There?s a heat advisory in effect and the sidewalks are sizzling. Walk outside and you wilt. There?s really no way to beat the meltingly hot days of mid-summer in DC, but you can cool down with some melt-in-your-mouth ice cream. And the metro region is just the place for the old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
We?re not talking about your corner Cold Stone Creamery or the strip mall Baskin-Robbins. There are lots of ice cream shops in Maryland, DC and Virginia that haven?t changed a bit in 40 or 50 years ? except their lines keep getting longer each summer.
At York Castle Tropical Ice Cream in Silver Spring, a regular on her lunch break stops by for a combination of peanut butter and rum raisin in a huge waffle cone. Diane Washington used to live in the tropics and she feels at home just walking through the doors of the Jamaican-owned shop decorated with travel posters of the Caribbean.
"They?ve got the best ice cream you?ll ever taste," Washington says.
York?s ice cream comes in an assortment of tropical flavors, including ginger and a creamy yet refreshing mango that?s the store?s best-selling flavor.
But regulars of every neighborhood ice cream stand insist theirs is the best. Outside Thomas Sweet Ice Cream in Georgetown, a mailman stopped this week for a scoop of the store?s specialty, bittersweet chocolate, before continuing his route in the sweltering heat.
"It?s going to give me the energy I need to finish this day," he said. "No other ice cream in the world can do that."
Many ice cream lovers go out of their way for the perfect cone or sundae. And Carl?s Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg, Va., is proof of that. A long line snakes around the ice cream stand from the moment they open in February until they close again in October.
There?s nothing really unique or even original about the frozen custard found there in three simple flavors: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. It?s good, it?s cheap and it?s scooped instead of swirled. Yet somehow, Carl?s has landed itself a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
"The custard?s creamy and rich and it?s the only thing that?ll satisfy my sweet tooth on some hot summer nights," said Woodbridge resident Michelle McKinley, who waited recently at the back of a long line for her vanilla cone with sprinkles. "There?s just no place like Carl?s."
Here we offer a tour of just a few of the DC region?s favorite old-fashioned ice cream parlors and stands. There are many, many more out there. Let us know your favorite.
Maryland
Gifford?s Ice Cream and Candy on Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda has been in the business since 1938. They?ve got all the traditional flavors, but with a few exotics thrown in--like Tequila Sunset sorbet and lemon ice cream. Try their signature flavor, Swiss chocolate, with homemade Swiss sauce. See their website
York Castle Tropical Ice Cream on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring is a Jamaican family operation offering tropical flavors like ginger, mango and passion fruit. One of the specialties of this ice creamery tucked in a strip mall is soursop, a tart but tasty tropical fruit. Don?t expect the friendliest service from behind the counter at York Castle, at least not on a slow weekday afternoon. But regulars seem more than happy to help the confused new customer. Phone:(301) 589-1616.
Jimmie Cone on Ridge Road in Damascus has been a favorite summertime hangout for more than 42 years. It?s loved by teen-agers on hot, steamy nights and inevitably has a long line on weekends. Employees there say "the service and food" have kept the roadside shop in business for so long. They?ve got cones, frozen yogurt and other cool treats, but the specialty is soft ice cream in four flavors, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and orange. 301-253-2003.
District
Thomas Sweet at P Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is an old-fashioned ice cream shop with modern appeal. In addition to dozens of flavors of ice cream, customers can get an old-timey egg cream soda or chocolate malt or even a sugar-free, fat-free cone. There?s also a glass case full of fudge and other confections, as well as sandwiches and coffee for adults stopping by for lunch. The ice cream shop has been around for 25 years and prides itself on occasionally providing dessert for White House dinners.
Max?s Best on Wisconsin Avenue has long been a favorite in Glover Park. The shop offers 250 homemade flavors, with favorites like Mexican vanilla bean for adults and Oreo cookie for the kids. (202) 333-3111.
Larry?s Ice Cream on Connecticut Avenue near Dupont Circle has 41 flavors and a long list of loyal customers. They?re open from noon to 11 p.m. weekdays and sometimes until midnight on weekends from Feb. 1 to Halloween. (202) 234-2690.
Virginia
Carl?s Frozen Custard in Fredericksburg is a 50-mile haul south of DC, but the stand has been drawing long lines of customers to the corner of Princess Anne Street for nearly 60 years. The no-frills shop offers old-fashioned custard made in an authentic 1940s Electro-Freeze in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. You can also get milkshakes and malts.
Del Ray Dreamery on Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria has extra-creamy, Wisconsin-style frozen custard and features "flavors of the day" like chocolate orange truffle and Snicker-doodle dandy. They?ve got picnic tables for hanging out with the family and even offer frozen dog treats, so bring the pooch along. See their website.
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Written By Kari Pugh
Online Regional Reporter
5 years ago
