Ice Cave, West Philadelphia’s beloved Taiwanese dessert shop, set to close
After seven years, co-owners Jessica Wang and Po Chang have decided to shutter the treat shop to focus on their son.
The couple who runs Ice Cave, a dessert shop in West Philadelphia that sells Taiwanese shaved ice, popsicles, bubble tea, and other treats, will be closing the shop on February 19. The announcement was met with an outpouring of both disappointment and appreciation from customers who describe Ice Cave as not only a place to get unique treats, but also a neighborhood gathering spot run by warm and welcoming people.
Ice Cave, which is owned by Po Chang, opened in 2016 on Baltimore Avenue in University City. Chang’s wife, Jessica Wang, makes the shaved ice and bubble tea from her family’s recipe. Chang said that they decided to close the store in order to spend more time with their two-year-old son, Ellis.
“We had many kid customers and I saw them growing up year after year and I just realized kids need parents’ company when they [are] growing up. We felt guilty… when we see the kids with their dad or mom in Ice Cave during the summer to enjoy their family time,” Chang wrote in a post on the store’s Facebook page.
Chang and Wang plan to move back to Taiwan, but say that the shop’s landlord may continue to run a bubble tea and shaved ice store in the same location.
Ice Cave sold a variety of bubble tea and popsicles, but Max Lovitz-Wolfson, who lives in the neighborhood, described the Taiwanese shaved ice as “the star.” Made with natural ingredients and seasonal fruits, the creamy, fluffy shaved ice comes in multiple flavors and is adorned with a variety of toppings. “It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted,” he said. “It’s truly a work of art and magic, a mixture between the rich deliciousness of ice cream and the fluffiness of cotton candy.”
Chang wanted to open the store in West Philadelphia because there were no other stores that sold shaved ice and bubble tea in the neighborhood. “It added diversity of dessert and culture to the local community,” said Chi-Wei Huang, who lives in the Valley Forge area and traveled to the city to visit Ice Cave. “I love that they bring authentic Taiwanese desserts to a neighborhood in the United States.”
Charlie Laurison, a 13-year-old who lives a few blocks away from Ice Cave, said that the owners treated them like family when they would regularly come in for their favorite matcha drink with tapioca.
Ice Cave also became a gathering place for local students after school. “It started to create this really safe community,” Laurison said. “The owners would always say hi to me if they saw me on the street. They decorated their shop with bright colors and would always remember my name and my friends’ names. I could just really tell that they actually cared about their customers.”
Lovitz-Wolfson also noted how welcoming the owners were to customers. “Most people will highlight Po and Jessica as far and away an essential piece of the joy that the Ice Cave experience brings — they are both some of the warmest, kindest people you will have ever met, and they make you want to come back more and more, just to soak up the joy that radiates from them,” he said.
Chang said that the people he met were his favorite part of running the shop. “Because of Ice Cave, I have so many precious friendships with the people here,” he said.
While customers are disappointed to see Chang and Wang leave, all of them expressed understanding for the couple’s decision. “Despite being sad to see them go, we fully support their decision to dedicate more of their time to their adorable son and family,” Lovitz-Wolfson said.