Toby's Homemade Ice Cream To Open New Shop In Vienna

VIENNA, VA — Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream, the ice cream shop that became famous in 2021 for its cicada sundaes, is planning to open a new shop in the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna in May.

The Vienna location held a soft opening last weekend, without any advance notice, and it was a big success, said Toby Bantug, who founded Toby's Homemade Ice Cream in 2008 in Arlington.

The shop pulled down the paper covering the front door as the space went through a remodeling, and word began to spread across Vienna that Toby's had opened. Crowds of people started showing up on Friday, and the shop stayed busy during the hours it was open over the weekend.

For the official opening of the new Vienna location of Toby's Homemade Ice Cream Shop, residents will have to wait until May.

Bantug said the store is still in the hiring process and hopes to be ready to open in Vienna by mid- to late-May. The new Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream will be at 280 Cedar Lane SE in Vienna.

About five years after Toby's first location opened in the Westover neighborhood of Arlington, Bantug said he started thinking about expanding to a new location. Almost 10 years later — and after his business survived a pandemic — the new location is almost ready to officially open its doors.

Bantug and a commercial real estate consultant researched the region and decided the Cedar Park Shopping Center, located near Cunningham Park Elementary School on Park Street, would be a great spot for his second store.

The Toby's store in Arlington made a splash last summer thanks to its cicada sundaes. Customers from all over Virginia, D.C. and Maryland visited Toby's to try the dessert they had heard about on Facebook and foodie groups.

The frozen treat came with one scoop each of chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and café au lait, topped with chocolate sprinkles, two red M&Ms and a waffle cone.

Bantug did not say whether customers at his Arlington and Vienna stores will have to wait another 17-years for the return of the cicada sundaes.

In the meantime, customers can enjoy the many flavors of homemade ice cream offered by Toby's, as well as other types of sundaes and ice cream cakes. The store also serves coffee and espresso-based drinks.