Handel's Homemade Ice Cream opens its first Delaware County location Thursday, Oct. 1, at 13 W. Benedict Ave. in Havertown, filling a storefront that has sat empty since January.
The shop's grand opening is set for 11 a.m., according to Patch. Buck Buchanan, who owns the Berwyn Handel's franchise on Lancaster Avenue in Chester County, will run the Havertown location with his children Casey Buchanan and Haley Masciantonio.
Buchanan, who raised his family in Devon, picked Havertown over storefronts he considered in Ardmore and Narberth. His daughter, Erin Gietl, and four grandsons live in the neighborhood. In a March interview with Savvy Main Line, which first reported the expansion, Buchanan said Havertown reminded him of Berwyn Village: "strong family values, some large families, medium-sized homes and a real sense of community."
The new shop will offer walk-up counter service and outdoor patio seating, similar to the Berwyn location. Handel's store page lists more than 40 flavors, including Pumpkin Pecan, Salty Caramel Truffle and Spouse Like a House, a malted vanilla with Reese's Peanut Butter ripple and chocolate-covered pretzels.
Founded in 1945, Handel's won Best Ice Cream in Main Line Today's 2026 Best of the Main Line & Western Suburbs readers' poll. The chain operates locations across 20 states. The Buchanan family also runs a retro-style ice cream truck out of the Berwyn shop, serving community events across the area.
The Havertown space previously housed Al Pastor, a Mexican restaurant run by the Stove & Co. group. Al Pastor closed Jan. 7 after about 22 months in business. Co-owner Joe Monnich told Patch in January that the closure was not due to poor sales. Someone approached the group in December 2025 with an unsolicited offer to buy the building and the business. Al Pastor's Exton location, open for nearly a decade, remains in operation.
Before Al Pastor, the storefront operated as Conshohocken Brewing Co.'s Town Tap brewpub for about four years, according to Savvy Main Line.
Handel's of Havertown opens at 11 a.m. Thursday at 13 W. Benedict Ave.
