Mr. Frosty's: Outrageously Tasty, Instagram Worthy Ice Cream with Old School Charm

Stephanie Webster September 26, 2020

When Anthony and Rosa Luciano took over Mr. Frosty’s, 15 years ago, this classic ice cream spot had already been scooping the good stuff for happy customers for close to 60 years. Situated in the heart of East Norwalk, a few feet from the Norwalk River, Mr. Frosty’s feels like the type of spot you might wander across in a summer beach resort town. What makes Mr. Frosty’s a destination for Fairfield County ice cream enthusiasts? Anthony and Rosa never sit still. They are constantly researching and pushing to find the next great thing. Their creativity, playfulness, and willingness to experiment has made them a go-to for all things ice cream. Whether you’re looking for a take-out family style “Take & Make Fun Kit,” a Tornado, Shake, Apple Waffle Sundae, or whatever their latest and greatest seasonal flavors might be, the operative words are outrageous delicious fun here.

Truth be told, it was their new Vegan ice cream flavors that brought me to Mr Frosty’s on this visit, and yet somehow I managed to end up elbow deep in waffle sundaes, a pumpkin spice float, and several “Cravers.” Yeah, they weren’t kidding with that name. The “Unicorn” Craver brought me to my knees with Cotton Candy Ice Cream, Pink & Blue Sprinkles, Marshmallow sauce, and…of yes…Lucky Charms Marshmallows. The Pumpkin Cheesecake Craver came in a close second with Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream layered with cheesecake, caramel, and whipped cream and cinnamon crumb. Sweet baby Jesus.

But let’s get back to the intended report on Mr. Frosty’s Vegan selections. I happen to have not one, but two, household residents with dairy intolerances, but also serious business culinary palates. For this reason, and oh yeah, my job, we have sampled every dairy free frozen dessert product on the market. My family could quite literally hold its own focus group. Our extensive research has dictated that many of the Vegan “ice cream” product lines are icy, fall apart, and lack that creaminess we’ve come to expect from proper milk-based ice cream.

Anthony and Rosa started servicing the Vegan trend with their Dole Whip a ways back, but realized the market was asking for more. After months of tasting, they found a coconut milk based product out of Boston that scooped like regular ice cream, and has the creamy mouthfeel of the dairy based competition. Their Vegan selections come in four flavors: Chocolate Pudding, Mint Chip, Toasted Coconut and Raspberry Crisp. Naturally, I had to taste all of them, and while they are all solid choices with strong distinctively tasty flavors, the Chocolate Pudding is so deeply rich, you’d think it was a super premium cream based frozen dessert. The quality of the chocolate is outrageous, and while all of the Vegan flavors could easily pass for ice cream, this was the standout for me, and you’ll never miss the dairy with any of these flavors.

What else does Mr. Frosty’s have in store for Fall? Well, they have great seasonal offerings including the aforementioned Apple Pie Waffle Sundae and Pumpkin Cheesecake Craver, but they have also teamed up with Hank’s Root Beer for a Pumpkin Spice Float. Additionally, they are planning a few seasonal ice cream pies such as their Peppermint Ice Cream pie and Pumpkin Ice Cream pie for the holidays.

More good news for all you ice cream lovers. Mr. Frosty’s will be staying open longer this season (‘cuz it’s 2020 and lord knows we need it). They will be serving up ice cream through Christmas in 2020 vs their usual hard stop at Thanksgiving, with both curbside, walk-up, and delivery.