At a traditional ice creamery, there are dozens of frozen flavors to choose from, but at the newly opened Coneacopia, it’s the cones that come in an enticing array of choices. “I said, ‘What if the main event was the cones?’” explains Avril Johnson, who established the “conefectionary” with her sister Nanette, a longtime home baker.  ​

Coneacopia offers handmade waffle cones in 24 flavors — such as deconstructed chocolate chip cookie, brown butter and brown sugar, white chocolate raspberry, and key lime pie — which are filled with a dense, satisfying vanilla soft-serve. Top the cone with up to three flavors of “cone dust,” or crumbled cone pieces; the Pink Panther, a salted strawberry cotton candy cone that incorporates Pop Rocks, offers extra crunch. Adding to the indulgence, some of the sauce options are spiked with alcohol, including strawberry daiquiri, caramel bourbon and chocolate cognac — thanks to the business being housed in the entry level of Rendezvous, an upstairs bar and lounge. For kids, there are petite cones in sugar cookie and animal cracker flavors.

 

The Johnson sisters grew up in the D.C. area, and Avril attended American University, which also inspired a cone. The cookies-and-cream-flavored Yin to My Yang is a shout-out to the Oreo chocolate chip cookies at the campus convenience store that Avril and her roommates particularly loved. Years later, Nanette re-created the taste for Coneacopia. Vegan soft-serve and cones available. Cones: $8-$10. more...