Summer might be over, but that’s never stopped a Bostonian from enjoying ice cream—and this week, there’s a new scoop shop to try in the Seaport. On Thursday, Sept. 26, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream debuts at 70 Fan Pier Blvd., with $1 scoops served from 11am–1pm.
Van Leeuwen started as a New York City food truck in 2008, founded by brothers Pete and Ben Van Leeuwen and their friend, Laura O’Neill. Now, it has more than 60 locations across the country (and in Singapore), as well as pints and novelties for sale in grocery stores. “What hasn't changed is that we think the best ice cream is made with tons of cream, tons of eggs, and no fillers or stabilizers,” Ben Van Leeuwen tells Time Out Boston. “Just lots of the good stuff.” Having the highest butterfat content of any mass-market ice cream brand is Van Leeuwen’s thing, Ben says, and he’s proud that the company’s vanilla ice cream is one of two all-around excellent picks by the pros at Wirecutter.
But there’s much more to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream than vanilla. The Seaport scoop shop will offer 30 flavors at any given time, Ben Van Leeuwen says. It opens with a bespoke recipe—lemon meringue pie—made in collaboration with Boston’s own James Beard award-winning baker, Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Cafe, which should be available for at least a couple weeks, Van Leeuwen says. Known for bougie flavors made with high-quality ingredients—like pistachio sourced from Mount Etna, Italy; marionberry cheesecake; praline butter cake and Earl Grey tea—Van Leeuwen has also earned some press for wacky collabs, like Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream and espresso made in partnership with Sabrina Carpenter.
Van Leeuwen doesn’t make ice cream onsite at its scoop shops, but it does make waffle cones and bowls in-house, which Seaport visitors are certain to smell. The shop also makes milkshakes and sundaes topped with Massachusetts-made Coop’s ganache-like hot fudge and caramel sauces.
Located at the Superette, a courtyard-shopping area in the Seaport that’s home to Borrachito Taqueria & Spirits, Puttshack, Yume Ga Arukara and plenty of high-end stores, Van Leeuwen Seaport is the company’s second Boston-area location following Chestnut Hill, which opened in April. Van Leeuwen is currently building out a Harvard Square location, which is tied up in Landmarks Commission review but should open by the end of the year, Ben Van Leeuwen says. A Back Bay location at the new Lyrik development is slated to arrive in 2025.
Boston’s demographics are great for the company, Van Leeuwen says. “It's the safest big city in America. It's beautiful. It's super walkable, like New York. It's densely populated,” he says. “It's just, like, a great place to walk around, hang out and eat ice cream. Even if it's a cloudy day, people in Boston still eat ice cream.”
Van Leeuwen Seaport officially opens Thursday, Sept. 26, at 11am, with Ben Van Leeuwen in the house, $1 scoops available until 1pm and a free tote bag for the first 100 customers. Going forward, it’ll be open daily from 11am–11pm (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays).