O'Briens Bar & Grill

A sports bar near Madison Square Garden.  Definitely not a place you'd expect me to stumble into, and yet, I did, to O'Briens Bar & Grill.  I never would have discovered if it wasn't for the summer of Paze*, and this isn't one I'll be returning to, but it was quasi-interesting to check out.  The service wasn't particularly friendly, and my orders were never ready when they said they would be, but at least that meant I got hot fresh food.

*If you are unfamiliar, Paze is a digital wallet system (like Paypal or Google Pay) that you can use to check out with some merchants.  In the summer of 2026, when they launched, they had a promotion with most major credit cards and banks to give you back a $10 credit, up to 10 times, per card/account, if you spent $10 and paid with Paze.  One of their launch partners was Clover, the company behind many restaurant POS systems, so if you ordered online through their Clover storefront, and paid with Paze, you got $10 free (over and over, again, 10 times per card/account).  Tax, tip, it all counts towards the $10, so you could get something <$10, and just tip up to the $10 to trigger the credit.  I love a freebie, and I love excuses to check out places that I wouldn't normally stumble into, so I used Clover and Paze to go on little missions every weekend, gettings $100s in free food along the way.

Exterior.

The outside looks like basically any bar anywhere.  No outside seating, no particularly inviting signage.

Inside.

Inside was considerably bigger than I expected, with two long bars with seating, table seating, and booths on the other side.  Pretty classic sports bar setup with TVs too.

It was entirely vacant the first time I visited at 12pm on a weekend, but quite full during the week at 7:30pm.  Clearly an evening venue.

Onion Rings. $5.50.

The first time, my order was still being prepared when I arrived, so my onion rings were served hot and fresh out of the frier.  They were pretty greasy, and seemed like they were left in a bit too long (or maybe I just prefer a lighter golden color), but I liked the sizes and the amount of coating (although the batter could be more flavorful).  Basically, they were fine, I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't go back for them.  Higher 3/5.

They don't have any dipping sauces available, but included a bunch of ketchup, along with a single mustard and single mayo.

Apple Crumble. $7.95.

Who orders takeout from a sport bar and gets ... the apple crumble?  Um, yeah, me.  I saw it on the menu when I was browsing a few days prior, and I couldn't get it out of my head.  I really wanted apple crumble!  I also wasn't quite sure if this would be a slice of pie with crumble topping, an actual fruit crisp/crumble, or even something more like a crumb cake.  I really didn't want a crumb cake, but either of the previous options would be fine with me.

The answer?  A crumble topped pie. I had pretty low expectations, I knew it wouldn't be made in house, or anything special, so I was quite surprised when I opened my takeout bag to find that 1) they served it warm, 2) they included several sauces, 3) they included whipped cream!  They actually were trying here.

The slice of pie was actually kinda small, I mean, it was a reasonable portion in terms of what a human should eat, but certainly not standard restaurant sized, and felt a bit skimpy for the price.  But that said, it was pretty decent pie.  It had a generous crumble on top that was sweet, crispy, and pretty satisfying, slices of well seasoned and not too mushy apples that didn't have too much goo, and a strangely crisp back and bottom crust that wasn't really standard flaky pie crust, but also wasn't a shortcrust either.  Besides the crust being overly crisp, it really was quite decent.  The crust wasn't bad, it just wasn't any standard kind of pastry crust, and the level of crunchy certainly isn't expected.  Again, I'm sure they purchase this frozen and just reheat it, but hey, it was good. 3.5/5 pie.  That is ... until I found mold.  Yes, mold.  In my pie slice.  I obviously stopped eating it when I tasted (and then saw) it.  Clearly, they have some issues with expiration dates.

 

The whipped cream was a thoughtful touch to include for takeout, and I'm sure when you get it in the restaurant it stays looking nice, but I live a 5 minute walk away, and it was entirely deflated when I reached home.  I'm sure it was standard spray can whipped cream, and that just never holds up.  It didn't taste like plastic-y Reddi-whip, which earns them another point.  I drizzled it over my pie like, well, cream, instead.  

The sauces were a complete surprise to me.  I really didn't expect sauces included, and wouldn't have expected them dining in either.  One was standard chocolate sauce, which made no sense to me with apple pie, and sorta screamed out tacky plating style with chocolate sauce drizzled on every plate for no reason.  But hey, now I have some chocolate sauce for my next ice cream sundae at home.

The other was ... I'm still not sure.  It sorta tasted apple to me, like, cidery almost, which could make sense drizzled over apple pie.  But it was sorta reddish and looked more like a strawberry sauce.  I find it crazy that I can't really tell you which of these things it was, if either, but it sorta tasted like both and neither at the same time.  I did like it though, both with the pie, and I suspect I'll enjoy it on ice cream later too.

Overall, this was a really pleasant surprise, until the whole mold situation.  For a sport's bar dessert, far, far above average, let's even say 4.5/5. If it was served a hotel buffet/restaurant, still quite a bit above average, 4/5.  If I compare to regular mid-range restaurant, about on par, 3/5.  That leaves me somewhere around 3.5/5 as a overall rating, particularly because they included the sauces.  But, they sold me old, moldy pie, and that is unforgivable.  0/5.

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Domino's Pizza

I realized I don't know anything about Domino's Pizza at all, as I've probably only had it once or twice in my life, perhaps at an event in grad school or something.  I know it exists, and has generic pizza, but that's about it.  Just not something I've ever ordered, or lived in a city with (not growing up, not in college, not near me in SF for the 21 years of my adult life ...).  But I moved to NYC during the summer of the $10 Paze promotion (spend $10, get $10 credit back if you pay with Paze), and Dominos was one of the launch partners.  I can't resist a freebie.

But I was in NY, surrounded by amazing pizza, I was most certainly not getting pizza at Dominos.  Did you know Domino's has pastas? (and sandwiches, and many other things, it turns out). I didn't, but the pasta is what jumped out most to me on the menu once I started browsing.  They have three pastas: 5-Cheese Mac and Cheese, Spicy Buffalo 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese, or Chicken Alfredo.  All use the same penne pasta, and all use alfredo sauce as well, the mac and cheese just loads on more cheeses (white American, cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago). 

Chicken Alfredo Pasta. $8.49.
(-chicken).

"Try our savory Chicken Alfredo Pasta. Grilled chicken breast and creamy Alfredo sauce is mixed with penne pasta and baked to creamy perfection."

I was drawn to the mac and cheese, but was actually craving alfredo, so, chicken alfredo it was.  I got it without the chicken, which is easy to do from their online ordering page (side note: why don't they just have a regular alfredo option?  And then make it possible to add chicken, or bacon, or any pizza topping you want?).  I arrived at the specified time, but it wasn't ready yet, so I was able to see it being baked to order in the pizza oven.  It was handed over insanely hot and fresh, inside a small pizza box, which turned out to be quite useful as the foil bowl was extremely hot, as it was baked in it.  I can't say it won any awards for how it looked, a bit meager in the pasta department, and drowning in very cheesy sauce.  I did appreciate the slightly crispy top.

I was fairly confused by this though, as it seemed really cheesy, in a way you don't expect in alfredo, and in a way that didn't seem like it could be from just parmesan and asiago.  The pool of melted cheese on top really screamed out mozzarella, but, they say it only has the hard cheeses.  I believe this is the same alfredo sauce they use on the pizza.  

It ... was pretty underwhelming, fairly thick and gloopy, and didn't have much flavor to it (it has a bit of garlic, but barely noticeable), and it desperately needed salt and pepper ... and red pepper flakes ... and, well, anything.  The flavor was bland and flat.  I realize I'm talking about alfredo sauce from a generic pizza franchise, but even jarred alfredo from a grocery store is better than this.

The pasta too was underwhelming, as generic as can be, just, basic penne.  It wasn't too mushy, but it certainly wasn't al dente.  While it had a tiny bit of color on top, it wasn't really crispy.  

Overall, um, meh.  I could imagine this being better with other pizza toppings added in, and a drizzle of their buffalo sauce, but, at the end of the day, it is low end penne and alfredo sauce, mixed together and put in an oven for a few minutes.  2/5.

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Carvel Ice Cream

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 2026

Another summer in New York, another pile of Carvel consumed.

Pistachio.

Last summer I tried to get the pistachio several times, but no location I visited ever had it.  So this year I was thrilled when the location I visited managed to have it, even though half their machines were out of order.  However I wasn't allowed to sample it, so I had to just go for it without trying.  Since I tend to enjoy pistachio things, this seemed like a risk worth taking, even though the color was very clearly artificially green.

It was ... ok.  It didn't really taste like pistachio to me.  Or I guess, it did, a tiny bit, in a fake pistachio ways, but it was fairly muted flavor.  Mostly it was like vanilla with a slight not great aftertaste.  The base ice cream was rich and creamy, so that worked for me, but meh, I would not get this flavor again.  Low 3/5.

Pistachio / Oreo Swirl.

I visited a different location and decided to give the pistachio another try, to see if it was a location issue that made it meh.  I really couldn't resist given how elusive the flavor had been to me in the past.  I hedged my bets though, swirling with the Oreo on the same machine.

The result?  Yeah, meh to their pistachio flavor.  Just too fake, and not really pistachio flavored.  The Oreo one was just mildly flavored as well, sorta vaguely chocolate cookie like, but mostly again just vanilla.  Both were very rich and creamy.  3/5.

The cone was fine, but this location had no cone sleeves.  Average size small cone.

Mint (Small).

For all my sadness with the pistachio cones, the mint made up for it.  This was a glorious cone in all ways.  It was considerably bigger than others I've gotten, and the person making it really did seem to care to swirl it pretty perfectly.  It was also the most flavorful of any Carvel I had this year, clearly actually minty. And as always sooo creamy and rich. I quite enjoyed it.  4/5.

The cone was not stale, and I appreciated the cone sleeve thingy.

Mint (Small).

My next visit, to a different location, I got the mint again.  Um, again, please acknowledge the extreme difference in size of these two cones.  Both the same size, same flavor, different server.  This was the smallest one yet (and the most expensive location!).

The flavor was also fairly muted, making it fine vanilla soft serve, but not really mint.  Boo.  3/5.

Vanilla / Chocolate Swirl
(Small).

Another day, another totally different looking cone!  This one was really packed in, she sorta pressed down as it swirled, which you can see in the pattern, so it had considerably more ice cream than the others.  I forgave her for the off-center alignment, as she really loaded me up.

This was a very simple, classic, enjoyable cone.  Both flavors were rich and creamy.  They went together well.  I added my own chocolate sprinkles, and really was happy with this.  Cone not stale, and I love the ice cream catcher.  4/5.

Vanilla / Coffee.
(Small).

This was the day I learned you could do side-by-side at Carvel. I'm not sure why I never asked before.  The woman in front me asked for coffee & vanilla twist, when they weren't on the same machine (vanilla was with chocolate, coffee was with Nutella), and I was surprised when the worker didn't even bat an eye.  And then she made her a side-by-side (so not really a twist, but, still).  I quickly copied.  I don't know if this server was just very generous, or if the side-by-side is harder to portion, but this was one of the biggest small sizes I have gotten, and I wasn't mad about it.

Both flavors were rich and creamy, again, just nice quality soft serve.  This was my first time ever having the coffee flavor.  It was a milkier style, like most Carvel flavors more vanilla than the flavor it is supposed to be, but still enjoyable.  3.5/5.

Vanilla.

This location had only vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and the seasonal toasted marshmallow (that I sampled, it was fine, but kinda overly sweet), so vanilla it was.

I loved how rich and creamy this ice cream was, but the vanilla flavor wasn't actually very strong, and the mouthfeel got to be a bit much after a while, almost too high fat content (I know, I can't believe I'm saying this either).  Good, but not as exceptional as my past memories of Carvel.  3.5/5.

Vanilla (Small).

Another classic vanilla, not the most generous serving. It was fine.  3.5/5.

[ No photos ]

Toasted Marshmallow: Very sweet, sorta I guess tasted like a gooey marshmallow.  It wasn't offensively cloying sweet, but, close.  Likely too much to have a full cone of, likely great on top of a brownie. Low 3/5.

Strawberry: I tried only because I know people who adore this flavor, and every Carvel seems to have it (along with chocolate and vanilla).  I'm not a strawberry ice cream person at all, but, I was genuinely curious.  I did not care for it much, but it was creamy and, well, strawberry flavored.  2.5/5.

Fudgie the Whale
(very melted).

"Our famous whale of a cake with layers of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, separated by a layer of chocolate crunchies then covered with fudge, crunchies and whipped topping."

I grew up with Carvel ice cream cake.  However, my family always just had the classic ice cream cake, not Fudgie, although most people I know that grew up with Carvel have him as their birthday memories.  I think this may have actually been my first time trying Fudgie!

The cake is made mostly the same as the other ice cream cakes, with the layers of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and crunchies in the middle, but this one comes covered in fudge instead of just the fluffy sweet whipped topping.  I adored the crunchies as always, and honestly didn't mind the melty ice cream as the crunchies stayed crunchy and did not get soggy, but I wasn't that into the fudge.  I think it made the whole thing too sweet, and it dominated.  But I also am not a big fudge person, and I'll admit, I wanted *my* memory of nostalgic Carvel cake, not this!  

I did enjoy (my first?) Fudgie, and was reminded of how great Carvel crunchies are.  3.5/5.

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).

A few days after I had tried the lemonberry crumble, I actually returned intending to get it, but alas, the seasonal flavor had just changed to toasted marshmallow.  I tried a sample first.

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.

"Decadent, rich and single. The flavor of your dreams. The decadent taste of chocolate hazelnut in a soft serve ice cream."

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.

"You don't need any milk for this OREO®. Eat your favorite cookie in the smooth swirls of Carvel® soft serve."

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).

Vanilla: "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."

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).

"Minty fresh. No matter the weather, it's always a good time for refreshing, creamy mint. Try it with fudge on top. A-maz-ing."

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).

"Better than licking the bowl. The taste of birthday cake any day of the year."

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.

I think in the past year Carvel changed their birthday cake-esque flavor, as I previously reviewed one called "birthday cake", and this was called "cake mix".  Anyway, this was a slightly sweeter flavor than the others, although not cloying sweet like cake batter things can sometimes be, and yes, sorta ... yeah, cake flavored.  Cake/frosting flavored, in that non-specific way.  It was good, standard Carvel creaminess.  It paired well with some leftover cake I had :)

3.5/5.

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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)

I had no idea that Carvel has so many flavors of soft serve at Carve!  I thought they just had vanilla and chocolate.  But they actually have a slew more, depending on your location of course, including seasonal specials (like birthday cake, pumpkin, etc), and basics like strawberry, cold brew coffee, and chocolate hazelnut, along wtih coconut, pistachio, mint.  This is in addition to some "Carvelite" flavors and Oatly non-dairy flavors.

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.

"No matter the weather, it's always a good time for refreshing, creamy mint. Try it with fudge on top. A-maz-ing."

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.

"A rainbow sprinkled cake-flavored take on The Original Soft Serve™ made in honor of our 90th birthday."

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.  ****.

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Ben & Jerry's: 2014-2019, 2026

It is no secret that I love ice cream.  I grew up eating it pretty much every night after dinner.  Sometimes just a simple scoop, or uh, two, but more often than not, we made sundaes.  Or topped our homemade pie with it.  Yes, I was spoiled.

I grew up in New Hampshire, not far from the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont.  To me, the generic brand of ice cream was Ben & Jerry's.  Even the farm stand where I worked sold Ben & Jerry's, it was that commonplace.  Pints were 2 for $5.

I moved a bit further away for college, to upstate New York.  But Ben & Jerry's was prevalent even there.  Our little on campus diner stocked pints, and we had the option of redeeming our meals for grab and go items from the diner instead.  I will not admit how many pints I got over the years, and how many I may or may not have consumed in a single sitting.

It amazed me once I left my nest to learn that Ben & Jerry's is a bit of a novelty to people elsewhere.  For many years, I didn't have any in San Francisco.  Why would I pick that, over our local, artisanal choices?  But eventually, the craving for that experience of just digging shamelessly into a pint of Ben & Jerry's returned, and, so I did.

August 2026

7 years.  7 years since I last had Ben & Jerry's.  This fact is wild to me.

But the joys of being in my office, some days, random things like ice cream sundae carts popup, and sometimes, they feature outside vendors like Ben & Jerry's.  I hadn't sought out Ben & Jerry's in a long time, so this was quite fun.

Sundae Cart.

The sundae cart had 4 flavors, and I admit they were well curated: Phish Food and Cherry Garcia for the people who want the Ben & Jerry's classics (but not as boring as cookie dough or vanilla), mango as a total wildcard, plus of course a vegan sorbet option, because every event needs to accommodate the vegans.

I honestly had no idea that Ben & Jerry's made a mango ice cream, just, a pure simple flavor, with no crazy mix-ins, that seems very not on brand for them?  I obviously had to get that.

Mango w/ 
Chocolate Sauce + Whipped Cream.

"Mango Ice Cream Swirled with Sweet Cream Ice Cream."

The mango flavor was good.  Clearly identifiable as mango. Not overly sweet.  Not artificial tasting.  Just smooth creamy mango ice cream.  I liked it.  3.5/5.

After my ice cream was scoped, I was asked if I'd like hot fudge or ice cream.  I eagerly said yes, but was sad to then see chocolate sauce (NOT hot fudge, they are very different!) added from a squeeze bottle, and a generic can of grocery store whipped cream dispensed on top.  It is also interesting that they needed to apply these for you, which could make sense if it was really hot fudge and needed to stay hot, or if it was house whipped cream, but I guess they just don't trust us with squeeze bottles?  These were as average as expected.

Toppings.

We were trusted however with the other toppings: sprinkles, chocolate crumble, broken cone bits, and mini off-brand M&Ms.  They came in pails with cute shovels for serving, which worked really quite well.  I found these to all be very average as well, nothing really notable.

2014 - 2019

I've reviewed the flavors I've had over the past few years before, so I'll spare you a repeat, and this time, focus on the brand new flavors that they added in the past few years.  Ben & Jerry's always adds a few new flavors every year (and of course, sends some to the "flavor graveyard" to make way for them).  Many don't last long.  Flavors that are removed are often mourned.

2014

This year, the new Salted Caramel Blondie is quite a winner.  I hope it sticks around!

Salted Caramel Blondie, single, 2014.

"Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Blonde Brownies & a Salted Caramel Swirl"

This is an excellent new addition.  Basically a blondie sundae, turned into an ice cream.  The only thing it was missing was whipped cream.

The ice cream base apparently was sweet cream, although I assumed it was just basic vanilla.  Creamy, rich, good base.  Standard Ben & Jerry's.

The caramel swirl was exactly what caramel should be.  Buttery, sweet, delicious.  I didn't actually taste much salt, which would have been better perhaps, but it was pretty delicious as it was.  If they just removed "salted" from the product name, I wouldn't have minded the lack of salt.  The caramel was particularly fascinating because it didn't get hard, even inside the cold ice cream, it still stayed pleasantly runny, like caramel that had just been poured over an ice cream sundae.  My only complaint, which is a bit silly, is that there was too much caramel.  It was very sweet, and at one point, I wished to have a little more ice cream to balance out the plentiful caramel.  Perhaps that was just my scoop.

And finally, the blondies.  Chunks of just the right size, big enough to know you got a goodie, but not too big to be annoying to eat.  Sweet, classic blondies.  And again, like the caramel, I was impressed with how they didn't get hard.  They somehow stayed perfectly soft inside the cold ice cream.  Ben & Jerry's knows how to work magic here.

So overall, definitely a winner, and one I'd gladly get again.  Salted Caramel Brownie is only available in Scoop Shops, although a similar offering, Salted Caramel Brownie Core, is available in pints.  That one is the same sweet cream ice cream with blondie bits, with a caramel core down the center of the pint.  It seems like the amount of caramel you get in a scoop could be more easily controlled with the core version, although I did like it being all mixed in.

I also had the chance to sample the other new flavor, Cotton Candy: "Cotton candy ice cream loaded with cotton candy pieces."  It tasted, you guessed it, like cotton candy.  Super sweet.  I'm sure this is a huge hit with children, but for me, not quite something I'd want a full bowl of.

2015

The Tonight Dough™, Single, 2015.

"Caramel & Chocolate Ice Creams with Chocolate Cookie Swirls & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Peanut Butter Cookie Dough".

Wow, this had a lot going on, almost giving Everything But The ... a run for its money.

Let’s start with the base.  I didn’t realize that the caramel ice cream was actually caramel, I assumed it was vanilla, or perhaps sweet cream.  So, it was there, but it certainly wasn’t overly sweet, which is good, as a flavor with so many components easily could have been overwhelmed by too sweet ice cream.  The other ice cream was classic chocolate.  I don’t tend to care for chocolate ice cream, and probably would have preferred this to be all just the caramel flavor, but, the ice cream base is really not the interesting part of this flavor.

The interesting part, as is common with Ben & Jerry's, was the mix-ins.  First, the big shocker for me: "chocolate cookie swirls".  Now, I didn't really know what a "cookie swirl" was going to be, but I somehow thought something like chunks of a cookie.  Nope. Instead, the cookie was crumbs, integrated throughout as, well, a swirl.  It does match the description quite well, now that I think about it ... anyway, I really liked it!  It was almost like bits of brownie, but easier to bite through since it was loose, if that makes any sense.  Really a great texture.

Next, the cookie doughs.  I was seriously impressed with the amount of cookie dough in here.  Tons of chunks, all large sized.  Ben & Jerry's really nails the eating experience of this one, with the chunks large enough that you really, really get to enjoy your cookie dough, and don't need to struggle to build up a few little chunks in order to build your own ball (you do that too right?).  The chocolate chip cookie dough was standard Ben & Jerry's cookie dough, presumably the same as from their regular cookie dough ice cream, which I've reviewed before.  The peanut butter cookie dough was actually the reason I picked this flavor, I was very interested to see what that would be like.  Similar to the chocolate chip dough chunks, just, sans chips.  I actually didn't taste that much peanut butter to it, and would have preferred more.

Anyway, this was a good flavor.  I was worried that so many add ins would make it a disaster, but, it worked.  Not my favorite flavor, and probably not one I'd order again, but if someone had some, I'd certainly dig in.

Two Wild & Crazy Pies™.

"Coconut cream & chocolate cream pie ice creams with a chocolate cookie swirl."

I was inspired to get this one solely due to the chocolate cookie swirl.  I loved the chocolate cookie swirl in Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies flavor, and really just wanted more of it.

But this ... wasn't great.  I actually blame my scoop shop, as I think something was wrong with their freezers.  The ice cream was all crystalized.  That is NOT normal for Ben & Jerry's!

I love creamy chocolate ice cream, and instead, this was just icy.  I didn't taste much coconut, which is fine, I didn't really want to, it doesn't seem like chocolate and coconut would make that great of a mix anyway.  But the cookie swirl that I was soooo looking forward to?  Without creamy ice cream to go with it, it was just additional icy bits.

This made me really sad.  The texture was just sooo wrong.  If it wasn't my birthday free scoop(s), I certainly would have gone back to say something.  I blame the freezers.

Also tried:

• Spectacular Speculoos™: "Dark caramel & vanilla ice creams with speculoos cookies & a speculoos cookie butter swirl".  Tasting Notes: I wanted to love this, but it was icy, and the texture was all strange.  I'm glad I asked to try it first.
• The Tonight Dough ™: "Caramel & Chocolate Ice Creams with Chocolate Cookie Swirls & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Peanut Butter Cookie Dough."  Tasting Notes: This is a case of too many good things don't add up to great result.  Every ingredient was individually great, but, together they became too much, and I couldn't taste anything in particular.

2016

Spectacular Speculoos™ on top, Empower Mint on bottom. April 2016.

Two scoops this time, because you know how hard decisions are!  Starting from the top:

"Dark caramel & vanilla ice creams with speculoos cookies & a speculoos cookie butter swirl."

I picked Spectacular Speculoos to give it another try, because on my previous try, I disliked it because it was strangely icy.  I assumed that was a problem with ice cream storage, not inherent to the flavor, so, I wanted to give it another chance.  Plus, I have a co-worker who loves Speculoos, and I think his mentality is rubbing off.

It was ... ok.  I really didn't taste dark caramel ice cream, it just seemed like vanilla to me.  There were chunks in it, but I couldn't distinguish between cookie chunks and the cookie butter swirl.  Also ... I guess I just don't love Speculoos.

Overall, fine, not icy this time, but, not for me.  I won't get this one again.

"Peppermint ice cream with fudge brownies and fudge swirl".

I was pretty excited about the Empower Mint though, a brand new flavor, not even on their website yet.  I love mint and chocolate.

The ice cream was clearly not just vanilla, but, it wasn't as minty as I would have liked.  I didn't find a distinct fudge swirl, just, some vaguely chocolately bits.  There were decent size chunks of brownie though, soft, rich, good brownies, but, somehow, not really what I wanted in my mint ice cream.

So, overall, I wanted more mint, and, I wanted the chocolate in a different form.  I think I wanted mint chocolate chip with real hot fudge on top.  Or some kind of crunchy chocolate mixed in.

2017

Another year, another birthday free scoop, and chance to try some new flavors (including the trendy cereal milk flavors).  No real winners this year.

Milk & Cookies. Small. (August). $5.25.

"Vanilla Ice Cream with a Chocolate Cookie Swirl, Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies."

On this visit, I tried a few new flavors, and decided to settle on my old stand-by, Milk & Cookies.

I didn't love it this time around though.  It seemed to have a lot more chocolate components than I remembered, and, the signature chocolate chip cookie bits, that were more like a swirl before, were fairly non-existent.

Time to try some new flavors ...

Pistachio Pistachio. (July).

"Pistachio Ice Cream with Lightly Roasted Pistachios."

For National Ice Cream Day, the Whole Foods that I stopped into happened to have free samples from Ben & Jerry's.  I used the opportunity to try a flavor I had never had before: Pistachio Pistachio.

I didn't really care for it.  I liked the chunks of pistachio, but, the base ice cream flavor wasn't great.  It was standard Ben & Jerry's rich, quality product however.

Others:
Totally Baked:
"Chocolate & vanilla ice creams with fudge brownies & chocolate chip cookies."

I tried this one for the chocolate chip cookies that I knew from Milk & Cookies, and the brownies from chocolate fudge brownie (both of which I've liked and reviewed both before).

This was ... fine.  But boring.  Chocolate and vanilla, brownie and cookie, but, it didn't really add up to anything particularly amazing.

Truffle Kerfuffle™:
"Vanilla ice cream with roasted pecans, fudge flakes and salted chocolate."

I like pecans.  I like fudge.  I like salt.  And chocolate.  This basically sounded like an ice cream sundae, jammed into a single flavor.  Much potential.

But it fell a bit flat for me.  The texture seemed harder than most other flavors, and, my scooper actually told me he doesn't like this flavor, as it is always too hard (which he said after I said I didn't like it).  Not really sure why this was a miss, but, it was.

Frozen Flakes™
"Cereal milk ice cream with crisp cereal swirls."

Ben & Jerry's jumped on the cereal milk fad big time.  This summer, they introduced not one, not two, but three different cereal bases flavors: Frozen Flakes (e.g. frosted flakes), Frozen Fruities (e.g. Fruit Loops), and Cocoa Loco (e.g. Cocoa Puffs).

I tried Frozen Flakes, pretty excited.  I adore the Cereal Milk soft serve from Momofuku Milk Bar, and fully support this trend.

But, I didn't like the Ben & Jerry's version.  The "crisp cereal swirls" were not crisp.  Just like the waffle cone pieces in Americone Dream, and the potato chips in Late Night Snack, they were kinda soggy and really unappealing.  The base was also just far too sweet.

This was not for me, and the server told me he really didn't like it either.

2018

Limited Batch: Gimme S'more. Small.

"Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookie Swirls, Graham Cracker Swirls & Fudge Flakes."

I don't really care for s'mores.  Graham crackers are a useless item entirely in my world.  I don't like to munch on them, I don't like them for s'mores, and I hate them for pie crusts.  So, picking a s'mores flavor, even if new and limited edition, was a bit of an odd move for me.

But, I had hope for this, as it has chocolate cookie swirls, and I've found those so successful in other ice cream, like the Milk & Cookies I enjoyed before.  Add in an interesting sounding base (toasted marshmallow!), and a promise of fudge flakes, and I could overlook the graham cracker swirls.

Or so I thought.

While the graham cracker didn't necessarily dominate, it was very prominent, and added a strange thickness and grit.  I didn't like it.

Meanwhile, the base ice cream, while an interesting marshmallow-y flavor, was far too sweet.

The chocolate cookie swirl and bits of fudge chips were good, but overall, this was just too sweet, not balanced, and too gritty.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Single.

"Vanilla Ice Cream with Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough."

"We knew we were onto something big when we made the world's first Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream in 1984. It took us a while to iron out the details, but in 1991 we finally rolled the world's first Dough - in pints - out the door & into ice cream history. Today it still reigns among our all time most popular flavors."

My scoop shop really didn't have any new exciting flavors that were appealing to me, and, after sampling 4 (!), I felt bad and decided to just go with an old reliable.  Cookie dough.  About as classic as Ben & Jerry's gets!  And yes, they really do claim to have invented cookie dough, and really have perfected it.

Rich creamy ice cream base, studded with chocolate chips, and plentiful large chunks of good flavored cookie dough.  The texture of it all is spot on (creamy ice cream, crunch from chocolate chips, soft cookie dough), and this is a classic, reliable option for a reason.  I was happy enough with it.

Other flavors sampled:

MooPhoria Light Caramel Cookie Fix:
"Vanilla Light Ice Cream with Salted Caramel Swirls & Shortbread Cookie Swirls."

Well, ok, I didn't expect light ice to be amazing, but, this was awful to the point that I think my scoop shop must not have stored it properly.  It was so, so icy.  Really just ice.  And the shortbread cookie was really dry.  So dry and icy?  Yeah, not ok.

I'd be curious to try it again somewhere though, as it does have promise, it is real ice cream, just lighter, 140 cal per scoop, and the salted caramel and shortbread cookie swirls do sound good.

Cinndoughrella™ (New 2018 Flavor)
"Cinnamon & Caramel Ice Creams with Cinnamon Bun Dough, Shortbread Cookies & Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookie Swirls."

This one falls in the "almost awesome" category for me.  I loved the cinnamon and caramel bases, I loved the cinnamon bun dough chunks, the shortbread cookie chunks, and the oatmeal cinnamon cookie swirls.  All the components were great, and they worked well together.

So, the problem?  It was just too sweet.  Too much.

I would have gladly gotten this as a mixed scoop, and in the past, my local Ben & Jerry's has allowed split scoop for a single cup (not for a Kiddie size, but a single is actually two scoops but, the very new scooper I had wasn't up for it, and I didn't really care enough to press more).  But balanced with another flavor, or perhaps even whipped cream actually, I think this would be great.

Chocolate Therapy®
"Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookies & Swirls of Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream."

Chocolate ice cream is rarely what I like, but, my scoop shop didn't have many flavors I was interested in, and I do love the Ben & Jerry's cookie swirl, so, I gave this one a try, also interested in "chocolate pudding ice cream" swirls.

This was however an ice cream for chocolate ice cream lovers, very much chocolate ice cream and even more intense chocolate ice cream in the chocolate pudding ice cream swirls.  Not for me.

Chocolate Shake It™
"Chocolate Malt Milkshake Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookie-Covered Fudge Truffles & Marshmallow Swirls."

It has been a while since I've had Phish Food, again, since I'm not a big chocolate ice cream fan, but this really reminded me of Phish Food as both have chocolate ice cream base, marshmallow swirl, and chocolate covered items inside.  And I almost like Phish Food, cuz the marshmallow goo is so tasty.

It really was just like an enhanced version of Phish Food for me.  I liked the chocolate malt milkshake ice cream more than standard chocolate, but it was still chocolate ice cream.  I loved the gooey marshmallow swirl, and thought it provided great balance to the marshmallow that I don't care for.  The "chocolate cookie-covered fudge truffles" didn't really seem that different from other chocolate covered things in Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and I didn't see what was "chocolate cookie" about them, but they were a nice component.

Phish Food lovers might want to try this just to mix it up, but, it wasn't the one for me.

2019

Another year, another chance to try a few more new flavors!  Ben & Jerry's introduces a bunch every year, many only at scoop shops, but few rarely stick around ... 

Cinnamon Buns®

"Caramel Ice Cream with Cinnamon Bun Dough & a Cinnamon Streusel Swirl."

"Our cool salute to cinnamon buns is so cinnamon-streuseled & dough-loaded, there's no telling where the cinnamon buns end or the ice cream begins. That's because it's one fun flavor all the way through. Enjoy!"

Yup, another cinnamon inspired ice cream from Ben & Jerry's.

The first cinnamon flavored ice cream I had from Ben & Jerry's was "Cinnamon Cereal Swirl", a sweet cream base with crunchy cinnamon cereal.  I didn't care for it .

In 2018, I tried the brand new Cinndoughrella™, a cinnamon & caramel base, with cinnamon bun dough, shortbread cookies, & oatmeal cinnamon cookie swirls.  It was almost awesome. The base was a success, as were the cinnamon bun dough chunks, as were the shortbread cookie chunks, and the cookie swirl.  But ... it was just far too sweet.

Cinnamon Buns® has been around for longer, and seems like a more toned down version.  Just the caramel ice cream base, not cinnamon and caramel.  Just the cinnamon bun dough, not cinnamon bun dough and shortbread cookies.  And a cinnamon streusel in place of the oatmeal cookie swirl.

It was definitely better, not nearly as sweet.  The base ice cream was fine, sweet caramel ice cream, classic Ben & Jerry's.  The cinnamon bun dough chunks were the perfect size and texture, and it was loaded with them, just the right distribution.    The streusel swirl didn't overwhelm or over sweeten, as it was generous, but not too much.

Overall, a good flavor.  I'd gladly have it again.

And it turns out, one I had before, and just didn't remember, although the version I tried was the European version, actually made in different facilities, with slightly different ingredients.

Wake & "No Bake".

"Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cookies & Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Fudge Chips & a No Bake Cookie Dough Core."

For my free birthday scoop this year, I went for a brand new flavor: Wake & "No Bake".  I was drawn in by the peanut butter and the fascinating sounding "no bake cookie dough core".

This was good, but not great.  I don't think I'd get it again.

I did appreciate the peanut butter flavors throughout, but I never really found anything that seemed like peanut butter cookies.  What threw me off for this was what I guess is the No Bake Cookie Dough Core, a very gritty layer full of chocolate.  I wasn't expecting as much chocolate (not that its a bad thing) and I certainly wasn't into the grit.  The texture just kinda ruined it after a while.

So sadly, this, after a few bites, as fairly meh for me.

Other flavors sampled:

Chocolate Peanut Buttery Swirl
"Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with a Thick Peanut Buttery Swirl."

I tried this one at the scooper's recommendation when the  P.B. Doughable Chocolate that I actually wanted wasn't available (even though on menu!).  I loved the sound of the PB Doughable, with both dark and milk chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, AND peanut butter cookie butter, but alas, they were out.

The chocolate peanut buttery swirl was no substitute.  It was just fairly standard chocolate ice cream, with a tiny bit of peanut butter swirl.  I'm sure some bites are more loaded up than others, and since I was just trying a sample I didn't get a great one, but, this did not do it for me at all.

Nutty Caramel Swirl
"Nougat Ice Cream with Peanuts, Fudge Flakes & a Salted Caramel Swirl."

I liked the sounds of this one, lots of good mix-ins, but it fell pretty flat.  It was just ... bland and boring, really.  Again, perhaps just the sample I got didn't have much going on.  The base seemed liked regular vanilla as well.

Toffee Break
"Buttery Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Almond Brittle & a Toffee Caramel Swirl."

I *almost* got a full scoop of this flavor.  I may have actually kinda begged (er, nicely asked?) the scooper to let me split my scoop into two flavors, since I couldn't decide which to get.  But I was turned down.

This was a sweet flavor, no question.  Sweet base (buttery brown sugar I guess, it was fairly caramely), and sweet mix-ins (candied almond brittle and toffee caramel swirl).  Of course this was going to be sweet.  But it wasn't cloying somehow, and I liked the textures and flavors.

I do think a full scoop probably would have been too much sweet, hence why I went for the other instead, but I was very close to picking this one.

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