Around the Block: 6/27/25

6/27/25

Witty takes, can't-miss Philly updates, insider info, and curated listings - by Jeff "City" Block

Ice Cream Redux

Hello Friends,

Go back just over two years, and I wrote about “Ice Cream in Philly.” A revisit of that article is on point this week. First of all, it was like 100° F for much of the week. Second, the Inquirer wrote an article today titled “‘Sprinkles’ v ‘jimmies’? An ice-cream related debate has Philadelphians melting down.”

So, back in 2023, I wrote in part:

For those who regularly read this newsletter, you know that I think that Philly is the best city in America (and the world), and also excels in many specific areas, including, but not limited to, food in general, sports fans, livability, neighborhoods, walkable Center City, history, parks, homes, and greatest fictional character/icon.

Greatest fictional character/icon. Also spawned classic Philly-centric movie line, “Yo, Adrian!“ This 23-second clip definitely gets me pumped up.

I mean simply put, Philly is the jawn.

But I never specifically considered ice cream. Though I certainly contemplated water ice. As a kid, I did not even realize that water ice was a local thing (or at least the name is). You go somewhere else in the country and ask for water ice, and people are like “What?” I never even considered how odd the name was. “Water Ice.” H2O plus the frozen version of H2O. What a bizarre, totally non-descriptive name. (Though its inverse, “ice water,” is well known and aptly named, as it is simply water with ice in it.) As a kid, the quirk of its name never even occurred to me. Like, everyone, everywhere understands what water ice is, right? Perhaps they are familiar with other frozen sugar/water treats such as Italian ice, snow cones, or shave ice for example. But none of these things are as awesome as water ice, which originated in Philadelphia. And when a company is founded in Philly and then franchises like crazy and goes viral, they actually change the name so others can understand… to Italian ice.

Rita’s is actually pretty good and they at least understand what Gelati is… water ice and ice cream in one cup. But they are really serving water ice, not Italian ice, which I think of as a much harder and gelatinous product in a paper cup with a paper lid that you pull off with a tab.

So now back to ice cream. I will discuss water ice again later.

In the list of the best ice cream in Philly, I have been to quite a few: Weckerly’s (from Lil’ Pop Shop), Zsa’s, Laser Wolf, Bassetts, 1-900-Ice-Cream, Franklin Fountain, C&C (never realized this stood for Custards and Cakes), and Jeni’s. All of these are good (as ice cream tends to be), and my favorites on this list are Bassetts and Laser Wolf. Though one of Philly’s best is not even on this list–Tubby Robot Ice Cream Factory on Main Street in Manayunk. My favorite. Highly recommend.

You can read the rest of my 2023 ice cream article here.

Okay, now back to 2025. A few quick revisions to my 2023 favorites listed above. Weckerly’s just opened a retail shop at the corner of 16th & Spruce. Sadly, Zsa’s, one of the city’s best, is closing at the end of this year. Tubby Robot is no longer my favorite. I am now really into Bredenbeck’s, which serves Bassetts. I still love all the others mentioned above, and I am also a fan of Van Leeuwen. John’s Water Ice is still the best in that department (though I always enjoy a ubiquitous Rita’s). I am also pretty into the pay-by-weight serve yourself frozen yogurt with self-serve toppings. Do you know what I mean? My favorites are the sour Yogorino style with blueberries. Or vanilla with extra hot fudge. Extra hot fudge has been a thing of mine since back in my Hillary’s on South Street days.

I have also always favored Jimmies on my cones (sugar cone for sure). Then one day, maybe like 15 years ago or something (but absolutely in the 21st century), I heard someone call them sprinkles. What is that about? I came to understand that sprinkles were a thing in some other far-away places, but in Philly? So anyway, I continue to call them Jimmies, though I have accepted that my kids call them sprinkles, especially because they like rainbow ones, which definitely seem more sprinkly than the classic chocolate that was the only option when I was a kid. And of course, I do use the term “chocolate” loosely, because there is more wax-like product in a jimmy than any kind of cocoa product whatsoever. Pretty sure the ingredients are wax, brown, and high fructose corn syrup. Mmmmm.

Anyway, I strongly advise reading the history of jimmies vs sprinkles here.  And enjoy this cool weather while it lasts!

Have a great weekend.

Jeff

Please contact Jeff for information and property addresses for all Private Exclusive Listings

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Some imagery in this e-newsletter was sourced via visitphilly.com and Canva.