Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck

I had Van Leeuwen the other day and it was absolutely fantastic. I wanted to try the vegan ice creams but they were sold out at the time. However I did try the pistachio and earl grey tea flavors and it was phenomenal.

So glad VL opened in the WV! Never met nicer people that work there! Wade and jack made me want to eat ice cream for breakfast lunch and dinner every day… I wish they had a loyalty card! But I will be loyal regardless.

If you pass this truck, stop and get some ice cream. It is so good!!!
I had vanilla and strawberry and it was so creamy and soft. It isn’t too sweet, it’s very subtle in a GREAT way.

Came here with friends while I was in the city. I had the Earl Gray that everyone one recommended. It was delicious! I can’t wait to come into the city to get it again. Can’t comment on the other flavors. If you are into ice cream that isn’t too sweet and just the right amount of sweetness for a refreshing bite, Come here.

This little food truck is AMAZING. I’ve been hoping to try this place for the longest time and I’m so happy we finally tried it. While each cone is probably the most I’ve ever paid for ice cream, it is SO worth it!
I had two flavors: hazelnut and earl grey. The hazelnut was smooth and had so many actual chunks of hazelnut. And earl grey — so subtle and fantastic! You can tell they put a lot into their ice cream.
In summary? Expensive ice cream, but the value goes straight to your taste buds (and belly)! I will definitely go back!

Cute little truck with some super interesting ice cream flavors. I went for the Mint Chip and it was so pepperminty but in a good way!
It was loaded with chocolate chunks which for chocolate lovers, that’s a good thing. Sadly I’m not a total chocolate lover and half way through my cone, the chocolate was a tad too rich so I sacrificed a portion of my scoop so I could get to the sugar cone.
Price seemed steep at first but then I realized this ice cream is super filling so it was worth the price. Only gripe is that they don’t take credit cards. I find it annoying when businesses don’t take cards considering how many super cheap and convenient systems are available (pay pal, square, etc.).
The guy working the truck when I visited, wasn’t rude or curt but he definitely didn’t seem excited to be working the truck. It would’ve been nice to have been greeted with a welcoming smile and maybe even a cheerful, «Hello!»

Organic ice cream served out of a truck parked in front of the yuppie Standard hotel. Just perfect. Delicious flavors. Pricey but worth the tasty treat on a hot day. Try the pistachio or mint or both!

Had a scoop of Earl Grey when I visited BK last time. Definitely reminded me of Bi-​Rite Creamery back home! :)

This truck was stationed at Hudson River Park at the south end of Chelsea Piers, a block west of the Highline.
As another Unilocal’er noted: «the guy working in their [SIC] is less than pleasant which is such a turn-​off.»
I totally agree with her about the unpleasant server.
Quite a touch snooty. …My server was youngish guy with red hair & a somewhat trimmed red beard/​mustache.
He stuck the ice-​cream precariously on the cone AND very lopsided.
When I asked him politely if he could stabilize & even-​out the ice-​cream, especially b/​c I was on a bicycle, he took his utensil out of the hot water repeatedly (since he made a poor effort of it the first few times I asked), and MELTED the ice-​cream with the hot utensil. I mean, come on. It was dripping. When I asked him for more napkins, he gives me ONE, even though it was obvious he was handing me a lame-​ass, drippy-​ass cone which he half-​ass made.
Not someone who takes the least pride in his work or in being nice to folks.
…And a rather frugal serving amount, anyway, especially at $ 5.25 for a cone.
…And it really wasn’t earthshakingly tasty, anyway.

For as charming as the truck is (there is even a beautiful espresso machine) the guy working in there is less than pleasant which is such a turn-​off. It was an effort for him to give me a sample and then an effort to make my ice cream which I didn’t really want to buy since I had had enough with the sample, but I hate going places, trying their things for free and then not buying anything.
–Palm Sugar: this has somewhat of a honey and oily taste. It’s good but I don’t think I could stomach an entire scoop of the sweetness.
–Earl Grey Tea: it’s lovely, really. It tastes very much like an Earl Grey with milk and sugar – a bit too much sugar for an entire scoop.
–Hazelnut: mmmmm I love the hazelnut taste and bites of real hazelnut within. Not the best I have ever had though.
–Gianduja: again with hazelnut, this tends to have more of a chocolate taste with hints of hazelnut from time to time. It’s a nice alternative to normal chocolate.
FINAL VERDICT: I found the ice cream to be a bit hard and not as creamy as I would have liked. They do do an excellent job of recreating food/​drink flavors in their ice cream but I wouldn’t have to have it again. Especially since the guy wasn’t overly helpful or pleasant.

Awesome cinnamon ice cream! Would reccomend to anyone under the age of 50! Possibly over, too!

One scoop hand-​churned earl gray ice cream.
Pair it with:
— One scoop hand churned ginger ice cream, or
— One scoop pistachio.
If unicorns had orgasms, this is probably what they would taste like.

No one does ice cream like Van Leeuwen. Silky smooth fancy flavors, I just can’t get enough of their ice cream! I always stop by the Van Leeuwen truck on my visits to NYC. My favorite flavors are earl grey tea, palm sugar, and currants & cream. SERIOUSLY GOOD.

Mmm, good ice cream on a warm Autumn day. The wait was long though, even though there were just two people in front of us. I got the Currants and Cream — although there was a hint of mint as well (not specified on the menu). My friends and I suspect it was left overs from a dirty ice cream scooper haha.

Get the Palm Sugar.
Before I get into anything else, you must know, above all things: GET THE PALM SUGAR.
Yes, it’s spendy, but oh, is it worth it.
Fiancé tried to order Earl Grey, but the were out, so went with trusty vanilla. And trusty it was. Very nice, creamy, delicious. An honest vanilla flavor.
Me, though, I would not settle for an everyday standard. Oh no. Torn between the intriguing Palm Sugar and my professed Cinnamon addiction, I sampled both. The cinnamon was very intense — almost too much intensity to enjoy a full serving. I think it’d be a great alternative affogatto offering, if they let you sub in something for the vanilla described on the board.
So I went with Palm Sugar for my order.
O.M.G.
Seriously. I was so taken by the complexity and nuance of this flavor — this is why artisan ice cream exists. I shared with my companions (and soon went to fetch extra spoons, after they tasted and had similar eyes-​roll-​back-​into-​head moments), and one of them proclaimed it «revelatory» and «orgasmic». So many notes of caramel, butter, toffee, burnt sugar and other deliciousness. It’s a flavor that keeps giving as you savor each spoonful.
Outrageously, arrestingly good.
Take a chance on this unassumingly-​named flavor. You deserve the experience — especially if you can share it.

I’m more of a meat and carbs kinda gal. I’d much rather stuff myself silly with two appetizers, an entrée and one side of potatoes/​rice/​any form of carbs than to save room for dessert. Don’t even get me started on that «life is short, eat desserts first» mumble jumble.
With that in mind, I had to pause and consider the gravity of my statement when I turned down more thai food at Sea to make room for Van Leeuwen ice cream, which was parked conveniently across the street from the restaurant.
You’re a sneaky one, VL (can I call you that?). You park your car, strutting your stuff in front of these trendy dinner spots, effectively planting that post dinner seed of thought into our heads. You talk a big game too, offering exotic flavors like earl grey, gianduija (blend of chocolate and hazelnut from France/​Italy), and palm sugar from Bali. You really make us wonder why we even bother with the overpriced desserts that traditional restaurants serve ($ 4.50 for dessert in the Meatpacking? I’ll take it!).
Your ice cream is natural, oh so creamy and unique. You’re also the perfect partner for a walk along the High Line. You’re no meat and potatoes but you are, as Paramore put it, «the only exception.»

I’m a fan of the Van Leeuwen ice cream truck, no matter where in the City I’d run into one. Being that I’ve been to their location just below the terminus of the High Line more than the others, I’m going to stick my blanket review here.
A few qualities that stick out of their ice cream are as follows:
* VERY creamy. I think their butterfat content is higher than the norm, and you can definitely tell that difference in consistency upon your first bite
* Premium ingredients such as pistachios and hazelnuts from Italy and currants from some small farm in NY, without any artificial additives
The previous two points thus equal some quality and tasty ice cream. The flavors aren’t super-​bold and in your face — actually a tad more subtle due the high cream content. But still you can taste the quality ingredients and appreciate Van Leeuwen’s craft. They stick to just a handful of flavors but do them well, with my favorites being pistachio, earl grey, ginger, gianduja (chocolate-​hazelnut), and the red currant.
The cost is a bit steep, for sure, but you’re getting some great quality, and the cups and spoons you’re about to throw away are 100% biodegradable. Besides, if it’s 90 degrees and 90% humidity and you’re just about to take your chatty cousin visiting from Kalamazoo to walk along the High Line, you deserve to treat yourself to a scoop (or three).
4 stars.

Who said the best ice cream truck needed to have an ice cream head with a bow tie on the side of the truck? Van Leeuwen Artisan is for the semi– pretentious ice cream lovers on the go.
Fancy flavors hard to pronounce (the ‘J’ in Gianduja is silent) are all delicious with exceptional texture.
It’s a little pricey coming out of a truck, but you look earth-​loving with a great sense of judgement holding that scoop of gold in an eco-​friendly bowl, right?

I’ve tried Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck twice now and have enjoyed both times.
Here are the 3 flavors that I’ve tried:
1) Pistachio — I liked, but bf wasn’t too crazy about
2) Mint Chip Ice Cream — both of us liked… loved the big chunks of chocolates — YUM!
3) Earl Gray Tea Ice Cream — both of us liked; tastes exactly like Earl Gray Tea — YUM! -
Worth a trip for artisan ice cream.

I have never bought ice cream from a Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream Truck before so this is a brand new experience from me. I’ve seen them all around town and I was certainly interested in Ice Cream so when I saw this van right below Highline Park, I knew I had to try it.
The line was moderately long but I have the patience and after reviewing the flavor board, it excited me. Aside from the usual vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, they have currants and cream, ginger, pistachio, hazelnut, cinnamon, earl grey tea and giandujia. Unfortunately, when I get there they told me that the currants and cream was out of season and they had run out of pistachio, earl grey tea and chocolate. I was a little peeved since I really wanted currants and cream, and the light marker marking the sold outs didn’t really show on the board.
So I chose ginger, it’s still exciting to try some flavors that is rare on the market. It’s light butter ice cream with light ginger flavors and the occasional bump of crystallized ginger. It was good. I would definitely recommend Van Leeuwen to my friends if we happen to pass by, I just hope they have all the advertised flavors.