Two New Ice Cream Shops Add to Princeton’s Obsession

Walking around Princeton on an early fall night, I heard the constant hum of chatter along the sidewalks, cobbled streets, and manicured grass of Palmer Square. Fairy lights strung through the trees provided ambient light for groups clustered around doorways. In any other college town, you might think those lines lead to a pub. At Princeton, they lead to ice cream shops.

Princeton students’ demand for ice cream goes back more than 150 years. In May 1873, the Princeton Press reported that George A. Dohm’s Ice Cream Saloon, “where the inhabitants of Princeton and vicinity can always refresh themselves,” had opened on Nassau Street. The restaurant, a student favorite, closed at the turn of the 20th century, but the appetite for ice cream has remained.

Today, there are seven ice cream and frozen yogurt spots within half a mile of Nassau Hall. Thomas Sweet is the longest-running, having opened in 1979. Halo Pub followed in 1992, and several others popped up in the decades after. In the past year, two more have opened: The Baked Bear on Witherspoon Street and Reunion Sweet Parlor on Spring Street.

The shops are a magnet for a night out, drawing friend groups, couples, and families. I couldn’t help but wonder how all seven survive, so I set out to visit each one.

I began in Palmer Square with the cozy Bent Spoon. Even in the chilly fall weather, a line that grew to around 20 people was beginning to form. The owners, Gab Carbone and Matt Errico, create seasonal desserts using local ingredients, inspired by “New Jersey as the Garden State,” according to Carbone. This fall’s flavors include a fuchsia raspberry apple cider sorbet and baked apple ice cream, reminiscent of apple pie à la mode.

A three-minute walk away, Halo offers around 50 flavors sourced from a local dairy. Its wood-paneled interior makes it the perfect place for delicious classics — cookies ’n’ cream is a fan favorite.

Working my way east, I visited the new Baked Bear franchise, which specializes in ice cream sandwiches. Inside, I was greeted by rows of cookies, without ice cream in sight. Many students were trying out the new spot. Moose tracks was the recommended flavor.

First-time customer Tom Braden ’29 wasn’t sold on the large servings (and relatively high prices). “The ice cream market [here] is really saturated, and I wish that when a new store opened it would be for something different,” he said.

Junbi, also on Witherspoon, specializes in matcha tea but offers soft serve alongside its drinks. Toppings include “dustings” of matcha and cocoa powders, fruit jellies, and chia seeds. Owner David Tsai describes it as a “mom and pop franchise” intended to create a “third space” for students. Even on a Friday night, a couple of students were hard at work on their computers, green soft serve cups in hand.

Reunion, the second new shop in town, has a sleek, modern feel, with metallic tables. Its flavors are innovative — horchata, basil strawberry, and banana, for example.

Visiting Thomas Sweet afterward felt like going back in time, with a funhouse mirror inside that evokes cotton candy and carnivals. Fittingly, one of its most popular flavors is called Jersey Shore (vanilla with salted caramel).

The frozen yogurt scene is also alive and well at Fruity Yogurt, which was packed until closing. “I don’t think Fruity Yogurt is the best frozen yogurt, but frozen yogurt is simply the best,” said Cadigan Perriello ’29, a regular customer who always opts for plain tart yogurt with coconut, cookie dough, boba pearls, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

Operating a business in Princeton presents challenges like high rent and stiff competition, especially when you have six competitors selling similar products. Carbone, however, does not seem worried about the growing number of shops. When it comes to ice cream, she said, “The more, the merrier.”