Best Ice Cream in Queens (other than Eddie's)

[joekarten]

Now that summer's here, where the best place for ice cream? I love Eddie's, but I'm looking for some other options. Of course, I also love the Lemon Ice King of Corona. But I'm looking for regular scoops of ice cream, not ices, not kulfi, not cholados, not gelato and not paletas (the mexican/columbian frozen fruit bars.)

Thanks.

[ceeceee]

how's pop's on jamaica avenue in woodhaven? i used to go there as a kid and we loved it!

[pepper]

Went to the Jahn's in Richmond Hill (intersection of Hillside and Myrtle) on Sat night.

I was very surprised by the quality of the ice cream. I had chocolate, son had vanilla, wife had black raspberry.

All very good and in my opinion better than Eddies on Metropolitan

I would rate it close to Ben & Jerry quality, not quite there, but close.

[LoveaFair]

Max & Mina's, 71-26 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11367 [phone]

They specialize in unusual flavors! You'll love it.

[hortusinurbe]

I once suggested to the manager of Jahn's in Jackson Heights that it might make sense, from a marketing standpoint, to redecorate the place to make it more like an authentic 1890s ice-cream parlor. He didn't seem receptive to the idea. I do like Jahn's very much as a kind of refuge offering a classic American coffee-shop atmosphere.

[KateC.]

The decorating in Jahn's is fantastic. The food is appalling. Why not learn to cook a burger and serve fresh instead of frozen vegetables? Disgusting.

[hortusinurbe]

Yes, it's fantastic, as in "ludicrously odd": a grotesque 1970s vision of Victoriana. But it contains enough elements to evoke a classic American coffee shop that I feel comfortable there.

[Woodside Al]

It's really rather amazing to me that a place like Jahn's is still in business, given all of the other much better and more varied food options that have come into Jackson Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods in the last few decades. Everytime I go by the place I look in to see almost total emptiness.

[hortusinurbe]

The reason, you ask? Stalwarts like me who steadfastly support the establishments that represent "old" Jackson Heights. And I guess you've never looked in on Sunday afternoons or weekday evenings, when you often have to wait for ages to get a table.

[EricaEats]

I have to second this! They specialize in unusual, but their "sane" flavors are incredible too!

(They are not open Friday nights/Saturdays)

[KateC.]

Hey! On a beautiful, hot day and with 15 minutes to kill, I stepped into Jahn's on 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights and had a wonderful vanilla ice cream soda at the fountain. It's very difficult to find an ice cream soda on any menu, and when you do, they just don't know how to make it properly. Brings me back to lunches at the Woolworth's counter with my grandmother -- only this was better. Also, the vanilla ice cream was very vanilla-y and creamy with lots of vanilla flecks in it.

[spanishfish]

How late is Jahn's open? I've had lunch there before and it was absolutely horrible, but I'd be willing to try it again for the ice cream. It's just always so late at night when I get a craving for it though...like right now.

[Joe MacBu]

As I and others posted above, the ice cream at this Jahn's location was incredibly bad. Maybe it works in a soda, or they've improved the quality.

[KateC.]

I doubt they are open late. Lety's (the new bakery) on 37th Ave. near 78th St. is often open till 10 pm. They have ice cream -- but it's mostly a bakery. You can't get an ice cream soda there.

[MaspethMaven]

is jann's still there on myrtle?

[MKS]

the Jahns on 37th Ave. in JH is still there.

[JH Jill]

I do sometimes go to Jahn's for the bluefish dinner special (not bad with broccoli and oven-browned potatoes and some of their soups) or the Caesar salad with blackened chicken. I often get ice cream for dessert. The ice cream is a cut above other ice cream to be had in JH, but one must beware a strange granular quality (powdered milk?) that appears in some of the flavors occasionally. I gave up on pistacchio because I experienced that a couple of times, and now I usually have the coffee, which is very good. They also make all sorts of sundaes. I am partial (when I can't help myself) to the Pecan Shorty with coffee ice cream. Their cakes aren't bad either.

[welle]

I thought Jahn's in Richmond hill was a strictly ice cream parlor with their famous Kitchen sink sundae. I didn't know Jahn's in JH was related...

[Woodside Al]

They are, as I understand it, the 2 remaining outposts of a chain that started in the Bronx in the 1890s and once had more than a dozen stores, including a couple in Florida. I've been to the one in Jackson Heights, which really functions more as a diner these days, purely as a notalgia trip. I personally found it quite dreary and depressing, dark, quiet as a tomb, with dried-out bad diner food (a really bad burger) and very undistingushed grainy cheaply-made tasting ice cream.

[JH Jill]

As with any diner, one has to know which food to order. I don't order burgers there. Some of the food is pretty good. Since we have two diners in the nabe, I often go to one or the other, partly because my lunch partner will rarely eat at Colombian or Mexican places. I know which things are fairly good at each (burgers are better at Jackson House).

As for the ice cream, it is not the kind that makes you feel you died and went to heaven, but it is the best in this neighborhood. They did have a problem with graininess, but I happened to go the other day, and one of the owners told me they found out the cause. Apparently, they moved their warehouse, and some of the stock must have defrosted slightly during the move. The grains are now gone. I had a coconut ice cream the other day that was quite delicious.

[Joe MacBu]

The ice cream at Jahn's is absolutely horrible. It ranks close to the worst I've ever had. It was a shock, considering that's their specialty.

[janie]

Yes, it's still there...

[FAL]

The one in Richmond Hill is still there. FYI that is the oringal

[Woodside Al]

Don't know if it's the best, but the ice cream at Zabb is pretty damn good, especially if you order it with the fried banana. But it's not a dessert place or ice cream place, so you'll probably have to eat there first - which is a nice bonus.

[Cheese Boy]

Sounds good to me.
Which flavor do you recommend w/ the fried banana?

Menu: http://www.zabbqueens.com/menu.cgi

[Woodside Al]

They usually have more than the 3 flavors shown on that menu. Of course the durian ice cream is a seriously Thai item. But I really like the coconut with that heavenly fried banana.

[Cheese Boy]

That fried banana has me interested. The durian, I'll pass on.

[orzabelle]

imo, the Chinatown Ice Cream factory on Main St.

[Linda]

btw - there's been some dispute b/t the real and original chinatown ice cream factory in chinatown and this location in flushing on main street.

if you go to the chinatown location, there's signs everywhere saying that any other location besides that one that claims they are a chinatown ice cream factory is NOT TRUE. apparently, there's been some fighting with the original owners and the people that split and opened up the one in flushing.

i've also heard that the quality in flushing is a telling sign that it is not connected to the one in chinatown - make the trip to chinatown to the original one, it's worth it!! plus, there's a good dimsum place around there, make it a daytrip...

[Woodside Al]

There was apparently some sort of split in the family. Another disowned "branch" also opened on Kenmare St. in Manhattan. I've been to the one on Main St., which is down by the LIE well south of the heart of Flushing. IMO it wasn't nearly as good as the Chinatown original, but as far as ice cream in Queens goes still pretty good.

[orzabelle]

I can't speak ill about the quality of the Flushing store. It's fantastic. Both of them are.