Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck

This truck made it to Jersey for the Food Truck and Rock Carnival, and it’s one of the ones I’ve heard about from elsewhere, so it immediately went on my short list. Well, I can’t imagine that there’s better food truck ice cream out there. The ingredients are all natural and it sure tastes that way. I went exotic and had the ginger and earl grey ice creams; the chocolate was a little too normal for me despite being made with 99% dark. The candied ginger just overwhelmed the first flavor with sweetness. I liked the gingery part, just not the sugary part. The earl grey had a much better balance, actually a little on the bitter-​tea side instead of sweet, which worked great after that ginger. Both of the ice creams were very melty, which tells me they don’t have the truck freezer calibrated properly. Also, it’s not a terrific deal, since you only get two small scoops for your $ 5.25 (or three for $ 7.25). But it’s a lot better than the soft-​serve and fake-​water ice truck across the way, and it is very good quality overall.

Their vegan Banana Nut ice cream is unbelievable delicious! I’ll definitely be going back for more :)

Huh, so that’s the ice cream I had.
Yup, pretty outstanding. Creative flavor combos, dense and creamy.

Van Leeuwen is by far the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I’ve tried chocolate, pistachio, and ginger. A large cup is $ 7.25, a little steep but totally worth it for creamy goodness.
Chocolate — Classically good. I really liked how their chocolate is on the more bitter side. So even the milk will taste a little like dark chocolate. So creamy and not too sweet. It’s also heavy which is a nice change from generic brands.
Pistachio — Oh my god. I’ve never had good pistachio ice cream because it always tastes a little too artificial for my taste. But this… there are no words. Treat yourself to their pistachio ice cream. Do it, you won’t regret it.
Ginger — I’m a huge fan of ginger, and it follows for this flavor too. There are even pieces of ginger in it. It tastes exactly like some of the ginger lemon teas I’ve had. Just the right amount of zing. Warning, it is a little stronger than generic ginger ice cream.
Note: If you want to get a pint at some of the grocery stores, don’t expect to find some of the flavors. I visited three different stores. Whole Foods Union Square stocks Chocolate, Mint Chip, Earl Grey, and some others. Definitely no Pistachio, which was a pity. Also checked out Met Grocery and the Koreatown location — both no longer carry Van Leeuwen ice cream. Seriously, update your website… AND MORE FLAVORS!!!

Delicious! Found the Van Leeuwen truck after eating dinner at Saigon Market by chance and boy was I happy.
Ordered a large cup with three scoops (pistachio, chocolate, ginger) for $ 7.25. Ginger doesn’t really agree with my palette and the ice cream was no exception, but it sure was an interesting experience. The pistachio was incredible. Soooo creamy with such a full flavor. The chocolate was very fudgy and tasted like dark chocolate which I really loved. I’ve never had ice cream this good before, so I’d highly recommend Van Leeuwen! Ain’t nothin like ice cream from an ice cream truck.

Do you know what’s better than ice cream? Vegan ice cream made with coconut oil, cashew butter, bananas and walnuts. Oh and add cacao nibs on top. That double scoop cup of iced vegan goodness was perhaps one of the best things that happened to me when I was in NYC.
It was also super filling, and whilst probably fatty and calorific, pretty healthy. No dairy, no added sugar, just the natural coconut and cashew oils and fats, with some agave. As far as foods go, and super foods which are so hot right now, coconut is one of the most healing foods you can get. A double scoop of this stuff will fill you till dinner and not make you break out either, and probably help your tummy feel less squiffy.
So for vegan /​lactose intolerant folk, this place must be a godsend. For anyone else, this place is also a godsend.
They do also do have normal ice cream, but why go for that when you can have THIS! Do it!

Fabulous ice cream! Unbelievable worth the $ 5.25 price

Very very very good ice cream! High quality, natural, no preservatives and they even have vegan options. I had the vanilla bean and earl grey tea, and my friend had strawberry and vanilla bean. Both were delicious! Very unique flavors and so yummy!

Had this truck cater for our company. Took 5 minutes+ for each person to get their one scoop of ice cream, and there were at least 70 people in line. The only thing I could think of was that they were literally making the ice cream as we were ordering. why does it take so long? I ordered Vanilla and was told «I can’t put sprinkles on a cone». For $ 5.25 you should be able to get anything you want on a cone! However, the icecream & cone were very delicious. One of the best sugar cones I’ve had.

I remember trying out this truck a few years ago and I always had fond memories every time I walked by the truck. Tonight was the night I had it again and my life is going to be changed forever! Maybe not, but you can only imagine how awesome and delicious this artisanal delight is! They let you sample which is great because I hated the chocolate chip and the expresso but oh boy did I love the vanilla bourbon and the pistachio! Amazing flavors, rich texture, perfect creaminess and just plain old delicious! If you walk by on a sunny day or you need to eat your emotions out, this is the truck to go!

So good. The gianduja was so creamy and chocolatey.

Expensive and inscrutably bland. Avoid.

5 $ for a scoop of ice cream… but it was a hefty scoop and also very incomparably delicious. I’m only in NY every few months so I guess I can splurge.
I had the earl grey and my friend had the strawberry, both were excellent. Strawberry sounds very boring, but it is surprisingly full of flavor and not fake tasting at all. I would recommend either.

Whilst sauntering by Union Square, thinking it might be nice to get some food, I noticed… and ice cream truck? Organic? Gourmet?
Who needs food when you can have ICE CREAM!!!
The friendly guy in the truck let me sample a couple (and even joked with me throughout the exchange, which is always fun). He also assured me that it IS possible to get a small-​sized dish with two flavors in it, which is an absolute prerequisite for a 5-​start ice cream experience, in my book.
I ended up with a mix of Ginger & Pistachio, because I felt like something different. They actually made surprisingly good combination.
I then resumed my sauntering with a much bigger smile (and a slightly fuller tummy).

It was good, if not really good ice cream. But it took two years for the stars to align to try the truck, and perhaps I had been over-​sold. It was, in their defense, really tasty ice cream. It was also a little expensive, a little melty, and two flavors I didn’t choose were not my favorite. I’d also love to see the home-​made whipped cream served more rustically and more like home-​made whipped cream.
Nonetheless, I think I should probably try it again. For review reasons, of course.

This is like the adult version of the beloved ice cream trucks that rang us into summer as children. Touting natural ingredients and both interesting flavors (Spicy Bali Chocolate, Ginger) and classics (Chocolate, Vanilla, Pistachio, Espresso), it’s difficult to say no as you walk by.
$ 3.50 for one scoop is pricey, but I figured I’d splurge considering my mouth was on fire from my Indian dinner and I needed something creamy to balance my palate. I asked the ice cream truck guy what his favorite flavor was, and of course, his answer was the Spicy Bali Chocolate. I gave him this look in my head –_​– but decided to take his word for it and go for it anyway. He said he didn’t have much left so he gave me the rest of the spicy chocolate and topped it off with espresso. I ended up basically getting two scoops for the price of one, which was fantastic, and the combination was absolutely lovely, but the ice cream was literally spicier than dinner. My mouth was on FIRE! I was so caught off guard that I had to literally stop eating it several times and clear my throat, which I realize must have looked very odd for those around me on the Subway.
Anyway, point is, the flavors are quite flavorful. I enjoyed the espresso as well – tasted very pure, like actual coffee was a main and abundant ingredient. In the end, this is ice cream that actually tastes like the flavor you ask for, not artificial and loaded with sugar like chains. Worth the money in my book.

ICE CREAM & DELICIOUS COOKIES? diabetes here i come!
i got a scoop of the mint chip & a scoop of the ginger ice cream because they had already run out of earl grey by 1 pm! i am a fan of their ice cream TEXTURE, not melty but dense!
—mint chip had a refreshing taste
—ginger had a nice light flavor!
—CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE: thought they’d only specialize in ice cream but this cookie was good! thin BUT STILL CHEWY
They brew national award winning Intelligentsia coffee, but the coffee i had wasn’t very good… although i’ve never been much of an intellegensia coffee fan
Van Leeuwen’s got multiple locations/​trucks so check out the website if you wanna locate them

I love, love love this ice cream!!! Got the strawberry flavor this time, it’s SOO CREAMY and SOO rich in flavor, I don’t know how they pack such a punch of flavor into the ice cream!
Their earl gray and mint chocolate chip flavors are always spot on, my favorite flavors!!!

I’ve seen this truck before and always thought it looked cute, with unique flavors. It wasn’t until I got the free tenka deal that I decided to really check it out.
I sampled the Gianduija (made up of chocolate and hazelnuts) and the mint chocolate chip (which was the worker’s fave, and surprisingly, it was very distinct and rich-​unlike the ones at say, Baskin Robbins). Impressive… we got both flavors. Yumm-​they definitely do stick out from the normal ice cream shops. Sample a few, and check one out. It’s $ 4 for a scoop.

The Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck is like a dream sitting on University Place. What’s it doing there? Why is it parked in front of Saigon Grill of all places? How is it so damn yellow even in the dark? I had ice cream the other day. I thought it was enough to last me through the year. And then I found myself standing in front of the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck. It was as if I have never ever tasted ice cream before.
Me: Is the Red Currant and Cream sweet?
Ice Cream Lady: It’s creamy with really tart currants.
Me: What do you suggest?
Ice Cream Lady: Do you like chocolate? Are you a vanilla person? The Peppermint and Chip is pretty good.
Me: I don’t like pistachio so much. I like coffee. I want something that I can’t get anywhere else.
I was holding up the line. In fact between eavesdropping on the people who were before me previously and the Golden Girl and her hubby behind me, I was getting more confused by the minute. I wanted ice cream. I just didn’t know what.
The Ice Cream Lady was cute as a button. She epitomized Summer. Ice Cream Lady was carefree and bubbly. Her outfit and hair were as summery as the yellow truck she stood in. I doubt she drives it. Ice Cream Lady was overly enthusiastic about ice cream. I have never met anyone so happy to work a Summer job.
Ice Cream Lady: Everything is just really good. Here have a taste of the Red Currant, Chocolate, Coffee, and Ginger. Did you get any ginger bits? It’s very strong ginger. The ice cream kind of mellows it out.
It must have been a dream. The Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck was practically giving away their ice cream for free. The Red Currant was very nice. The currants were frozen bits within the cream flavored ice cream. They weren’t tart at all. The Chocolate was rich. The Coffee was like a cup of espresso. The Ginger was… interesting. I had no words to describe it.
Golden Girl: Oh the Ginger is lovely. I had it for the first time the other week and I fell in love with it. It’s my neighbor’s favorite. He has been waiting the whole Winter for this ice cream to appear.
I let Goldie cut in front of me since I was holding up the line. Finally I made my decision. In tradition of my untraditional ice cream flavor choices (I had black sesame at Sundaes and Cones the other night) I chose a small cup of Ginger with homemade caramel sauce. Yup! The Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck offers homemade caramel and chocolate fudge sauce. Pinch yourself just to make sure you are not dreaming. I couldn’t believe it.
When I told Ice Cream Lady my choice she started jumping up and down.
Ice Cream Lady: I am so excited for you to try it!!! Cup or cone?
Me: Um. Cup? I think it would be kind of messy if it were dipped in caramel right?
Ice Cream Lady: Oh yea. Right. We don’t even serve it in a cone. Duh.
I felt like I owed it to her to try it in front of her. I took a spoonful dipped in caramel.
Me: MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Thank you.
I walked away taking tiny scoops and savored the ice cream off the biodegradable recycled eco-​friendly spoon. The caramel was amazing. Slightly burnt, not sticky, smooth, and light. I felt like I was eating flan ice cream. The ginger ice cream made me woozy. It just kind of took over. Sometimes it tasted like peaches, sometimes it was like flan, and then there was a hint of ginger. People talk about how black sesame and wasabi ice cream is amazing. No. Ginger ice cream is amazing. Ginger ice cream made by the Van Leeuwens (whoever they are) is amazing. Even the spoon was tasting good.
I walked by an Italian restaurant and some guys eating al fresco hollered at me.
Dudes: Can we have some ice cream too!!!
I was two minutes too late before it registered. I almost stopped in my tracks to turn around and tell them that they must go to the yellow truck and buy some. It would blow their mind. Freakin amazing ice cream.
The ginger ice cream goes hand in hand like milk and spice. It explodes in your mouth and when you get a piece of ginger it leaves a slight burn in the back of your throat. Shaddup. The ginger ice cream is freakin amazing. The cup from the truck belongs in a 5 star restaurant. Best 5 dollars I ever spent. I want to go back and get the Red Currants and Cream. Maybe drench it in chocolate sauce. The Van Leeuwens use chocolate from France. I really hope this ice cream truck was for real. It was in dark. On University Place. In front of Saigon Grill. I was sandwiched by a yellow truck and a Golden Girl. I just had Ginger ice cream and liked it. New York is so bizarre.