Daniel B.
Yelp
This review is for King of Pops' walk-up window in Inman Park. It's conveniently located next to the Freedom Park Trail and the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail. I've already reviewed a couple other King of Pops locations: the original cart spot at the corner of North Ave and North Highland (http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-of-pops-atlanta?hrid=t2sfJ4aVhMhxuzcGdVvS5g) and their cart spot at Decatur Square (http://www.yelp.com/biz/king-of-pops-decatur?hrid=YZB8FrsBu3gJkpT0xJKU1w). This was my first visit to their walk-up window.
Since 2010, these guys have established themselves as the preeminent popsicle brand in Atlanta. They're popular and it's because their gourmet pops have creative flavors, using real, high-quality ingredients, that are consistently delicious. Along with this walk-up window, you can find King of Pops carts at various food truck parks, farmers markets, and festivals/events around town. In addition, King of Pops is carried by a growing number of metro Atlanta restaurants, cafes, and stores such as Willy's, Alon's, Octane, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods. For a complete list of locations, check out their web site at www.kingofpops.com.
The address for the walk-up window says Elizabeth St, but the window is actually on Bernina Ave around the corner. Free street parking is available in the immediate area though spots are limited. I was told this is also where the King of Pops warehouse is.
We stopped here on a Sunday evening and it was busy (the neighborhoods, Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward, were busy in general with people out on the trails, hanging out, and walking around). Across the street, there's a grassy area with picnic tables and they were all taken. In front of the window on the sidewalk were two blackboard menus, one for specials and one for the day's pops. The selection is always rotating with new and original flavors. Here's what was available during our visit:
Fruit Pops:
* Pomegranate Lemonade
* Blueberry Lemonade
* Blackberry Ginger Lemonade
* Grapefruit Mint
* Coconut Banana Orange
Cream Pops:
* Thai Iced Tea
* Key Lime Pie
* Orange Cream
* Chocolate Sea Salt
All pops were $3 each. They were also selling "Mystery Pops" for $2 each; probably inventory they were trying to get rid of. Along with pops, they sell ice cream for dogs ($3) and T-shirts ($15).
Our group purchased a variety of pops. I had the Thai Iced Tea which was terrific. It tasted just like a sweet and creamy Thai iced tea. They got the flavor down great. The pop even had specks of black tea leaves in it. I also tried the Blackberry Ginger Lemonade and, before being told what flavor it was, could already tell there was ginger in it just by its strong taste. That pop was sharp, tart, and refreshing.
One of my friends got a Coconut Banana Orange pop and when he took it out of the packaging, there were small patches of dark stuff on the tip. We showed it to the guy at the window and he apologized and gave my buddy a new Coconut Banana Orange that was not "contaminated." The employee said the dark stuff was probably basil leaves from another flavor that inadvertently mixed over during manufacturing. Not a big deal to us (I would've eaten that pop had it not been thrown away), but it's essentially cross-contamination which can be a serious issue.
All pops are individually wrapped and the employees will snip the packaging open for you. Don't forget to grab napkins.
The old brick building has a beautiful "Welcome to Inman Park" butterfly mural painted on it by @caveal.