Emack & Bolio's

I got a cup of the mango blast soft serve!! It was so so good. The best ice cream I've ever had!!!! The lines were insane but worth it. They used real fresh mangos that burst when you take a bite. Perfectly smooth and creamy! I almost forgot to take a photo because could not stop eating. I also tried some of my friend's who got the last lychee cup. Also very good! Super excited Emack and Bolios is a chain!! Edit: I came back again the day after. Still so good. Also tried the taro--also delicious!

I recently visited Emack and Bolio's in Uptown NYC, having known the brand from Boston, where I had previously enjoyed their ice cream. Unfortunately, my experience here was just okay. The place offers some exotic flavors like ube and pandan, which piqued my interest, but I was disappointed that they didn't offer tastings for these unique flavors. It's hard to commit to a full scoop without knowing what you're getting, especially with such uncommon options.

We ended up playing it safe with more familiar flavors like cookies and cream and chocolate. They were alright, but nothing that stood out or made the visit memorable.

They should really not make it confusing with so many menus all over their place. I have noticed the same with their branch in Boston. They should let us know that soft serve and ice-creams are different menus while home-made ice-creams specialty flavors can't be tasted vs regular flavors could be tasted. Also, while there are different sizes for all ice-creams vs just one size for their specialty flavors. Why though? Why making it complicated? And the space is cramped. Pricing is all over the place!

My order:
Chocolate addiction
White raspberry

Loved the flavors. Wish I could have tasted the ube and pandan

I really wanted to like this place, but the texture of the ice cream was just too icy. They also don't let you sample any of their more Asian/unique flavors. Got a scoop of the pandan regardless. The flavor was good. Had a mix of coconut in it and despite the coloring, the pandan tasted very authentic. Maybe their soft serves are the way to go or even their other ice cream flavors. However, the ice cream wasn't creamy enough for me.

The prices went up and the scoops have gotten smaller but the quality is what keeps us coming back. Staff are always friendly and remember my kids

First of all, I was shocked by the sheer number of ice cream flavors this place has. I also didn't realize they had soft serve! For ice cream flavors I tried, "Blueberry Crumble" and "Don't harsh my mellow", a marshmallow ice cream with marshmallow cups. Both were delicious but then I saw they had Ube (probably actually taro), pandan, and when I saw they had a Black Sesame soft serve my decision was made.

I also happen to be a sucker for fruity pebbles nostalgia and decided I would have to try it as a cone.

The black sesame was delicious. My fiancé got a vanilla soft serve and it was honestly just really good vanilla. They make the soft serve to order (meaning no taste tests) so I took the risk and watched as they scooped ice cream and black sesame into the machine to blend them together. The result was this magical combo right here. The actual soft serve was delicious and the vibe was like eating a fruity pebbles rice crispy layer with each cone bite.

Even though they have numerous locations, the shop still gave the vibe of a small local place. I definitely recommend checking them out!

Found it to be a bit overpriced. Flavors are fun and rotating but we've seen most of these flavor combinations before. Very patient staff.

Incredibly overpriced for very small portions of not very flavorful ice cream. I got two scoops in a cup that really amounted to a little more than one scoop, and my GF got a paltry scoop of gritty (likely thawed/refrozen) lower-fat ice cream. The bill: $17.00? Ridiculous!! The whole experience was underwhelming and upsetting. NEVER going back.

After rounding out some time with our daughter for Father's Day, hubs and I decided to grab ice cream, while she caught up with her own agenda and work team during her stay in NYC. And since we were heading up home, this Emack & B's. on 1st Ave between 81st & 82nd, worked out fine.

Place is small and given the current situation we're in, people were smart enough not to jam themselves in here. Some of us just lined up outside. Despite the crowd, line goes fast. Serious. While other folks were dazed and confused between this topping and that, our order was easy. Despite the steep $17+ price for just a scoop+small waffle cone and a lemon sorbet, they were good- without any freezer-burn taste.

Great ice cream options and very friendly staff!
They make a in-house peanut butter sauce that I'm a huge fan of!