in an age of overabundance and over-convenience (meaning too much of everything that is way to easy to get)...Sundaes and Cones is very much a neighborhood spot (AWESOME!) that does not cater to a consume-more mentality and doesn't really maintain a robust digital presence (which is a good sign they are focused on the ice cream and experience). the digital footprint of Sundaes and Cone is modest to say the least -- an old timey website and barely updated social media...and i love it because it doesn't lean into the absolute embarrassment of attention seeking beyond maintaining things (like a website) for basic business. Sundaes and Cones remains a casual friendly ice cream fantasy island that offers classic flavors (like Chocolate, Cookie Dough, etc.) as well as more off-the-beaten path ones that feel Asian influenced like (Sesame, Taro, etc.)...ice cream cones, cups, pints, etc. are available along with sundaes, milkshakes, egg creams, and more. the concentration on ice cream quality is so clear and palpable that you can taste it from first bite to last. i have toured through many of the flavors--the mint chocolate chip is so good. mintiness that is NOT chemically enhanced but tastes like actual mint, smooth cream ice cream that is not overly sweet, and even the chocolate chips are thinly shaven, solidly chocolatey, and have some snap to them. typically, i order a cone upside down in a cup to enjoy spoonfuls of ice cream with the crunch of the cone as my final bite treat. tbh, any of the flavors of ice creams or sorbets are going to be good and hardly ever miss. the ice cream hits the spot whether it is winter, spring, summer, or fall. to me, spring (or early fall) is a sweet spot for ice cream when it is just warm enough that you want something cool and sweet with the weather allowing easy walks throughout the East Village. however, whenever you decide to give Sundaes and Cones a spin is a good call whether it's a frozen tundra of winter or NYC's humid summer.
the ice cream parlor has some seating with benches outside. it's very clean and well-maintained with that soft warm ice cream parlor vibes of years long since passed. as the weather warms up, lines here build especially during the weekends as well as after dinner times. staff are friendly and patient. there's not a better recipe for an evening walk in NYC than dinner in the East Village, then walk over to Sundaes and Cones, and enjoy that sweet life stroll as you explore a neighborhood and devour that fine ice cream!*
*all that praise aside, i got a Americano coffee here recently and i would say it was passably good. while i won't ding my rating of Sundaes and Cones bc it is really an outstanding ice cream place, i'd bypass the coffee menu here as the staff here don't seem to be well-versed in coffee-making from my recent experience and probably don't make coffee drinks enough to have it down packed. read more