Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream

I’m reluctant to give 5 stars because I went in there twice in 2 days and the woman working there acted extremely dissatisfied with having to be there the whole time both times but the ice cream is stellar, the ambiance is super cool and the prices are pretty reasonable. I was alone but there were a lot of younger people enjoying themselves there both times and at midday and later at night.

High Quality Ice Cream for sure! I see they always have a long line, but I decided to go when it was off hours and no line and it was perfect timing. Their texture of their ice cream is perfection with the right amount of real ingredients that are completely crushed so you can get real food such as the pistachio ice cream. As you dig in the middle you’ll see pieces of pistachios in your ice cream! Suprise! Soft and creamy. Price is not bad and cash only guys!
Definitely try kids scoop with friends because their flavors are so real that you’ll want a bit of different ice creams.

This is some fiiiiine ice cream. The bourbon vanilla was bourbony and vanilla-​ey and oh so tasty. The flavors were perfectly balanced — the bourbon didn’t overpower the vanilla, and vice versa. The salted chocolate also achieved the perfect balance of saltiness and chocolatiness. Yum. Salty chocolate. The vibe of this place is really cool. They sell a beach towel with a giant, high def, realistic, smashed ice cream cone on it, which I want to get really badly. And if you’re ever craving bone broth, they have that too… for some reason.

Delicious. There’s always a huge line outside this place and after trying it, I know why. I came one weeknight when the line was smaller than usual and I seized my chance. The insides of this place is super cute; with its vintage-​like tiles and monochrome color scheme. The menu is located in the front alongside with their various mix-​ins. I ordered the burnt honey vanilla and green tea pistachio.
You have to wait a bit after you order your ice cream to get it but trust me, it’s worth it. The burnt honey was pretty good but the green tea pistachio was amazing! They actually put pistachio bits in the green tea (and I believe they sprinkled some on top for me) and the green tea flavor was very prominent. The combination of the pistachio and matcha flavors sold me.
This place definitely seems to be getting more popular (once summer comes the line will be down the block again). Nevertheless, I think this place is worth waiting in line for. I can’t wait to come back and their new innovative flavors.

So much hype around this ice cream spot so had to give it a try. Ice cream is definitely high quality. Soft and creamy, has that half-​melted consistency. While I loved the texture of the ice cream, I thought the flavors left more to be desired.
What we ordered:
Salted Chocolate — most popular flavor (according to the person behind the counter) — WAY too salty for my taste. It literally tasted like salt on top of regular chocolate ice cream.
Burnt Honey Vanilla — interesting/​different. Vanilla ice cream but with a twist. Would probably order this again.
Bourbon Vanilla — nothing special about this flavor.
Whatever you order, get it in their cone! That was the best part in my opinion.

Let’s be real, Aziz brought me here.
Ice Cream: I ordered a single scoop of the green tea pistachio in a sugar cone. Expect perfection out of this flavor. Chunks of pistachio nuts — creamy, decadent and rich flavor. A good balance of both the GT and the PN. Upon the first bite, I felt like they had simply added PN to GT ice cream, but after savoring it a bit, I realized it really was an infusion of both flavors. Probably one of the most unique and delicious flavors of ice cream I’ve ever had. I paid about $ 4.50 for that. My boyfriend & I shared the King Kong Banana Split ($ 20). The cashier chose our flavors. I will say, it takes about 10 minutes for them to make these, so be patient. The flavors she gave us were: Strawberry Sassafras, Angel Food Vanilla, Coffee Crisp, Schoolyard Mint Chip & Szechuan Peppercorn Chocolate. The KKBS is huge, easily can be shared amongst 2 – 3 people. It comes with two bananas, pineapple chunks, 5 scoops of ice cream, sesame caramel cookie pieces and syrup. My favorite flavor was the strawberry sassafras, it had pieces of fresh strawberry in it, very dense but also light and refreshing. I also liked the addition of the pineapple, very unique in a banana split! I didn’t like the coffee crisp very much, not a fan of coffee, so it was just a bit too overpowering for me. Also didn’t really like the cookie pieces — they were a bit too burnt and also extremely sweet/​hard to the point that my teeth started aching. Although the KKBS is large, it’s way too pricey and I don’t think I’d order it again… it’s one of those «once in a lifetime» things you do when you love Aziz Ansari. I think it would have been better without the cookie/​syrup, as those took away from the ice cream rather than complimenting them. I will admit, you’ll never have a banana split quite like this one, I’d recommend trying it at least once.
Ambiance: Quaint, clean, old-​fashioned mom n pop feel, but also some contemporary feel to it.
Service: Cashier was far from friendly, she seemed really annoyed by me asking to sample some flavors (only sampled two). I would have sampled more, but I got a bad vibe from her which made me hesitate. We were the only ones in the shop, but service was still slow.
Price: Oh, you gon’ pay today, boy! Pricey ice cream, but worth the price if I’m solely ordering scoops of ice cream (imo).
Overall: The quality of their ice cream is superb and super delicious in taste. they also have a wide-​set of unique flavors. Service can improve. We’ll be back!

Delicious.
I had a monster cone with three flavors and loved them each equally– green tea pistachio, burnt honey, and salted chocolate. I’ll come back for a 1500+ calorie sundae some time soon.
I love the old feel in this place– I really love the white counter with stool look and the classic ice cream parlor vibe right off of Bowery at Rivington. I’m not even pissed about the cash only if under $ 12 limit because let’s face it, I feel bad for the restaurants who have to pay the small fee on a meal that’s $ 7.
However, I WANT and NEED peanut butter in my life, where is that at? Why is it left out?

Summary: An ice cream shop that favors nuance and sophistication over merely hitting you in the face with 21 artificial flavors.
From my first visit to this past summer’s celebration of Kanye West’s birthday to last week’s unavoidable post-​ramen drop-​in, Morganstern’s is not only consistently inventive, but they humbly pull it off. Not every hipster ice cream shop can do both.
This is also the only ice cream shop I continue to visit through the winter months.
Bonus points: Best. Choking. Victim. Poster. Ever.
Pro tip: Add sesame honeycomb (pictured below) or luxardo cherry toppings to anything you possibly can. Trust me, it will change your life.

Ice cream so good that, despite my initial vow to not order any after brunch, I ended up falling under the sway of Morgenstern’s old-​timey, diner stools and those crazy test-​taking desks, and grabbing a scoop of the Chocolate Oat, which tastes exactly like cold oatmeal with chunks of chocolate (trust me, it tastes way better than how I just described it). I also sampled bits of the burnt honey (the honey flavor only really kicks in at the end, but wow does it pack a punch) and salted caramel.
My one nit is that only one employee was manning the register (cash-​only unless you hit $ 12) and handling the cash and scooping out the ice cream, which didn’t seem terribly hygienic to me.
They also have a beach towel tacked onto the wall with the most delicious-​looking pretzel ice cream sundae sprawled out.
All in all, great way to while away your afternoon while you wait your turn at Freemans.

Small mom and pop ice cream shop located in Chinatown.
Small ice cream parlor with a couple of tables and a counter to enjoy your order.
I had the burnt honey ice cream and the salted caramel ice cream with salted pretzel and caramel sauce topped off with sea salt. The burnt honey was Amazing. Highly recommend this flavor. The sea salt caramel topping was good but the salted caramel I didn’t care much for.
The staff was friendly and helpful in describing the different types of ice cream and toppings.

Tried the Szechuan peppercorn chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone. Not much chocolate flavor but the Szechuan peppercorn flavor was surprisingly present and not overwhelming.
Be patient — one person takes order while another person fulfills the order… even on a Saturday night. Maybe the long wait helps with the hype and draws/​creates a crowd.

Craft on full attack, thought level next. Think of a top sommelier and a revered Tuscan wine maker. Now, you’re the sommelier, the Tuscan wine maker is a French guy with a sleeve, and the wine is actually ice cream.
Waffle cone + american egg + burnt honey + sesame honey comb = dead.
Waffle cone + raw milk + bitter chocolate + black walnuts = double dead.
Toppings are not added simply atop, they are rolled into the center of each scoop of ice cream — which is clearly ingenious. The ice cream was truly of masterpiece like quality; each flavor not only a testament but rather a love letter to its ingredients (american egg, raw milk, etc), read to you in a French accent.
Subtlety, complexity, nuance, balance — you’ve heard all these words before, but you’ve likely not experienced them quite like this.

First time here but don’t think it will be my last. The ice cream shop is so cute itself, giving this old-​fashioned feel to it.
I split a small ($ 4.50) cup of Burnt Honey, which was vanilla based. DELICIOUS. Super creamy. It first tasted like vanilla tapioca pudding to me, which I had no complaints because I love that flavor and it ended with that burnt honey taste. Great quality ice cream I’d say. Excited to try more!

Flavors and ice cream itself deserves five stars but service is way too slow. Servers take their sweet time taking your order, as well as actually getting the ice cream in your hands.
Also cash only for orders below $ 12? I think the more reasonable cutoff would be $ 5…
Anyhow, I’d like to preface that the flavors I will review below are a result of multiple visits, not an ice cream pow wow in a single visit (although that is an interesting idea).
Flavors: despite not being a fan of durian, I decided to try out the flavor… And loved it! The stank is much less pungent than the actual fruit of course. It’s a special flavor that you don’t find often. The burnt honey wasn’t as special I had hoped for, it wasn’t too different from your standard vanilla. I’m still dreaming of the salted chocolate. SO. GOOD. And last but not least, green tea pistachio is a great blend of sweet and savory.
So, apart from the slow service, the ice creams are pretty great. I’d say you should get it if there isn’t a line out the door.

This place is a huge hit! Classic décor with clever art pieces. The secret? A vast variety of creative ice cream flavors! Got to sample a few. What I noticed was that it was very sweet. Almost overpowering. I tried the egg and salted caramel. I myself ordered the green tea pistachio which I liked a lot.
Will definitely try this place again but the crowds and hype was a tad bit overkill. Did not meet expectations.

Came here an hour before closing time on a Monday evening. I was surprised that there were lots of people, even though it was a weekday night.
My friend and I wanted something really cool and fancy to share, but not before asking to try many of the interesting-​sounding flavors. You’re only allowed one sample per person, so choose wisely. I did not appreciate how offputting and rude the worker was to me when I was asking him about the flavors… he seemed so annoyed and unpleasant with his responses.
Neverless, my friend and I sesttled on the New God Flow sundae with the Raw Milk flavor that my friend sampled and liked. The Japanese white bread in the sundae reminded me of Taiwanese honey brick toast, though it was heavier. The crunchy outside was a nice touch though.
I think the Raw Milk ice cream was great in small doses. In an entire sundae, it was almost overly creamy and didn’t make my stomach feel so good. The honey on top of the sundae had a bourbon-​y taste to it… not sure where it came from, and I still can’t decide if I liked it or not because it was so unexpected. Overall, not the best sundae I’ve had… my friend and I l left half a plate of the toast unfinished when we left the store.
Next time, if I do come here, I’ll opt for just a simple cup/​cone of ice cream rather than a large sundae. The other Unilocalers seem to really like the variety of flavors, so simple scoops are probably the way to go. Just during this visit, the worker’s bad attitude and the poor choice in sundae led to this mediocre review…

I’ve only heard of great things about this place. I was even willing to wait the better part of 45 minutes to get a scoop of the ice cream. But when you’re waiting for so long and get to the counter and have rude service, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth.
You are only allowed to try one flavor before purchasing. It is cash only.
I’ve gotten the pistachio green tea and the burn honey. I would recommend only getting one scoop because it is very sweet, but satisfying. They do take a while serving you the ice cream because if comes from tubs. But once you get your ice cream, there is always awesome art across the street where you can take great insta pics with

Mmmm love good quality ice cream but this place is one of the best in NYC for quality and quirkiness. Entering it feels like old ice cream parlor.
Tried their coffee crunch + green tea pistachio, omg, so good. They mix in the crunch toffee and pistachio into the ice cream and scope so they are fresh and crunchy.
If you are looking for fun flavor ice cream this is one of that place!

So far, this is my favorite spot for ice cream in New York! I have a lot more ice cream to explore here, but Morgenstern’s has innovative ways to offer ice cream that make this shop truly unique. They have multiple twists on many classic flavors, like vanilla — chocolate — caramel, and unexpected flavors like Szechuan pepper corn and durian banana.
Tips:
* Only one flavor to try per person.
* Card purchases require a minimum of $ 12. Bring cash!
* A cup in addition to a cone is $ 0.25
FLAVORS
— — — — –
+ GREEN TEA PISTACHIO: This isn’t your normal green tea ice cream. Although you get a perfect ball of green tea ice cream, you’ll find the pistachio is in the middle of the scoop! I’m not sure how they do it, but they leave the «toppings» of the ice cream smack dab in the center and it’s perfect.
+ VIETNAMESE COFFEE: I love Vietnamese iced coffee because it’s cracked out coffee. Instead of milk/​creamer to sweeten the iced coffee, they use condensed milk. So you’ll find in this ice cream scoop, the condensed milk is in the center of the scoop without being overpowering or too sweet.
Be prepared to wait! On a Friday night at 11 pm, there was a line out the door to the next store. We had to wait about 30 minutes just to get two scoops of ice cream. But you’ll find the wait is worth it because everything is made to order and special additions inside your scoop.

I fell in love with this place the moment I saw the delightfully un-​catchy name and the bright white retro interior. From its changing menu and creative flavors to the kind workers, this place almost has it all. The only problem was that everyone else in lower Manhattan seemed to have the same idea as me on that warm evening and with only two people doing the scooping, it meant I was waiting in line for nearly half an hour.
I had plenty of time to consider my flavor choice during that long wait, and there was definitely some interesting stuff to choose from. There were flavors there that I thought sounded super interesting, but not necessarily tasty (durian, black licorice). And some of the flavors that I had researched and was super excited about weren’t there that night (burnt honey vanilla for one). I wanted to get a fun flavor but there just wasn’t much that called out to me that night so I ended up going with the Madagascar vanilla, which is a very tasty take on the most classic of ice cream flavors.
At $ 5.50 for one flavor in a cone (the smallest size), this gourmet ice cream comes with a somewhat gourmet price tag. They also have some intense sounding sundae creations like the King Kong banana split, cool toppings like sesame honeycomb, and I even saw a sign up that said they serve a small brunch menu with items including avocado toast.
Between the long wait, high prices, the many missing flavors, and their cash only policy, I can’t bring myself to give it a full five stars, but I’m pretty darn close. It’s crazy how some fancy ice cream can cloud my judgement!