Formerly: Witt's Ice Cream & Confectionery
New York, New York · Founded 1925 · Building: 1925
A family-run Forest Hills ice-cream parlor with a largely preserved early-20th-century soda-fountain interior.
Eddie's Sweet Shop occupies a Forest Hills storefront whose current building and ice-cream-parlor history are best documented to 1925. The business operated as Witt's Ice Cream & Confectionery before Giuseppe "Eddie" Citrano bought it in 1968. The Citrano family still operates the shop, whose marble counter, mahogany service area, pressed-tin ceiling, and stools preserve an old soda-fountain atmosphere.
A two-story brick building with a corner entrance is filed at the present Eddie's Sweet Shop site on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills.
Source: Rego-Forest Preservation Council research, "Sweet Memories of Eddie's Sweet Shop as Witt's Confectionery"; NYC Tourism listing
By the mid-1940s, the shop is identified in local historical research as Witt's Ice Cream & Confectionery under owner William Witt.
Source: Rego-Forest Preservation Council research, "Sweet Memories of Eddie's Sweet Shop as Witt's Confectionery"
Giuseppe "Eddie" Citrano purchases the established ice-cream parlor and it becomes Eddie's Sweet Shop.
Source: ABC7 New York, "Eddie's Sweet Shop offers a scoop of homemade nostalgia"; Time Out New York, "Visit Eddie's Sweet Shop"
ABC7 reports that Vito Citrano grew up at Eddie's and that the Citranos are the fourth family to operate the parlor.
Source: ABC7 New York, "Eddie's Sweet Shop offers a scoop of homemade nostalgia"
NY1 identifies Vito Citrano as the current caretaker of the Forest Hills ice-cream parlor.
Source: NY1, "Century-old Eddie's Sweet Shop still scoops memories in Forest Hills"
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Eddie's is often described as New York City's oldest ice-cream shop or soda fountain, but the commonly repeated 1909 foundation date has been challenged by research placing the current shop/building in 1925. The owner reportedly does not promote the citywide title, and a complete comparison with other New York City contenders has not been made.
A 1909 opening has been widely repeated, but research cited by local preservation writers identifies a 1925 filing for the present building and places Witt's ownership in the mid-1940s. The exact pre-1968 opening and ownership chronology remains incomplete, but 1909 is not supportable as an established founding year.
Recent descriptions identify a marble counter, mahogany service area, pressed-tin ceiling, vintage refrigerator, and old wood-topped stools. These details support a substantially preserved historic interior, but this pass did not obtain a formal preservation inventory proving that every fixture is original or dating each item precisely.
ABC7 and other accounts identify Giuseppe "Eddie" Citrano as having bought the business in 1968. His son Vito is identified in recent reporting as the current caretaker, making the Citranos the fourth family to operate the shop.
Eddie's Sweet Shop was founded in 1909 as Witt's Sweet Shop.
The commonly repeated 1909 date has been challenged by research identifying a 1925 filing for the present building. The shop's pre-1968 ownership sequence remains incomplete, but William Witt appears to have operated Witt's Ice Cream & Confectionery by the mid-1940s.
Source: Time Out New York, "Visit Eddie's Sweet Shop"; Rego-Forest Preservation Council research, "Sweet Memories of Eddie's Sweet Shop as Witt's Confectionery"
Eddie Citrano founded Eddie's Sweet Shop in 1909.
Giuseppe "Eddie" Citrano bought an already-established ice-cream parlor in 1968 and renamed it Eddie's Sweet Shop.
Source: ABC7 New York, "Eddie's Sweet Shop offers a scoop of homemade nostalgia"; Time Out New York, "Visit Eddie's Sweet Shop"
Eddie's has lasted because the Citranos kept its small-scale, handmade ice-cream operation and historic interior as the center of the business rather than replacing them with a standardized modern concept. Its survival is a family-operation story, not an unbroken 1909 story: the family acquired an already-established parlor in 1968 and retained much of its historic character.
Eddie's Sweet Shop occupies a Forest Hills storefront whose current building and ice-cream-parlor history are best documented to 1925. The business later operated as Witt's Ice Cream & Confectionery before Giuseppe "Eddie" Citrano bought it in 1968. The Citrano family still operates the shop, with Vito Citrano identified as its current caretaker.
Eddie's Sweet Shop is frequently described as New York City's oldest ice-cream parlor or soda fountain, but that title is not securely established. A widely repeated 1909 opening date has been challenged by research pointing to a 1925 filing for the current building, and a complete citywide comparison with other historic ice-cream parlors has not been completed.
Eddie's Sweet Shop is run by the Citrano family, which bought the established parlor in 1968. Recent local reporting identifies Vito Citrano as the current caretaker; the family is the fourth known family to operate the business.
105-29 Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 520-8514
None on file
Hours and payment policies can change; call ahead or check the business's verified social channels before visiting.