Ben & Jerry’s, the popular ice cream brand with flavors like Cherry Garcia, Phish Food and Chunky Monkey, is coming to downtown Riverhead with a brick-and-mortar shop on East Main Street.
The shop will be opening at 87 East Main Street, the former site of Sunny’s Riverhead Grill. The restaurant closed during the pandemic and has since been the location of two restaurants run by Lucharitos owner Marc LaMaina; it has been vacant since LaMaina’s last venture there, a fast-casual arcade themed restaurant called Burgercade, closed in November 2023.
“We’re very excited to see this level of tenant and commitment to downtown Riverhead,” said Ike Israel of Richmond Realty, the property’s real estate broker.
Angela and Steven Siliato of Wading River are the owners of the shop. Steven, an attorney, grew up with his parents owning a business and wants the same thing for his three children, he said in a phone interview. The Siliatos are hoping to have the shop open by mid-June.
“We just wanted to bring something that our family likes to the town and share it with everyone else,” Steven Siliato said.
Riverhead Town’s downtown revitalization projects attracted the Siliatos to the area, Israel said. “That’s what they’re playing off of — that there will be more people coming downtown with the activation of the town square,” he said. “I think that they’ll be a wonderful addition to downtown.”
Steven Siliato said his family is “excited to be a part of” downtown Riverhead’s revitalization.
Ben & Jerry’s Riverhead already has a Facebook page, on which the Siliatos have posted photos of the building’s renovations.
The closest Ben & Jerry’s shops near Riverhead are in Westhampton Beach and Patchogue. Pints of the brand’s ice cream are available at most stores.
Ben & Jerry’s had roots on Long Island; its founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, grew up in Merrick, before opening their first ice cream parlor in Burlington, Vermont. Ben & Jerry’s products are made, and the company is headquartered in Vermont. It is owned by Unilever, a British multinational packaged goods company.
In addition to its highly acclaimed ice cream, Ben & Jerry’s is also known for its progressive activism on human rights, environmental protection, and social and economic justice.
4/21/2025 3:20 p.m. Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include information from an interview with Steven Siliato, who with his wife Angela are the owners of the shop.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
