About to finish off the 2025 alphabet series with the last 3 reviews. Oddly enough my last 2 of 3…read morereviews are in DC, which is unusual considering it's rare I'm in DC these days. Representing 2025, V is for Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. My girlfriend & I had several things going on in DC on New Year's Eve. The real catalyst to get us in the District was the Capitals game. We ate in Chinatown, took a bus to Georgetown as we had a movie at AMC Georgetown, and New Year's plans in Petworth. So, it was a busy New Year's Eve! We had a little bit of time before our movie. First, we walked up to Compass Coffee on Wisconsin, which while barista was nice was underwhelming hot coffee drink. One of these days I'll get around to reviewing them. We asked her a dessert recommendation, which she said Levain Bakery is excellent. I knew they were good as I had once in Bethesda. We walked back down to M St, and there was a somewhat long line. The staff were moving like molasses no sense of urgency whatsoever, which I was complaining as our hot drink was starting to cool off. The woman in front of me in line recommended Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. My girlfriend & I agreed to walk back up Wisconsin to this ice cream shop. The guy was friendly letting us sample a couple of the flavors. I asked about the most popular sellers. I found out they started in NYC, I think Brooklyn. Prices are on the high side, but not surprising for a gourmet ice cream shop. We each got 2 scoops as it wasn't much price difference for 1 or 2 scoops. I got their cookies & cream and mango sticky rice. Wow, this was amazing, better than almost any ice cream I've had. If in DC or northern VA (none in MD), I'd definitely consider a return here.

There was a pretty long line on a Sat night and we waited about 20 minutes, with two employees…read morebehind the counter. The guy who helped us was really nice, gave us a few samples, and then we both ordered two scoops. He didn't ask if we wanted a cone, just gave us a cup. I don't know if they even have cones. We had each selected two flavors, and after I was about halfway through mine, I realized that I only had one flavor. Too late to say anything. I had difficulty paying with inKind because I didn't realize that the minimum spend before tax and tip was $25. I bought a pint to get there, then it worked. Luckily the next day I noticed that I was double charged, $37.50 on my credit card (I was completely unaware, first time it happened on Apple Pay when I didn't know I had authorized a charge) as well as the charge by inKind. The employee had been nice so I tipped $5 which frankly I think is quite high especially since their prices already are high. $40 for two ice creams and a pint?! But seriously, didn't he see that my credit card had been charged? They must've been able to see it but I could not. I thought the ice cream was just OK. Honestly, for me not worth the calories. Beware, they sell pints for $12.50, which comes to $16.25/pint including tax and tip. Their pints were just on sale at Whole Foods for $3.99 but they're usually about $6. So in the store, they sell pints for around double the price at Whole Foods. I also didn't like the pint flavor - caramelized banana honeycomb sounds better than it tastes. The ingredients look pretty good so it could be the "natural flavor" which gives it a weird taste. FWIW natural flavors are anything but natural, it can be any combination of hundreds of chemicals. When I saw the double charge, I called my credit card company, which was a pain because they didn't just remove it like I thought they would, I had to file a dispute. I emailed Van Leeuwen and explained what had happened, that I had spent well over an hour on three different calls with the credit card company and apparently it was going to take about a month. They were very nice, credited back the double charge without the 30 day wait but they did not offer anything by way of making it right. I thanked them, and when they replied - happy to help, hope you'll come again soon I said tbh I'm not planning to after all of that hassle. With all of the great competition in Georgetown, that's shortsighted. If a customer has a negative experience in your store, it's just good business to give them a reason to come again. I don't like their flavors, they seem to combine about four different flavors in one which doesn't seem to work well. I'm going to stick with Thomas Sweet, IMO it's far better.

This spot is located in the same building as Wiseguy Pizza and Khin Sushi…read more I was greeted immediately which is always a plus. They have a good variety of flavors to choose from. I'm a chocolate lover so I chose the Reeses and and Red Velvet flavors. Both were rich, creamy and tasty. The red velvet didn't really taste like red velvet to me but it was delicious. It just didn't give that signature flavor. Since they are located at the same counter as the sushi restaurant, it doesn't really feel like a gelato or ice cream shop but that isn't a dealbreaker. I would visit again.

It's a cute idea, set up in the Canal Park. The gelato was good, but a little overpriced. It's set…read moreup at the same place as the Asian-fusion quick service restaurant. It was confusing to figure out if this was a chain or a local place and where/how the gelato was made. A lot of flavors were out as well. Service was fine, but it took a long time for them to scoop the gelato since they were busy preparing orders for the food side. It's a cute spot if you're in that park and want something to snack on, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there with all of the other great ice cream spots in the area. Would be nice if they had a local space selling ice cream/gelato there with a dedicated storefront for that item.

Locally owned, Moorenko's is an ice cream shop in Eastern Market with a vast menu of flavors,…read moreincluding dairy-free options. My daughter enjoys the milk chocolate ice cream with marshmallow and sprinkle toppings. They also have a chocolate chip cookie dough option with plenty of dough inside. The ice cream is pricey compared to the place inside nearby Eastern Market, but it is good!

I had been looking forward to visiting Moorenkos since their reopening and, unfortunately, was very…read moreput off by my experience. Value: 1/10 - and this is largely because I was charged incorrectly. I ordered a double, but was charged $10 - which I didn't fully realize until I saw the charge on my card because the employees were talking amongst themselves throughout my visit and didn't inform me of the cost Vibe: 1/10 - this could be a cute spot, especially given its location, but I was very put off when the employee who scooped my ice cream wasn't wearing gloves and basically had their hands in the ice cream. Also the inside of the store smelt like marijuana pretty strongly. Ice cream: 1/10 - I ordered a scoop of banana peanut butter, which was icy and lacking in flavor. The second scoop I ordered was chocolate, meant to be the actual dairy chocolate, but given it's similar iciness and lack of flavor I think I was given a dairy free scoop.

Kind of pricey but on par for most gelato shops in the area…read more Dark chocolate - 3/5 has kind of a strange aftertaste Pistachio - 5/5 would recommend Lemon - 3.5/5 has a bit of something that makes it taste a little artificial Grapefruit - 4/5 pretty good but has a bit of something that makes it taste a little artificial Orange - 1/5 tastes artificial

There is a wide variety of flavors but what impressed me was the prices. $6 for a cup, and good…read moresize scoops is very reasonable. I had the tiramisu flavor. I would come back to this place.

Tried some of the flavors they were very sweet. We just got cookies and cream which was their best…read moreseller. It was perfect for the hot day but my favorite was their super thin snickerdoodle cookie! It was soo amazing !!

Delicious, thick ice cream in Union Market. A lovely post dinner dessert, you can even get a tiny…read morecup if you are full but just want a little something sweet. I got a small cup of chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. The ice cream was almost too thick (I prefer more of a soft serve) and even the small cup was more expensive than I expected. Still super delish.

A cute little stand in Western Market open until 10pm- the perfect stop on these sweltering summer…read morenights. Free samples, friendly service, and delicious flavors. The strawberry lemon swirl was divine. Will absolutely be back- this ice cream is SO GOOD!!

I have tried many ice cream places in the DC area, and I honestly thought this place was…read moreunderwhelming for the price. This place also did not have a plethora of options. I ended up getting the flight to try, and honestly could've had one scoop to satisfy my cravings. I also was unimpressed with the service even though there was no one else around. I would not be rushing to come back anytime soon.

This was a nice little coffee shop! They had a lot of choices for pastries and coffees. I got an…read morealmond croissant and a Spanish coffee and they were both super tasty! I loved the cinnamon and sweetened condensed milk in the coffee so much! The place was a little busy, but I got my stuff quickly and the staff were friendly!

Needed a little pick-me-up on a long day of walking around the city, this shop is a little out of…read morethe way from the monuments, but delicious anyways. We got an almond croissant - probably the best filling to an almond croissant I've had (and I've had many). We also got a Spanish latte - a mix of espresso, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and some cinnamon. It was amazing and I will be recreating it at home! The shop was super cute and had some tables/chairs to rest at. Staff was very nice and service was pretty quick even with a line.

I love Kilwins. Their ice cream is so good. I always sample a few flavors, but always go for the…read moreNew Orleans praline. It's is absolutely delicious. I've never tried anything else, but the fudge and sweets look very good. Staff at this location is extremely friendly.

This cute ice cream shop is located right outside of the home gate at Nats Park. Super convenient…read moreto have on a hot summer day. The ice cream was $$ but it was very good, super creamy, and good portion. I also grabbed a water bottle to take into the park. You won't find this ice cream past the main gate.