Surprise Scoop

Ice cream shop · East Village

Surprise Scoop

Ice cream shop · East Village

139 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003

Highlights

Welcome to Surprise Scoop, where every visit is a flavor gamble in a minimalist, mirror-lined room—just choose your toppings and brace for whatever icy delight awaits!

139 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003 Get directions

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@infatuation

"There are several variations of roulette, but this is a whole new kind. Surprise Scoop in the East Village has no menu—you just hand them your money, and they'll give you a mystery ice cream from the back. The flavors include things like strawberry, coffee and matcha, and the ice creams are served in paper takeout containers, topped with whipped cream." - will hartman, bryan kim

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@infatuation

"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

At ice-cream roulette shop Surprise Scoop, the house always wins - Review - New York - The Infatuation

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@eater

"An ice cream shop offering randomly selected flavors to customers." - Emma Orlow

New NYC Restaurant Openings in New York City: January 2025 - Eater NY

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Google

I explore you!!!! DO NOT GO TO THIS SHOP!!! If you want a GREAT case of Ecoli or Listeria, then by all means, eat here!!! You NEVER see an actual person working here, asked to pay a RIDICULOUS price for the ice cream and not given an option of flavors. Also, a friend of mine thought it was "whimsical" and decided to get one. BIG MISTAKE!!! Not only did it come in a styrofoam bowl, but it CLEARLY looked like it was scooped out BY HAND!!! There were literal hand prints in the ice cream. 🤮🤮🤮 God knows who was behind that wall scooping it out. Sorry, but I want to SEE who is serving this up AND what I'm actually getting!!!🤮🤮🤮👎🏻

Quincy Staley

Google

$10 for a tiny scoop of strawberry ice cream with caramel on top (listen, I get that it’s random, but why would that even be a flavor option?). The inside ambiance felt dirty and it bugged me that they asked for a tip when there is literally no service. Maybe if there was more of an experience of watching your “surprise scoop” get made it’d be more worth it, but this just felt like a bad cafeteria experience.

Savanah Lynne Johnson

Google

Concept is cute. Got boring flavor (chocolate). BUT I highly recommend thinking way outside the box with flavors.. get a bigger container and go a little nuts with the toppings. You could even have a big list of all the possibilities. Include some funky flavors (spicy rocoto & limón). Include some gross flavors. You could even have a digital spinner that the customer spins after paying to determine the flavor.

Ian

Google

$10 for the tiniest thing of ice cream. Not even a creative flavor (I think it was just strawberry 😐). Money grabbing gimmick if I’ve ever seen one.

Diamond Cain

Google

Cute concept but no creativity with the flavors for the price. $10 for a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

Thomas Mui

Google

Actually this was not bad. Did not die.

Camden Phalen

Google

i wanted to give them one star but they get an extra one for the sheer audacity

Rhys Goodall

Google

Everything bagel flavour ruined my evening leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth

Janie D.

Yelp

The world's first "roulette ice cream shop", where you do not know what you're getting until after you pay! The shop is a small mirrored room, with nothing but a touch screen and small pickup window. As someone with social anxiety and decision paralysis, this is my dream come true. There is only one thing to order here: "Surprise Ice Cream". It's $10, and is actually two large scoops, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The entire shop is NUT FREE, they do allow you to select any of the following preferences: "no cherry", "gluten free", "no whipped cream", "no fruit". My order was ready in minutes, presented through the window without a word. I ended up with a rich, creamy full fat strawberry ice cream with hints of cherry and chunks of chocolate. It reminded me of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but better. I visited on a weekday evening, and was the only one in there. It was freezing cold outside, so no one seemed to mind me eating my ice cream inside the shop, which was well heated. I found the experience so fun that I ordered a second time, selecting "no fruit" this time, to ensure I would get something different. My second flavor was a vanilla base, with gummy pieces of brownie and what appeared to be cheez whiz ritz crackers. It was not bad, but not good either. But, that's all part of the fun!

Jennifer O.

Yelp

This is such a fun concept. I went with part of my family & had such a good time anticipating the surprise scoops that we were gonna get. I asked for no chocolate & no fruit so I received a coffee ice cream with whip cream and caramel. We also got pistachio w whip cream & caramel. Vanilla/strawberry whip cream & caramel. Vanilla w sprinkles and more. The service was quick, the store is absolutely empty with just a screen to place your order.

Hannah H.

Yelp

Surprise Scoop is scheduled for their grand opening in January, but I was able to check them out during their soft opening - The concept of Surprise Scoop is that their flavors/combinations rotate on a daily basis, so you won't receive the same treat twice - the only catch is, is that you'll have to be super open-minded to try out what they offer you, as it's completely their decision! It's all about trust - HA! The place is super straightforward - you order at one of the kiosks and wait for your treat that is presented through a little curtained window. There's not much engagement with the staff, as it's more of a pay, pick-up, and go type of a situation. Fun concept and something to add to the list if you're in the area! +a 'surprise' concept +rotating flavors +kiosks for ordering

Lolin L.

Yelp

A fun concept if you like surprises and maybe are an introvert. zero interaction with staff. You go in, order on a kiosk, which basically is answering if you want whipped cream, cherry, have allergies etc. then you wait for your ice cream to show up at a window. Open space, just the two kiosks and window to pick up your ice cream. Each order comes with two scoops for about $9 in a cute little takeout container. We ended up with a vanilla/ fruity pebbles flavor, strawberry, and I think a cookies and cream?? If you're into surprises, mysteries, or an indecisive person, definitely check surprise scoop out!

Suzanne K.

Yelp

Went to the opening weekend of the newest dessert shop. They have a kiosk where you order the mystery ice cream and there is only one thing on the menu. The ice cream comes out really fast. There is no interaction with staff. The ice creams were really good and taste like it was hand made. It's a cute little shop and would definitely go again