The Lemon Ice King of Corona – Oldest Italian Ice Stand in America

During the summer, Italian ice is sold on just about every street corner in New York City, but some people go all the way to Corona, Queens, for it. The reason? Queens is where to find the king—the Lemon Ice King of Corona, that is. The Lemon Ice King is one of those mom-and-pop institutions all true New Yorkers know about. It is famous for one thing and one thing only: Italian ices.

I’m Jamie McDonald join me as we celebrate small businesses that make New York so unique meets New York original Italian eyes summertime in New York City you can find it on just about every street corner but there’s a reason people will go all the way to Corona Queens just to get it for Queens is where the king is the lemon ice king of Cologne I enjoy seeing the people coming up here for the first time they come up in not knowing what to expect and just to see the reaction on their face when they chase a particular flavor it’s like wow yeah I mean what it tastes it’s one of those mom-and-pop institutions if you

Don’t know about it then you’re not a true New Yorker you see the lemon ice king of Corona is known for one thing Italian ices and they do them spectacularly we have people that actually come here and instead of wet the wood snow on the ground and they want this super coconut

Or they’re super vanilla chip and if by chance we close a little earlier because in a weather we hear it the next time that they come over and we came by news Laura and you were close you know with some 40 flavors on hand you’re gonna

Have a tough time picking a favorite but basically anybody that eats and ice has to have a lemon first that that’s traditional that’s you it’s the lemon ice all the classic flavors are here like vanilla cherry and blueberry but some of their more exotic offerings are the most popular like licorice peanut

Butter and even cantaloupe we had somebody that wanted an avocado flavor and it kept pushing it every time you came up here he would say when are you gonna make the avocado the lemon ice king of Corona was started in the 1940s on this very corner by Nicholas benefi

Rina his son Pete quickly joined the business building it to what it is today current owners Michael’s an Pino and Vincent bar Bhatia took over almost two decades ago only after years under Pete’s tutelage and a promise to keep things the same were they able to convince him to sell

We’re still a menthe operation people laugh at us we don’t have a computer in the place you know how could you not have a computer we recently just got a fax the place is as is because of the fact that we still hold to this to the old fashioned rules that out Pete

Continued working here after he sold the business even living upstairs until he passed away in 2008 he was his own man it was he was a chef by trade and when it came to Isis it was a genius you know he would never settle for being good enough I’m sure you’re familiar

With the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld well more than once it was said that he was a lemon ice Nazi you know you got it the way he gave it to you and that was it did I just say thank you and you’re left that doesn’t mean Pete isn’t dearly

Missed the chair where he reigned over his kingdom stays permanently in his favorite spot as tribute Pete’s touches are still all over the place and you can’t help but notice one of his big red letter signs in particular we do not mix play but that’s something that was just passed down and

We’re staying with it because you know this is the way to keep the king wanted it all so dude there’s a reason for that why he used to do that we don’t want to mix the flavors up with the other flavors but Vinny and Mike have reversed

One of Pete’s rules drum roll please the lemon ice king and now offers napkins and as they’re walking up this is yellow we got to get this flavor in that flavor then they asked for a napkin they’re all dressed up and they’re asking for a napkin and then we would

Tell them no we don’t have napkin all of a sudden that couple lost a little flavor you know I mean that’s like how could you do that you know so I was you know rather than be embarrassed that way we said you know what we’re we’re getting napkins and we’re getting spoons

You know he didn’t talk to us for two weeks well we did that you know but he overcame that also so Pete apparently knew what he was doing for this place has gotten some serious accolades including the Zagat guide award of distinction and to make sure the quality

Stays on I all of the ices are made from scratch right on the premises you let it lay for any amount of time it sort of loses some of its flavors that fresh is fresh that’s it then I saw like I said as we need a product we’ll make it the

Next day and without even trying they use all natural ingredients you order lime you’re getting line not some bright green artificial flavoring they even truck in fresh fruit in school not the flavoring themselves in a kitchen facility so spotless you could mistake it for a medical either me and

My partner will make the batches we only try to make the batches right now but this was the recipes that we that were passed down to us and they’re held in the highest confidence you know I know and my partner knows my wife doesn’t know and what they want to know is just

How the lemon Ice King is able to get such a creamy taste with no additives we have supposedly we have a secret recipe and this is part of the secret recipe then you can get this kind of a creamy ice that kind of texture using only

Water because if I told you that was it was a free Mike she would say what is a break free mice but it’s not so again it’s all natural water-based ices that’s that’s the big novelty of our Isis on blistering summer days they can go through over 200 gallons a day good

Thing they’re enormous freezer is kept to a bone-chilling eleven degrees they also give back to the community only hiring neighborhood kids to work there the lemon ice King also benefits from being just a stone’s throw away from where the Mets play and the US Open and just like good weather a

Mets win can bring in extra customers but what always brings them to this ice cold wonder is a top-notch product with a taste truly New York the best slice is you’re gonna get in New York and probably the country so try to make the extra special trip it’s worth it thank you The lemon ice king of Corona is open year around seven days a week summertime they stay open until 12:30 a.m. that is unless things start op and then they’ll stay open even later they’ve also started to get into the wholesale business shipping as far away as Kentucky