Penny Licks

It’s pretty dumb to review something that’s not even open anymore but here I am reviewing something that’s not open anymore.
Came here back in September 2009. I can’t believe it’s closed so soon after. I guess it wasn’t special enough? The chocolate cupcake I had was so so. Not that I could remember, but the word «dry» comes to mind. And the tiny penny lick’s children’s cone was alright. I had black raspberry. It really wasn’t special. It might’ve been Edy’s brand (I hate it when ice cream shops sell common brands sold in supermarkets. The shop inside was really cute. I enjoyed how it was decorated.

Sure does seem as if Penny Licks has closed down! The signs are intact, but the gates have been down for awhile now & I am secretly hoping that they’ll have a grand reopening with better recipes.
What a heartbreaking disappointment. Perfect name, cutesie as all get out, but it just wasn’t good. This neighborhood is severely lacking a place where I can get my baked goods fix.

I went here last summer, on a steaming day– I really liked the old school charm of the storefront, a nice break from an otherwise hipster-​filled day of activities :) Really great vegan ice cream, though I do agree with another one of the reviewers that the servers weren’t exactly the most polite people on earth.

1) The people that work there, regardless of time of day, number of customers and day of the week are always so rude. I am sorry that you have to serve me, but turns out that it’s your job. And would you it kill you to say ANYTHING AT ALL? Is it possible that you are ALL mutes?
2) The slices of cake are so large that it absolutely makes up for your lack of personality. Seriously, it took me two attempts to finish a piece of coconut cake AND THAT JUST DOES NOT HAPPEN.

i remember i stopped in here a while back to get a cookie without realizing that everything in the store was vegan. i’ve never had vegan dessert products before because… well, i would much rather have the stuff with dairy, butter and lots and lots of sugar. anyway, the oatmeal raisin was pretty bad in my opinion, therefore it was thrown away. what a waste.
however, my boyfriend got my a banana cupcake the other week for me to try and man, those were actually pretty good. it wasn’t overly sweet and tasted just like bananas. the best part was that it had this chewiness to it. i loved it. i am wishing that i had one to eat right now.

Something for everyone. Dairy and soy ice-​creams. Cookies, brownies, blondies plus a pretty sizable vegan selection. The soy cookie dough ice-​cream was heavenly. I am jealous of Williamsburgers who have this lovely establishment right on their doorstep. I will be back to try the vegan chocolate squares.

Penny Licks has delicious ice cream in some really surprising flavors. Cardamom, anyone?
Yes, they have tons of vegan desserts and ice cream. Don’t like it? Get the dairy version and stop complaining.
Don’t forget to try the tasty coffee!

Vegan ice cream and baked goods? Absolutely, positively, yes, I want all of them.
Really convenient and fairly tasty, though perhaps not the best I’ve ever had. But the convenience of not having to make these items myself bumps Penny Licks up one more star in my book. Also, the odd turn-​of-​century-​meets-​punk aesthetic makes me happy.
It’s always a good idea to stop here on a nice day, grab a cone and then take a walk down to the water.

Vegan ice cream is sweet, sugary-​tasting, pretty good… could use more cookie dough chunks in the cookie dough flavor. But black raspberry or cookies and crème are very tasty (non-​vegan).
This is my favorite Brooklyn ice cream spot. Usually get a cone w/​friends and stoop it across the street.
Need to try more before I up the rating to five, though.

If someone stuck a stick of dynamite inside Mickey Mouse, the resulting explosion would look a lot like Penny Licks — cute and colorful, ultra-​sweet staff and even sweeter treats.
There are under ten tables inside, so you may not get a seat. And if you go at a busy time, it can be hard to wiggle your way between those tables and the counter.
I’m going three stars because Penny Licks is a bit expensive to indulge in whenever my sweet tooth demands attention. But they have this beautiful dessert here — I forget their name for it, but it’s basically a brownie topped with this peanut buttery amazingness and swirls of chocolate and peanut butter sauce. A brownie bomb? A peanut butter bomb?
Whatever it is, eating it is a trip to chocolate peanut butter heaven. No wonder all of my diets fail!

I’m getting a bit fed up with this everyone going vegetarian or vegan. Where have all the men gone? I love flesh. I love dairy. I also love value.
For me getting ice cream is a almost never activity because I don’t need the quantities that most places offer as a small for 2 – 4 dollars. This is where the Penny Lick suits me perfectly. $ 1 for a nice mini scoop on a cone. Perfect! Just what I wanted to leave that lingering ice cream taste in my mouth.
I’m not set on forcibly consuming animal products but in Williamsburg the veggie/​vegan places are just rising so fast that well, alright, I’ll play your game you rogue, I’ll give it a shot. And surprisingly, the vegan ice cream and vegan baked treats aren’t bad.
I am not a dessert honk but I enjoy the offer of ice cream with actual cream and the vegan riff option that coupled with the perfect sized penny lick = awesome. For god sake’s please do not alter said formula.

WHY IT’S SPECIAL:
I love the novel idea of bringing back the «penny lick» from the mid nineteenth century (thanks, Wikipedia.)
Okay, so you have to pay $ 1 for a penny lick since it’s 2009, but it’s really a nice sizable scoop! …On the tiniest cone I’ve ever seen. Perfectly sized. Take a seat in the precious-​but-​not-​overdone (and small) interior, or my favorite is the little bench they keep outside, a great spot for cute dog-​watching on summer nights.
THE FLAVORS:
I stay away from the vegan stuff, so the regular flavor of my choice was Cookies and cream; Coffee and Mint chocolate chip close seconds! All very creamy, not too strong or sweet.

This place brought back memories of Disneyland for some reason– it’s that magical. I think it has to do with the delicate light fixtures, red walls, and white accents that reminded me of eating funnel cake at the happiest place on Earth.
I got the non-​vegan, large chocolate chip cookie and a small coffee. The chocolate chip cookie is yum-​eee! I love a soft center and just barely crunchy edges. Never tried the vegan stuff; I can’t get myself to when there’s non-​vegan cookies right there, but maybe one day.
This place is so cute and exemplifies what I imagine when I think of a NYC lounge spot. It’s no Central Perk (small space, missing large vintage couches), but it reminds me of Disneyland so that’s almost as good.

A star for the adorable décor. A star for the super friendly staff. A star for that fantastic name and the quote on the door.
I went in for the first time last night and was charmed.
The vegan red velvet was seriously not anything I’d ever eat again. I like that they box it and bag it up so fancy. It’s not their fault if it’s made by Vegan Treats but I detest when red velvet has a buttercream frosting. Personal thing. The cake was 6 bucks and I don’t know, but it was crunchy… I swear.
I’ll go back and try some of their other offerings! Probably not fair to be so critical having only gone once! I’m just subtracting two stars because the cake was just not good.

Well they definitely get a gold star in the cuteness department. The décor/​color scheme that is. I love the walls… is that wallpaper? I should have asked… oh well.
Half the stuff is vegan the other half… well…not. Thats cool though. Cakes are from vegan treats and they also have vegan ice cream which i have yet to try. When summer rolls around ill be trying for sure.
The peanut butter cookies look to die for. I had a massive piece of cake so didnt even think about buying anything else. The coffee is good too… i dont know but i think they charge extra for soy milk? all i know is 2 pieces of cake and 2 coffees came to $ 15. is that high or am i?
It doesnt matter. You buy it when you can get it right? Vegan desserts arent the easiest to come by. I wish they had vegan treats donuts though. hmm
btw…whoever voted this place as «good for groups» is a god damned idiot. Yes all 4 of you are stupid and/​or blind.
ok im just thinking out loud now.

Fine it’s vegan, whatever.
The ice cream tastes like shit and the desserts taste like large servings of shit.
If you’re vegan ‘n stuff this place is fine… I guess.
The décor is fantastic but, the desserts — not so much.

Every Lick Is Worth It At Penny Licks…
I am a newbie fan to this Williamsburg treat shop! If im in the mood to spoil myself with a good sweet non-​expensive treat… I head to Penny Licks!
Now to be honest I am not yet «down» with the whole vegan etc. crew but they offer sweets to both parties (vegan & non-​vegan) at this Brooklyn café/​shop. I myself enjoy their Ice Coffee & Peanut Butter Cookies (realllllly good, peanut butter fans). They have a little of everything though… Ice Cream, Sundaes, Floats, Cookies, Cupcakes, Cake, Pie, Brownies.
While I was ordering I looked over at a couple sitting at a tiny table who were sharing a Coffee Float! (Ughhhh… That sounds pretty good!)
I like Penny Licks, they got me lickin’ too. ;o)

A bit pricey, but I can sum up this place in three words:
HELL EFFIN’ YES!

Though the girl who worked at this establishment was extremely cute and sweet and nice and all of that mumbo jumbo, I was extremely disappointed with the vegan brownie sundae that she went to such great lengths to prepare.
I chose vegan vanilla ice «cream» and their organic pistachio cardamom kulfi as the prime scoops in the corn-​based biodegradable cup, followed by a warm vegan brownie, fudge sauce, vegan whipped cream and a cherry; needless to say it was all very pretty.
However, once I took a bite of the vegan whipped cream, I knew I was doomed the rest of the way down. Possessing a strange taste and melty texture, it lasted less than a minute against the heat from the brownie, which itself was at times too fudgy to go down without a gag reflex.
The ice cream was the most disappointing component. With a texture akin to ice milk, even the «kulfi» which is usually very dense and flavorful lacked either of those characteristics; both scoops melted into watery pools, drowning the hardened crust of the remaining brownie.
Perhaps the other desserts, sans «ice cream,» fare better, but so far I’m unconvinced.
Cash only, and occasionally fork only as well.

I never thought I’d see myself enjoying vegan/​almost totally organic desserts on a Saturday evening in Brooklyn — but things happen for a reason. After some googling around, I found out that this place is probably less than a week old — glad to be able to pop it’s Unilocal cherry.
Note:
I am not vegan, nor do I care if whatever I ingest is organic.
I usually think things that are really healthy, don’t taste as good.
However, this place had a great vibe. totally reminded me of the little cafes in SF, chill, cheap and generally awesome. They featured a large array of vegan and organic desserts, served in fully biodegradable plastic cups (soooo SF!). I tried the chocolate chocolate chip ice cream, and it actually tasted pretty good (I usually like my ice cream to be very creamy and smooth).
I also tried a «New York Egg Cream» drink, which I thoroughly enjoyed for its interesting fizzy chocolate milk quality … this drink better described by another website: In the beginning, it was a soda produced almost exclusively in New York (particularly Brooklyn). the basic ingredients are milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup. It is traditionally made in a small Coke-​style glass… It is perfectly proper to gulp down an egg cream. In fact, egg cream will lose its head and become flat if it is not enjoyed immediately.
(source:
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To be enjoyed for what it’s worth, Penny Licks is an adorable café with fantastic vegan and organic desserts for the discerning sugar junkie.