Cool Spots for Ice Cream in Astoria, Queens

On a typically torrid, sizzling and humid Summer day in New York City, a cold, refreshing cup of ice cream is one of the best and most fun ways to beat the heat. Ah! When that first sinfully rich, creamy, seductively delicious spoonful hits your mouth the pleasure factor is off the charts. There's absolutely nothing like it! Whether your scoop of ice cream comes in a cup, a dazzling sundae with endless toppings, inside of a thick milkshake, or atop a cone, THIS is what me-time is all about. Come on and indulge.

You KNOW that you deserve this. And, if you are lucky enough to call the charming neighborhood of Astoria, Queens home sweet home, then you're in luck. No matter where you work or hang your hat, you'll find a delightful and welcoming ice cream shop within walking distance. So, let's look at some newcomers to the ice cream scene and a few tried and true spots that never go out of style.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream - Astoria, Queens

Located on bustling Ditmars Blvd. Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has, after only a few months, already achieved a reputation as THE place to be when the temperatures soar. The brand started on the streets of the Big Apple in 2008 when the founders, brothers Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and friend Laura O'Neill began scooping ice cream out of a cute yellow truck in Brooklyn. Over the years, the company has grown exponentially with scoop shops having been opened all over NYC as well as New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Texas, California, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Although all three partners have input and love taste-testing the product; Ben is the one who is primarily responsible for coming up with new and enticing flavors at their kitchen / Laboratory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Here's a Fun fact for you: A few years ago Ben was a contestant on Howie Mandel's hit series Deal or No Deal. And he had a blast doing it.

The ice cream wizards at Van Leeuwen believe that great ice cream starts with great ingredients. The team carefully sources the milk, cream, eggs and cane sugar that goes into their product. Not to mention the coconuts, cashews and oats that make Van Leeuwen's VEGAN ice cream indescribably delectable. The style here is French ice cream. This recipe is uber delicious as it calls for using twice as many egg yolks as you will find in most other brands' standard ice cream products.

Now, we can't list all of their flavors or we'd be here all day. But, we'll name a few and that will give you an idea of how diverse Van Leeuwen's lineup of ice creams is. The peanut butter brownie honeycomb is made with a touch of real honey while their black cherry chocolate chip ice cream is filled to overflowing with slices and bits of real luscious cherries. You may also choose from chocolate caramel cheesecake, hazelnut fudge cookie and Sicilian pistachio flavors. The Ditmars shop, as do most of the other locations, also carries some very tasty ice cream sandwiches; the kind that you remember enjoying as a kid, but just a bit elevated. Getting back to the vegan side of things; some of the brand's flavors include strawberry shortcake, cookies and cream caramel swirl and churros and fudge.

By the way; in case you were wondering, the name Van Leeuwen is Dutch. The brothers Ben and Pete are a first-generation American success story and Laura, who also achieved her American dream, is from Australia.

Location & Hours :

33-01 Ditmars Blvd.
Astoria N.Y. 11105
(347) 242-2083
www.vanleeuwenicecream.com

Hours :

Sunday to Thursday 11 AM to 12 AM
Friday & Saturday 11 AM to 1 AM

Ralph's Famous Italian Ices and Ice Cream - Astoria, Queens

Ralph's tradition of excellence started way, way back in 1928 when Ralph Silvestro came to NYC from Italy. An ambitious, hard-working man who was looking to make his mark, Ralph opened an Italian ice business in Staten Island and soon had customers lining up around the block. Following in Mr. Silvestro's footsteps are his grandsons Larry, John and Mike. The Silvestro family doesn't just want you to enjoy their out-of-this-world ices and ice creams. They want to bring people together over a cup! Even celebrities swear by Ralph's Italian Ices. Comedian PETE DAVIDSON proudly rocked a Ralph's logo T-shirt during Saturday Night Live's opening credits on the night of October 3rd, 2020. Actress MARISA TOMEI, who is also a huge fan, filmed a scene for the movie The King of Staten Island at Ralphs Port Richmond location.

What makes Ralph's Italian Ices and Ice Creams so special? It's the tender loving care that the team puts into every single batch of their world-celebrated ices and ice creams. The grandsons don't cut corners and, with one or two modern tweaks, faithfully follow the original Ralphies recipes. Yes, Grandpa Silvestro would be proud, indeed. Their old-world water ices are so authentic, you just might think you're in Naples, Italy, or 1928 Port Richmond, Staten Island! In any event, there are twenty-one mouth-watering and thirst-quenching flavors to choose from including pineapple, peach, watermelon, chocolate, lemon, mango, root beer, lime and cherry cola. Most of their ices are cholesterol and fat-free.

Even if you are devoted to Italian ices, you have GOT to try Ralph's signature ice cream sundaes. At the top of your ice cream bucket list should be the Chocolate Chip Sundae. It consists of a warm, jumbo chocolate chip cookie split in half atop a generous scoop of cookie dough ice cream, hot fudge sauce, a ton of chocolate chips and house-made whipped cream. Next up is Ralph's apple cobbler concoction, made with layers of vanilla ice cream, oodles of caramel sauce, sliced cooked apples and Graham cracker crumbles. Another must-try is the Ralphie sandwich. A light and crispy Belgian waffle is cut in half and filled with vanilla ice cream and your choice of raspberry, chocolate, or their top-secret pancake sauce.

There's very limited seating here. But, during the Summer months, that's no problem. Ralphs Astoria's location is right across the street from ATHENS SQUARE PARK. Why not go on over to the park, sit on a bench, enjoy that icy or creamy goodness in your cup and do some people-watching, or, put the cell phones away and have an actual conversation with a friend or your date? Sounds like a plan to us.

Location & Hours :

30-02 30th Street
Astoria N.Y. 11102
(917) 396-1100
www.ralphsices.com

Hours :

Monday to Sunday 12 PM to 10 PM

Figo ILGelato - Astoria, Queens

The neighborhood of 23rd Avenue, just off of 31st Street, is home to a variety of businesses ranging from NYC Bagel & Coffee House, the legendary Greek restaurant Stamatis and Chez Olivia French bistro to Ted Kouris' Metropolis Realty and NY Dental headed by the celebrated dental surgeon Aris Rotsos. These types of businesses are what lend a distinctive character to the community. One relative newcomer to the block is Figo IL Gelato which is serving up some of the finest Italian-style ice cream you'll find anywhere in Queens.

Figo IL Gelato was founded by an Italian expatriate who has a life-long passion for gelato and wanted to give the Ditmars community the most authentic gelato experience possible. Right about now, though, you may be wondering what exactly IS gelato and how is it different from American ice cream. Well, they BOTH contain milk, cream and sugar. However, Italian gelato artisans create a product that is richer and denser than what you'll usually find at a typical ice cream scoop shop. The gelato recipe calls for more milk and less cream. And, it does NOT include egg yolks. Besides containing much less milk fat than traditional ice cream as we know it, gelato is churned at a slower rate, introducing less air to the finished product and yielding a softer, denser texture. By the way, when you place an order at Figo IL Gelato you'll find that your selection is not scooped. Similar to Italian gelato cafes, the Figo team utilizes a small, spade-shaped utensil to serve their gelato.

The shop's owner has stated that a really good cup of gelato must be given the customer
" emotion ". You will certainly feel a sense of sheer delight when you dig into a cup of their premium gelato or start licking your cone and its heavenly contents. Figo has a fairly spacious semi-enclosed outdoor dining area in addition to the grab-and-go option. The servers behind the counter are quite friendly and they know their stuff. The team will be happy to tell you exactly what is inside some of the gelato flavors that you might not be familiar with. Rest assured though, when you get a look at the inviting selection, you'll want to try them all.

Their signature Figo gelato consists of caramelized figs, ricotta cheese and amaretti. Frutti di Bosco is made with market-fresh mixed berries while Nerone gelato is created using 80% dark chocolate. The Bacio consists of chocolate and hazelnut, somewhat similar to Nutella while the Cannoli selection utilizes ricotta and chocolate chips. The Fragola is literally a strawberry explosion in your mouth while their Tiramisu flavor is made with mascarpone cheese, chocolate, and,of course, espresso. There are also a couple of special creations that you will want to look into such as the Panino Gelato which is a warm brioche bun filled with a " scoop" of gelato. Affogato is vanilla gelato that is blended with espresso for an unforgettable taste sensation.

Location & Hours :

29-02 23rd Avenue
Astoria N.Y. 11105
(347) 738-4647
www.figoilgelato.com

Hours :

Monday to Thursday 1 PM to 12 AM
Friday to Sunday 11 AM to 12 AM

Tipsy Scoop - Astoria, Queens

Buzz-worthy in more ways than one, Tipsy Scoop serves up liquor-infused ice cream flavors that are inspired by classic and contemporary cocktails. Their ice cream is made with local and seasonal ingredients, ensuring you the freshest of experiences. And they use only premium liquor. The brand was started in 2014 by Melissa Tavss, but the Astoria location is VERY new, having just opened in May of 2024. Nonetheless, Melissa's delectable ice cream creations are already generating considerable excitement among ice cream aficionados. Hey, even the local professional mixologists approve.

Honored by the James Beard Foundation and the Specialty Food Association for her unique offerings at Tipsy Scoop, Melissa literally has ice cream in her DNA. Melissa's great, great, great grandfather Achille moved from his small mountaintop town of Picinisco, Italy to Glasgow, Scotland at the end of the nineteenth century. He made ice cream at home and sold it from a humble pushcart on the streets of his adopted city. The family business grew over the decades when Achilles' sons and grandsons Giovanni and Federico opened ice cream shops in Scotland and England. Frederico eventually became the President of the Ice Cream Alliance of Great Britain.

Melissa is proud to follow in those massive footsteps. Her ice cream elixirs and concoctions pay homage to the artisanal skills of her forebears but with a thoroughly modern twist. Melissa's goal was to combine the best of both worlds, great liquor and cocktails with the joy of ice cream. Thus, after months of experimentation, trial and error, Melissa finally perfected her recipes and Tipsy Scoops was born.

Now, let's look at some of Tipsy Scoops' wonderful flavors. Cool, simple and oh-so smooth is the Vanilla Bean and Bourbon option. You can certainly get a kick and taste the bourbon, yet as with Melissa's other creations, it is not overpowering in any way. Her Tequila Chocolate ice Cream is a worthy riff on Mexican hot chocolate. Calling all chocoholics! Order a cup of Tipsy Scoops dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel ice cream. The blend of flavors is incredible. Melissa's Cake Batter Vodka Martini is vanilla-based cake batter ice cream with vodka, amaretto and white chocolate liqueur. It doesn't get any better than that! One of Tipsy's most popular menu items is their Spiked hazelnut Coffee Ice Cream infused with Cafe Patron and hazelnut liqueur. Other flavors include a raspberry limoncello sorbet, a mango margarita-infused sorbet and the fabulous strawberry white sangria sorbet. Are you refreshed yet?

Every so often Tipsy Scoops Astoria location holds a variety of classes so that you too can become an ice cream artisan. Priced at $55, there is a boozy ice cream sundae decorating class, and an ice cream-making class. These classes are a ton of fun, a fantastic option for date night and a wonderful way to connect with people and make new friends. Tipsy Scoops is also available for special events such as weddings, office parties and birthday celebrations.

Location & Hours :

38-15 23rd Avenue
Astoria N.Y. 11105
(347) 448-6788
www.tipsyscoop.com

Hours :

Monday to Thursday 1 PM to 10 PM
Friday to Sunday 12 PM to 10 PM