Van Leeuwen Ice Cream — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Very good ice cream and most of your employees are very kind, but I had a terrible encounter with one in particular. It was a long day, I was overstimulated, and my brain was quite frankly a little foggy. My order was a bit choppy, with a lot of “ums” as I was trying to read the board (my eyesight isn’t the best). I thanked the worker and made my way to the front to pay. The worker who took my order then decided to tell me how I should act. I was shocked, I didn’t think I did anything wrong. He told me “Just say your order all at one time. It’s rude.” I literally did not have words. Staying calm, I simply said, “Sir, I did not mean to offend you. I’m sorry. I’m tired, I’m overstimulated, and I’ve had a long day.” He reminded me that this was a lesson for outside the ice cream shop. I am self aware and know and own my mistakes, but I can assure you, I was simply tired and was not trying to offend anyone. I am disappointed by this service. I know service workers do a lot and I truly appreciate their work. But, I was kind and just tired. As a young woman, I’ve heard plenty of times “you should act this way.” Like many women, I’m tired of it and hear it too often. But, I was not expecting to hear how I should act at a...

Initially gave this place a 5 star review, but my experience today really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I was very excited to see the Mango Sticky Rice scoop had returned. When we inquired about getting a hand scooped pint of this flavor, a girl with glasses said “no we don’t do scooped pints”. My partner and I were extremely confused, because we know Van Leeuwen sells hand scooped pints. She overheard me asking my partner if this shop actually does not sell hand scooped pints, and proceeded to ask me “do you want a pint of this or not?” in an extremely condescending tone. Sorry I couldn’t pick up on your sarcasm, it’s kind of hard to tell when someone is joking when they don’t follow up with “I’m just joking”. Please train your staff better, this girl needs some serious customer...

I was excited to try the Mango Sticky Rice flavor, expecting something naturally gluten-free like the real dessert — mango, coconut milk, and sticky rice.

To my shock, this flavor contains wheat, even though there are no cookie bits, cake pieces, or baked mix-ins. Just pure, unnecessary wheat.

This is not just disappointing — it feels careless and disrespectful. Mango sticky rice is traditionally a gluten-free dessert. Why add wheat — unless you just don’t care about people with dietary restrictions or those who actually come from the culture you’re borrowing from?

If you have gluten sensitivity or celiac, you cannot trust this brand without reading every single label, every single time.

Van Leeuwen: If you want to borrow from other cultures, do it right — or don’t...