Bona Bona Ice Cream in Port Chester Launches Savory Bites Menu + Boozy Milkshake Bar

A tray of boozy shakes makes its way out of Bona Bona’s kitchen

Those who are newly familiar with Nick Di Bona’s namesake Bona Bona Ice Cream should know he’s not just an ice cream man.

It’s no surprise that Di Bona’s small batch Italian interpretation of American ice cream has taken off. Nutella S’mores, Italian Rainbow Cookie, and Key Lime Pie are a few, but throw in Bona Bona’s signature toasted meringue topping, and it’s not only delicious, it’s highly photographable.

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Chances are, you’ve tried his cool creations in Port Chester at the Bona Bona flagship that opened in 2018 or you’ve ordered a torched meringue topped cone at one of their trucks that frequent food truck festivals and Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. You may have even tried it in Florida at Di Bona’s now shuttered shop in the Delray Beach Market.

But if you go back a bit further, Bona Bona Ice Cream started its origin story at Di Bona’s restaurant, Madison Kitchen in Larchmont.

Nick Di Bona explains the new menu in Bona Bona’s “Sprinkle Room”

The “Sprinkle Room” is Bona Bona’s private event space that’s great for celebrations. And yes! Rainbow sprinkles fall from “pipes” in the ceiling if you’re down with that!

Like I said, he’s not just an ice cream man. He’s a chef.

In 2013, Di Bona opened Madison Kitchen to a ton of fanfare and acclaim. That same year he won a “Brunch Basket” episode of Chopped and MK received a “Very Good” rating by the New York Times.

It was at MK—amongst all the creative savory small plates, the pastas, and a bacon-onion jam and cheddar topped dry-aged beef burger—that ice cream started to take the shine from the other already great desserts. Di Bona even started selling pints to-go at the restaurant.

Meaty, juicy, crispy, sweet and savory Kalbi Korean wings. Kalbi is similar to teriyaki. I think it tasted like excellent sesame chicken.

Serve yo’self! Bona Bona is hopping on the butter board trend. This one isn’t store bought. This butter is homemade.

OK, now come back to the now. Di Bona is back with…ehhh, let’s call it a mini resurrection of Madison Kitchen at Bona Bona Ice Cream. “After opening a little (ice cream) store in South Florida, and now that COVID is kinda done, we’re back,” he says. “We’ve had a liquor license for four years and we’ve never used it. And we’ve had this big beautiful space and we’ve barely used it. I had an idea to start cooking again and let’s start serving booze at the bar.”

One “bite” that will be immediately recognizable to former Madison Kitchen fans are Bona Sliders, a mini (but actually sizable for a slider) version of Di Bona’s popular burger. Each comes out a perfect medium with plenty of sweet bacon-onion jam, creamy burger sauce, and melted aged cheddar on tiny pretzel buns.

Slider. Get these.

Fried chicken!

Crispy fried chicken sliders, veggie potstickers, and house made thin bravas fries with roasted garlic aioli and that red, smoky paprika based sauce are some of the new savory fare Di Bona’s is whipping up.

Potentially you could share the addictive bravas fries, but other, bigger shareables include a puff pastry wrapped baked brie board, queso dip with homemade corn tortilla chips, Kalbi Korean chicken wings that’ll remind you of sticky sesame chicken, and they’re hopping on a trend by offering a butter board, complete with homemade herb butter, roasted garlic, honey roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, diced pear, and piping hot bread for dipping, swiping, and spreading purposes.

Bona Bona’s non-ice cream offerings will be available Thursday through Sunday to start.

Oh, but ice cream isn’t taking a backseat to sliders and boards! That liquor license Di Bona mentioned is incorporated into sweets…in the form of booze spiked milkshakes. Wine and beer are also available, and soon Di Bona teased a bit more.

Also new is this dessert sampler. Left to right: Apple cider cake donut, meringue covered chocolate lava cake, cookie dough waffle, brownie. Of course it comes with ice cream! Scoops are cinnamon spice, graham cracker, and vanilla. This, by the way, is the BEFORE picture…

AFTER! This is the result of the Sprinkle Room shower.

“We have a liquor license, this big space, we have a 24-foot hood fan, our kitchen is massive and it’s the nicest kitchen I’ve personally owned,” he says. “Once a month we think it’d be fun to host a multi-course wine dinner in the Sprinkle Room.”

And if that’s not enough to calm your cravings, Bona Bona plans to launch a cocktail menu soon, making it a one stop spot for cold sweet treats, savory eats, and boozy beverages.

10 Westchester Avenue; Port Chester
914.481.5712; bonabonaicecream.com