"In theory, Surprise Scoop in the East Village is an ice cream shop. In practice, it feels more like an immersive performance art piece, or maybe an incredibly niche haunted house. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick The gimmick is “flavor roulette.” Every scoop is randomly selected on your behalf. An ominous slogan on the made-for-selfies mirror wall reads “They will learn to like it.” There are no refunds or exchanges here. There are only disembodied hands, opening the pick-up window and silently passing through the order that you placed via touchscreen in the otherwise empty storefront 10 minutes ago. The ice cream is, recognizably, ice cream, of average, supermarket-tub quality. But surprises don’t come cheap: An order of Surprise Ice Cream is $9.18, or about $10.27 each with tax and fees. Unless you suffer from severe decision fatigue, go elsewhere. Food Rundown photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick Surprise Ice Cream We ordered three, which proved to be—as best we could tell—coffee, a fudgy chocolate, and what may have been pistachio, in a neon, Nickelodeon slime shade of green. The creamy coffee flavor was the best we tried, robust and even a little bitter." - Molly Fitzpatrick
