A sweet new release is coming soon to Old Town Books — although it isn’t the latest summer romance or nonfiction read.
The independent bookstore is preparing to enter the confectionery world this summer with Fabled Ice Cream, a new ice cream brand by store founder Ally Kirkpatrick. The brand is planning weekly drops of literary-inspired flavors, available in small-batch pints at Old Town Books (130 S. Royal Street).
Correction: The victim in this case is not the suspect’s wife. Police recovered a weapon at the suspect’s home, and spoke with the suspect’s wife. ALXnow regrets the error.
A 60-year-old Alexandria man will appear in court later this month after being charged with abduction, assault and battery, and brandishing a firearm in an incident that allegedly “stemmed from dropping ice cream,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
A new ice cream cafe is holding a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 11 in Del Ray.
The ribbon will be cut at Sweetside Café and Creamery (10 E. Glebe Road) at 10:30 a.m., and specials and giveaways will be offered at the event, according to the Del Ray Business Association (DRBA). The shop is owned by Teresa Keefer, who also owns Northside 10, which is directly next door, and Southside 815 in Old Town.
The owners of a historic townhouse in Old Town with ground floor retail want to expand the property with a 700-square-foot addition and use it as their primary residence.
Plans to redevelop 107 N. Fairfax Street will head to the Planning Commission on Thursday, Oct. 9. The four-story townhouse was built in 1800, and is located in the city’s Old and Historic District. It’s located directly across from City Hall (301 King Street), and the first floor is home to dessert and coffee shop Dolci Gelati.
An Alexandria-based frozen custard shop has been announced in the fifth-annual American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation‘s “Backing Small Historic Restaurants program.”
Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats is situated in a historic ice house at 200 Commerce Street in Old Town and is one of four local businesses to receive the $50,000 grant.
We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories.
Our most-read post is on a proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The effort is facing some pushback from neighbors wary of potential crime and safety issues. In July, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita officially announced in a special use permit application that it wants to open at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social. It would be the fourth restaurant for the local chain, and while the restaurant won’t serve alcohol, outside patio hours would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the application. The inside area is proposed to be open 24 hours a day.
Fans of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream won’t have to travel to Arlington anymore to get their fix. The company recently filed an administrative special use permit (DSUP) application with the city to open a location in Old Town.
The New York City ice cream shop wants to open at 400 King Street, next door to the Alexandrian Old Town Hotel and Southern restaurant King & Rye. Proposed hours would be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, and the business expects between 150 and 250 daily customers, according to the SUP. The last day for public comments on the proposal is Aug. 21.
The Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team from Georgia, is taking over the Dunkin’ at 3325 Richmond Highway for two hours on Saturday (June 28).
Dunkin’ is the “official coffee and breakfast partner” of the Savannah Bananas, and from 9 to 11 a.m., players will go behind the counter to take orders, treat guests, and give away free merchandise.
What a week we just had in Alexandria!
Here’s our recap of everything worth talking and reading about over the past week in the Port City. This week, Alexandria was named a Sanctuary Jurisdiction by the Trump administration, a distinction Mayor Alyia Gaskins said “wrongly targets and mischaracterizes Alexandria and dismisses core principles that make up the foundation of our democracy.”
Alexandria residents have spoken, and The Dairy Godmother is their top pick for ice cream in the city. The results are from a recent ALXnow reader poll, which concluded on May 27, 2025, with 1,475 local food lovers casting their votes.
The Dairy Godmother (2310 Mt. Vernon Ave.) picked up 23.73% of the votes, while Casa Rosada Artisan Gelato (111 S. Payne St.) received 15.05% of the votes, and Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream (109 King St.) rounded out the top three with 14.44% of the votes.
Brandon Byrd wants to refocus your attention, if only for just a few minutes.
As life around the D.C. area intensifies over politics, the economy and the summer, Byrd says his frozen custard provides customers with an escape. Starting Thursday (May 22), Byrd is reopening Goodie’s Frozen Custard and Treats at 200 Commerce Street in Old Town.
