How Sweet it is: Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Birthday Cake & Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream from Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Ok. I wish this place relocated inside of my house. This is probably one of the happiest vegan places to exist. Seriously, this is the place your mom should take you on a day that you come home from school with a face wet with tears and snot dripping onto your shirt sleeves. Ok, sorry - that was a gross visual, but, you know what I mean.

I went there last night with my boyfriend despite the fact that he was on the verge of falling into a deep sleep (he had parent-teacher conferences all day), but I knew he would instantly wake up as soon as we walked in the door. It is instantly welcoming, set up like an old ice cream parlor - jars filled with candies such a licorice, marshmallows lining the walls and metal spoons in a 50's style straw dispenser.

May I remind you this place is ENTIRELY vegan!! OMG it is heaven. The first thing my boyfriend noticed was that they now offer a New York Style Egg Cream. DAMN. They have a menu that is full of those nostalgic soda fountain goodies that we only see in movies like Grease. Last time I was there I ordered a banana split that rocked my world. The whipped cream was kind of liquid-y though so I would not recommend using that as a topping.

I learned yesterday that all the ice creams are made in-house. Two of the 10 flavors were soy-based and the rest were nut-based. Which was great for my boyfriend since he is allergic to soy and often gets the itchy throat when we get ice cream. (I know, what luck, I’m allergic to oats & he’s allergic to soy). This week the nut-based ice creams were made with cashews! COOL. I love how nuts make things creamy. Anyway, this store is so cute. I can’t emphasize it enough. Our server was very sweet and answered all our questions and let us sample everything with adorable little spoons!! They had a whole new set of flavors from last time I was there which made me realize, I can NEVER get tired of this place. Haha! So I tried the avocado ice cream (fancy!) which was kind of weird but probably a great summer treat. The peanut butter fudge was ridiculous, very thick, not ice-y at all. Heavy peanut-butter taste. The espresso was very true to the taste too! Not watered down at all. My eyes opened a little wider after I tried that one.

OK. This made me squeal with joy. They had a flavor with sprinkles already on it… I eyed it suspiciously. I thought, could it be? No… Could it? YES! It was birthday cake flavor! I miss funfetti cake and birthday cake cream ices, haven’t been able to find anything vegan like it. This ice cream ruled my world. It was the greatest taste in my mouth. I want more. Right now.

They also have some other great things. Gone-pie gluten-free brownies (I bought one so will update with a taste-test soon), Red Mango baked goods (Brooklyn made muffins, cookies and cupcakes), and Chicago Soy Dairy Soft Serve.

So, this is how I imagine my summer going. Waking up. Hopping on my bike. Over the Manhattan bridge we go and to Lula’s Sweet Apothecary. Something to look forward to on this first day of spring….

Here are my only complaints, though hardly complaints, this is seriously the greatest place. It’s cash only (I never carry cash because I tend to spend impulsively) and it’s kind of out of the way (on E 6th street between A & B), but totally worth the trek!

Have you been to Lula’s? Don’t live in NYC but have a similar place in your town? Post in the comments!