Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
In November 2025, Dahlia’s Ice Cream Spot served its final scoop, closing up shop after serving the Jersey City Heights neighborhood, and beyond, since the mid 1980s.
But then something changed; Craig Fernandez, the son of the owner of Dahlia’s Ice Cream Spot, decided that he couldn’t just let the staple spot that he—and many others—grew up with just “disappear,” he told Slice of Culture. So on March 21, Fernandez officially re-opened the 290 Central Avenue location, continuing his mother’s legacy.
“Just the community itself, this city [that I was born and raised in], I just loved how it was… I grew up here, worked here. My mother was the one who always taught me how to make ice cream, made me fall in love with ice cream and the city, it’s beautiful,” Fernandez said as he stood behind the counter, glowing with all the chalk colors that wrote out ice cream flavors behind him.
“To see something like [Dahlia’s] disappear, I can’t let that happen, you know, not on my watch…,” he laughed. “I’m willing to stay here for a long time.”
The Sweet Life
The location has been there since between 1984 and 1985. Fernandez’s mother worked at the shop when she was just 15 years old and, eventually, was able to take over the shop, embedding a piece of herself into the name: Dahlia’s Ice Cream Shop.
Since then, it has served as a sweet space for homemade ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, cakes and even pints and quarts-sized tubs for everyone who wanted to save a scoop—or more—for later.
Fernandez smiled as he reminisced growing up in the shop and in Jersey City, emphasizing that he’s Heights “born and raised.”
“Jersey City, it means everything to me. It’s my life. I went to school here, my friends are here, my playground is here. Regardless of what society has come into and everything… like we stay together as a community,” Fernandez explained.
“And that’s one thing I really love about it because nobody’s there by themselves. You’re not alone, and I feel like I’m not alone here in this city.”
When asked about how his mother felt that he took over the shop, he simply said, “happy” and “relieved.”
To More Life, More Success And More Ice Cream
For longtime customers, the shop might look a little different. The walls were a yellow and a beige, tan-ish color; the counter was towards the back, allowing the ice cream flavors to be the first to greet you; and balloons were propped on the left wall, ready to choose for any type of occasion.
In its new form, Fernandez added more color: pinks, blues, yellows, purples and anything in between to “bring the aroma out, the vibes in here [and] to make it nice [and] refreshing.” You might even forget you’re on Central Avenue.
Aside from the upgraded aesthetics, the flavors that many grew up with remain the same. Think:
- Marble Crunch
- Coconut
- Mango
- Pistachio
- Cherry Jubilee
If you don’t see your favorite there, don’t worry; there’s over 40 flavors chalked up on their menu, and they’re looking to add even more.
Fernandez added that he wouldn’t have been able to re-open without help from the community.
“They did help me a lot with: giving me advice, financial advice [and] directions who I can reach out to. [There’s] a lot of local sources who are willing to help each other. And, you know, that’s something I’m very grateful [for], especially here in this community,” he smiled.
You can stop by the shop every day from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more updates, you can follow their Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dahliasicecreamspot/.
