Get Your Sweet Fix at These Local NoFo Favorites
Looking for ice cream or candy? There’s so much more to candy and treats in and around the North Fork than just Friendly’s or Baskin Robbins. Think you’re too far away from some of the better known places like Snowflake in Riverhead or Magic Fountain in Mattituck? Well, fear not! The North Fork has a number of new outposts for sweets as well as some well-known and well-loved favorites in every town and hamlet. Here’s a list of all that’s sweet, cold and creamy by location.
Orient has 2 oldies but goodies: one for candy and the other for gelato, coffee and other baked treats. For an old-fashioned candy store experience, head to The Candyman located at 22350 Main Road. Chocolate and other candy confections are made right on the property. Around the corner at 1010 Village Lane, Opties and Dinghies offers homemade gelato in a myriad of flavors, as well as French-inspired baked goods. Grab a cup of coffee – and some dumplings as well!
Greenport offers a number of places to get your ice cream on. Head down towards the wharf to find Greenport Creamery at 142 Main Street, which sells more than 45 flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, gourmet Italian ices, sorbet and sherbet – as well as a number of non-dairy options. Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices has an outpost on Front Street. Fancy a banana split or a creamy milkshake? Head to traditional ice cream parlor Amazing Flavors at 216 Front Street. Or is a bucket of fried chicken and a round of mini-golf with your ice cream more to your liking? Then head to Drossos Snack Bar and Mini Golf at 69125 Main Road just outside the Village on the way to Southold.
If you’re hanging in Southold, then you’ve got a number of options to assuage your sweet treat cravings! Head to Country Corner Cafe at 55765 Main Road for your favorite Hershey’s ice cream – at last count, 38 different flavors – or to grab some diner food. Head up the street to Southold General (54180 Main Road) if you’re hankering for some baked goods prepared under the direction of famed pastry chef Francois Payard or some freshly-made gelato.
Now onto Cutchogue, where there’s only the Cutchogue Diner on the Main Road to address your ice cream needs. Just sit, relax and enjoy your scoop while gazing out the window of the 1941 vintage Kullman Diner. Then wander up the block to Atelier Disset for European-style artisanal chocolates, including unique edible souvenirs of your trip to the North Fork packed in delightful and original gift boxes.
Mattituck offers a number of sweet treat opportunities. Of course, there’s the famed Magic Fountain right on the Main Road across from the Mattituck Shopping Center. At the Magic Fountain, there’s something for everyone – including non-dairy, sugar free and vegan options. Try any of the “traditional” ice cream flavors, or try something a little different like Kulfi or a seasonal flavor like Coco Loco Dragon. Make your way to family-owned Love Lane Sweet Shoppe at 125 Love Lane for penny candy, chocolates and other candy confections by the pound. For artisanal, homemade chocolate – as well as ice cream, Belgian waffles and other desserts – North Fork Chocolate Company is the perfect choice to either dine in or takeout for the whole family. Visit the main location at 8700 Main Road or head to the outpost on East Main Street in Riverhead. Head to Patty’s Berries and Bunches at 410 Sound Avenue for berry picking, fresh cut flowers and ice cream made with farm ingredients; sugar free and vegan options available.
While Jamesport can satisfy your baked goods cravings (Junda’s Pastry Crust & Crumbs, The Treatery, Main Road Biscuit Co.), head on through to Aquebogue for some superlative ice cream offerings. For a relaxed, comfort food/diner experience with plenty of pie a la mode (and sundaes, shakes and malteds to your heart’s content), make a stop at the iconic Modern Snack Bar at 628 Main Road.
Riverhead has a surprising number of ice cream options, starting with perennial fave Snowflake Ice Cream Shoppe at 1148 West Main Street. Try over 24 flavors of hard ice cream, including the flavor of the week; the soft serve ice cream (including sugar free) keeps the crowds coming back. On the other side of town at 51 Main Road, Dari-Land Ice Cream serves up all the Hershey’s ice cream flavors in shakes, sundaes and cakes. For a slice of Americana – and a scoop to go with it – visit Star Confectionery (aka “Papa Nick’s”) at the Corner of East Main Street and Roanoke Avenue. A newcomer to the Riverhead ice cream scene is Victoria’s Helado at 37 East Main Street, with a self-serve frozen yogurt bar with toppings and offering such Latin American traditional desserts as fresa con crema (strawberries and cream) and slushy drinks called mangoniadas. Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices can also be found on East Main Street closer to the Aquarium. And a brand-new establishment, also on East Main Street within a block of the Aquarium: Mexicandy, serving ice pops, ice cream, sorbet, ices and aguas frescas — a fruit drink made from fruit, water, lime juice and a sweetener. The house specialty is maganado – a mango slushie with chili powder and salt.
