A new brand of ice cream shop has launched in the Town of Vienna’s Village Green shopping center.
Whistler’s Ice Cream Extraordinaire started serving scoops of its signature ultra-premium French custard in the former Molly’s Yogurt space at 521 Maple Avenue West last Friday (June 5).
The business joins an increasingly crowded landscape in Vienna for fans of frozen treats, who can pick from franchises like Bruster’s Real Ice Cream and Rita’s as well as more hyper-local shops, including Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream and Cafe de Vienna. Even Baskin’ Robbins is coming back to the town as part of a combined store with Dunkin’ Donuts.
Whistler’s owner and founder David Galinsky, however, is confident that his ice cream will stand out from the competition. Though the store is brand-new, the scoops it serves are modifications of a recipe that he has been selling to other businesses for more than a decade.
“I work for a local ice cream company that makes absolutely the best ice cream in the country,” Galinsky told FFXnow.
He asked for the manufacturer not to be identified to avoid conflicts with Whistler’s, but he says its ice cream has been served at high-end restaurants, hotels and even the White House.
According to Galinsky, he was first introduced to the company when trying out different ice cream offerings around the D.C. region to determine what to serve at a restaurant he planned to open in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he still lives. Initially, he considered rotating through different vendors, because there was “so much good ice cream around here.”
“I thought that was a great plan,” Galinsky said. “And then I went and ate this brand, and I was like, ‘Oh no, I will not sell anybody else’s ice cream.’ I mean, that’s how good… It stands that much above everything else out there. It’s really an incredible product.”
In fact, Galinsky was visiting restaurants in Vienna for his day job with the manufacturer when he came across Molly’s Yogurt Shop and noticed that it was closed. Established in 2010, the gelato and frozen yogurt shop was operated by the family behind The Italian Gourmet, a deli also located in the Village Green shopping center that has been serving Vienna for more than 50 years.
When he learned that Italian Gourmet owners Jeremy Schottler and Margaret McCollough hadn’t had time to open Molly’s for the 2026 season yet, Galinsky asked if he could try out the space for a temporary pop-up over a couple of weekends. During that experience, he “fell in love with Vienna” and got approval to turn the location into a permanent shop.
Open for now from 1-9 p.m. daily, Whistler’s serves ultra-premium French custard, which is made with egg yolk. That helps the ice cream retain its flavor and allows for less sugar, according to Galinksy.
“I’ve eaten other high-end brands, and I won’t mention a name there,” he said. “… I tasted it, it was water, and then it was gone, whereas ours will linger. You will savor it.”
The shop will offer about 12 ice cream flavors at a time based on the amount of available freezer space, including a couple of dairy-free options that use a coconut base. Dairy-free and vegan sorbets will also be available.
