New York-Based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Landing in San Diego
National ice cream Van Leeuwen will officially open its first outpost in San Diego at the Westfield UTC shopping mall in La Jolla.
Founded as a street truck ice cream parlor in 2008, Van Leeuwen has since expanded to dozens of locations across the U.S. Along with its home state of New York, the ice cream shop has parlors in Colorado, Texas, Massachusetts, and California — but not yet in San Diego.
The Westfield UTC location will join other Van Leeuwen outposts in California, which are primarily located in the Los Angeles area. It’s set to open in October, according to Eater.
As far as what kind of ice cream to expect, Van Leeuwen is known for churning out delicious flavors like Sicilian pistachio, Earl Grey tea, and honeycomb. You can find pints of the ice cream at retailers across the U.S., but there’s something special about getting a scoop at an actual parlor.
All of the flavors are dreamed up by the Van Leeuwen research team in Brooklyn, and some of them are truly wild. For example, the parlor has Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Ranch flavors. Don’t worry about straying too far from the classic ice cream path, however. Van Leeuwen’s traditional flavors are truly delicious, and are made in a creamy French style.
Along with standard ice cream, the Van Leeuwen San Diego location will also serve up dairy-free vegan options and other sweet treats like sundaes and root beer floats. Each parlor also provides a range of potential toppings, from honey almond slivers to dark chocolate curls.
Can’t wait until October? Check out our guide to the best ice cream in San Diego, or plan a trip to An’s Dry Cleaning in North Park, which was recently voted the best ice cream in the entire country.
Media credit: Images courtesy of vanleeuwenicecream.com
Mike Peterson is a writer, editor, and strategist based in San Diego. When he’s not writing and editing the La Jolla news, you can often find him practicing yoga, rock climbing, or exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog.
