* New flavors, summer hours, new dips available for custard cones, design your own Keystone bars and more return for the everyone’s favorite time of the year *
Philadelphia, PA – Ice cream and custard season is officially back in Philly! Franklin Ice Cream Bar announces its season grand opening at 112 Market Street, starting Saturday, May 2nd through Labor Day. Franklin Fountain’s companion ice cream parlor for warm weather months is located just two doors down, in the heart of Confectionery Row. For this year’s menu, look for the return of their famous thick vanilla and chocolate custard, standard and seasonal pints, ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches and vegan and gluten-free options. Keystone Bars are back in rotating ice cream flavors. Design your own with a choice of milk or dark Shane Confectionery Chocolate dips.
Each hand-dipped bar can then be topped with rotating selections, such as candied jalapeños, toasted coconut, flower petals, spiced pecans, caramel drizzle, salted peanuts, brownie bites and more. Pre-made Keystone Bars include Strawberry Shortcake, Coffee Toffee Almond and Vegan Hydrox Cookie. New and limited edition products this year will include Strawberry Matcha Keystone Bars, Root Beer Ice (sorbet with Franklin Fountain Root Beer). Cherry Pie Ice Cream (vanilla ice cream with tart cherries and pie crust), Pretzel-delphia Ice Cream (chocolate ice cream, chocolate-covered pretzels and swirls for peanut butter sauce), plus Teaberry, Almond Butter Cherry, Cotton Candy, Blueberry, Vegan Strawberry, Vegan Chocolate Vegan Mint Chip, Vegan Blueberry and more. Franklin Ice Cream Bar will give away complimentary baby cones of its famous frozen custard to the first 50 customers on opening day starting at 2:00pm.
Hours for starting weeks are Saturdays, 4:00pm to 10:00pm and Sundays, 3:00pm to 9:00pm. Look for expanded hours closer to mid-June and July 4th. In case of inclement weather or special private events, The Franklin Fountain is open this season from 11:00am to Midnight seven days a week right next door for all your sweet tooth needs. For more information and menu teasers, follow @franklinfountain and visit franklinicecream.com.
“Franklin Ice Cream Bar’s custard giveaway has become a rite of passage and a tradition here in Old City on Confectionery Row,” said owner Eric Berley. “It’s the day we see the return of some of our most loyal customers from the cold winter months to celebrate the new season with us. Franklin Ice Cream Bar is known as one of Old City’s best kept secrets for those wanting something different than our main scoop shop. It is also a secret way to skip the lines and design your very own custom Keystone Bar.”
Franklin Ice Cream Bar debuted in Old City in 2018 as the 1940’s-inspired auxiliary, quick serve companion to The Franklin Fountain – which is located two doors down at 116 Market Street. It is also where The Franklin Fountain and Shane Confectionery next door meet and intersect, featuring product collaborations that combine the best of both worlds: chocolate and ice cream.
The shop is popular among locals who want to get in and out quickly, avoiding the summer lines at the main location. It is also a hidden gem because it has an extensive to-go inventory, limited edition flavors, and allows patrons to design their own ice cream bar. It is also famous for its delicious thick vanilla bean and chocolate custard. Franklin Ice Cream Bar is open every year from May to Labor Day.
For the 2026 ice cream and custard season, come out for a complimentary baby custard cone on May 2nd – choose vanilla bean, chocolate or twist. Starting this day, also look for the returning favorites and new products for spring and summer, including these highlights:
SPRING/SUMMER MENU HIGHLIGHTS – FRANKLIN ICE CREAM BAR
Keystone Bars – Pre-Packaged
* Strawberry Shortcake (Strawberry Ice Cream, dipped in Shane Confectionery white chocolate, with salty, tangy shortcake crumble)
* Coffee Toffee Almond (Coffee ice cream, dipped in Shane Confectionery dark chocolate, topped with almonds and toffee)
* Vegan Hydrox Cookie (Vegan Hydrox ice cream, dipped in Shane Confectionery dark chocolate, topped with Vegan Hydrox cookies)
* Limited Edition – Strawberry Matcha (Strawberry and Matcha Ice Cream swirled together, dipped in Shane Confectionery house dark chocolate, with a Matcha white chocolate drizzle and sprinkled with freeze dried strawberries)
* Other Rotating Flavors/Seasonals
Keystone Bars – Custom Design Your Own
The Keystone Bars are available in a rotating ice cream flavors, and can be dipped in milk or dark Shane Confectionery chocolate – roasted on the block, and made from responsibly sourced cacao and sugar. You then choose 3 toppings from their rotating toppings bar.
Perennial toppings are caramel drizzle, salted peanuts, waffle cone pieces and brownie bites. Currently rotating are candied jalapeños, toasted coconut, flower petals and spiced pecans.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
* Salted Chocolate Chip with Vanilla Bean
* Snickerdoodle with Sea Salt Caramel
* Double Chocolate Chip with Peanut Butter Ice Cream
* June Limited: Lemon Cookie Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwich
Frozen Custard
* Regular, Large, Gelati (Real Fruit Ice Sorbet and Custard)
* Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Twist
* Limited Edition: Crème de Lafayette Custard on July 14th (Vanilla ice cream with blueberry and raspberry compote swirled in)
* New: Shane Confectionery chocolate dip for custard cones
New Ice Cream Cake
* May: Honeycomb & Blueberry Ice Cream cake; naked, but layered with lemon crumbles;available as 6″ 8″ 10″ can be made as a circle or heart; Blueberry ice cream made with blueberries from Blueberry Bill Farms in Hammonton, NJ, the blueberry capital of the world; Gluten-Fr ee
* Pre-orders start in early May, debuts in time for Memorial Day Weekend through 8/31
Scoops, Shakes and Sundaes
Franklin Ice Cream Bar has a limited menu for those seeing a scoop, milkshake or sundae.
* Franklin Fountain’s top 14 flavors available in scoops, plus two sorbets and Vegan Hydrox
* Hot Fudge Sundae (Scoop Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, Cherry)
* The Mt. Vesuvius (Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Brownies, Malt, Whipped Cream)
LIMITED EDITION AT FRANKLIN FOUNTAIN AND FRANKLIN ICE CREAM BAR
Look for these at Franklin Fountain and/or Franklin Ice Cream Bar this spring/ summer:
* Early May through Labor Day: Cherry Pie Ice Cream made with vanilla ice cream, tart cherries and pie crust
* Early May through June: Root Beer Ice (Sorbet) – Made with Franklin Fountain Root Beer
* Later May through Labor Day: Pretzel-delphia Ice cream, chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered pretzels and swirls of peanut butter sauce
* June through Labor Day: Blueberry Ice Cream made with blueberries from Blueberry Bill Farms in Hammonton, NJ, the blueberry capital of the world
* June through Labor Day: Vegan Blueberry Ice Cream made with blueberries from Blueberry Bill Farms in Hammonton, NJ, the blueberry capital of the world
* July and August: Stay tuned for more flavors!
VEGAN AND GLUTEN FR EE
All four locations on Confectionery Row (The Franklin Fountain, Franklin Ice Cream Bar, Shane Confectionery and the new Cacao Pod) offer ample vegan and gluten-fr ee options:
* Vegan Hydrox, Lemon-Lime Ice (Sorbet), Mango Ice (Sorbet), featured flavors
* GF toppings hot fudge, hot caramel, whipped cream, sprinkles, chocolate and rainbow
* Vegan and GF toppings house chocolate syrup
* Assorted vegan and GF candy, chocolate, ice cream, custard, sodas, milkshakes and the true star: GF ice cream cakes (seasonal flavors and custom cakes too)
FAMOUS FLIGHTS AND 26 WILD FLAVORS
The Franklin Fountain announces a blitz of 26 super-limited-edition, experimental new ice cream flavors for spring and summer! You can now get them at Franklin Ice Cream Bar, as it is open for spring and summer hours.
Starting in May, and each month moving forward, ice cream lovers are invited to try six new flavors monthly: four will be sold as an ice cream flight, and two additional flavors will debut in pints. These six new monthly flavors will not be available by the scoop. They will be sold on a first come first serve basis.
Following record sell-outs for the debut flavors (Charcuterie Board Flights and Caramelized Garlic Toffee Pints), the roll-out schedule to date is as follows:
5/2 Tea Flight ( Hydrangea, London Fog, Chai, Honeysuckle)
5/9 Bastani (Saffron, Rose, Pistachio) Pint
5/23 Caprese Pint
6/6 Baked Goods Flight (Pomegranate Scones, Blueberry Cobbler, Banana Bread, Lemon Bar)
6/6 Peach Scone Pint
6/20 Box ‘o Chocolate Pint
7/3 Smokey Cherry Wood
7/18 Black Sesame Amaretto Pint
8/8 Herb Flight (Thyme, Rosemary, Sage and Basil)
8/8 Plum Pint
8/22 Prickly Pear Passionfruit
COMING SOON
Look for ice cream, sundae, punch, candy and other specials celebrating America 250 and Philly 250th at The Franklin Fountain, Franklin Ice Cream Bar, Shane Confectionery and the new Cacao Pod.
ABOUT THE FRANKLIN FOUNTAIN
Owned and operated by brothers Eric Berley, The Franklin Fountain is an authentic re-creation of an American ice cream parlor and soda fountain, circa 1915. Ice cream made on-premises is scooped and served in cones, sundaes and floated upon ice cream sodas drawn from a 1904 bronze & onyx soda fountain. Hot fudge, caramel and other toppings are made using fresh, local ingredients. Soda jerks are dressed in period attire, serving customers an authentic early 1900s experience in a historic building with ornate tin ceilings, marble counters and mosaic penny tile floors.