Classic Miami Ice Cream Shop the Frieze Reopens After Outcry

Just three months after Miami residents expressed their heartbreak over the sudden closure of the Frieze, a legendary Miami Beach ice cream shop of nearly 40 years, New Times has sweet news to share: It's back!

The original owners of the ice cream parlor have come out of retirement to reopen the iconic ice cream shop under a new name, Ice Cream Factory, paying homage to the original name, the Frieze Ice Cream Factory.

Opened in the summer of 1986 at 1626 Michigan Ave., along what is now Lincoln Road Mall, the ice cream shop was a home away from home for generations of South Florida families and Miami Beach residents who frequented the shop for its classic American ice cream and sorbet. On Thursday, June 27, the ice cream said farewell to its longtime customers.

However, the outcry from the community touched its owners so much over the past three months that they knew they had to bring the ice cream parlor back — but with the right partners.
"The original owners, Robert and Lisa Warren, approached my husband and I to reopen the location, but under a new name," explains Ice Cream Factory partner Vicky Brejt. "So, we rebranded it as the Ice Cream Factory and we brought back the original recipes, the ice creams, and the sorbets. "They wanted to bring back the legacy that they had built for so many years. They heard all of these stories from the '90s and 2000s, so, they really wanted to bring that back. They wanted to retire, but not totally retire — and it's working out for all of us."

"The Warrens were heartbroken and shocked that the closure was so final, and our whole community was so shocked. We had no idea it was going to close permanently. Thankfully, it's back and we're all very happy and excited."

Brejt and her husband are longtime Miami Beach residents and business owners, so when the Warrens reached out to them to partner on the shop, it was a no-brainer. "We live close to the original owners, so it all came together at the right time."

And they're bringing back the original recipes and flavors, including the iconic "Champagne" gelato and "Cappuccino Chip" ice cream. "Our Champagne, red wine, all of our tropical Miami flavors like guava, mango, lychee, mamey, 'Bacci,' chocolate caramel chip — we have probably 40 flavors right now."

Now, the Warrens, Brejt, and her husband hope longtime regulars of the Frieze start trickling back down to their old stomping ground once again for a sweet treat.

Ice Cream Factory (Formerly "The Frieze"). 1626 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach, at Lincoln Road Mall; icecreamfactory.net.