HAPPENING NOW: Opening night for Molly Moon’s Ice Cream in West Seattle

(WSB photos by Oliver Hamlin unless otherwise credited. Above, that’s Molly Moon holding the scissors)

Even before we could ask about it, the namesake owner of West Seattle’s newest ice-cream shop took on the topic of being less than a block away from the peninsula’s ice-cream icon Husky Deli. “A rising tide floats all boats,” Molly Moon Neitzel quoted, explaining that she believes “more dessert shops” mean “more people going out for dessert.” There was certainly an advance appetite for hers, judging by the line before the Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream doors opened at California/Alaska following the mid-afternoon ribboncutting:

(This photo and next by WSB’s Tracy Record)

Of course, the prospect of free ice cream for kids in the first two hours factored into that too. Adults paid full freight, for which the base prices are on the menu board as $6.95 for one scoop, $8.95 for two, $10.95 for three, and lots of extras available, from fresh-baked waffle cones to toppings including the boss’s favorite style of sprinkles:

In the hour before the shop opened, we got a behind-the-scenes look at everything from the ice-cream-making machinery (they start with a pasteurized base made by Lopez Island Creamery using Edaleen Dairy milk and take it from there) to the freezer into which the ice cream is placed to firm up overnight:

A quick peek into that (-2, said the display) made today’s outdoor weather seem balmy. They’re making plans, by the way, to give customers a closer look at the ice-cream-making process, to further reinforce the fact each of the 11 shops makes the ice cream it serves, possibly with some sort of visual alert when ice-cream-making is happening, and maybe even tastes of the almost-finished product. They’ve also made a corner of the kitchen visible from the street, a corner where they’re baking some of their ingredients, like brownies. But back to the ice cream – Molly posed for us with West Seattle shop manager Rae Alva and a couple of waffle cones:

Current seasonal flavors are Strawberry Matcha, Blueberry Pie, Orange Creamsicle, and Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet; “always flavors” are Coconut Chunk, Cookies & Cream, Cookie Dough, Honey Lavender, Iced Latte, Melted Chocolate, Salted Caramel, Scout Mint Brownie, Strawberry, Sweet Cream, and Yeti (explained here).

In addition to cones/bowls, you can buy shakes, sundaes, pints, tubs, and ice-cream cakes. (And merch.)

The remodel has made the shop seem more spacious than the prior Cupcake Royale configuration – the central tables and back booths are gone. The service counter’s in the same spot:

Molly told us the open layout might facilitate future events, such as music. (The shop’ll be open nightly until 11 pm, after all.) Meantime, they’re still awaiting exterior signage, and she’s hoping that will be available for installation within a few weeks. Signage is how Molly Moon’s impending arrival was announced in April 2024, when a banner popped up in a storefront window a few doors north (NN still holds the lease on that too and is seeking a tenant).

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