5 of the most spectacular ice cream treats and sundaes in the D.C. area

200 Commerce St., Alexandria.

Brandon Byrd grew up in Wisconsin, and when he was making trips back as an adult, he found himself seeking out custard. Now he makes gallons of Wisconsin-style custard each day for Goodies, which he started in 2012 as a food truck operating out of a vintage van. In 2021, building on the van’s popularity, he converted a nearly century-old icehouse in Alexandria to open a storefront location with a 1950s-inspired soda fountain menu of shakes, floats and other treats.

Byrd’s custard — made with his own secret recipe using locally sourced ingredients — is incorporated into over-the-top desserts featuring baked goods, such as the Custardwich, a sandwich of vanilla or chocolate custard between two pieces of fresh pastries. The Big Apple is a standard on the menu, consisting of the rich, creamy custard between halves of an apple cider doughnut, baked fresh each morning, and topped with homemade caramel sauce. The Browniewich, featuring custard between slices of a thick chocolate brownie topped with chocolate sauce, is also a menu staple, but other creations rotate through, like Custardwiches with lemon pound cake, Oreo cupcake, red velvet cake, bread pudding and rum cake.

Goodies is a labor of love for Byrd, who wakes up early, often at 3 or 4 in the morning, to get in to work, make custard and start baking. As he puts it, “I love frozen custard and want to bring a piece of the Midwest out here.” Sundaes $8; Custardwiches $10.

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