The Inside Scoop
Frequenting the Mosaic Central and Farm to Fairfax farmers markets, The Inside Scoop serves single and double scoops of hand-dipped ice cream free from artificial colors, sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup and made from organic milk and cream. In addition to cups, cones, sundaes, shakes and malts, the business, run by Fairfax City resident Daniel Azar and his father, Roger, also offers root beer floats, egg creams and ice cream sandwiches using cookies from a local bakery. // theinsidescoopcreamery.com
New Orleans Style Snowballs
Before moving to Northern Virginia in 2003 and taking a full-time government job, Garland Stevenson grew up in New Orleans. Missing a treat popular in his hometown, Stevenson started a truck serving New Orleans-style snowballs at area festivals. The fine shavings from blocks of ice are topped with homemade syrups, which include boozy (but non-alcoholic) options like Bourbon Street Hurricane and Sangria, plus G-rated ones like Cotton Candy and Blue and Pink Bubble Gum. // facebook.com/NOSnowBalls
Captain Cookie and the Milkman
Kirk Francis loved cookies growing up, so much so that in 2011 he, alongside his wife and co-owner Juliann, decided to bring the recipes he’d perfected over the years to the streets via his first Cookiemobile, which launched that next year. Today, four trucks roam the area serving eight kinds of cookies, plus a weekly special—including chocolate chip, vegan chocolate chip, funfetti and ginger molasses—milk and ice cream from area dairies, making frequent stops in Rosslyn, Clarendon, Courthouse and Ballston. They also attend festivals and cater private events in Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Tysons, and are looking into adding NoVA brick-and-mortar stores in 2019. // captaincookiedc.com
Little Miss Whoopie
It’s hard not to look back on the past with Little Miss Whoopie, selling an assortment of whoopie pies—two soft, cake-like cookies with a marshmallow buttercream sandwiched between them—whose origin reaches back to the 1920s. The company playfully calls each whoopie pie a “hero,” whoopie pie ice cream sandwiches “superheroes,” and whoopie pie sundaes “super villains,” playing into its comic book theme. On the truck, there are always chocolate and oatmeal cookies and chocolate buttercream, vanilla buttercream and vanilla ice cream, though other rotating options include red velvet, banana, blueberry and cinnamon roll cookies with fillings like peanut butter, caramel, banana or cinnamon cream cheese. “Sidekicks” include nitro cold brew coffee and coffee floats. // littlemisswhoopie.com
Golly Waffles
Waffles shouldn’t be restricted to breakfast, but they aren’t the easiest to eat on the go. Golly Waffles makes it possible, however, serving up sweet (classic Belgian, red velvet, cinnamon, chocolate and blueberry-stuffed) and savory (bacon- and turkey sausage-stuffed) wafflepops, which can be topped with homemade sauces, syrups, cream cheese icing, melted butter, whipped cream, Oreo crumbles, Nutella, peanut butter, shaved coconut and more. Find them at special events in the area and at Ashburn’s Blend Coffee Bar every other Sunday. // gollywaffles.com
Funnel Cake Cafe
Based in Fredericksburg and making appearances at events around the area since 2014, Funnel Cake Cafe serves its namesake adorned with powdered sugar and strawberry, chocolate, caramel, apple and cinnamon toppings, plus whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. Other carnival staples include fried Oreos, fried cheesecake, fried Snickers and fried Twinkies, too. // facebook.com/funnelcakeconcession
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken
Astro Doughnuts’ truck—with brick-and-mortar stores in Falls Church and the District—makes regular appearances in Ballston and at the Navy Federal Building, delivering vanilla glazed, maple bacon, peanut butter and jelly and creme brulee doughnuts, plus others rotating each month. The truck also serves tots, chicken fingers and chicken sandwiches. // astrodoughnuts.com
Popped! Republic Gourmet Popcorn
In addition to its classic, kettle, salt and pepper, cheddar, Old Bay, jalapeno, bacon and Buffalo popcorn, Popped!, which has a brick-and-mortar store in Alexandria, appeals to area residents’ sweet tooth by also dishing out caramel, maple glaze, Heath bar, cookies and cream, peanut butter cup and cinnamon roll popcorn, plus others drizzled in peppermint bark, dark, milk and white chocolate. // poppedrepublic.com
Mama’s Donut Bites & Donut Heaven
Mama’s Donut Bites and Donut Heaven share more than the same dessert: their owners are related. After getting laid off from the mortgage industry, Fairfax City resident Janette Hosein started serving apple cider mini doughnuts in 2012 under the name Mama’s Donut Bites, a cart and a food truck that is now run by her son, Rod Hosein. Mama’s Donut Bites can be found at Jiffy Lube Live concerts and the Westover, Vienna and Fairlington farmers markets, occasionally offering blueberry and red velvet doughnuts as well. In 2014, Janette and her daughter, Elaine, branched out and now sell similar sweets from their Donut Heaven cart, which can be found at the Falls Church and Dale City farmers markets. Donut Heaven lets their guests add their own cinnamon sugar while Mama’s Donut Bites tosses their doughnuts in it. Both offer a toppings bar starring homemade raspberry preserve, sprinkles, syrups, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, Oreos and more. // facebook.com/Mamas-Donut-Bites; facebook.com/donuthvn
Sarah’s Snowballs
Sarah Wilkins, a former Glen Burnie resident who now lives in Prince William, started Sarah’s Snowballs in 2013 when she grew tired of having to travel over an hour for a Baltimore-style snowball while pregnant with her son. Served in a cup rather than a cone, each snowball is topped with multiple flavors—egg custard with marshmallow is Wilkin’s favorite—plus marshmallow. The orange trailer attends private events but also makes appearances at Workhouse Arts Center, the Prince William County Fairgrounds and Bull Run Regional Park. // facebook.com/SarahsSnowballs
Mac’s Donuts
This isn’t your typical food truck … because it’s actually a 1985 Volkswagen. Frequenting the Courthouse Farmers Market on Saturdays, Mac’s Donuts, which took home the best dessert award from the 2013 Taste of Arlington, sells hot apple cider donuts, sometimes in skewer form. You can give its Stick-o-Donuts a try at special events as well, or even have them make an appearance at your wedding. // twitter.com/macsdonuts
Frufetti
Fairfax resident Andrea Kasey has a summer permit to serve her Hawaiian-style shaved ice —scoop of ice cream on the bottom followed by shaved ice coated in syrup and topped with condensed milk—and novelty ice cream bars (Good Humor, Blue Bunny and Popsicle products) at McLean’s Clemyjontri Park, plus schools, churches, daycares and private events. Upon request, she can carry the more sorbet-like Italian ice, and her locally made, gluten-free, vegan syrups are sweetened with cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. The syrups and a special line of ice cream bars that Kasey also carries are made in a nut-free facility. // facebook.com/Frufetti
Kona Ice of North Fairfax County
A franchisee of the national Kona Ice chain (which got its start in Kentucky in 2007) can be found roaming around Herndon, Reston, Vienna, Oakton and Chantilly in the colorful Kona Entertainment Vehicle, serving shaved ice topped with low-sugar flavors containing vitamin C and D. Steve Hammond, a Fairfax County resident, runs the shaved ice truck and frequently attends special events. // facebook.com/konaicefairfax
SCOOPS2U
What was once The Ice Cream Catering Company is now SCOOPS2U, a Springfield-based business that has been around since 1997 serving homemade ice cream from umbrella push carts. In 2011, SCOOPS2U introduced food trucks, offering prepackaged novelty classics and hand-dipped ice cream in cups, cones, sundaes and sandwiches at area festivals and private events. It also serves adult-flavored, but nonalcoholic, shakes and floats with names like Kahlua Mudslide, Jacked-Up Chocolate and Bourbon Vanilla. // scoops2u.com