Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Team Opening Balinese Restaurant Selamat Pagi
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2012
Modified Oct 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2012
Modified Oct 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The team behind Van Leeuwen, the successful mini artisan ice cream empire, is expanding beyond its usual superb palette of ice cream and pastries by opening a Balinese restaurant. Called Selamat Pagi (which means "good morning" in Balinese), the cozy establishment will open on Driggs Avenue in Greenpoint next week. Co-owner Laura O'Neill is Australian, and has taken many trips to Bali over the years. She tells us this town needs a good Balinese joint.
"You can't get good Balinese food in New York," O'Neill told us in a phone interview today. "You can get Indonesian, but not specifically Balinese, which is sort of a mix between Indian and Thai, but unique." Selamat Pagi, which seats 25, will operate out of the front of the Van Leeuwen office, bakery, and ice creamery near McGolrick Park. The chef here is Sophia Loch, who came to Van Leeuwen by way of OTTO and has been working on their pastry team for the past year.
Starting Thursday (O'Neill hopes!), the restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. On the menu you'll find such items as a breakfast of Banana pancakes with caramelized organic bananas, coconut, palm sugar syrup, and macadamia nuts. For Dinner there could be Beef Rendang, a Balinese-style beef curry with rice and pickled cucumbers, and Nasi Goreng, which O'Neill says is a Balinese fried rice.
In addition to the regular variety of Van Leeuwen ice creams, Selamat Pagi will also offer special ice creams in the Balinese spirit. O'Neill promises a Sticky Black Rice ice cream, a Lemongrass ice cream, and an Avocado Coconut ice cream. Toby's Estate Coffee will handle the caffeine requirements, and all the produce will be locally-sourced and organic, with sustainable seafood and free range meat.
152 Driggs Avenue, Greenpoint // 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. // (718) 701-1630 // Opens Thursday
Tagged
bali
balienese
greenpoint
ice cream
new restaurand and bar radar
SELAMAT PAGI
van leeuwen
original
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .