Oh Carvel. A brand that had such importance during my childhood, when we had a Carvel store in my hometown, and for our birthdays, we always got custom Carvel ice cream cakes. I remember pouring through the pages and pages of glossy images of the different designs available, and after agonizing (for a child) decision making, picked my choice for my party. Of course I liked the cakes, but, selecting the design was is what I remember most. I don't remember ever going to the Carvel shop for anything else, although I guess they actually had a regular ice cream shop, and were not just a place for cakes.
Then at some point the Carvel store closed. We still got Carvel cakes for parties, but they were just the standard grocery store ones (which I've reviewed before). They *aren't* nearly as good as freshly made cakes, and obviously come in only one flavor.
Update Review, Summer 2025
I spent the summer again on the east coast this year, land of Carvel ice cream, and it happened to also be my birthday while I was there, and thus, plentiful free birthday ice cream for me (it is usable every day for two weeks around your birthday)! I'll admit the allure of Carvel has worn down for me - it is still better than any other fast food style soft serve, or better than most soft serve I can get in San Francisco, but in New York, the land of fantastic ice cream, it doesn't really measure up.
 |
| Lemonberry Crumble (Seasonal, early Aug). |
"Swirl into summer with Lemonberry Crumble—where lemon and blueberry come together for the perfect creamy soft serve."
This was a seasonal flavor when I visited, so I asked to try it.
The base ice cream was good, exceptionally creamy like all of their soft serve. It tasted to me like a more mild black raspberry, with notes of lemon to it, but not a particularly strong flavor. It was sweet, but not too sweet. I think my mother would really like this, as black raspberry and lemon are her favorites. For me, 3.5/5.
 |
| Toasted Marshmallow (Seasonal, late Aug). |
It was very sweet, and, well, yeah, did taste a bit like a toasted marshmallow, but pretty artificial. I wasn't into it. The server loved it though, she said it reminds her of those soft caramels stuffed with a little cream center. But for me, just not the right kind of sweetness. Still wonderfully creamy premium ice cream of course. Low 3/5.
 |
| Nutella. |
I was craving something a bit chocolately, so asked to sample the Nutella and Oreo, neither flavors I normally gravitate towards as I don't care for either ingredient all that much individually, but, I thought might be decent in soft serve. First up was the Nutella.
This is definitely the most decadent of their flavors, particularly nutritionally. A small vanilla (or most others) cup or cone is 350 calories/18g fat/22g sugar, where this is 420 cal/22g fat/31g sugars (Oreo is fairly close behind with 400 cal/20g fat/27g sugar). The reason of course is that they do indeed use real Nutella, but a small soft serve cone being 420 cal (compared to say, Burger King's 190 calories / McDonald's 200 / Dairy Queen 220) is indeed more decadent, just as they say.
It was very creamy as is all Carvel ice cream, and yes, did taste a bit like Nutella, although it was fairly muted. It was fine, but not a flavor I was really excited by. 3/5, probably 3.5/5 just given how creamy it was.
 |
| Oreo. |
The Oreo looked nearly identical in color and little flecks, but she was careful to keep them separate as I tried them. It too was nicely creamy, and used real Oreo inside of it, not just vague Oreo flavor, again making it a more decadent (higher cal/sugar/fat) option.
It did taste "cookies and cream", but was still a fairly muted flavor to me. Since I don't actually love Oreos, this was totally fine, but if you want a lot of Oreo flavor, this is not it. For me, it was good enough, and I think would be absolutely fantastic with their crunchies on it. 3.5/5.
 |
| Vanilla/Chocolate Twist. (Small). |
Chocolate: "Chocoholics dream of this. This is why chocoholics become chocoholics. Rich, creamy, fresh chocolate that's made especially for you."
Twist: "The best of both worlds. Why settle for one classic flavor. Get the yin and yang of ice cream together in perfect harmony."
This was my first time ever having Carvel chocolate soft serve (and maybe having their vanilla?) but I visited a very small location (inside Macy's near Times Square), with only vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and the seasonal flavor and I decided to just be basic and try the twist.
It wasn't exactly made with love, and frankly looked pretty homely, but it was fine. Truly exceptionally creamy rich soft serve, pretty standard vanilla and chocolate flavors, neither was overly pronounced, and it was sweet but not too sweet. Basically, just a classic very good vanilla and chocolate soft serve, high fat content base, classic, indeed. 3.5/5.
 |
| Vanilla. (Small). |
"The original classic. We've been improving our vanilla for more than 80 years. Yes, 80 years."
Chocolate: "Chocoholics dream of this. This is why chocoholics become chocoholics. Rich, creamy, fresh chocolate that's made especially for you."
A few visits later, I was struck with tragedy. The location was cleaning their machines, at 12:30pm on a Sunday, and had only chocolate and vanilla available. I specifically picked that location because they have mango, mint, and birthday cake! Sigh. Dejected, I settled on a vanilla cone.
This was the smallest "small" I have received at any Carvel location, although at least it looked like a reasonable twirl.
It was fine. Average. Creamy. Better than fast food vanilla, but actually not as good as the vanilla at other locations. I don't think this was a very good location in terms of quality control (East Village, Manhattan, for reference). 3/5.
 |
| Oreo. (Small). |
"You don't need any milk for this OREO®. Eat your favorite cookie in the smooth swirls of Carvel® soft serve."
Wow, what a difference a different location makes! When I got my second cone it was from the West Village location, and the staff here were so friendly AND seemed to actually put a bit of thought into making my cone. This one looked considerably better, and was much bigger. I settled for the Oreo, not wanting basic vanilla or chocolate again, or Nutella or toasted marshmallow, my other options.
It was unchanged in taste in full cone form (which isn't always the case!). Very creamy, decent flavor, but not tons of Oreo came through. I again thought it would be spectacular with their crunch coat added, I settled for chocolate sprinkles I brought with me. 3.5/5.
 |
| Mint. (Small). |
This was the biggest small yet! Now, maybe a dish you just get more than a cone? But the volume of ice cream was definitely considerably higher here than any of my cones.
Anyway, the flavor, mint, always a favorite of mine, and absolutely best with chocolate crunchies, sprinkles, fudge, or chocolate shell. I got it plain, so I could add my own toppings - who wants to pay $1-2 extra for $0.05 worth of toppings! This also gave me the opportunity to try it without chocolate elements masking the flavor at all.
Like all Carvel ice cream, yes, very creamy, very rich. And, it seems, like all Carvel these days, just not a very strong flavor otherwise. Another one that was an enjoyable vanilla-like flavor, with a hint of mint, but the flavor just seemed so muted. I still liked it, the sweetness level was good, not too sweet, and the texture/consistency are top notch, but, come on, I wanted more actual mint flavor. 3.5/5, but again, just as a slightly interesting vanilla, not as a real mint flavor.
 |
| Cake Mix. (Small). |
Another bowl rather than cone, and yeah, at least based on my sample size, you definitely get more ice cream in a dish than a cone.
3.5/5.
[ no Photo ]
Mango
I also sampled the mango. I was so excited to see mango! But like many of the flavors, it was just very muted. I loved the base ice cream, but mango really didn't come through. 3.5/5 as a slightly more interesting vanilla.
Original Review, Summer 2024
This past year, I re-discovered Carvel ice cream shops, when I visited New York, and they had several locations. It happened to be my birthday month as well, which was double great, because they give a free cone for your birthday reward (with sign-up). I love a good freebie.
"Each of Carvel's handmade items starts with The Original Soft Serve™, created in 1934. Today, our delicious treats and classic ice cream cakes are a staple at birthdays, holiday parties, or any occasion worth celebrating."
Although they carry hard ice cream, I had eyes only for the soft serve. Yes, I like all ice cream, but I'm a soft serve ice cream girl to the core.
 |
| Carvel (inside Macy's) |
In Manhattan, the location inside Macy's (pictured here) had only 4 flavors, but the standalone store just a few blocks away had 6 (or 8? I forget). The Financial District store had only vanilla/chocolate though, so, plan accordingly.
 |
| Mint. Small. |
I went for the mint without trying to first. I know, such a rookie move. Now, it was good. Don't get me wrong. It was rich, creamy, great quality Carvel soft serve. I really do like their soft serve. But the mint flavor wasn't quite as strong as I was hoping it would be. It was a good mint flavor, not medicinal or anything, and the sweetness level was nice, but, just slightly lacking in powerful mint flavor. I suspect it would be great with chocolate sprinkles or chips . ***+
 |
| Birthday Cake. Small. |
It was my birthday when I visited, so the birthday cake flavor seemed most fitting, right? Available in hard scoops or soft serve. I asked the staff how sweet the soft serve was, and he immediately just handed me a sample cup. It wasn't cloying sweet as I feared, and the taste was instantly recognizable: Carvel blue frosting! It tasted *exactly* like their blue frosting, although it was a off-white color (missed opportunity!). I do quite like that frosting, but, I don't think I'd want a full cone of this. In the small sample size though it was enjoyable, and the consistency was excellent, very rich, smooth, creamy. ***+.
Update Review:
Well, I returned and DID get a full cone of it.
This wasn't the prettiest cone, and it started falling over nearly immediately, but I quite enjoyed it. The birthday cake flavor tastes instantly recognizable if you are familiar with Carvel ice cream cakes. It takes exactly like their blue frosting, which I absolutely love and is my favorite part of Carvel cake (besides the crunchies of course). Very rich, high fat content for soft serve, and shockingly not cloying sweet. Best with sprinkles of course, which I added on my own. Fresh tasting cone. It turned out to be my favorite flavor. ****.
 |
| Horchata. Small. |
"Traditional horchata flavoring (a mix of sugar & cinnamon with notes of rice flour) blended with vanilla soft serve."
This was really, really good. Super creamy and rich, proper sweetness level (not too sweet), lovely cinnamon notes, hint of vanilla, hint of rice ... yeah, it was pretty perfect. I wish I had gotten a full cone of it, but I was too tempted by other flavors. ****+.
Update Review:
I tried this as a sample on my first visit, but got excited about the mint flavor and got that instead. But I kept thinking back on how good the horchata was so I returned a few days later to get it. It was again quite good- very, very creamy and rich soft serve, some light rice flavor, and mild spicing. I thought I remembered the spicing being stronger, more cinnamon, but it was still good and more interesting than your basic vanilla. ***+.
[ No Photos - Samples Only ]
Pumpkin Cheesecake:
"A flavor-fall take on The Original Soft Serve™."
It was mid-august, and Carvel launched pumpkin cheesecake flavor, definitely a bit too early for pumpkin spice season if you ask me. But I couldn't resist trying a sample, even though I'm not generally one to love pumpkin spice things as I'm not really into nutmeg, and way too many pumpkin spice items are just far too heavy in the nutmeg. This however, was not too spiced. It had nice warming spices, but it certainly wasn't aggressive. There was also a light pumpkin in the flavor. I can't say I really tasted any cheesecake though, I expected a different tang or something from that component, and I just didn't detect any of it. So I'd consider this a very mildly flavored pumpkin with a little bit of spices, fairly muted flavors overall. ***.
Chocolate Oatly:
"The Original Soft Serve™ you know and love, made with Oatly. Non-dairy deliciousness. Will be able to get in a variety of flavors based on your shoppe's availability."
I visited one Carvel location when they had the machines offline for cleaning, and only had their Oatly flavors available. The staff member offered a sample, so I tried it, opting for the chocolate flavor. It was actually very good - rich and creamy texture, nicely melty, good milk chocolate flavor. There was a slight oat milk taste to it, but I like oat milk, so this didn't bother me. Considerably better than expected, and a wonderful offering for those who want/need to be dairy free. ****.
