EAST VILLAGE — The frozen treats at Williamsburg's OddFellows Ice Cream Co. drew such a big crowd of fans from across the East River that the owners decided to expand to Manhattan.
On Friday, OddFellows will bring its unique flavors — which rotate regularly and include cornbread, extra virgin olive oil, chorizo caramel swirl and miso cherry — to a tiny storefront at 75 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
"The response to our ice cream has been really positive and we get a lot of people coming from Manhattan who are like, ‘When are you going to open in Manhattan?’” said co-owner Mohan Kumar, who opened the Williamsburg OddFellows last June.
The Brooklyn company is best known for its 120 unusual ice cream flavors, including savory and salty offerings along with remakes of classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla. All are developed and made from scratch by chef and co-owner Sam Mason, who previously worked at wd~50.
“It’s all Sam’s head that comes up with these flavors,” Kumar said.
The company creates its own base — something that few ice cream shops do, Kumar said — and pasteurizes the dairy it sources from Battenkill Valley Creamery in upstate New York.
The ice cream is made in Williamsburg and then shipped to the Kent Avenue store and, soon, the East Fourth Street shop. Demand has been so high, Kumar said, that batches run out in days.
“Quite literally, every ice cream we make is gone within three days max,” he said. As a result, Kumar said, the ice cream is “really fresh.”
The East Village location will serve eight of the company’s many flavors at a time, rotating them regularly. There won't be much seating in the carnival-themed storefront, but it will have a small counter by the window and a bench outside, Kumar said.
Scoops of ice cream in cups start at $4, with homemade waffle cones and sugar cones costing a little extra, Kumar said. It will also offer milkshakes and ice cream floats.
OddFellows Ice Cream Co., 75 E. Fourth St., will be open from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to midnight on Friday; noon to midnight on Saturday; and noon to 11 p.m. on Sunday.
