Davey’s Ice Cream Opens in Williamsburg Friday With Free Scoops

Davey’s Ice Cream is celebrating the opening of its second location, on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, with free scoops Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Grab a cone of Whopcorn, a flavor special to the new shop, and if you’re an ice cream superfan be sure to enter a raffle for a chance to score a sweet new ice cream tattoo from Three Kings.

David Yoo, who opened the first Davey’s in the East Village almost two years ago, said he feels fortunate the opportunity to expand into Williamsburg came so easily—it just so happened that Malia Torres of Williamsburg Creamery was looking to retire. Yoo snatched up the space between North 5th and 6th and has spent the last month renovating.

As a nod to the popcorn ice cream that was a neighborhood favorite at the former creamery, Yoo did his own take on the flavor with a base steeped in buttered popcorn and chock full of chocolate Whoppers.

Also unique to the Brooklyn store is an espresso machine Yoo purchased months ago but had a hard time fitting into the Manhattan shop (which also serves as Davey’s creamery, where all the ice cream is made in-house.) He said he’s looking forward to making affogatos (ice cream topped with hot espresso) in addition to the full café menu, and he plans to use the Birch coffee to flavor the Strong Coffee ice cream.

Other than the addition of coffee and espresso, Yoo plans to continue with the same guiding principle that’s served him well thus far; he believes there should be something on the menu to satisfy every customer, so he sees all his flavors as falling into one of three categories: “the staples” (vanilla, chocolate), “kid flavors” (S’morez, Cookies & Cream), and “adult flavors” (Black Sesame, Roasted Pistachio).

You won’t find many trendy items on the menu, though he does like to experiment with seasonal flavors and other special limited-run concoctions. He looks forward to pumpkin ice cream in the fall, made with pumpkins procured from the Union Square Greenmarket, and last year he did a brunch flavor with bacon, french toast and coffee glaze.

“It’s all my own recipe, my own formula,” he said this afternoon as he was putting the finishing touches on the shop. “Not many people in New York are doing it that way. It’s very labor intensive, but that’s the only way I wanted to make ice cream.”

Davey’s Ice Cream, 201 Bedford Ave., 718-388-3363