Fruits Gelateria

This venue is closed.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 322 Broad Ave, Palisades Park, NJ 07650 (201) 944-5150 Price: $ Hours: Mon-Sun 11 am – 12 am Facebook // Foursquare

Pricy self-serve “Pinkberry style” fro-yo

Fruits Gelateria was one of the first fro-yo joints on Broad Avenue and for some time, was my favorite, that is until they instituted the self-serve model and made their fro-yo so much more pricy than their competitors. Average medium plain frozen yogurt with no toppings will set you back $6-8 bucks, so not only do you have to make it yourself, but you also pay more. Their frozen yogurt is very similar to Pinkberry, not very creamy and a bit tangy. Their gelatos are a hit or miss. On some occasions they are nice and fresh and on others they taste as if it has been sitting there for years. They also offer shaved ice, cakes, bubble tea, coffee, soup, and sandwiches – none of which are at the very least appealing.

What is appealing about Fruits Gelateria is their decor. They have comfy couches, a mezzanine section with large table to do work, and an outdoor patio – all with free WiFi. And remember to bring cash, they only accept credit cards for purchases over $10.

Frozen Yogurt – Plain

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Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

Rating: ★★★★☆ 65 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013 info@chinatownicecreamfactory.com Website (212) 608-4170 Price: $ Hours: Mon-Sun 11 am – 10 pm or 11pm Nearest Transit: Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6) Grand Street (B, D) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

This is the place to go for ice cream in Chinatown! You’ll always find a crowd here.

The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is an Asian inspired homemade ice cream parlor. It serves custom cakes and fresh ice cream in a variety of unique flavors. My favorite are egg-tart, zen butter, almond cookie, black sesame, and pistachio. They also have the common chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and some sorbet for the less adventurous folks. Experimental flavors are released are periodically.

For $3.75, you get a “one-scoop” cup or cone, which is really two scoops that can be split between two flavors. Larger portions are not too much more.

Don’t expect seats here, most just huddle outside and eat it in front of the shop. Be sure to have cash in hand, like most shops in Chinatown, they don’t accept credit cards.

“One scoop” black sesame cup (but really two scoops) – $3.75

Mt Fuji IMOCHI

Mt Fuji’s IMOCHI is one of the best mochi ice creams, they are also referred to as Jpanese ice cream bonbons. They can be found in Japanese/Asian grocery stores and in the dessert portion of some Japanese restaurant’s menus. In grocery stores, they come in a disposal ice bag and can be had in green tea, sesame, or in an assorted offering (2x green tea, sesame, strawberry, and vanilla) for $4.50-5.99USD. I like the assorted pack, it provides a good variety of favors, it’s especially good for newbies of this delicious treat. My favorite is the sesame, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the flavors. The mochi is soft, the ice cream is flavorful and when combined it provides a pleasurable texture and flavor in every bite. Be warned, these things are addictive, you can find yourself finishing an entire bag in a matter of minutes.

Dessert Truck

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3rd Ave & St. Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003 mail@desserttruck.com Website (215) 468-1546 Price: $ Nearest Transit: Astor Place (6) 8th St-Broadway (R, W) 1st Ave-14th St (L) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Dessert Truck is not your average food truck, their desserts are gourmet and can rival any of the big boys in the industry. They specialize mostly in chocolate treats, but also serve a couple of non chocolate desserts as well. Their truck is usually parked on 55th St. and Lexington from 12pm to 3pm (Mon-Fri) and on St. Marks Place and 3rd Ave from 6pm to 12am (Mon-Sun). Their menu changes from time to time and they tend to run out of the popular items (Chocolate Pread Pudding & Molton Cake) way before the end of their shift. I love their Creme Brulee, Pretzel Barks and Chocolate Bread Pudding.

MILK Chocolate, Hazelnut & Pretzel Bark – $3

Flurt

This venue is closed.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 110 Broad Ave Ste #4, Palisades Park, NJ 07650 Price: $

Flurt is a froyo joint that serves Pinkberry style yogurt. They have three locations: one in New Jersey (Palisades Park) and two in New York (Battery Park and Gramercy). I’ve only been to their NJ branch and it’s always empty, maybe because it looks very uninviting and much like a Pinkberry Knockoff. In terms of tastes, their yogurt is very similar to Pinkberry, but they offer a lot less toppings and are limited to only one flavor (original). I don’t prefer Flurt over Pinkberry, but I do tend to come here often because it’s a little cheaper and a lot more convenient for me. In addition, they also serve gelato, korean snacks, bubble tea, and coffee.

Bread Papa’s Fresh’n Natural Cream Puffs

The Carmine St venue is closed.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 5 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014 Website (212) 255-4675 Price: $ Nearest Transit: W 4th Street (A, B, C, D, E, F, V) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Bread Papa is home to the worlds best cream puff. It originated in Osaka, Japan and has expanded to China, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Canada, UK, and the US. I’ve visited multiple locations in New York, New Jersey, and Hong Kong and the quality of their products are very consistent. Their crunchy puff pastry are filled with fresh, all natural custard and then combined with whipped cream. The puffs and custard are both light, airy, and not at all sweet. They come in a number of flavors, my favorite are the original vanilla, green tea, and pumpkin. The cost is very reasonable at $1.50-3 ($10-25 hkd) a puff depending on the flavor. In addition to their cream puffs, they also serve fresh mochi ice cream, cakes, and even mont-blanc. Bread Papas is strictly takeout only, they don’t have proper seating in their stores (at least the locations in NYC, NJ, and HK don’t).

Pinkberry

Rating: ★★★★☆ 1577 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10028 Website (212) 861-0574 Price: $ Hours: Mon-Thu 12 pm – 11 pm Fri-Sun 12 pm – 11:30 pm Nearest Transit: 86 St (4, 5, 6, 6X) 77 St (4, 6, 6X) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Pinkberry is a Korean inspired desert shop that serves frozen yogurt, shaved ice, and smoothies. Their frozen yogurt comes in three flavors; original, green tea, and pomegranate (some locations still have coffee). I like original the most, coffee is the worst. They also provide over 18 fresh toppings to personalize your froyos and shaved ice. Their store on the upper east side is the first one that I came across and maybe their first in NYC, but they have over 50 branches spread out between New York and California. It’s really small and has very limited seating. The service is a bit slow and the lines are usually out the door, but the froyo is good and worth the wait. A bit of warning, they are a bit pricey at $3-12 depending on size and amount of toppings.