Montgomery County residents along the Rockville Pike corridor will have a new ice cream destination to visit this fall!
Always Ice Cream is set to open its first shop in the county at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda.
The Annapolis-based chain will occupy a 1,200-square-foot space at 11802 Rockville Pike, next to Chipotle and Visionworks, co-owner Mark Cohen told Bethesda Today. It will be the brand's ninth Maryland shop.
The expansion carries a personal connection. Mark and his brother Adam Cohen grew up in Arnold, Anne Arundel County, but have family living in Rockville and Potomac.
"It was always on our list and always one of our dreams to be up in Montgomery County," Mark Cohen told Bethesda Today. "So, we're excited to be there."
From family business to nine shops
The Cohen brothers joined their father Ross's Annapolis Ice Cream Company in 2020 and launched the Always Ice Cream brand with a West Annapolis storefront in May 2021, according to the Capital Gazette. Since that launch, the chain has grown to eight shops stretching from Annapolis to Prince Frederick, plus an ice cream truck, and sells pints at more than 300 retailers in 15 states.
Adam Cohen handles production at the company's Edgewater facility, where the team manufactures some 250 rotating flavors. Mark runs store operations and social media. Their approach leans on whole ingredients: actual pies, cakes and cookies folded into the ice cream rather than artificial flavorings.
What's on the menu
The Pike & Rose shop will serve traditional scoops, custom soft serve with two rotating flavors each month, milkshakes, malts, floats, sundaes and ice cream sandwiches made with Belgian waffles, brownies and cookies. Vegan and dairy-free options will also be available.
Popular flavors include peanut butter Oreo, cookie monster, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Key Lime Pie. For the fall opening, the shop plans seasonal offerings like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie and lemon ginger snap.
Cohen said he looks forward to collaborating with local schools and businesses on limited-time flavors and fundraising nights once the shop opens.
What's next
Always Ice Cream plans to bring its ice cream truck to Pike & Rose's annual PIKEtoberfest festival in October, giving residents a preview taste before the shop's doors open. Cohen said the store will open in the fourth quarter of 2026 but has not set a specific date.
