ba-nom-a-nom Watermelon “soft serve”: Specializing in “soft serve frozen fruit,” Ba-nom-a-nom is a Denver-based ice cream truck serving dairy-free, 100% fruit soft serve that falls somewhere in between sorbet and Italian ice. The soft serve has a whipped yet smooth crystallized texture. It tasted like fresh watermelon, which is exactly what it was. No added sugar. I was surprised at the texture since I didn’t know it wasn’t traditional soft serve, but it was a refreshing treat nonetheless. Pricy ($5) but decently generous. 3.5/5.0
icecream softserve denver banomanom watermelon “soft serve” 3.5
Besfren Taro and matcha soft serve: I stumbled upon this tiny pastry shop on my way to Penn Station from KTown and was impressed with the quality of their soft serve. Served in a large but slightly pricy cup (at $5.50), the purple and green ice cream swirl is well balanced and perfectly smooth. The creamy, slightly vegetal flavor of taro works surprisingly well with bitter matcha. My only quibble is that the way the soft serve was swirled gave it a hollow center, so I think a third of the cup I received was just an air pock... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended besfren taro matcha soft serve 3.5 nyc ktown softserve icecream dessert
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop vanilla and chocolate mini soft serve: I took advantage of a weekday deal to get a mini cone with a mix of vanilla and chocolate soft serve, totaling around $3 after tax. The soft serve was smooth and creamy. Not overly sweet. The flavor combination was classic but well done. The cone was ordinary. Overall, a good deal and perfectly sized for a mid-day snack. 3.5/5.0
icecream biggayicecream nyc chocolate vanilla sweets softserve biggayicecreamshop mini soft serve 3.5
Caffe Panna Peach Olive Oil Soft Serve: I had so heard so much about Caffe Panna, so I was excited to finally get a chance to try this popular ice cream shop started by Danny Meyer's daughter. The line took about 20 minutes to get through on a Sunday evening at the Gramercy location, and I opted for the soft serve with peach and an olive oil drizzle. Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture, it seemed to be already melting by the time it was handed to me, and once I found a bench 2 minutes later to sit and consume it, it was ... (read more) 2.0/5.0
softserve icecream nyc caffepanna peach olive oil soft serve 2.0
Cha Cha Matcha Matcha softserve: I was worried this matcha cafe may be more trendy than good, but NYC-based Cha Cha Matcha’s matcha-flavored softserve (also available in a matcha and vanilla swirl) is very good, with a consistent smooth texture and clean green tea flavor. It has a pleasantly bitter flavor. Well balanced and also reasonably priced (this $5 serving can easily be shared and costs less than many of their $6 special drinks). Given its quality, I would not hesitate to come back to order some of their beverage ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc softserve icecream chachamatcha matcha 4.0
Cheeseboard Buffalo Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream: Regrettably, I ordered the swirl of chocolate and plain milk flavors, and while the texture was smooth and creamy, the chocolate had a generic taste that masked the more mild milk flavor. While it was higher quality, this ice cream did remind me a bit of the little cups of vanilla and chocolate ice cream you ate with a wooden spoon as a kid. Not bad per se, but not great either. 2.5/5.0
icecream cheeseboard buffalo milk soft serve ice cream 2.5 softserve