Ice Cream News

Artisan ice cream shop from Brooklyn is opening a location in Dallas

Their ice cream is incomparably rich and luscious.

Photo courtesy of Rice Village

UPDATE 4-27-2022: There's an opening date for the very first Dallas location of Van Leeuwen: Saturday, May 7. Aside from their 30 flavors of ice cream and vegan ice cream, the Dallas store will also offer ice cream sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, root beer floats, and milkshakes. For the May 7 opening, they will be offering $1 scoops all day.

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A cult favorite ice cream from Brooklyn is coming to Dallas: Van Leeuwen, whose New York ice cream shops have earned a dedicated following, is opening a location at Dallas' West Village.

The shop will take over the former Paciugo Gelato space, which closed in 2020; according to a spokesperson, the shop is slated to open by early 2022.

Van Leeuwen was founded by brothers Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen and Laura O'Neill in 2008 as a food truck before expanding to a brick-and-mortar operation, with 17 shops across New York. In recent years they've executed an expansion, both opening new shops and making their pints, which are packaged in cool pastel-tinted cartons, available in supermarkets such as Sprouts and Central Market.

"The idea came out of our passion for artisanally produced foods," O'Neill told PBS. "We set out to make the best possible ice cream using only fresh milk and cream, cane sugar, egg yolks and the finest flavors ingredients from small producers locally and around the world."

They take an artisanal approach to everything including using ingredients from like-minded acclaimed vendors such as Intelligentsia Coffee. At their shops, they also feature pastries, cakes, scones, muffins, and cookies, using the same carefully procured chocolates, spices, nuts and fruits used in their ice cream.

They offer more than 40 flavors, including a robust vegan/nondairy selection, which they make from a variety of milks including coconut, cashew, and oats; with their super creamy texture, they're easily among the best vegan/nondairy ice creams on the market.

Shops typically offer 30 to 32 flavors, a mix of dairy and vegan, plus four special flavors every month, made, in the company's parlance, "without junk," from milk, cream, eggs, and cane sugar (or their vegan equivalents).

The distinct flavors come from an obsession with sourcing high quality ingredients such as Sicilian pistachios, cold-pressed Tahitian vanilla, and organic black tea from Rishi. For example, their Honeycomb flavor uses a honeycomb-shaped candy that's made in house.

The company made its Texas debut in May 2021 with the opening of a shop in Houston, where they have two more openings planned. Houston was their third market, joining New York City and Los Angeles, and they've since opened locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

They mark the second big name in ice cream to come to Dallas: Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream entered the market in February 2021 with a shop in Deep Ellum, and will host a grand opening of a second shop, this one in Addison, on October 28.

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Eric Sandler contributed to this story.

ice-cream desserts openings

Taking the field

Dak Prescott-backed Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux kicks off in Wylie

Photo courtesy of Walk-Ons

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is opening in Wylie on August 10.

A Louisiana sports bar chain that counts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as a partner continues to build its fan base in Dallas-Fort Worth: Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is set to open a new location in Wylie on Monday, August 10.

Announced earlier this year, the restaurant is at 906 FM 544, near the intersection of Highway 78 and FM 544. The opening marks the chain's 20th Texas location and its second operating restaurant in the DFW area.

Founded in Baton Rouge in 2003 by former LSU basketball "walk-ons" Brandon Landry and Jack Warner, Walk-On's has grown to more than 80 locations nationwide. The company is co-owned by former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (an Austin native), and franchise partners include Prescott, along with former NFL player Derrick Brooks, and college football coach Dabo Swinney.

Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Wylie The new Walk-On's is at 906 FM 544, Wylie.Photo courtesy of Walk-On's

The menu is centered on seafood and classic Louisiana dishes: fried seafood platters, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, po'boys, fried oysters, gumbo, fried alligator, and boudin balls. Prices range from $10 to $20.

Starters include waffle cheese fries, fried pickles, boneless wings, cheeseburger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and venison nachos. They have a bread pudding made with Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

There's also a plentiful selection of beers on tap, plus margaritas and other crafty-ish cocktails.

The Wylie restaurant is owned by franchisee Cooper Thomson, who says the community made the city an appealing place to expand.

"I am thrilled to expand Walk-On's presence in Dallas, and particularly in the community of Wylie," Thomson says in a release. "To be a part of the growth in this area - to serve families and be a place where little league teams celebrate and football fans cheer on their team - is such a special opportunity."

Although Walk-On's has been in the DFW market since pre-pandemic times, Wylie will be its second restaurant in DFW open currently, joining a location at Grandscape in The Colony. Earlier Dallas-area locations in Irving and Arlington have closed, although the company has previously said it plans to reopen the Arlington restaurant at a new location.

The Wylie restaurant features a sports bar with dozens of TVs, a large outdoor patio, and a family-friendly dining room designed for game-day crowds.

Grand opening festivities will kick off at 10:30 am on Monday, August 10, with a ceremony featuring Walk-On's founder Brandon Landry, franchise owner Cooper Thomson, Wylie Mayor Matthew Porter, city officials, and representatives from Wylie High School and Wylie East High School.

The celebration will include donations to the two schools' athletic departments, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 10:45 am. Doors open to the public at 11 am, and the first 100 guests to dine will have a chance to win free Walk-On's for a year.

Walk-On's will be the second sports bar concept with celebrity cred to open in DFW within a few days' time. Shark Club, from Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi, opened Friday, August 7 in Northlake.

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