Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

funniest service all around, my friend David L tried to ask for half and half scoops of ice cream and was politely rejected with a smile! *thumbs up*
interesting location, but walk with caution on the nights of little tokyo

I can’t believe how good their vegan ice cream is!!! I tried the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor and was in heaven. It seriously stacks up to the real thing, you’d hardly know it wasn’t made from dairy! I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my first visit here, and I’ll be back soon for more. Love that they have an assortment of flavors too, not just plain vanilla but cookie dough?! I was floored.

I’ve been wanting to try this place since forever! I’m so glad I was finally able to! Parking is super easy because they have a parking section right next to it. They also validate, which is a plus! The entrance for the ice cream shop is on the street side. It’s not that hard to find, just look for an ice cream sign :)
Inside is pretty small, with a bar seating and a bench to sit at. They have vegan ice cream, baked goods, and sundaes! I also love how they have an option is having your ice cream in a cone or cup. I was able to try some flavors, but I ended up getting the earl grey! (Which is pretty popular) it was SO GOOD and it had a strong earl grey flavor. The ice cream was super smooth and creamy. It’s $ 5.50 for 1 scoop, which is pretty pricey but who can put a price on yummy ice cream?!

I love ice cream too much…
So much that I eat it often, even though I suffer after.
(I’m lactose intolerant. TMI? Sorry)
Van Leeuwen is BOMB!
I love the different flavors and the fact that they have a vegan menu also.
That’s really, really awesome.
Even though I wanted to try the vegan menu, I decided that I’ll try it next time and try the good good for my first visit.
I’m a sucker for tea-​flavored scoops, so I tried earl grey.
Not too strong, not too weak.
.
The employee was really friendly and encouraged me to have some samples before deciding! Key word = encouraged. Wow. (Sorry I’m a bit basic though)
I will definitely be back to try some crazy flavors, like one of their specials!

Good Stuff (4 stars)
The ice cream was delicious, and the one I picked was really flavorful.
I picked peanut butter fluff, and it was rich and tasty.
D picked chocolate and it was dense, dark, and so full of flavor.
But how often do you pay $ 12.00 for two cups of ice cream.
Was it worth it?
Maybe if you like to splurge once in a while.
Would I go back?
Perhaps.

We tried mint chip and honeycomb. Both flavored were really good. Their ice cream is very creamy and super yummy. I feel the mint chip can be a bit minty-​er but it was still very good nonetheless.
Parking was easy on a Saturday night.

I’ve been looking for vegan pistachio ice cream for years and they had it! They have a nice amount of vegan flavors, staff is friendly and the shop is super clean!
Aside from the taste, the other best part was the consistency of the ice cream, it was super creamy.

honeycomb!
earl grey!
both were so good.
VEGAN ICE CREAM AVAILABLE
cute space. they have coffee and floats.
water to cleanse the palate is available by their fridge of cold drinks.
we got free parking down the street from the metro office.

The BEST ice cream I’ve had… In SoCal at least. Got the earl grey & my friend got the vegan chocolate… She said she couldn’t believe it was vegan, she was about to ask for a refund! Lol but seriously, it was so thick and flavorful. Idk how they did it! (They said they use coconut milk but seriously! Why can’t other places make their vegan ice cream like this).
Anyway. The earl grey. Bomb dot comb. My mouth exploded with flavor. And the texture… It feels «extra frozen» so a bit crunchy? But at the same time, really smooth. I don’t know how to describe it exactly. All I know is, this place is a MUST.
I can’t decide whether this place is better than Jeni’s… Guess I gotta go back to both to figure it out! xP

Probably the best vegan icecream spot in LA!
I’m used to vegan option being the typical fruity, sorbet selection but the options here are so authentic and creamy! Not only are they amazing texture but the flavors are unique as well! I opted for the carmelized banana nut and coffee bean and they were delicious!
Another bonus: friendly staff!

$ 5.50 is a bit (ok, a lot) hard to swallow for a single scoop, especially since:
1. they don’t allow two flavors in a small and
2. there’s an upcharge for pretty much everything (including vegan flavors).
That being said, the ice cream almost justifies the outrageous price tag. I was planning to sample one flavor and purchase another flavor, but the brown butter pecan was so good that I couldn’t order anything else. The large pecan chunks were really fresh. It’s a temporary flavor so be sure to try it while it lasts!
The interior of this store is very clean and nice, with marble countertops and records playing. Still, I’d be hesitant to camp out here since it was empty except for the two employees when I was here, so I’d feel a little awkward.
The sundaes sounded amazing, especially the one with fruit compote and Marcona almonds. I’ll definitely be sure to stop back for one when I’m rich!
Had to edit out of appreciation for the fact that they open at 7am. Café Gratitude and Grow don’t open until 8am and I was really in need of a caffeine fix. Van Leeuwen saved the day with a big old cup of cold brew for $ 3.50. It was still empty inside though…

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream originally started in New York City in 2008 and now there are two brick-​and-​mortar stores in Los Angeles (one here, one in Culver City, and one upcoming location in Franklin Village). The shop sells both classic and vegan ice creams (one of few places that offers vegan ice creams), sundaes, and coffee. There’s a parking lot between Café Gratitude and the shop — just don’t forget to validate your parking ticket.
For some reason it took me more than 3 minutes to spot this place, but it is the store with a giant ice cream neon sign on Santa Fe Ave.
Both ice cream and overall décor reminded me a bit of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams — ice creams were a lot creamier, sweeter, and more expensive than most other artisan ice cream shops in LA. I sampled earl gray, honeycomb, Sicilian pistachio, and apple crumble. Unfortunately, only honeycomb and apple crumble were somewhat decent.
***
Honeycomb (one scoop, $ 5.50): Very thick and somewhat too sweet, but this was the best one out of four samples I tried.
***
I can’t really comment on their vegan ice creams because I didn’t try any of them, but I know that there are ice cream shops in LA with better, cheaper, and more unique flavors than Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream. I probably won’t come back here again for classic ice creams.
P. S. — Ask for a stamp card if you are planning to order a coffee.
P. P. S. — Oh, you can’t split one scoop into two flavors with ½ scoops here.

Pretty decent fine ice cream that is also pretty expensive. If you don’t mind Arts District hipsters you’ll particularly love it here!
I’ve had their honeycomb and pistachio ice cream. The honeycomb ice cream has chunks of (honeycomb?) in it! The pistachio ice cream is tasty but has no pistachios in it which makes me wish it did. I prefer ice cream with chunks of stuff in it, be it brownie chunks or chocolate chunks or actual nuts. A double cone here will set you back about $ 7.50!
I really wish they were better since they are close to my work.
The store is small and cute. They even sell a recipe book! They offer vegan ice cream.
Parking is no problem usually as they have a mid sized parking lot nearby.
What can I do without at Van Leeuwen?
No chunks in the ice cream for the most part!
What makes Van Leeuwen stand out?
Hard to say! The ice cream is not that great but it’s definitely not mediocre.
Van Leeuwen is OK. Three stars!

This is a ice cream food truck! They offer very unique yummy flavors as well as vegan options for you veganners! They’re right in front of TOT and I see them pretty often in little tokyo so check them out because this place is one of the few special creameries in little tokyo.
I tried the pistacio mixed with mocha which was delicious! I liked how we can mix flavors so ask the ice cream man what ice cream combo would be good. It never hurts to ask for suggestions right???
Their ice cream is a tad bit above average price but their unique flavors and richness makes up for it.
I would want to either try the apple crumble or one of the vegan options next time.

Amazing earl grey ice cream!
The cold brew is also good. And the interior of the shops is very cute — minimalistic with a lot of white and awesome lighting
Free parking in the lot. Just make sure to get it validated.

This is hands down one of the best vegan ice creams I have ever tried. I was initially hesitant to pay $ 6 for a single scoop on a cone, but was pleasantly surprised to find that this ice cream is well worth the high price tag. I went with the green tea, which was the perfect balance of sweet and creamy, with subtle yet flavorful notes that were unlike most matcha flavored items. The cashier was polite and friendly, and they accept all major credit cards. Excellent location in the DTLA arts district.
I hesitated to even include this in my otherwise stellar review, but I can’t not mention it-​there was a hair in my ice cream. When I had nearly reached the bottom of my cone, there was a medium length black hair (100% not mine) IN the ice cream. I was only moderately grossed out, and threw the cone away. I’ll definitely still come back here, but hopefully there won’t be hair in my ice cream next time.

SO. MUCH. SUGAR.
I’m glad that they have a vegan option because it’s definitely harder to find vegan ice creams but it sure does come with a hefty pricetag. $ 5 for a single scoop or $ 6 for a vegan scoop. The first two flavors we tried (earl grey and honey) were wayyyy too sweet for our liking, I couldn’t even finish the sample of the honey flavored. We ended up going off their seasonal list because they had some pretty interesting flavors/​mixes and are only limited edition. Got a scoop of the apple pie and it was good! Still on the sweeter side but the crumble in it balanced it out nicely.
Bottom line: come here if you’re craving something sweet or are in need of a vegan treat. but the quality isn’t worth the price.

I always seem to find myself craving ice cream on gloomy + rainy days. Been eyeing this place since they opened in the Arts District so I dragged my sister here post-​coffee. It was her second visit and she highly recommended the Blue Moon flavour. Silly of me to think it was named after the beer. Like some of the reviews mentioned, prices are a bit steep. It’s $ 7.50 for two not-​so-​big scoops. I also am curious to know if they happen to use organic ingredients. If they do, then the prices would make sense I suppose! Anyway, we decided to get two scoops: Vegan Sicilian Pistachio for me and Blue Moon for my sister. Prior to deciding on those flavours, we were also offered samples. Nothing really wow’d my taste buds so there’s that. However, their space is quite lovely and the workers were friendly! Also worth mentioning is the fact that they also serve coffee and tea.
The Blue Moon is very reminiscent of bubble gum. It was alright. The Vegan Sicilian Pistachio was delish. They do use cashew milk as a substitute for regular dairy milk so if you’re allergic, steer clear! If you’re allergic to both dairy and cashews like my sister is, first of all, what a conundrum. Second, definitely have some Benadryl and an Epipen ready.

They hail from Brooklyn, NY! I like ‘em! However, they’re expensive. $ 7.50 for 2 scoops of ice cream in a cup. Ehhh… but I happened to stumble upon the area & had a craving for frozen dessert. It was PERFECT for a hot February day like today (90 degree weather). Sampled the salted caramel, got the earl grey tea and Honeycomb. Delish! Just beware, if you are allergic to cashews like I am, the worker said they use the same scooper to scoop the vegan ice cream. All the vegan ice cream have cashew milk — –bummer. But though I am quite allergic to cashews, I got the regular ice creams (no nuts in ‘em), and I was totally fine. There’s a small parking lot in between Café Gratitude and the other building which houses Van Leeuwen. Get validation for 2 hr free parking!

I’m a sucker for free ice cream. My sister, M Kristine D sent me Van Leeuwen’s IG photos indicating free ice cream during their grand opening from 1 – 4 PM, I made a point to go. Van Leeuwen is a transplant from Manhattan. They have trucks roaming around Venice, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and other parts of the city. Arts District location is the first storefront creamery in LA housed in One Santa Fe.
The quality of the ice cream here is fresh and extremely good. You can literally smell the ingredients. Ice cream is vibrant in flavors and fragrant. Van Leeuwen has two types of ice cream: classic and vegan. Classic is made with milk, cream, can sugar, and egg yolks. Vegan scoops are mad with cashews, coconuts, and cocoa butter. I actually wanted to try two flavors: vegan matcha and Sicilian pistachio. The lady at the front desk said I could only have one though I offered to pay for one scoop. It was grand opening and they were giving one free scoop. Like some grand openings, there could be some glitches. They didn’t have a cash register nor cash to sell their goods. Thought it was a bit tacky considering they’re promoting and the prices they charge is on the high side. I was willing to pay. Jeni’s and Wanderlust didn’t have issues for promoting their product with an extra scoop.
I opted for a vegan matcha which was very good. Obviously not as creamy as regular ice cream but very good consistency. You can taste the matcha which isn’t overpowering as well as the coconut. Consistency reminds me similar to Wanderlust Creamery which as vegan flavors as well.
Good addition to the Arts District. Ice cream here is quite pricey. Basically, New York prices.
$ 5.50 for 1 scoop, $ 7.50÷2, $ 9.50÷3 and $ 0.50 for a cone. Definitely worth a try. Not the best in terms of value. In comparison, you can buy two quarts of Thrifty ice cream. The product itself is delicious. On my top 4 list for creameries in LA.