The Screen Door

This scoop shop near McGolrick Park is open March through November, with its annual reopening acting as a welcome reminder that spring is on its way to NYC. Its menu mixes old-school treats like chocolate egg creams and rainbow-sprinkle-topped cones with newfangled inventions like ice cream nachos (dippable waffle-cone pieces drizzled with hot fudge) and “flurry sundaes,” huge mounds of soft serve whipped with marshmallow fluff to create a sweet, airy base for mix-ins.  

The vibe: A super-casual ice cream parlor that would be as much at home in the suburbs as it is on Greenpoint’s vibey Driggs Avenue; it doesn’t have the millennial-coded trappings of some of the other scoop shops in the neighborhood. And that’s what makes it special: owner Kate Covey, who lives down the block and grew up working in her family’s restaurant, has created a spot as much for locals as for those looking for the next sweet for their feed. 

The food: Flurry sundaes make The Screen Door a destination, with their ooey-gooey whipped combination of soft serve and marshmallow topping. Get one mixed with Heath bars, pretzels and butterscotch syrup or cookie dough and blueberry sauce: they come piled with whipped cream and served in a giant bowl. 

The drink: Freezes—soft serve vanilla ice cream blended with root beer, cola or orange soda—and the Bam Bam, a strawberry milkshake mixed with Fruity Pebbles, will cool you down on even the hottest days in the park. There are also slushies mixed with fruit sorbet, vanilla syrup and seltzer; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry egg creams; and ice cream sodas made with flavored milk, seltzer and any flavor of ice cream you’d like. 

Time Out tip: The Screen Door opened a second location in Sunnyside in the spring of ‘26, bringing their sundaes and floats to Queens.