Category: | Ice Cream Shop |
Address: | 61 Grove St, New York, NY 10014, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-414-0222 |
Site: | biggayicecream.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–12AM 11AM–12AM 11AM–10PM |
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Chris Rogalski
After seeing the lengthy lines driving past two Manhattan locations, I said enough is enough, its time to see what all the fuss is about. With all of the excitement built up, my girlfriend and I stood in the long line waiting to get a taste of ice cream where all of these rave reviews were coming from. Maybe 20 minutes or so we finally made it into the building, only to wait another 10 minutes. It looks like your typical ice cream shot, with a hint of "art" inside of it. The menu features a bunch of different soft serve ice cream "flavors", which look appetizing and are reasonably priced from Manhattan. I believe the average was around $6. The ice cream is good with their creative toppings, I ended up getting the Monday Sundae, which wasnt spectacular or anything, but the nutella waffle cone was pretty damn good. Would I wait another 30 minutes to order ice cream again? Probable not, but if Im passing by and dont see a line, why not?
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Karen Stephens
I just grossly overpaid for a tiny, flavorless soft-serve sundae. Its soft-serve. Theres nothing special about it other than the toppings. It doesnt even have a good vanilla flavor to it. And I made the fatal mistake of going off the beaten path and ordering the Mermaid. The Mermaid was supposed to be something like a Key Lime pie ala mode: vanilla ice cream, key lime curd, crushed graham crackers, whipped cream... Thats the impression I got from the menu. That was not what I got in that tiny cup. The lime curd barely tasted of lime. I know that Key Limes arent as lip puckering as regular limes, but the whole thing lacked any flavor whatsoever. I was majorly underwhelmed. This is what I get for not following the herd by ordering the Salty Pimp. But I guess my renegade-self wont be finding out if its any better. Im not paying that kind of money for soft-serve worthy of a highway McDonalds ever again.
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K H
I love taking visitors from out of town here! The original location is in the East Village but this one is right by Christopher Street and the Stonewall Inn so its ideal for guests who are interested in learning about the LGBT rights movement and the Stonewall riots. People always get a kick out of the name, and its not kid-unfriendly though they dont go out of their way to be kid-appropriate. (It doesnt bother me but keep in mind that not everyone wants to watch their kid eat an ice cream called a Salty Pimp.) Prices will seem high to people who dont live in NYC but I dont think theyre actually out of line for the area. You might have to wait in line for a while, especially on a warm day or a weekend afternoon. And the ice cream is delicious! Its basic soft-serve only but they have all kinds of toppings and dips so it can actually be quite elaborate and fun.
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Peter Gates
This place is great. Having graduated from the food truck scene this West Village store is light and surprisingly large, just like a big gay ice cream. The large array of flavours is scrawled on a board behind the counter and I have to admit I struggled to read a lot of them but then I didnt need to - I just went for the same thing I always go for - the Salty Pimp and boy, is it good. I know Im likely missing out by not trying the other flavours and sauces, like the spicy chocolate that tempted me last time I was there... Sitting in the window of the store, it is fun to watch people come in and choose their treat and then watch it being made. Perhaps its the childish part of me that always wanted to work in an ice cream factory or a love for the 70s version of Willy Wonka but I really could stay there all day.
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Franklin Bonilla
As a lover of ice cream, I had to come here and, sure enough, they didnt disappoint! I hard time choosing between, the very popular, Salty Pimp, and American Globs. Thankfully, the very helpful staff, suggested I get both of them in one cone. Both flavors were actually mixed together, and it was so good, I had to take my time and enjoy it sitting down. Im very curious to try the other flavors. I was the only one there at the time but there is plenty of places to sit down at, although I hear it gets packed as the warmer weather arrives. I look foward to coming back here as well as going to their other location.
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Barry Morrison
Leaving 2 stars because the ice cream was good. But service was terrible. My server, Chance - after having a play and a joke with another server (no name tag) served me. Showed no interest and might aswell rolled his eyes after everything i said. After i payed, annoyingly i tipped. He then continued to serve everyone after me. It was a few minutes later that i realised other customers were getting there ice cream as they ordered? Why the hell was i waiting? So a few more minutes go past of me staring at him with the "wheres my order!" Eyes. Only for him to ask what my order was again. Shocking shocking service
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Jennifer N
Came here because it was a must when I was in NYC, it was a while ago and I forgot to do the review so here I am. It was during the summer when I was here and walking around in the summer heat in NYC ice cream was a must. It is a small cute shop, there are good options and the line moved quickly. But the actual ice cream didnt leave a lasting impression on me. It was okay, nothing special. The topping options are where it gets a little more exciting. There is a lot of hype and a little to deliver on the hype. I would pop in if you are in the area, but I wouldnt go too out of your way to get here.
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Nathalie H
Insanely long line that winded out the door and halfway down the block. Apparently this is a normal occurrence. The line moved at a decent pace so it wasnt bad. Everyone was efficient, from the person directing the traffic flow to the cashiers. Its great how they offer pints of their flavors now! All the options have a base of vanilla ice cream so it may be a disappointment to some people. Salty Pimp seemed to be the most popular, but my favorite is Bea Arthur. Id probably stop by the other, smaller location in the future since the lines were never this crazy.
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Neil Walsh
I finally came here after years of watching the lines to have a vanilla ice cream with vanilla bourbon sauce after reading a recipe for the sauce on David Lebovitzs website. The vanilla bourbon sauce was divine. While the line is long I made it clear that I was new to the store and that I had questions. I was treated with respect and the staff could not have been more patient or polite with me. The staff was cool and even gave me a free sample of their toppings. Ill be back when Im done with my diet.
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Brendan Callum
Dunno exactly why but Im starting to lose some of the love I had for this place. I havent been to the East Village location in a while, but every time Ive visited this one Ive left feeling a bit unsatisfied. I think the people that work there are a little burnt out/over it with the massive amount of traffic they see every day. The novelty of the ice cream options has also worn off a bit for me and it doesnt help that Ive been spoiled by incredible soft-serve from places like Bi-Rite in SF.