If there’s one treat I look forward to most in the summer months, it’s ice cream. Obviously ice cream is good anywhere but there’s just something special about enjoying ice cream in the city. Maybe it’s the stroll, taking in the sights while enjoying a heavily sprinkled cone or indulgent chocolate bar. These are probably the main reasons why I got a little too excited when I heard that one of my favorite Ice Cream bar brands, Magnum, was opening a store in SOHO. Hello, sweet indulgence.
The gist of the new pop-up store on Prince, which is is already drawing in huge crowds, is pretty straightforward: you get to create the ice cream bar of your dreams for $7. The store is spacious, with images of adorned Magnum Bars decking the walls, and glitzy seating all around the curvy bar. The bar is a sight: straight out of Willy Wonka’s factory, with a (literally) dazzling variety of toppings. Clearly, it sets the mood for what may be the best ice cream bar you’re ever going to taste. After you make your way up to the front of the line and set yourself up to order, you are faced with the difficult task of choosing between chocolate or vanilla ice cream, followed by another difficult decision, which chocolate are you going to dip it in? white, milk or dark? Each is made with decadent Belgian chocolate. Then you make your way through the glistening toppings bar. Sure, you only get to pick 3 from the glorious 20+ topping offerings but once you have an idea of what you’re going for it becomes quite easy. Are you a sweet or savory person? Do you want to pile on fancy toppings like gold flakes and rose petals? Or are you going to keep it simple with mint chocolate chips? It’s completely up to you.
The chocolate lover in me couldn’t quite resist a chocolate bar dipped in dark chocolate and then topped with the irresistible cookie crumbles and espresso sugar. Last, flakes of gold for a touch of glamour, and a drizzle of white chocolate for a truly luxe creation. Almost too good to eat. ALMOST. The only reason it wasn’t inhaled on the spot was because I had to document the experience in full, which included pictures, as my beautiful creation sweat on a crisp 75˚ spring day.
End result? It was incredible and completely worth the wait. Creamy, chocolatey goodness with just a touch of crunch - truly magnificent and I wouldn’t expect anything less from Magnum.
In NYC? The Magnum Store is open from 12-8pm Sunday through Wednesday and from 12-9pm Thursday through Saturday. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a bar, you can thank me later.
