Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

I didn't write a review? what?\r I've been a fan since...teen years...so in high school a friend worked there and gave us free cones and from then I was hooked. Not addicted because if you're a regular there, you know the ice cream isn't cheap. It's a treat and def recommended for special occassions.\r I ordered a cake from there many years ago and I order a cake this week for my little brother's birthday. I believe it costs extra to have different flavors in the cakes, so I stuck with the signature flavors; had the lychee, mango, green tea. They were made in that order from top layer to bottom later. \r The cake was ordered on the phone and picked up at my estimated time. The servers gave me no issues. I got to pick a color for the writing and noticed that they have chinese writing for special occassions as well, very cute. They also asked where I was traveling too...which I think they should be more clear about. Don't be asking someone where they're going, that comes off as stalker-ish, even if you work at a professional cake place. It wasn't that hard if you said, ""I'm going to pack some ice packs for your travel, how long is your travel time."" See, not freaky and you do your job. Because it was def nice that they do not charge extra for the ice packs. Props on that! more

This place is outstanding and the staff is amazing.The flavors will take your breath away!! Truly awesome!\r Thanks Brigitte Grisanti New York Food Fan more

This place is one of my favorite places in this area. The manger and the staff here are so polite and friendly, they always make sure that everything is in the right place. more

Before coming here, I had no idea that such an array of ice cream flavors even existed! China town isn't exactly famous for its ice cream, but after being intensely nagged bout it by my friends, I could not help myself. Although I felt like an explorer with no map trying to find the place, the trip was well worth it. Since I went through so much trouble finding it, I wanted to experience the most exotic and bizarre flavors I could find; flavors like vanilla and chocolate would not make it on my plate today. My crave for exotica was not only met, but surpassed by a mile. I asked the clerk what he recommended and he gave me a combination of black sesame with zen butter ice cream. As soon as I put the small plastic spoon to my mouth, I was instantly delighted. I do not think I had ever eaten anything to quickly before in my life. Just as I was about to leave, my eye noticed something called Wasabi ice cream. I was taken back because I was puzzled how it would possibly make it on the menu due to the bitter and spicy nature of Wasabi.Nevertheless, I wasn't about to chicken out now; and it was a good thing I didn't. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to capture the beautiful and invigorating flavor of Wasabi and infuse it with sugar, without any of the bitter kick. If there's an ice cream anonymous out there, I think after visiting this place, I am definitely going to end up there pretty soon! more

Why don't they have their ice cream sold at local supermarkets? I think their business would triple at least, and I could quench my cravings more easily. Their ice cream is flavorful, dense, not overly sweet and high quality. Every bite I have in lychee, black sesame, green tea, pineapple, taro and mango, I could taste the tiny chunks of the real food. Each of them are all distinct flavor and so tasty and addictive. On my target list: Almond cookie, zen butter and red bean. I am coming! Hands down the best ice cream in the whole city. Sorry fancy gelato, costing more $$ doesn't mean better taste. more

Housed in a tiny Chinatown storefront, CICF brings together two greats in American cuisine: ice cream and Chinese food. Though you probably won’t be seeing chicken and broccoli any time soon, such mouth-watering flavors as almond, red bean, ginger, lychee, and green tea are sure to suffice. Ice cream is all about choosing the flavor profile that fits your mood. I went with the new zen butter: like peanut butter, but with a hint of inner peace. My inner peace was slightly shattered by the frantic pace and long line stretching out the door, but this is Chinatown. Still damn good ice cream. more

Ice cream is part of my life. I love eating ice cream. It's my passion and it's my hobby. A perfect day would be if I have an ice cream from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I don't know how they do it, but I love all their flavors. It's so good I can't stop myself from eating half gallons!! For real. Like, it's ice cream I've never had before. I will never find another ice cream parlor that will replace CICF in my heart. Some of the tropical flavors are: Almond, Lychee, Mango, Pandan, Durian, Banana, Green Tea, Peach and Coconut. Some of the exotic flavors they have that I couldn't find anywhere else are: Coffee Brandy, Wasabi and Pumpkin Pie. I still have a lot to go to try all of their flavors. I'm telling you, every trip to this place is worth it because I leave happy and stress-free. Pros: Best Exotic ice cream flavors and ice cream cakes Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I've never had so much fun eating ice cream until I had an ice cream from this place. Wow, so incredible. I love the mango ice cream. De-lish! I always order it whenever I'm in the neighborhood. I brought my sister there and she loves it to death! We both are obsessed of the mango ice cream. We love it so much we decided to bring some home in Jersey. My parents loved them so much too! In a way, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory brought my family together. It's so awesome!!!!! Pros: Most awesome ice cream flavors in New York City Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I love the exotic flavors that Chinatown Ice Cream factory provides. There's plenty of flavors to choose from, so you have to like something. I always want more than one kind of ice cream. My favorite flavor is the Zen Butter. I hope they make more flavors soon. These flavors you cannot get anywhere else. It's A LOT better than Haagen Daaz, Baskin Robbins, etc. I promise you. So glad I live near this place. Also they give you a really large scoop for the price. I remember when it used to be $2.25 for one scoop, now since it's becoming really popular they've increased their prices rather quickly. However it doesn't matter, I love this place. Pros: Exotic flavors Cons: Sometimes a line more

I just got engaged and my fiancee got me a beautiful heart shaped cake from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory to celebrate. He knows that my family always celebrates the holidays and important hallmarks in our lives with their cakes. It's only fitting that he get me a cake with my favorite flavors! The almond cookie is to die for~! He loves me and I love ice cream! Pros: Best ice cream in the city if not the world Cons: only one location more

I was extremely disappointed with my cake order. I ordered a 13"" green tea round cake. It tasted nothing like green tea ice cream, it cost $60 according to the ticket. Despite the fact that we specifically asked for a picture to be plastered on the cake when we ordered it, they decided (when we were picking up the cake) to charge $7 extra for the picture which is just an edible image they place on the cake... I didn't understand why they couldn't have just told us that from the beginning and write that on the ticket. \r \r Completely ridiculous Pros: Wide variety of ""exotic and not your everyday"" flavors. Cons: Wayy overpriced, crowded, bad service, cocky owners. more

i love their ice cream, especially the zen butter, which is made of tosted sesame with penut butter.. oh my god i cant no believe how it will taste like untill i tasted! it was out of my mind. and the employee there are are really friendly and nice. i think that they are trained to smile. lol.. the customer service was great, great attitude and ice cream. Pros: service, ice cream, more

I read so many reviews about this place, my husband and I had to try it while we were in Chinatown. The ice cream is SO GOOD! I LOVE the Red Bean and my husband had the Lychee...so YUMMY! The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because its so busy and they only have 2 people working and no place to sit. Its pretty cold to eat ice cream outside in the middle of Jan...but its worth it. Pros: YUMMY ICE CREAM! Cons: No Place to sit and So Crowded! more

I recently placed a phone order for a custom cake. However, when we went to go pick up the cake, it was nowhere to be found. The manager had the order ticket but no cake. As a replacement, the manager said that he had 2 smaller cakes of the requested ice cream flavors. However, he charged us for 2 cakes which cost more than the original price for the 1 larger cake. Since this occurred 2 hours before our party, we had to pay the additional cost. It seems quite unfair to pay for 2 cakes when it was the store's incompetent service that created the situation. I would have been satisfied if we had paid the original price for the 1 larger cake in exchange for the 2 smaller cakes. However, the poor customer service left us all feeling extremely unsatisfied and angry. So to all of you who are planning to order a cake from there, beware of the store's incompetence and the poor customer service. Pros: Wide selection of ice cream flavors Cons: Extremely poor customer service more

super rich and dense with great chew. can't beat the original asian-inspired flavors: black sesame seed,... more

super rich and dense with great chew. can't beat the original asian-inspired flavors: black sesame seed, mango. satisfies eastern and western palat... more

Famous for a reason. Always delicious. more

Famous for a reason. Always delicious. more

i'm not an ice cream fan. So, i used to pass this place, snickering at the fools standing in line, not believing that this place could possibly warrant the rave reviews, particularly since i don't usually like ice cream. I was an unbeliever. Notice the past tense. one day this past summer, while passing the little storefront, there was NO line. Impulsively, I ventured forth to see what flavors they had. i was suprised to find that the very friendly workers provided tastes of the ice cream (something free in chinatown? how is that possible??). So i had a taste.... and lo behold, i became an instant fan. Yes, I believe now. wow. the flavors burst forth in your mouth so that you forget you're having ice cream-- how do they do it? guess that's why they're so popular. i had the pina colada and the almond cookie. more

Its a Chinatown mainstay with various Chinese inspired flavors and apparently has been around since the beginning of time. Service has been very helpful, however, the prices have slowly creeped up in the last few years. Other than that, the ice cream is good and is technically cheaper than that ridiculous Haagen-Dazs right around the corner. Pros: Ice Cream, Service Cons: Small, Crowded, Cash Only more