In our opinion, SoHo offers some of the best soft serve options in all of the city! Check out the results of our soft serve tour, listed in no particular order — they’re all so good!
We also traveled outside of SoHo proper, giving you a few “Worth the Trip” picks.
Save this for your next soft serve fix!
(01) Ansa
Located in “SoHo Village,” Ansa Micro Coffee Roastery is a vibe worth checking out for more than just soft-serve. As for the soft serve itself, it earned our praise with its inventive flavor profile, silky, creamy, texture, tasty drizzles, and the fact that it’s dairy-free! It’s decadent, so at $14, it’s a shareable treat. It also serves up 3 grams of matcha for a caffeine fix.
101 Thompson St
New York, NY 10012
www.ansacoffee.com
(02) Happier Grocery
Happier Grocery’s vegan strawberry was outstanding, but they recently phased out the flavor! Here’s hoping they bring it back—it was both light and creamy, not too sweet, with a health-conscious ingredient profile. Their OG black sesame was very good, too. With a unique menu of experimental flavors alongside classics, it’s definitely worth the visit no matter what’s on tap. Their vanilla contains Ronnybrook milk, Ronnybrook cream, organic milk powder, wildflower honey, organic honey, organic egg yolks, Maldon salt, and Madagascar vanilla bean.
365 Canal St
New York, NY 10013
www.happiergrocery.com
(03) Matchaful
Matchaful is not new to the soft serve space, but their banana flavor is! For a limited time, they also hosted a collab with Fleur da Mal. Their use of simple and dairy-free ingredients makes Matchaful stand out. And you can often catch Matchaful’s beloved founder, Hannah, in the SoHo location serving customers.
As for the ingredients, banana has organic cashews, organic oats, organic extra virgin olive oil, banana, Himalayan salt, and organic coconut sugar and their regular matcha contains cashews, milled oats, extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan salt, coconut sugar, Hikari Ceremonial Matcha, and chlorophyllin.
184 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
www.matchaful.com
(04) Chobani Cafe
We almost skipped the obvious! Chobani Cafe, known for its yogurt, also serves it up in the soft serve form. Their Tart Tangy Plain is delicious. Its gentle flavor profile is distinctly yogurt, but not overwhelmingly so. They have a wide selection of toppings including fresh fruit, drizzles, and “finishing touches.”
The cafe itself is also very pleasant, with relaxing music playing, and a prime corner view onto a bustling West Broadway.
152 Prince St
(05) Jerrell’s
Jerrell’s oat-based vanilla has a very convincing ice cream-like flavor – you wouldn’t know this one is vegan! It especially hits the spot if you’re craving ice cream but avoiding dairy. It’s also a perfect pairing with their vegan BETR Burger.
117 6th Ave
New York, NY 10013
www.jerrellsbetrbrgr.com
(06) Mimi’s
The lines at Mimi’s are a sight to behold. We waited on it—twice! On our second visit, we decided on a flavor sampler of coffee, vanilla, chocolate, and tart. The chocolate was their one dairy-free option—it was satisfying, though more icy compared to the dairy-based flavors. Without toppings, and at $1.20 an ounce, our cup weighed in at over $20!
They also boast health-forward ingredient choices, with a base of low-fat Greek yogurt, milk, kefir, and cane sugar.
231 Lafayette St
New York, NY 10012
mimis.nyc
(07) Forty Carrots
The OG. Started at Bloomingdale’s 59th about 50 years ago and made its way downtown to their SoHo location. It’s truly a classic NYC soft serve staple. Craveable. They offer novelty flavors from time to time, like mango. But you can nearly always count on tart original, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and peanut butter.
The SoHo Forty Carrots cafe offers plenty of seating and views onto Broadway. If you grab a window seat, be sure to look up and take in the original tin ceiling. 504 Broadway is a landmarked cast-iron building erected in 1860.
Bloomingdale’s SoHo, 2nd Floor
504 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
www.bloomingdales.com/stores/ny/newyork/forty-carrots
(08) Van Leeuwen (technically NoHo)
Van Leeuwen has dipped its toe into soft serve! Launching in March at their NoHo location, they later expanded to select locations. We tried their tart which had a refreshing texture – sure to hit the spot on a hot summer day. Their pineapple, on the other hand, was very creamy and flavorful. Both flavors were dairy-based.
640 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
(09) Dominique Ansel
Dominique Ansel launched the summer favorite What-A-Melon Soft Serve close to 10 years ago! It remains a refreshing, novelty treat for summer. Hints of lime add to the flavor’s brightness and dark chocolate “seeds” sneak in a bit of decadence into this otherwise light dessert. The presentation in an actual slice of watermelon is Instagram-worthy.
189 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
www.dominiqueanselny.com
Worth the Trip
These soft serve stand-outs make it “Worth the Trip” outside of SoHo proper.
(10) Pressed Juicery
We keep coming back for their s’mores, but they were out when we visited the NoHo location! So we opted for Açaí. We’re excited that they are coming out with a new and improved vanilla!
329 Lafayette St
New York, NY 10012
www.pressed.com
(11) Seed + Mill
Their sundae is exceptional! Dairy-free, flavorful, with a satisfying topping of halva crumbles.
Chelsea Market
409 W 15th St
New York, NY 10011
www.seedandmill.com
(12) Go Greek
Variety galore! With the help-yourself style, we couldn’t help but sample them all. Our favorite flavor was the Greek Honey. This sweet treat is priced by weight – so pull the lever accordingly.
683 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
www.gogreekyogurt.com
(13) Birdie’s
With its friendly service, ample seating, and a plentiful selection of flavors, including one non-dairy offering, Birdie’s stands out as a destination in its own right and is known to command long lines of its own. Of all the spots, Birdie’s especially creates a sense of community – with many choosing it as a gathering place to enjoy a treat!
152 7th Avenue South
New York, NY 10014
www.birdiesnyc.com
(14) Myka
Every time we attempt to go, the lines are unreal! If you made it through, let us know how it was!
159 7th Ave S
New York, NY 10014
www.instagram.com/myka_greek.usa
SoHo
(01) Ansa
(02) Happier Grocery
(03) Matchaful
(04) Chobani Cafe
(05) Jerrell’s
(06) Mimi’s
(07) Forty Carrots
(08) Van Leeuwen
(09) Dominique Ansel
Worth the Trip
(10) Pressed Juicery
(11) Seed + Mill
(12) Go Greek
(13) Birdie’s
(14) Myka