Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has opened a new location in Ponce City Market. With locations in 11 states, this is the first shop in Atlanta.
The grand opening celebration will take place on Friday, July 11, with $1 scoops from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a free tote to the first 100 guests.
The ice cream shop began as an ice cream truck on the streets of NYC in 2008. Co-founded by brothers Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and their friend Laura O’Neill, its mission is to make ice cream that makes people feel good.
“The only reason we’re still around is because we, almost 20 years ago, said, ‘let’s make the best vanilla we can make. Let’s make the best strawberry we can make,'” Ben Van Leeuwen said. “When you eat something that’s made with good ingredients and no unnecessary ones, whether it’s ‘unhealthy food’ like ice cream or not, you’re just gonna feel better. And I think you also feel better because it’s more satisfying than eating something made with 30 ingredients and stuff you can’t pronounce.”
Van Leeuwen is known for its dairy-free and vegan ice cream with a mix of classic and creative flavors such as Sicilian pistachio, Earl Grey tea, lemon poppyseed muffin, churros and fudge, and peanut butter brownie honeycomb.
The Atlanta location will feature more than 30 signature flavors, including its award-winning vanilla bean, marionberry cheesecake, and praline butter cake. It’ll also feature summer flavors such as mango sorbet, strawberry yuzu cheesecake and sweet corn with blueberry jam. From sundaes, root beer floats, and milkshakes to ice cream sandwiches and homemade waffle cones, people can enjoy a cold dessert on the hot Atlanta days.
“The Van Leeuwen brand is just really simple ice cream. That’s what I’m most excited for people to experience. It’s just like experiencing simple food made with as few ingredients as possible, no unnecessary ingredients. And what we always want to be for people is their forever ice cream.”
The new scoop shop’s opening will be marked by a partnership with Bomb Biscuit Co., the popular and Michelin-recognized Atlanta eatery. To celebrate the grand opening, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will feature a limited-time Bomb Biscuit Co. sundae that includes a scoop of honeycomb ice cream, a Bomb Biscuit Co. chocolate chip biscuit, salted caramel and whipped cream.
Van Leeuwen’s Ponce City Market scoop shop is located at 619 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Suite B109, Atlanta, GA 30308.