My favorite Ice Cream shop.... Grandparents old home is less than two blocks away and this little shop feels like home everytime I go. From the homemade ice cream to the onion rings and dark chocolates this place has it all. The Sopranos was filmed here and instantly became my fav episode because of just how awesome it was to see it get some recognition on the show. read more

Where else can you get a piece of American culture served with the "best onion rings in Essex County"*? * A. Soprano, Final Episode. read more

Holsten's is one of the best ice cream parlors around and is unique in that as other luncheonettes across northern New Jersey have closed, this place continues to thrive. My family has been coming here since the 1960s and having grown up going here, I can tell you nothing has changed in years. The homemade ice cream is fresh and has a perfect consistency, the homemade hot fudge and chocolate is absolutely amazing, and Holsten's offers great sandwiches and a gourmet hamburger. My usual meal here is the tuna salad sandwich followed by a coffee chip (try finding another establishment with that flavor, good luck) sundae with hot fudge. Chris and Ronnie, the owners, can be proud of the work they put into this place. read more

I am always up for trying a new burger place. The sopranos made them a cult fav in the area. It's like stepping back in time they have homemade ice cream ,candy and food. I had the burger with fries and a shake ... Classic. The milkshake was as you expect from an ice cream shop impressive . The Burger really hit the spot and crinkle cut fries with some ketchup completed meal. I wish I saved room for some candy or dessert I guess I just have to go back read more

Holsten's - Simple but delicious - Candy Stores Near Me - Bloomfield, New Jersey

Crap time here. I've come here years now. This place when down the tubes. The waitstaff don't care about anything or try to help u. Me and my girlfriend got some burgers that smelled and taste like it was spoiled and smelled horrible. They need to get the stuff back on track. Stuck to ice cream read more

Basic hamburgers and great ice cream. Love the salty caramel. They sell chocolate by the pound. Cute stuffed animals around to buy. Don't buy from these counters bc my kids are allergic-but it's nice to see when you walk in...not sure how fresh it is but looks pretty good. Place is a bit shabby. Not very clean but I guess mostly kids/high school/college age kids work there-? Service is hit or miss...but the place isn't expensive so you've got to figure that in. They have those small juke boxes at the table-not sure if it works... Will go back once in a while just because...across the street is Rita's ice-yum! So they better have good ice cream to contend with Rita's. read more

Three stars for the service, they were a bit slow, but it was a bit busy so that's forgivable. Four stars for the ice cream, two stars for the entrees. The cheeseburger was good, but it was small compared to diner burgers and a bit pricey at $4.25 (without fries or anything). The onion rings were okay, but mostly batter, reminds me of Burger King's onion rings. The french fries were good, these are crinkle cut fries that are nice and big, but the cheese sauce sauce looked liked it was squeezed out of a can and reminded me of EZ-Cheese. But the ice cream almost made up for it, the Banana Royal sundae was amazing, there was plenty of ice cream and plenty of toppings. If you come here have the ice cream, if you're looking for lunch you'll get a better bang for your buck elsewhere, as well as a more satisfying meal. Note: They do NOT accept American Express credit cards, this is clearly labeled on the door. read more

OMG ICE CREAM. Holsten's has the best homemade ice cream in North Jersey, and is one of my favorite ice cream places in general. I almost always get the mint chip ice cream sundae with malt powder on it. Perfect ratio of mint ice cream with delicious dark chocolate chunks. I'm rarely in the area, so I don't usually stray from my usual sundae. But everyone I go with who gets something different always ends up with a delicious ice cream. Even their chocolate milk is delicious. The onion rings are actually pretty good. I feel like I need to address them after their appearance on the Sopranos, even though I don't think they're worth coming for. The regular food is what it is. Not perfect, but it's not awful and very reasonably priced. I enjoy their grilled cheese with taylor ham. Seriously though, just come here, get some ice cream, and be really happy. I love Holsten's. read more

Great old fashioned ice cream. I enjoyed a thick black and white shake. You can taste the difference in Holsten's vs. the rest. You can taste the richness of the ice cream. Next, I will try one their sundaes. read more

Holsten's was an awesome experience. I originally went because I am a huge Sopranos fan and wanted to see where the last scene was filmed. The food and service were excellent. The staff were more than happy to take our picture seated in the booth that Tony and his family sat in and even took the time to put on the song that played at the end of the last episode. I really appreciated that and it make the experience that much better. If you're a Sopranos fan or just looking for great food with a nolstagic feel Holsten's is the place. read more

I wouldn't have come here hadn't the final scene of the sopranos was shot here. I just thought of starting out writing a review while am sitting here waiting for the food. I was glad I should say for being some 10 minutes before, coz this place got crowded pretty fast. As I type, I can see a waiting line ahead of me. Food - I didn't get my food yet that was ordered some 25 mins ago - and that's a cheese burger that I ordered Ambience -- yes, it's almost same as shown in the tv series, but few things have changed I guess. Also I feel I am getting a little bit of headache now, considering the amount of people around. There are around 30 people right around u a few feet away. And relaize the amount of chatter, children shouting, they clapping, and different kinds of sounds is now nauseating. Service is good, but as I read in other reviews, there are only a couple of waiters who I guess are overwhelmed with the amount of work they got. All this review I wrote without tasting the food. I will do that once it comes -- In 2014 for sure . And then after a long wait, after about 25 mins, the food came. The food was pretty simple, some fries, a burnt patty and the rest. The food was didnt taste that great as was expected. I would give a 5 as sopranos chose this place 2 -- for the delay in food (25 mins for a cheese burger) 2 for the amount of chatter and noise ( I guess it depends from person to person). 1.5 for the taste of food. 4 for the hard work of the waiter. There were only 2 waiters i could see and around 20 tables. How many can she take it too. A total average of 1.5 star would be my rating towards this glorious not so worthy restaurant. If Sopranos hadnt happened here, I would have saved 15 dollars and would have spent some where else. read more

BLUF: Staff is threatening and unprofessional. Avoid. I loved the place right up until the time I walked up front to pay. When I walked up front the cashier could not figure out how to ring out our bill and our waitress had left. But she gave us a $4.00 discount because we had a birthday in our group which brought our total to $59.05. When he rang us out it rang as $63.94. When I asked if he included the discount he said "no and I am not going to because it may be on there as a mistake." Which is honestly a ridiculous thing to say, since it would be a mistake on their end not mine. But when I inquired why he became argumentative, outwardly aggressive and threatening. At which point my friend asked me what was going on and I replied "Im not sure but for some reason the wont honor the amount on our bill and are trying to up charge us." To which the cashier yelled "what? you got something to say?" So I politely told him "not to you ill bring it up to your manager when tomorrow when I come back." Dropped my cash on the counter and left. His and his coworkers behavior were insanely inappropriate and if anyone who worked for me ever behaved in such a fashion they would immediately been shown the door. The food was great, and our waitress excellent. But unless the front of the house sees some major changes I will never return, and I will personally share my experience with anyone who ever asks about this place. read more

Good basic food at reasonable prices. Yummy ice cream too. Great place to take the family. Service is fast and friendly.

I tried banana royal. The taste of the ice cream is amazing. The cherry on the top tasted like marzipan which i am not a fan of. If you want to get fresh taste i suggest you not to get whipped cream on the tap. Hot fudge was also so tasteful. The place seems to be well-established one. The service and the servers were so nice. read more

Tried this place on a Monday night as I had heard great reviews about their ice cream sundaes. My husband and I ordered burgers, my daughter grilled cheese. Food was decent, not greasy, fries were great. The problem was the service. We were there with an infant but was never even offered a high chair/booster. I found one myself after a bit. Our waitress made sure to check on everyone except us. She seemed annoyed and ruined our experience. We ordered ice cream since we had promised our daughter but just really wanted to leave as soon as possible. Disappointed. read more

Old fashioned Ice Cream parlor, and short order grill, Holsten's is a local institution. Awesome Ice cream, and cheap burgers and fries makes this one of my favorite places to stop for lunch, dinner or desert when out on the run. The Staff is fast and friendly. I recommend the Duster Sundae. read more

This place has the best ice cream in the world. Homemade and fresh. They even have sugar-free ice cream. Love sitting at the counter having my milkshake and watching the ice cream magic happen. The regular food is good. Nothing to write home about although the onion rings are stupendous. Dont die before going to Holsten's. read more

I went to dinner here with family several weeks ago. I felt quite safe in the outdoor seating area. They have taken all the proper precautions during this pandemic. I hadn't been there in quite a while, but never forgot how delicious their homemade butter pecan ice cream on toasted pound cake was. I was not disappointed! I was also pleasantly surprised the cheeseburger platter was absolutely perfect. The best burger I've had in years. Will definitely dine there more often! read more

Very good local spot. Most people go for their homemade ice cream, but being lactose intolerant, it's not really my thing. The menu itself is rather small (especially for a Jersey diner) but the food is tasty. The burgers are the best. They get their meat from a local butcher. The service is hit or miss here though. About 50% of the time it is spot on and my order is perfect. The other half it is not and my order is messed up. I've taken food to go and had to drive back to get items that were missed. If you eat in, of course they will make it right, but if you are getting it to go, check before you leave. read more

Open till late night, great sundaes and floats. Cute place and love coming here for late night desserts. Would recommend it.

This place is truly such a gem. The food is really good but the ice cream is AMAZING! My favorite thing to order is the toasted pound cake with butter pecan ice cream and caramel. read more

My family has had a lot of high quality homemade ice cream and this one remains a favorite! Highly recommend! The strawberry ice cream is a family favorite (even the pickiest eaters) and so is the coffee with espresso beans. read more

A classic in town. Delicious ice cream and good American food! The prices are also super affordable

It is an okay place. The egg sandwich that I ordered was substandard. I do not think I will go back there in the near future.

Honestly, the only thing that isn't good is the food. Everything else is fantastic. I had a neighbor (a ninety-something) tell me that I was doing a disservice to my wife by having not taken her here on a date. Well believe you me, our next date was here. That night we met some of the most courteous employed teenagers I have EVER met. I knew they had to be hiding somewhere, I just didn't know that Holsten's had a monopoly on them. Please, thank you, eye contact, no headphones...where was I? The ice cream is out of this world. We have been 10+ times and had new flavors and old, shakes, sundaes, pints, you name it. NEVER been disappointed there. The chocolates and candies are very good too--on par with other homemade confectioners. The food--eh, not quite up to scratch. With the exception of the fries, it seemed like reheated fare. Granted, we were expecting something of ice cream quality by this time, so maybe a first timer would enjoy it (but I don't think they'd enjoy the price). Great place, great date. And you are doing your spouse a disservice if you haven't been here yet! read more

Loved my outing here! I sat where Tony Soprano sat and ate onion rings (very tasty). The BLT sandwich had very very nice and then I had an ice cream sundae. Almost too many choices of flavors but I narrowed it down to 3. Wasn't expecting the nuts that came with it to be walnuts but walnuts instead of peanuts were actually quite nice for a change. The decor's different from the finale, I'm not sure what the deal is with the stuffed toys around the wall but it's nice that they have some framed pictures of the Sopranos cast. The staff were very pleasant. read more

My family and I went here as a little treat for Memorial Day. I was a little skeptical about this place before I got there. I thought that it would be like a small Hole-in-the-wall place with sub-par service. But I was wrong! It was very good! I had the cherry vanilla ice cream with apple pie! It was so good! I'll definitely come back to this place if I'm in the Bloomfield area! read more

See all

About three years ago if you asked me what I thought of Holsten's, I would've told you I loved them. I would've told you it's a great small business and throwback; that the food is great and priced just right, the milkshakes are to die for, the candy shop is adorable, and overall, it's a fun place to go. As of June 11th, that completely changed. I've lived in Montclair all of my 26 years, and Holsten's was one of THE places to go growing up. We knew it and supported it before the Soprano's made it so well known. It's a local staple like Applegate's Farms. Over the past year, I and several friends noticed that the hamburgers just didn't taste as good as they used to. If you get a cheeseburger, or a bacon cheeseburger, it was do-able, but only because the cheese, bacon and maybe ketchup depending on your mood were masking the flavor that the meat just didn't taste fresh - or good. But being a patron for so long, I looked it over, stopped ordering the burgers, and stuck to the ice cream and milkshakes... Until June 11th. I remember the date because my boyfriend and I had just gone to see Prometheus. We wanted to go somewhere to chat about the movie and I was dying for a milkshake - naturally I suggested Holsten's. During the summer, Holsten's is scheduled to close at 11pm. Although we'd considered Applegate's, which closes at 10pm, we thought it would be nice to sit down. We arrived at Holsten's at 9:45pm. There were two tables enjoying themselves, and about 3 - 4 patrons sitting at the counter. It appeared that the waitstaff were closing half of the seating, but it was hard to say if they were, or just cleaning. The second we walked in all of the staff - the kitchen staff and the waitstaff exchanged agitated looks, as if we were interrupting something. We stood at the seating area because the sign said "please wait to be seated." Both waitstaff members - two girls - continued to exchange looks with each other and refused to acknowledge us or welcome us. No one said, "I'll be right with you," or "Have a seat." We finally took to seating ourselves, but we did not grab our own menus. When a waitress finally did drop menus, again, she did not look at us, say hello, or acknowledge us in any way. I felt so unwelcome and unwanted that after sitting for a few more minutes I said to my boyfriend, "Let's go. I don't want to be somewhere I'm not wanted," loud enough that everyone could here. I was furious. I have never in my life felt so completely disrespected or experienced such blatantly awful customer service. It was clear that no one working wanted to be there or to assist us. I left feeling angry and outraged - so much so that it's taken me this long to write a review with my experience. We've since stopped going to Holsten's and I continue to tell the story to others - friends and family and friends of family local to the area. All have concurred that they've noticed a change. Some have speculated that the customer service issues have to do with young, uninterested summer staff. Others have just noticed the taste in the burgers having lost its quality. It's truly a disappointment, considering that it is such a landmark to the area, but I can safely say I will never go back there. I can forgive many things - late food, overcooked food when corrected, little mistakes during service, etc. - but such poor customer service - to blatantly make a customer feel like they're unwanted when you're over an hour away from closing and serving ice cream, which requires no cooking whatsoever - it's just unacceptable. read more

Let me start off by saying I have been coming to holstens since I am 6 years old and find the ice cream and candy to be excellent. The food is decent, what you'd expect from a place that specializes in ice cream and candy. I am also a local small business owner and am a firm believer in supporting the community, but this establishment is not one I will be supporting any longer. My last experiences at holstens were awful to say the least in tears of customer service. Most recently I went to holstens with two other people to eat dinner and ice cream. It was around 830 on a Monday night in the summer and while the place had a small crowd. The counter area was semi-full but had scattered seated open. The dining area (where we were looking to sit) had an open "4 person table" as well as the entire back table area (4-5 tables that seat 3-4). When I walked in after awkwardly waiting around to sit for about 5 minutes someone told us that we couldn't sit in any of the multiple open tables since we were only a party of three and not a party of four. We were told that we had to wait for a specific table to finish before we could sit. The staff member pointed the table out, than told the table that they had to leave so we could sit. After this I felt incredibly awkward and asked again if we could sit at another 4 person table and was told no. At that point I decided to leave and I will never come back. My time before this I came in for a milkshake at around 1030 at night and was given an attitude by the staff member about not wanting to do it past 10 pm in order to keep the machine clean. Keep in mind they are open til 1130 pm. Personally my first job was at an ice cream parlor while in highschool many years ago. I understand how hard it is to keep the shake maker clean, but that's not something to pass onto a customer. I'm disappointed to see an establishment with such quality products run so poorly. read more

BEWARE PEANUT ALLERGY: after being assured by an employee here that all the peanut flavored iced cream was in a separate case, and that it was safe for my niece with a serious peanut allergy to order a sundae, we ended up in the HOSPITAL. We told the employee NUMEROUS times of her allergy and somehow peanut ice cream still ended up in her bowl. This is extremely irresponsible of Holsten's and their employees. Let's hope they re-educate their employees on the seriousness of food allergies or teach them not to pretend it is safe when they truly cannot guarantee. read more

Loved loved loved the ice cream, especially the whip cream!!! Unfortunately, Not sure I'll return. This is a plea to the establishment.. Please take some time to clean up a bit and add a little color. You and Bischoff's in Teaneck are neck in neck on cleanliness. It's unfortunate to leave such a low review with the Soprano's legacy that is displayed proudly. Also, lower wider bowls keep the piled high yummy ice cream and fresh whip cream from tipping and dripping down the sides plus gives full access to all that hot sundae fudge.. just sayin :). read more

OK, the last spot where the Sopranos was shot get's it 5 to start. The homemade ice cream is fantastic. The waitress was great. She let me take a menu home with me for my Uncle John, who by the way is very happy to break someone's thumbs for me. read more

I love the old-timey feel and atmosphere! The food is comfort throw-back food and delicious ice cream. Their French fries have been the same crunchy yummyness as when I was a little girl. Orangeade and lemonade are delicious. Staff is friendly and sweet!! read more

This review is strictly for the lack of service not the ice cream or sweets. We Came in their ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and I ordered a turkey club with french fries. Literally a half an hour later I asked where the food was the waitress came back and told me that they did not know but they were out of Turkey. Complete waste of 30 minutes, plus A large annoyance. They were very disorganized frazzled and incompetent. read more

Was here many years ago, had to get there because as many know the last episode of The Sopranos takes place here. Not the same decor depicted in the episode, but a really great sandwich shop with homemade chocolates. read more

Best ice cream place in NJ. Nothing like a BLT and a chocolate egg cream. Great Easter candy and the old fashioned soda jerk parlor look makes it more special. read more

Great spot for homemade ice cream. Efficient service. Hard working kids. This place has been around for some time. Can get crowded at times, so be prepared. read more

Such a Bloomfield institution! Great burger and ice cream. The kids portions are great. Ice cream is plentiful. Onion rings are delicious! As is the lemonade! They have a large candy area too. I love that they have been able to keep the nostalgia. read more

Poor Management & careless staff. All teenagers working there, and there's nothing wrong with that, if their trained properly which is not the case here. Got a waiter that wouldn't even look at you and sounded & looked like she could care less. Came her for dinner after work, me and my boyfriend ordered burgers. As soon as I bite into my burger, it tasted off, I smelled it and it smelled horrible. My boyfriend had the same problem. We decided we weren't gonna eat the smelly burgers, flagged down the waitress and told her the burgers smelled off, like they were spoiled, to which she replied,"well their not, I can get you another one if you like" so I told her "if the new burger is from the same batch why would I want another spoiled burger?" She said okay and walked away. I assumed she would go get her manager or something like most usually do. Nope. She just stood there by the counter. Then she came over and asked us if we wanted ice cream, we said no and asked for the check. We went and paid for our smelly burgers and then I asked for the manager. My boyfriend went back to our table and got one of our spoiled burgers, he broke it in half and told the manger the burgers tasted and smelled spoiled, the manager smelled the burger and said,"well did they at least take it off the bill?" I replied with a no and walked out. I wasn't looking for a free burger just wanted to let them know they were serving people spoiled food. It comes down to poor management of the kitchen staff and wait staff. I would say just stick to ice cream but at this point I don't know if I even trust that. Eat at your own risk. read more

The ice cream was DELISH!! The coffee flavor was one of the best I have ever had and they give really generous portions. The customer service is excellent too!! read more