NYC Ice Cream Crawl
If you've been following me for a bit, you know I have an obsession with donuts. Unfortunately, my sweet tooth doesn't end with breakfast delicacies. In fact, anything with rainbow sprinkles from cupcakes to ice cream is a taste of heaven in my book. Aesthetically pleasing and delicious? Yes please! Being in the city most of the summer can be a bit of a downer, so I decided to go on an ice cream crawl to lift my spirits. My goal was to find the ice cream shops with the prettiest and sweetest frozen treats. I can't think of a cuter accessory than a sprinkled ice cream cone. Can you!?
First Stop: Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Location: West Village, 61 Grove Street
The Scoop: Began as an ice cream truck and now boasts two Manhattan locations (the other is in the East Village). Serves only soft serve ice cream in chocolate, vanilla, and flavor of the day with high end toppings. Offers cone and sundae combos with funny names like "The Salty Pimp" (vanilla ice cream, caramel, sea salt, and chocolate dip). Also offers alternative treats like ice pops, ice cream sandwiches, and shakes.
The Verdict: The line was really long, but moved quickly. I considered going up the block to a Mister Softee truck for my impatient toddlers, but we all agreed that it was absolutely worth the wait! We ordered 2 rainbow ice pops for the girls and the "American Globs" cone, which was vanilla soft serve rolled in dark chocolate pretzels with sea salt, dipped in chocolate, and then I added rainbow sprinkles because I have to have everything excessorized. The hardened chocolate was sinfully decadent. The girls told me they preferred my cone to their ice pops (obviously), and they are dying to go back!
Wearing: MakeMeChic Jumpsuit, Mixology Sunglasses, Shoe Box Sneakers, J Crew Hat
Second Stop: PopBar
Location: West Village, 5 Carmine Street
The Scoop: Offers a "traditional gelato treat" with all natural ingredients made fresh daily and served on a stick. Each SorbettoPop, GelatoPop, and YogurtPop is customizable with decadent dips, drizzles, and toppings. The first location opened in 2010 and they can now be found in New York, California, Florida, and internationally in Canada, Russia, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia, with a lot more locations on the horizon! All popbars are Kosher certified and gluten and preservative free and there are many dairy-free options.
The Verdict: For an ice cream indulgence, this treat didn't come with too much guilt. Firstly, the popbar is a perfectly reasonable and satisfying portion (even though we ended up trying 6). The pre-topping popbars range in calories from 69 to 198. Secondly, I felt better knowing that I was giving my daughter a treat with all-natural, fresh ingredients that actually have nutritional perks like vitamin C, fiber, protein, and calcium. My favorite was the strawberry SorbettoPop dipped in dark chocolate with white chocolate drizzle and coconut topping. The tartness of the strawberries paired with the sweetness of the chocolate and the texture of the coconut was pretty epic. I only wish they had an Upper East Side location.
Third Stop: Emack & Bolio's
Location: Upper East Side, 1564 1st Avenue (at 81st street)
The Scoop: Founded in the heart of the rock 'n roll era in 1975 in Brookline, MA, Bob Rook, a music attorney, opened Emack & Bolio's as a place musicians could go to unwind and satisfy their late night munchies after their gigs. Some of the first customers include Aerosmith, U2, James Brown, and Al Green. Featuring over 100 flavors each year, with new creative concoctions popping up all the time, there are endless options to try. E&B is also famous for inventing the flavored cone in 1980 and offers outrageous options like white chocolate with fruit loops. They now have locations in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Illinois, and throughout Asia.
The Verdict: Sensory overload!! If you are looking to fill a rich, hard ice cream craving, look no further than Emack & Bolio's. We decided to keep it local for our last leg of this ice cream crawl and stay in our neighborhood on the Upper East Side. Most of the buzzed about ice cream shops are downtown in the West Village or the Lower East Side, including Emack & Bolio's other NYC location. We ordered a double scoop of chocolate addiction in a fruit loop cone (chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and fudge chunks) and a scoop of cookie dough and a scoop of grasshopper pie (mint ice cream with chocolate chips and Oreos) in a fruity pebble cone, both topped off with rainbow sprinkles, of course. The ice cream was incredible, but also incredibly messy. We had as much on our clothes as we did in our bellies. Next time, we will get it in a cup and keep the cone as a garnish. This spot is perfect for when you want a real splurge, but they also offer frozen yogurt and sorbet options for the more health-conscious indulgence. But, in my mind, it's go big, or go home. #WorthIt We'll walk it off tomorrow.
I am planning to add 10Below (tried to go, but it was closed) and Black Tap to my next installation of the ice cream crawl, but first I need a mini detox. Any juice cleanses you recommend? Just kidding! Let me know if you have any NYC ice cream shop suggestions for me. I'm thoroughly enjoying this tour!