Sandpiper – Greenport NY

Of the times that I’ve walked into a ice cream parlor, this was one of the oddest. While all of the other stores around Greenport were closed due to the rain, this place was more eerie in that it seemed as though no other patrons had been here yet. I got the first Black Raspberry cone of the season here.

Sandpiper has been around since 1979, and while other ice cream shoppes have come and gone from this seaside hamlet, this place has endured. Located on the last bloc of Main Street before the harbor, this is very much a tourist destination.

However, it’s also the furthest east of any homemade ice cream place on Long Island’s North Fork. While Hershey’s ice cream is prevalent out on this stretch, the exceptions are pretty notable. Sandpiper is laid out like an old Carvel with freezer cases full of novelties (but no Fudgie the Whale or Flying Saucers). There’s not really any seating inside, though there is a bar and mirror along one wall and a metal bench out front. It’s not such a detriment when there is waterfront in such close range.

So what was it that made this experience so “eerie”? The thing of it was when I peered into the ice cream case, all of the vats of ice cream had a virginal unscooped top. It seemed as though no one had been here yet.

A quick sample confirmed that black raspberry was the way to go with my flavor choice. The scoops had both a very rich creaminess and a tangy fruity feel. It’s a balance that can be tough to achieve and each bite seemed to present things differently, but that all served to make this a more interesting cone.

As you can tell, this is not a picture of the cone I ate. It is a picture of the tubs of ice cream a few days after my first visit. My camera decided to reject the data card that I had taken a days worth of pictures on and when the information was irretrievable, I hit reset and had to backtrack. No one else was getting a cone for me to fake it, though I directed a few girls here when they were loudly wandering and hunting for ice cream.

Cone – regular $3.75 medium $4.50 large $4.75

Sundae $4.95 banana split $5.95

Malt Shake $5.50

Sandpiper Ice Cream

142 Main Street, Greenport, NY 11944

631 477-1154

Open Memorial Day-Columbus Day

Hours 11a-11p

Sandpiper online