Restaurateurs and Chefs Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts continue to expand their Company for Dinner Hospitality Group with the opening of a second Small Batch, an artisanal ice cream shop which is now open. Located on the charming, family-friendly Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles’ burgeoning Mar Vista neighborhood, the new shop is just a few miles from the couple’s other local concepts—Hudson House in Redondo Beach; The Tripel, the four-in-one beachside complex Playa Provisions, and Tripli-Kit in Playa del Rey; and Da Kikokiko in Playa Vista. Originally opening in 2014 within Playa Provisions, Small Batch Mar Vista is a standalone concept and serves as the main workspace and development kitchen for both locations. Small Batch specializes in housemade, nostalgic ice cream flavors and novelties with a twist, with the new Mar Vista shop offering safe-to-eat cookie dough scoops, pints to-go, and fresh pastries from Playa Provisions.
“We’ve been watching the Mar Vista area grow over the past couple of years, so we’re excited to add to the up-and-coming neighborhood by creating a destination for ice cream lovers and families,” says Brooke. “Expanding Small Batch also gives us the ability to develop our menu and be more creative since we now have a dedicated kitchen to focus solely on ice cream and frozen treats,” says Nick.
Overseeing the menu is Playa Provisions’ pastry chef Lindsay Kirk, who has been working with Brooke and Nick to dream up Small Batch’s unique flavors and treats for the past few years. Menu highlights include housemade flavors like Birthday Cake, Banana Cream Pie, Vegan Chocolate Coconut, Fresh Sweet Corn, Lemon with Strawberry Pop Rocks, and Cereal Killer (a frozen take on Lucky Charms), alongside frozen novelties, such as Mint Oreo Ice Cream Pie, White Chocolate Thai Tea Pops, Fresh Raspberry Popsicles, and Chocolate Dipped Bananas with sprinkles. Custom sundaes, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches, and slices of birthday cake are also available. For guests looking to really indulge, they can order the Unicorn Sundae, inclusive of 10 scoops of ice cream, a variety of toppings, whipped cream, hot fudge, a cherry, and to top it off, a “uni-cone,” a chocolate dipped waffle cone with a sparkler on top, reminiscent of a unicorn’s horn. Cookie dough scoops include Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Chip, while soft-serve flavors will soon be added to the menu.
Taking over the former Sweet Lucie’s ice cream shop, Small Batch Mar Vista’s interiors and layout feature tall ceilings and a light gray, wrap-around counter with vintage, seafoam green light fixtures. Creating a youthful vibe and reinforcing the community-driven atmosphere, a colorful custom mural of a boy eating ice cream in a park by beloved local artist Bumble Bee Loves You runs along the length of one wall. With seating for 30 both indoors and out, the space also features an expansive patio with picnic tables and is available to rent for private parties.
Small Batch is located at 12222 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. A Small Batch pop-up ice cream cart will also be available at the weekly Mar Vista Farmers’ Market on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, please visit www.smallbatchicecreamery.com or call 424.289.9552. Become a fan of Small Batch on Instagram and Facebook.
