Coyle's ice cream shop expands in Islip

Coyle’s has been dishing out homemade ice cream on Islip’s Main Street since 2007 but last week the shop got a dramatic upgrade, moving six doors east into a sparkling new storefront with almost three times as much space.

With a soaring dining room that can comfortably seat 60 — at tables and along the curving counter — the ice cream parlor is poised to become a local hangout.

It’s been a busy year for the South Shore brand founded in Bay Shore by Marty and Janice Coyle in 1985. Michael Khoury and Quadir Russell bought both stores in 2023 with a mission to preserve, upgrade and expand. In May, they opened an outlet inside the new Gemelli’s Gourmet in Lindenhurst — Khoury’s wife, Alessia, is a scion of the Cosentino-Schutz family that runs Gemelli Fine Foods and Gemelli Ristorante in Babylon and Gemelli Gourmet Market North in Glen Head.

Almost as soon as they took ownership of Coyle’s, Khoury and Russell began to work on expanding and moving the Islip shop. "We knew we wanted the next store to be able to handle parties and events and be the place that people come to hang out," Russell said. "We looked all over the South Shore and then we wound up falling in love with this location so near the old place."

Bay Shore designer Marcy Gorsline worked with the partners and Alessia to come up with a decor that manages to be both chic and nostalgic, with the strong red of the Coyle’s logo elevated by soft teal accents and lots of bright white. In the coming months, Russell said, they will be launching live music, game nights, trivia nights and more. Such weather-agnostic activities should, he hopes, keep Coyle’s busy year-round.

Coyle’s new 1600-square-foot dining room is almost matched in size by the kitchen, which is visible behind a glass wall. It’s been designed to host ice-cream making parties, expected by summer.

The menu in Islip is essentially the same as at the Bay Shore and Lindenhurst locations, with the 40-plus flavors scooped, stacked and sauced into scores of sundaes, shakes and sodas ($9.50 to $10.50). The bestselling Fire Islander (mint-chocolate-chip, cherry-vanilla and Oreo ice creams layered with hot fudge, marshmallow sauce and crunch, topped with whipped cream and a cherry) will have some competition from upstart Cookie Chaos (Oreo and Cookie Monster ice creams layered with crushed Oreos, cookie-dough pieces, topped with hot fudge and a cherry).

Coyle’s, 539 Main St., Islip, 631-617-5014‬, coylesicecream.com. Open Tuesday to Thursday 1 to 9 p.m., Friday 1 to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 p.m., Sunday noon to 9 p.m., Monday 3 to 9 p.m. Additional locations: 75 Howells Rd., Bay Shore and 189 S. Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst.