Island Style Ice Cream

The owner is very warm and friendly. Their mint chocolate chip is the best that I’ve tasted so far!

I think this place has shut down. I stopped by twice and the door was locked. Third time is the charm. We finally tried this place and it was open… We tried the mango and the rum and raisin ice cream both were excellent can’t wait to try the pistachio

I don’t understand – I think this is a ghost ice cream shop. We’ve tried to go 3 times now during business hours, and it’s been closed every time. We called their number, and it was disconnected. Perhaps they’ve closed? What a tease!

Fantastic ice cream!!! The owner is down to earth and friendly

I never imagined I would ever like some ice cream flavors that they have, but somehow they make them incredibly good.

A hole in the wall place but don’t let it fool you! The ice cream is soooo good, my favorite is the cookies and cream. Its good and cheap which is a plus. The owner is super nice too! If you’re looking for a good ice cream shop, i would highly recommend island style :)

Harry gives the best product and customer service anywhere in DC. The ice cream is always creamy and flavorful, but almost always sold out because he only produces one batch of flavor per week. The area is sketch but just go in the day time.

Great variety of cool flavors, though ask to try before, because the owner has to update his cooler and some of the ice cream tastes weird or is too hard. The ginger has a very hard, intense flavor. I got the guava and the rum raisin and both were excellent.

Fantastic organic homemade ice cream here. Like many businesses in Mount Rainier, Island Style mainly do a brisk wholesale businesses but also has a friendly storefront. Henry is a wonderfully friednly owner (as noted, Pancita passed early last year), and he’s even let me pay later when I’ve forgotten my wallet a few times (I live down the street). A bit heavy on the Carribean flavors (not quite my thing — the cookies and cream is), but all their ice cream is great.

Great little ice cream shop with friendly staff. If your out in Ranier definitely stop by! It’s no 31 flavors type of place but they have some one of kind flavors and if your a traditionalist they’ll most likely have your vanilla. Loved the stout ice cream!

Ridiculously yummy ice cream at a very nice price. Fun variety of flavors. I had the ginger and really appreciated the big chunks of ginger in it. I’d almost be tempted to call in ginger chip.
Definitely a place worth a little sightseeing trip if you’re not from the area or a nice walk on a warm evening if you’re local.

I have awful news to report. The beautiful (physically and spiritually) owner, «Ms. P.» passed away in January, 2012. Her husband is now the owner and he broke the news to me when I stopped by to support this wonderful business.
It really struck me because I am a business owner. This woman, Pancita, is the reason I’m in business. Several years ago I stopped by the store. Only she was there. I told her I was thinking of starting a company and she immediately advised me to move forward with my dream. She then prayed over me right there in the store. Every few months I’d stop by to inform her of my progress with the company and she would hand out my business cards to customers.
Her husband told me (yesterday) that she had been stricken with cancer and during her entire battle, she had the support of her loved ones who stood with her until the end.
The ice cream is still delicious and as a respect for her legacy of kindness and faithfulness, I’ll continue to support this great ice cream store that was truly her baby and a testament to her faith.
The last time I saw her, I told her I was going to put her on Angie’s List and write a great report about her store. Happy to say that I did that.

Yum-​O! The ice cream is creamy and delicious! We tried the Almond and the butter pecan and both were awesome!
The man working was delightful!
We’ll be back!

The Caribbean flavors are the best and they are hard to find in the DC area.
Flavors: Grape Nut, Rum & Raisin, Guava, Mango, Sour SOP, Coconut and Reggae Ginger.
I have lactose problems and this is the only cream, I have had without any wind breaks, bubble guts
I’m hoping they come up with a coco bread flavor ice cream.

I made a special trip to Mt. Rainier just to check out this hidden island paradise just steps away from busy Route 1.
Normally I trek across town for a meal, and dessert is an afterthought. In this instance, the opposite was true. Well, the trip was worth it!
I was spotted as a first time customer, and Pancita was ready to take my order. I told her I knew I wanted the coconut ice cream, but I wanted her recommendation on the second scoop. Without hesitation she offered the pineapple. I’m not a big pineapple fan, but I figured if she was that certain, I should follow her lead.
In a word: Delicious! The pineapple was perfect with the coconut, and the two big scoops served in a sugar cone really hit the spot.
5 stars: Excellent ice cream — worth the trip — I can recommend this place without reservation.

So in trying to be a good girlfriend after my boyfriend just sprung for bunch, i offered to pay for his ice cream. He got a large cup and i got a small milkshake. When i went to pay, i pulled out my $ 10 and was ready. Then she gave me the total … 11.25! It was 5.99 just for my milkshake! I could not believe i drank $ 6 of ice cream in like 3 minutes.
BUT, the ice cream is really good. Flavors are strong and tasty. I was in heaven while i slurped down my cookies and cream milkshake, even though it was chocolate based… and i detest chocolate ice cream! But full of organic milk… well it was delicious.
The owner was so nice and the atmosphere fun. But i just can’t believe that my shake and Jeff’s ice cream cost almost as much as our whole brunch at Hitching Post, and i cant seem to justify paying that cost again.

A little bit of paradise in a gentrifying neightborhood, this ice cream parlor is decked out in simple décor with a jamaican island motif. Inside is a good selection of organic ice cream with some really unique flavors. I opted for guava and mango and both were very good and refreshing. The guava had a subtle sweetness and the mango was really evident. You could taste both distinctive flavors without any sugary overtones.
The other Unilocalers who came from the Hitching Post UYE were equally delighted by their selections. If this was in my neighborhood, I’d be a regular patron throughout the year.

The owner, Pancita, is every bit as sweet as the frozen treats that she handmakes and serves. As other ice cream shops have witnessed before, the Carnie Crew likes to keep the feeding frenzy going after the main event. A caravan of carnies left Hitching Post for Island Style, just a few miles down the road.
While most ice cream servers would buckle at the sight of a crew of sweaty, salivating carnivores, Pancita was up to the challenge — she was so friendly and easy going. Serving samples generously in between taking and fulfilling orders. Once everyone had their treats in hand, we weren’t rushed to pay her at the register.
I got the waffle cone with the chocolate and french almond. The cone fit about a pint of ice cream in it — it even came with its own protective plastic cone holder with an edge going the entire circumference of the cone to catch drips. This ice cream must be kept at an abnormally cold temperature because it did not melt — nary a drip was found on the cone holder. Granted it was a December day but it was 68 degrees out. I eat ice cream very slowly and usually half of it ends up on my wrist and the floor. Not at Island Style — it’s super thick, creamy and cold. The flavors are excellent. I’ve had better chocolate ice cream but the french almond wowed me. The flavor was subtle but enhanced by the slices of almond that were mixed into it.
Island Style — the perfect digestif apres-​Hitching Post.

I feel like a jerk breaking up the perfect score party, but I have a hard time getting over the disproportionately high prices here. $ 11+ for a small milkshake and two scoops of ice cream is very high. Ice cream quality is excellent and flavor selection is very good, focusing more on tropical fruit flavors than the usual place serving chocolate flavors, and typical dessert fare. In fact, I’m not sure that I even saw plain chocolate here.
The rum raisin was especially delicious, and the mango was very smooth. Of the other flavors I sampled, none were that flavorful, but I think that’s a very common issue with fruit flavored ice creams. Consistency varied from batch to batch, and many of them were icier tasting than I’d care for. It tastes like a lower butterfat ice cream to me, almost like Breyer’s, but better.
Comparisons to York Castle in Silver Spring are very obvious, with the nod of flavor selection and consistency to York Castle and with the nod of taste and friendliness going to Island Style. It’s a one woman show here, and you’ll be hard pressed to find friendlier service. A definite must for anyone near Mt Rainier, but not the definitive ice cream place in the grand scheme of things.

Hi everyone. My name is Su K. and I have a problem. I drive under the influence… of Unilocal.That’s right. I Unilocal while I drive. I can’t help it. When I drive on my own I have time to think, and inevitably, I start to think about food. Yesterday, I’m on my way to a meeting and I suddenly start thinking about ice cream. I get stuck at a red light and I open up the Unilocal iPhone app and search for Ice Cream near me. The first listing, w/​5 stars and 4 reviews, was Island Style Ice Cream. *Honk!* Crap, green light. I come to another red light and peruse the reviews. Hmmmm, Marsha «paintermamma/​no, that’s my daughter and no, you can’t have her number» S., Molly R., and two other avatars I didn’t recognize reviewed it. Hmmm… interesting. This place sounds really goo.*HONK!* «Crap, another green!» Next red, I give them a call and hear my favorite words, «Yes, we are still open.» They close at 8 and it was a little before 7. Excellent! Next red, open up Google Maps cuz the map on the Unilocal app is some butt and search for Island Style Ice Cream and come up w/​‘Island Style.’ Map it out: take Rte 1. and make a right on 34^th St. «Simple enough.»
Halfway down Rte. 1, I get stuck on another red (all the traffic lights on Rte. 1 hate me, btw). So I read the reviews more thoroughly and I see Molly R.‘s statement: «One thing to remember: the credit card minimum is around $ 10 so make sure you have cash if you’re just getting something for yourself.» *thinking thinking* «Can I eat $ 10 worth of ice cream by myself?» «Wrong question dummy,» my brain shouts, «The question is, should you eat $ 10 worth of ice cream by yourself?» This is why my brain and I aren’t very good friends. Then I realize that I don’t have any cash. So I give them a call and see if they have a credit card limit. Sure enough, $ 10 limit. I ask them if they have an ATM inside, but they don’t. They told me that there should be one at the liquor store down the street.
At this point, most normal people would turn back, but I am no normal person — I am a foodie. I park across the street at a meter and walk up 34^th to some convenience store. «Our ATM is out of cash,» the clerk replies. 0_​o??? I ask him where the nearest ATM is, and he says the Sunoco down by the fire station. Aw crap! That’s a good 2 – 4 blocks. But I was undeterred. Thankfully, there was a liquor on Rte. 1 that had an ATM w/​a $ 1.50 ATM fee. I walked back to Island Style triumphantly with cash in hand. Was it worth it? YES!
Food stuffs — The ice cream here is handmade by the owner, Pancita Brydson, and it is magnificent. There are 21 flavors made with organic ingredients consisting of nonfat milk, cream, sugarcane syrup, and the flavor specific ingredients. I love me some ice cream, but like most indulgences in life, you feel guilty afterwards. But that’s not the Island Style, mon. I had a large ($ 4.80) w/​coconut and Jamaica me nuts, and it was refreshing, creamy, and delicious, but after finishing it, I didn’t feel guilty at all. The coconut was delicious and though the Jamaica Me Nuts was anatomically incorrect (it had 3 nuts), it too was fantastic. I also tried the ginger (good but different) and mango (better than any I’ve ever tried. Would be amazing w/​sticky rice), and the grape nut flavor was completely gone. The scoops are average in size and at nearly $ 5, it is rather pricey, but it’s worth every penny.
Note: she also sells prepackaged pints and quarts.
Location — it feels like you are visiting the Jamaican aunt you never had to get some ice cream. There’s a nice long ramp for handicap access. She also serves Jamaican beef patties, which I decided against since I just had Jamaican food two days in a row, and there are tons of sodas and bottled drinks I’d never heard of. $ 10 min for credit cards and the meters are 30 min for $ 0.25 and are enforced until 7pm Mon-​Sat.
Service — As the other reviewers have noted, Pancita is awesome. When I walked into the store, she smiled and said, «Welcome,» with a hearty Jamaican accent. She allowed me to sample several flavors and she gave a little tidbit on each one I tried. When I left, she told me to tell my friends about her. I REALLY wish I had a You’ve been Unilocaled card.
Ah well. That’s my excuse to go back. Maybe tonight.
And remember, friends don’t let friends drive while Unilocaling and Unilocal responsibly.
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Hmmmm…guess you can’t write an update the day after. I went back last night and got 5 pints to go:
Mango — I have to disagree w/​other reviewers as it tastes fresh, but it doesn’t feel like you’re eating fruit. But it sure was delicious
Strawberry — this is Pancita’s favorite. One bite and you’ll understand why
Stout — Guiness!!! This has an amazing icy texture. Sooooo good!
Reggae Ginger — I don’t like ginger, but I like this. It takes like a gingerbread cookie/​Ginger ale. Sounds odd, I know, but it’s GOOD
Coconut — I could eat this all day. And I darn near polished off the pint myself.
Each pint was $ 6 & worth every penny