yesterday I went to Van Leeuwen and I bought a pint of the vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll ice cream. (I bought a vegan ice cream because I am lactose intolerant) I ate a small cup of the ice cream and immediately after felt nausea and had a painful stomachache; which is how I feel every time I eat something with dairy. I believe this ice cream is not vegan because my friend (who is not lactose intolerant) had a bigger cup and feels nothing. This pain has been going on for 1 day now. However, I will give them the benefit of the doubt because every other time I have gone to Van Leeuwen I've never had a problem. Maybe I just had a bad batch.

I really loved the ice cream and milkshake. The ice cream was creamy, sweet and delicious. I had the cookies and cream regular ice cream and it was the bomb. My mom had the vegan chocolate ice cream and you could not tell the difference. It was awesome. Ice cream is delicious and I think the best place to get ice cream is here.

Great quality ice cream! Super rich flavors with a lot of tasty vegan options. Definitely my go-to ice cream at this point :) Also the mocha crumble is what dreams are made of.

Came here twice so far, and I probably will be back again at some point in the future, for a special occasion maybe. I like that they have more than just a couple of vegan ice cream flavors. They had like 10 flavors last time I was there, and 7 of them were gluten-free ... it's rare for me to have so many options when it comes to ice cream! There are also vegan toppings such as vegan chocolate sauce and vegan whipped cream. Gluten-containing items are clearly marked on the menu with a "G" to indicate them as such. I got the Vegan Vanilla Almond Chip with vegan chocolate sauce the first time, and the Vegan Peanut Candy Crunch the second time. I have to say I didn't love the texture combination of the latter as much - like the pieces of peanuts were too big for a relatively small scoop. But both tasted pretty good, as long as you don't mind the prominent coconut flavor (since it's largely coconut milk-based). The service was really slow my first time here - the line was out the door and even though there was an employee taking people's orders ahead of time while waiting in line, it still took FOREVER to get the ice cream. They don't have enough people scooping ice cream when it is busy, so you end up having to wait a long time after putting in your order and actually getting the ice cream. The employees are super nice and helpful ... just overall slow. Also, it's rather overpriced, which is the main reason why I didn't go sooner and why I haven't gone back as often as I might otherwise. Including tax, it was well over $6 just for a single scoop in a cup, and over $7 when I got it with vegan chocolate sauce ($1 extra). I get that it's high-quality ice cream and whatnot, but that's a lot to pay for just a single scoop. I could get a whole pint from the store for that much.

The salted caramel ice cream with hot caramel sauce is truly one of my favorite things on this entire planet. The UWS is desperate for good ice cream spots and this definitely helps. Minus 1 star, though, because the seating situation is really odd here - there are only a few tiny tables and they're hard to slide into because of the way the tables are attached to the floor. It also looks like they're not utilizing the sidewalk space for seating yet, which would probably help. Overall this location is pretty small and cramped so I wouldn't try and hang out here.

Yet another Van Leeuwen to add to their massive rapid expansion, this one another tiny scoop shoop, but at least in an area that desperately needed good ice cream. Just a few blocks north of the mediocre Emack & Bolio's, this one already had a big line on what I think was their first official day. As always, you should try their special location-specific flavor, this time a Black & White Cookie one as an homage to its upper Manhattan location. As always, it's the same great ice cream, including both regular and vegan flavors, and now easily the best option in the area for straight up ice cream (not counting Macaron Parlour and Milk Bar for other stuff).

i dream about the honeycomb ice cream i really don't like ice cream and i tried this place and i felt in love with it!

Service here was so slow. They NEED to have a few scoopers and people working at the register. Maybe a portable card register since they only take card and don't take cash. I wouldn't be going back as the lines were too long and the flavors weren't catching my eye. I tried the honeycomb and earl grey flavors. Not my cup of tea. I guess the small sundaes would be worth it if the toppings were better. You get to choose three toppings plus a scoop for only $6. Don't go here unless you have time to kill and it's nice out. You'll be waiting outside for awhile before your turn is up.

Teeny spot with minimal seating but does the Van Leeuwen trick. Their current seasonal flavors are definitely worth checking out. I added peanut crunch to the hazelnut fudge and recommend the texture. The peppermint is also refreshing and oh-so seasonal. To the side of the cashier is a fridge of decently stocked pints. The line moved pretty quickly.

I've been here two times, and both times were great! One could call it "overpriced," but also I think this is sorta just what frozen confections cost at a store now-a-days. If you had kids, I could understand not wanting to pay an arm-and-a-leg for everyone in the family, but as a single person with friends it's been just fine. The service here has always been great! Everyone is really nice and had a good energy. The ice cream? Pretty good. I would REALLY recommend spending the extra bucks for a waffle cone. Remember when you were a kid and wanted a waffle cone and your parent said no? Live your dreams now. It's good. Waffle cone. Trust me. You get a spoon so you can eat it like a cup, but in a waffle cone, and you get more ice cream in it than a regular cone, and it's easier to eat. Just worth it. I liked the honey flavor, less so the pumpkin cheesecake one. The flavors may be sort of hit or miss, but that's what ice cream is all about.

Just an average experience. The ice cream is fine and they've optimized their pandemic ice cream ordering process by only allowing a few people in the store and having you wait outside and they hand deliver it to you. Clean and efficient--also it was pretty busy but it wasn't too long of a wait. I've had Van Leeuwen before but it's personally not my favorite ice cream in the city.

This is late and I haven't eaten ice cream in years due to lactose intolerance and I wasn't excited about it at all. I was however intrigued by the line out to the street. One of my friends wanted ice cream so I got in line and the closer we got I saw they had vegan ice cream. I have not been a fan of commercial dairy free ice creams so I wasn't expecting much but I was so wrong, so very wrong. This was not only the best vegan but the best ice cream I have had in years. It was creamy so creamy that it wasn't melting. My only disappointment was we went here the day before we left. I saw saw they had pints so I googled to see if they shipped them, to my surprise I could get pints at a local store. I fell back in love because of Oat Milk Brown Sugar Chunk and Chocolate Oat Milk Cookie Dough Chunk and a trip to Van Leeuwen. Next trip to NYC I won't wait until thw last day. Oh yeah and the staff was great even wìth a long line and my indecisiveness they didn't rush me.

Customer service is great. Too pricey for mediocre ice cream. It's only worth it if you really want vegan ice cream. The earl grey flavor is good. The house-made cone is overrated. It's way too sugary.

This ice cream shop never fails! I ordered my favorite which is two scoops of the honeycomb flavor with a cone to top it! My friend ordered two scoops, the first scoop was Brooklyn Brown Sugar and her second choice was Earl Grey Tea. FYI the Early Grey Tea taste like fruity pebbles! Next time I'm going to ordered this comb instead of the honeycomb! You should do the same, trust me you will thank me later.

no review is really needed. in a class with very few artisinal ice cream brands. A huge plus for Vegans or those with a dairy/egg allergy. The interesting selection makes it difficult to choose, but they are eager to offer a taste. It's been about a year since we last enjoyed Van Leeuwen yet I remember how amazing the flavors and texture was and this visit was no different. There is no doubt that it is incredibly expensive, 2 scoops coming out to 8.44 with tax and then I left a buck tip..but indeed, worth the splurge

This is good ice cream. Not mind blowing or the best I've ever had by any means. Super expensive. No other ice cream and not much open late in that area so you will likely pay the price like we did. $5 for a scoop is excessive right?

Great little ice cream place with unusual (read: the best) flavors! I sampled honey basil lemon shortbread but ended up falling in love with and ordering vegan ice cream for breakfast, which combines cinnamon, brown sugar, raspberry and crumbles of breakfast cookie with an oat milk base. I am in awe anytime vegan ice cream can taste delicious and this was one of those times. I got it in a small cup (note you can only get one flavor in the small, which is a bummer) and enjoyed every bit.

Love the vegan chocolate brownie and black cherry flavors. Pistachio also pairs well with these.

New fav ice cream shop, the ice creams are great as well as the yogurt and sorbets, very flavorful and delicious, something for everyone indeed :)