ICE CREAM REVIEW in New York: Mikey Likes It

SADLY, MIKEY LIKES IT ICE CREAM IS NOW CLOSED.

I feel pretty bad about this review. I don’t loke criticizing small businesses that are doing their best to invest in and embrace the community.

I like Mikey Likes It. The owner was on premises and thanked me for my support. I also like the concept – the ice cream and flavors are influenced by both Southern comfort food and pop culture. There is a flavor named Foxy Brown and another composed of Pecan Pie ice cream and praline pecans. The only thing I don’t like about the place is the ice cream.

After a long line (some people must like it), I was offered samples. I tried the Mint Condition which had fudge brownie pieces in the fresh mint ice cream. The base was a bit too sweet with notes of toothpaste.

The aforementioned Foxy Brown was much better with crunchy Oreos and a salted caramel swirl taming the mocha ice cream.

But I stuck to my rule of ordering a new flavor separate from the gratis tastings. And something about The Brady Bunch with its banana pudding jce cream and crushed Nilla wafers was calling my name.

The biggest problem with Mikey’s ice cream is the texture. All three flavors were completely icy throughout with large crystallized ice chunks. Perhaps it was the low temperature the tubs were stored at, but the lack of creaminess was a turn-off. The Brady Bunch was tasty but way too sweet for my tastes – almost sickly so with an out-of-balance banana and caramel combo.

I guess Mikey (and plenty of other people) must like the ice cream but I’m afraid I don’t. Again, I feel bad about this because Mikey and his staff were very welcoming and I applaud the small business in the East Village. I want Mikey to stay right where he is but maybe this article will make him give a second thought to his ice cream recipes.

Is Mikey Likes It Ice Cream the best ice cream in NY? Judging it just on its product alone, I can’t say it gets higher than a 5 out of 10 for overly sweet flavors and crunchy, icy texture. But I just wish it was better because it’s the kind of place I like to like.