A Bigger Morgenstern’s Unleashes 88 Ice Cream Flavors in Greenwich Village Today

Everything is bigger at the new flagship location of Morgenstern’s in Greenwich Village: The parlor itself is several times larger than the original, the ice cream counter is longer, and the menu carries 88 flavors, double the number of offerings in its LES outpost.

The ice cream shop opens today in a snazzy corner spot at 88 W. Houston St., with favorites like Vietnamese coffee, and salt and pepper pine nut on offer, along with a slew of new flavors divided into categories like nuts, tropics, and peaches. Owner and founder Nick Morgenstern says his parlor outgrew its previous spot, where no more than 46 flavors could be offered at once.

“We were able to realize more of the full spectrum of what we want this to be,” he tells Eater. “We really have the full experience. You can get every form of ice cream you could want.”

The menu here not only expands on ice cream flavors but also features pies and cakes available by the slice. A slew of treats are also available, including a matcha and melon sundae and eventually, an avocado ice cream toast — which will be served on toasted Japanese white bread and only available before noon once breakfast starts in November. Floats, shakes, and coffee can be found, too.

Morgenstern says the expansive menu will evolve over time, but will eventually solidify “so that you can come here and know you can always get what your favorite flavor is.”

The new spot offers seven vanillas, seven chocolates, five caramels, five coffees and five strawberries. It’s a sleek, white space with old-school touches like black-and-white tiled floor and large industrial-looking fans adorning the ceiling, similar to the look of the LES location. There is table and counter seating available, including 32 outdoor seats — an upgrade that Morgenstern hopes will be enough to speed up lines that frequently form at the original outpost in LES.

At some point, the new location may even move beyond sweets. The new, two-level venue has a production kitchen on the ground floor, where pies and cakes will be made, while the ice cream making will happen in the basement. But the kitchen has the capacity to make “a lot,” says Morgenstern, who also owns El Rey, a coffee and lunch bar in the LES. Savory breakfast, for instance, may eventually be on deck. “I personally love cooking breakfast, but that might be something I do once a week or once a month, whenever I feel like it,” he says.

The bigger space also means more events. In November, diners can expect a pie-baking contest with celebrity judges, the proceeds of which will go toward a Brooklyn nonprofit that provides hot meals to the community. And he’ll put the parlor’s liquor license to work in December, though he wouldn’t share much on those plans yet.

Morgenstern previously worked in the pastry departments at Gramercy Tavern and Daniel and brought that expertise with him to the ice cream industry when he launched the NYC favorite in 2014. The shop developed a following — and long lines — for its inventive flavors, such as various iterations of vanilla, and toppings.

The bigger outpost will be open today from 4 p.m. to midnight, and then noon to midnight for the rest of this month. In November the hours expand with doors kicking open at 7 a.m. See the full menu below.

Morgenstern’s (Flagship)

88 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012