I was on a walk in the nice weather and came across Vanderwende's. Called my coworker who also wanted a shake and I went inside. This small and cozy place was clean with a couple of tables and some outside seating. A family was enjoying their scoops. They have two freezers full of flavors including some that were listed as vegan. I was greeted warmly upon entry, and could have tried any of the flavors. They do have the scoops and sundaes but I was here for a couple of shakes. Their shakes have whipped cream on top and if you wanted an extra topping it was an additional $2. After I placed my order for a vanilla shake and cookie dough shake, I did see they have three or so "fancy" shakes available with lots of goodies inside. The shakes were very tasty and my coworker said you can tell it's real ice cream! Nice to have an alternate choice from Franklin Fountain, but I do believe FF has the better flavor selection. Just under $25 including tax for two regular sized shakes without extra toppings. What a nice treat! read more

Vanderwende's - Menu 1 of 2 8/5/2025 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Great service, very generous scoops, so many flavors to choose from! The seating area is huge and was very clean! read more

Vanderwende's - Kids scoop - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

FOOD We came in on a rainy Friday night after checking out a couple other ice cream shops in the area throughout the week. We sampled flavors (berry cheesecake, coffee, cappuccino crunch, Annie's apple pie, birthday cake) before deciding on a triple scoop of cookies and cream, berry cheesecake, and cappuccino crunch. Even after looking through pictures online, we didn't believe how big the scoops would be, but they really lived up to the hype. Vanderwende's definition of a single scoop is equivalent to 2.5 scoops of actual ice cream (like actually, they scoop two full scoops and then half a scoop on top). The cookies and cream flavor was classic. It's much better than other cookies and cream ice creams out there because it's not just a vanilla base mixed with cookie pieces. The cookie pieces are blended in with the base and then mix-ins are added after. The berry cheesecake was incredibly rich and creamy. I only wished they could also add graham cracker crust pieces with it as well. Finally, the cappuccino crunch packed punches of flavor-- the coffee flavor really pulling through. SERVICE The staff are kind and friendly! We took our time sampling the flavors before making a final decision, and they were incredibly patient. AMBIANCE The place is tidy and neat. There's ample seating inside the store (tables and by the window) and limited seating outside. PARKING Paid street parking is available at a limited capacity. read more

See all

Yummy ice cream. Fast and nice service. Clean and spacious building. We even came 10 minutes before closing and they weren't visibly upset. Would recommend. read more

Ordered the vegan cookie dough flavor and it was SO GOOD!! My dog also loves to drag me there for his little puppy sundae... they use dog friendly ice cream and put a little biscuit on top. There is a girl that works there whenever I pop in and she is just the kindest person, it always makes me want to go in there more often than I do because you don't find that customer service super often in the city. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Huge scoops, a wide variety of flavors, smooth and rich taste, and reasonably priced ice cream. The staff is friendly, with plenty of seating and a cozy vibe. Definitely coming back. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love their coconut ice cream so much! It is easily the best in the city because of how authentic it tastes AND the addition of actual coconut shavings. I tasted their Mocha Almond Fudge which was rich and delicious - very coffee forward with a slight hint of chocolate - way better than what I had expected. I will be getting a full scoop of it next time! read more

See all

Very delicious ice cream with great flavor options! The "small" is quite large in my opinion, I'd get the kids size next time! 10/10 rating over here! read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

It's hard to pass up real ice cream! Vanderwende's offer a nice addition to Old City. Somewhere else to get ice cream other than Franklin Fountain. Lots of great and unusual flavours to choose from, including a sugar free vanilla. I chose the apple pie ice cream. It was very good. Real pieces of apple and dough throughout. They are very generous with their scoops. They also sell pints and quarts to go. I'm looking forward to coming back. read more

Vanderwende's - the front of the building - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ice cream was great but a blue haired cashier was VERY rude!! She walked away as we ordering came back and answered in a very negative tone. I told her she had bad customer service skills and walked out just to tell me off!!! read more

Who doesn't like a homemade ice cream shop. Prices may seem pricey to some but I was expecting them. It's a cute shop with seating if you want to eat in. I got cherry vanilla and cookies and cream ice cream. I'm not a huge fan of the ice cream. The flavors weren't intense enough for me. It had more of a milky taste and I don't drink milk so I wanted more flavor. The ice cream does not melt fast which I love. Will I be back? Nope but I'm sure others will love it so I'd recommend it. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Sad this place is closing soon. Cappuccino crunch Almond mocha fudge I would like to try the Berry cheesecake and black raspberry. read more

Was in the area looking for ice cream and I turned around and it was literally across the street. The shop was bright and airy amid the darkness of the city. I was happy to see it was opened and the service was pleasant and the associates helpful. You may be overwhelmed by choices: they have all the standard plus a few specialty flavors. I settled on a small cup of berry cheesecake. It was sweet without being cloyingly so which I appreciated ! It was warm and clean inside and the seating was plentiful. I would definitely go back. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Upon entering I was greeted by a friendly staff who was ready to answer any questions. I sampled the cappuccino crunch and I was sold. I love coffee flavored ice cream and I heard that peanut butter fudge crunch is popular. Thus, I decided to get 3 scoops: cappuccino crunch, coffee, and the peanut butter fudge. I was shocked to see how humongous the ice cream was. Thankfully I brought a container so that I could take it home. All of them were really good. You can really taste the flavors. They have vegan soft serve and you can buy a pint or a quart from the flavors that are available at the store. They also have a reward card, so I definitely will go back. read more

See all

I've had the peanut butter fudge crunch & milk & cookies ice cream at Vanderwende's. Both were outstanding. And they were served in generous scoops. You will get more delicious ice cream here than what you will get at its more well-known neighbor a block away. I live close by, and this will be my go-to spot for ice cream moving forward. read more

Vanderwende's - a cup of ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ice cream is always good but the flavors they offer were such wide in range and so good! I loved simple coffee flavor. My daughter loved coconut flavor. Blueberry and chocolate was so simple yet so delicious as well! read more

The food was very good The service was very good, but sometimes just take on a Saturday. They look so delicious.

Recommend the coconut flavor. Not too sweet, with tasty coconut shavings. Well done! Can't speak to the other flavors. Get a kid's size. It's plenty for two adults as a snack. read more

A new ice cream place in old city? I had to check it out. I liked how this ice cream shop just sells the basics. The place also makes killer milk shakes. The place really fills up the ice cream scoop as well. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Nice little ice cream shop that was really popular when we popped in on a weekend afternoon. Line moved quickly and we got to ordering. They had some unique flavors that definitely held up against some of the best ice cream I've had, including their curiously similarly named competitor. Portions were enormous! You definitely got your money's worth. Friendly service too. read more

I do love their ice cream but sure wish they would use real whipped cream, like from one of those whipped cream dispensers and fresh whipping cream, instead of canned whipped cream from grocery store. would def up that experience read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I was excited to walk by a week ago, but this place just opened today. The staff was friendly and handled a steady flow of people well. I also liked my choice of ice cream, but it wasn't blow-my-mind amazing and I felt like I did suffer from a bit of choice overload. I will definitely be back to try to find something I like more though! read more

Vanderwende's - Strawberry Pretzel Salad (Small, $6 w/o tax) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ice cream had a great flavor. One scoop was bigger than the average scoop. Friendly atmosphere.

Best ice cream I have ever had in memory. Salted caramel. Perfectly creamy not too sweet with crushed pretzels. Hit the spot!

You have to try their seasonal flavors. Peach and blueberry were delicious! Prices are a bit outrageous but the scoops are really big! Nice indoor seating area. read more

Very creamy and tasty ice cream! Good number of flavors and toppings. Also have some rotating seasonal flavors as well. Good prices! Come here instead of the others for ice cream if you're in this area, much better deal and delicious! read more

We went last week and the ice cream was old with lots of ice chips in it. The waffle cone was so soggy I had to throw away my $8.00 ice cream cone. I was so disappointed. The worst part... the service was so horrible. The staff was rude. We were not greeted when we entered and the person at the counter asked that we come to where she was. When I told her the waffle cone was soft and soggy she shamed me as if it was my imagination. Never going back. read more

The food was spectacular there were 32 flavours including the vegan and seasonal flavours it was nice and creamy and very tasty. The place was clean and had cool decorative walls and there was music playing. The service was excellent everyone was nice and we got our ice cream quickly. read more

The Cookies and Cream ice cream is the best ice in all of Philadelphia. Absolute must try if you're near here.

Posting this only because I want this store to succeed. Ice cream 5 stars. Condition of store 1 star. Stopped in on a slow Saturday and there were napkins all over because of a jam in the dispenser. The tables needed to be wiped down and trash had not all made it to the receptacle. If I had never been here before I likely would have walked in and walked out. Staff needs to pay attention to the details. read more

Absolutely the best value ice cream in this area. A $6 "single" is actually two big scoops, and you can get two different flavors! Unheard of! Clean, bright, new interior with good AC and lots of space to sit. Very popular with families, kids, tourists. That being said... I've been here multiple times and tried over a dozen flavors, and I don't like any of them. :( They're all just too sweet. The fruit flavors (even standard, tried and true strawberry) are cloying and candy-like. The chocolate has no flavor. You'd expect the coffee to be the least sweet, and it is sort of ok, but lacks the crisp little bitter kick I love in a coffee ice cream. I just can't power through a cup full of so much sugar and so little flavor. Even so, it's a cute place - totally recommended if you're looking for basic, very sweet ice cream for an excellent price. read more

I looked forward to their opening for almost a year since the signs went up. Covid delays, etc. Not their fault. I have gone a couple of times and wasn't thrilled with the ice cream. It was okay, but I didn't love it. I thought it was the flavors I picked so I gave it another shot, and it just wasn't my thing. On the positive side, my friends love it. They have a loyalty card so I assume one out of every X-number is free, or discounted. I didn't look into it. They're conveniently located on Market just up from Christ Church. They have "pup cups" that the neighborhood dogs seem to go crazy for. Their basic scoops are $1-$2 less than a certain neighborhood ice cream giant that has dominated the Old City ice cream market forever. On the other hand, I wasn't blown away by the ice cream or the selection of flavors. This might change if they start offering the eggnog seasonal flavor on their website in the fall. Portions are very reasonable. Not huge, but fair. I personally like the ice cream better at a certain other place down the street, and don't mind paying an extra $1. (I always just get 1-2 scoops, not all the fancy stuff, and I think that some of the options at both places are bonkers when it comes to price.) read more

This is easily the best ice cream I have ever had. It's a cute little shop, you blink and you miss it. The ice cream was superb quality, very rich and creamy. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Ok tasting ice cream, portions are quite large. Staff is friendly, there is plenty of seating both inside and out

Wonderful ice cream at non tourist prices! Family owned and new to Old City, this is a much needed option for affordable ice cream.

Great ice cream and service was good! I've been twice this week. Will come back again

The ice cream was DELICIOUS and the teenage staff was courteous and friendly. It was the perfect ending to a Philly tourist's day. We highly recommend it! read more

omg, one of the best ice cream joints EVER!! ran by two people and i got my ice cream quickly! good spot and a large place! i love it! this place is a good place to go with friends! read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Went there yesterday for a Mint Choc Chip ice cream. Customer service was exemplary, sizes great for the prices. Clean and tidy inside, would definitely go again. read more

Vanderwende's - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Excellent- large servings make the cost well worth it. Kids gave it a solid 5/5 rating read more

Vanderwende's - Peanut butter fudge crunch - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania