One chocolate cone, one vanilla…and a cup of peanut-butter pumpkin butt? The ice-cream world gets more wonderfully weird every day, but this week saw the launch of something truly different: a pup-friendly parlor that offers frozen treats for canines and their companions too.
Owner Eric Kyriakopoulos was inspired to open Ollie’s when he realized there were plenty of dog-friendly bars and restaurants in his neighborhood, but no spots he could hit with his pup that offered treats for both of them. Image by Eric Kyriakopoulos
Ollie’s Ice Cream + Stuff opened in Bushwick, Brooklyn, on June 1, and not only is it New York’s first shop serving scoops safe for dogs, it’s also the first ice cream shop in the area, period—and according to owner Eric Kyriakopoulos, the neighborhood has been practically screaming out for one. “So many people came up to me and thanked me for finally opening one up in the area,” he says.
As it turns out, Eric knows a thing or two about keeping his customers happy, human and otherwise. He and his Instagram-famous pup, Simon, have lived in Bushwick for quite some time, and though the neighborhood boasts bars and restaurants aplenty, its dessert options were sorely lacking. But now, dogs can come in for a blend of peanut butter, banana, and sweet potato and organic pumpkin puree, while their people enjoy a scoop or two themselves.
A baby gets a taste of the sweet stuff at Ollie’s Ice Cream + Stuff in Brooklyn. Image by Eric Kyriakopoulos
Though there’s only one flavor for the pups, choices for their owners run the gamut from basic chocolate and vanilla to more unusual options like Bread and Roses, a vanilla-based rose-water ice cream with cookie crumbles that’s an early favorite among the shop’s human clientele. (“Bread and Roses and Midnight Mint have for sure been our top-sellers,” the owner notes, “followed by our non-dairy coconut option.”) And, with decidedly delicious mix-ins like gummy bears, Swedish Fish, and Lucky Charms marshmallows adding that extra bit of oomph, Ollie’s is proving popular with young and old alike. “I thought seeing the dogs eating ice cream would be the best part, but when babies come in and eat ice cream for the first time, it’s pretty amazing to watch,” Eric says.
The post New York’s first dog-friendly ice cream shop opens in Brooklyn appeared first on Lonely Planet Travel News.