Cold Stone Creamery
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Manhattan/Theater District, Manhattan/Fashion District253 West 42nd Street
(between 7th Ave & 8th Ave)
New York, NY 10036 (212) 398-1882
- Nearest Transit:
8th Ave-42nd St (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W)
42nd St-5th Ave-6th Ave (7, B, D, F, V)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
26 Reviews for Cold Stone Creamery
Isn't everything about this place exactly what we moved to New York City to get away from people??? Gimmicky, tacky, overrated, corporate.... it sucks! Go back to the suburbs Coldstone!
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I came here at about 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night, sharing a spot in line with every tourist who just got out of a show. Not pleasant. Strike one.
After dinner and many drinks that evening, I decided to try "Cold Stone Light" -- a "like it" chocolate scoop sans toppings. Cold Stone is not the place to practice moderation, and their ice cream is really only good when topped with goopy and fattening add-ons. Strike two.
I felt sorry for the employees who had to dish out ice cream to the tourist mob squad, so I left a small tip, leading them to break into "song" (which was more like zombies rhyming in unison). My friend used to work at a Cold Stone in CT, and she actually had to do a mini audition -- but here in NYC, amidst native talent galore, the standard seems much lower, or rather, nonexistent. Strike three -- I'm outta there!
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I love their ice cream creations. It's like the lego of ice cream factories. With the right combination, you could be enjoying the ice cream experience of your lifetime. True story.
Berry Lemony Smoothie
This smoothie is a combination of raspberry, some other berry, and lemon juice. This tasted really good, but damn those little broken raspberry seeds. I nearly choked to death on one of those suckers. But, boy was that a tasty smoothie.
Sorry, but I don't know what's the big deal with this place. The lines are always incredibly long- and for what?? Why would I want to pay an arm & a leg for some average tasting ice cream with BIGGER than average ICE CHUNKS inside? Another reason for my dislike is that all of their toppings are nuts and chocolate, both of which I'm allergic to. So basically the only thing for me to get was vanilla in a waffle bowl.
Boo for Cold Stone... Don't believe the hype!
This is a true story.
When this shop first opened in 2003, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I mean, one day I was in Times Square and an ad for it went up on one of the video billboards, but didn't have the address. Like a true and insane New Yorker, I stood on a corner and shouted "Where are you? Where ARE YOU?" at the billboard.
I do like the ice cream here, but the last few times I was in this particular store it was rather dirty.
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Ewwww! For being in Times Square, I was expecting some grand display to make this the Lord High Cold Stone to rule over all Cold Stones. All I got was an ice cream bar about three times the normal length, some unhappy servers, and a mass of tourists with crying children and gland problems. Please, native New Yorkers, there are plenty of other Cold Stones to enjoy. There's nothing special about this one.
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Long lines - the stone wasnt cold - and over priced ...
yeah - I spend about $6 for a soft/semi melted ice cream "ball" (I cant think of what else to call it) ... not worth the $
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Cold Stone is good enough, but it's pretty expensive and a little overrated. I go every once in a while with my team (my office is across the street) - but aside from that, I normally don't feel any desire to go to a cold stone. It's very heavy and makes me feel slightly ill afterwards - not worth the super long wait in line.
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I had heard many good things about cold stone. I suppose that i just happened to go to the wrong one on the wrong day. The servers seemed to have an attitude. The store was messy and dingy. It just didn't look very good at all. The lay out of the store does not accommodate the crowd that it serves very well.
I like the concept of adding stuff to the ice cream but their options are all on the very sweet side and to top it all off, the ice cream was not very good. Too much sugar perhaps. If that had been baskin robbins ice cream mixed with their toppings I'm sure it would have tasted really good. Other than that it was like a ball of sugar in my mouth. I couldn't finish it. Not because it was big, but because i couldn't tolerate the ice cream itself. I'm sure they have had better days, and that the less crowded ones treat customers better, but this one doesn't get my vote. the ice cream quality was just not up to par with the fame this creamery has.
Quantity is not quality. NYC can try to make us healty by banning trans-fats, but the excessive servings at this place take gluttony to a whole new and unhealthy level. I'm by no means a food puritan (see my review on Patisserie Claude to understand how much I appreciate the liberal use of fat in cuisine). But the ice cream served by Coldstone just tastes bland, and if you're going to consume 2000 calories in one sitting, shouldn't it taste good? I'm all for sacrificing my health in the name of delicious food -in fact I do it almost every day - but this place is just not worth the sacrifice.
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Perhaps an evening of gluttony and drunkedness would have been complete, but hell...what's celebrating if you don't have ice cream?
So, to Cold Stone it was...though we are both on diets, and like to pretend we are following it.
Hence, the "sinless" fat free/sugar free sweet cream at Cold Stone...which of course I piled fudge, m&ms, and rainbow sprinkles into. (The mixer dude actually said to me, "Hon, there's nothing sinless about this." Followed by me bowing my head in shame...)
You know what, Mr. Mixer Man, some things are worth it!
Yes, I'm going to get fat...but with Cold Stone, I'll never be alone.
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I was headed to the Internet Cafe on 42nd street when I saw a huge line outside Cold Stone Creamery! That kind of line in bad weather can only mean one thing: FREE ICE CREAM DAY! HOORAY!!!
So I hopped into line and started talking with the folks about free ice cream. They seemed puzzled. The line was actually to pay money for this ice cream. Holy crap, I thought, this must be the best ice cream known to mankind.
I should have known better. This is Times Square, where the Applebee's fills hundreds of tables with visitors to the nation's (second?) most developed food city.
This must be the worst premium-priced ice cream to be obtained in New York City. Of course, the city has wonders like Cones and Il Laboratorio, but even Ben and Jerry's roundly defeats this bland, textureless ice cream with an equally bland "mix-in." Someone must be truly depressed to seek out such a miserable ice cream.
I wish I could give this abomination the 0 stars it doesn't deserve.
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Would give it four stars, but no one should have to wait that long for just ice cream. The ice cream is pretty great for one of those self indulgent nights of going to Times Square. "Cookie Dough'nt You Want Some?" is always a sure fire favorite in my book.
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Oh dear, dear, dear. I cannot pass a Cold Stone without wanting to go in. The reason? CUSTOMIZATION, baby!! As a child, did you dream up your ultimate fantasy ice cream flavor? Wasn't it something like chocolate ice cream with Kit Kat Bars and Snickers and Oreo Cookies in it?
At Cold Stone, you can make those dreams a reality! You choose your base ice cream flavor. You choose your "mix ins." Your friendly Cold Stone associate will mix in whatever you want. Voila! Your dream come true!! If you are un-creative, you can choose from already pre-made combinations. They also have new flavors of ice cream at seasonal times.
My favorite combination: Cake Batter ice cream (so awesome!) with Mini Marshmallows (by far the best mix-in), Cake Pieces (or Brownie Pieces), and Fudge. And... skip out on the waffle bowl. It's totally unneccesary. They always push it, and I guarantee you will probably throw about half of it away.
The downside? It'll cost ya. Two ice creams is close to $10. This location has no seating, just a small "standing area." And in the summer, there's a LOOONNGGG line. And sometimes in this hectic Times Square location, it's confusing if you're trying to put two people's order's together and pay for both of them (especially if a different associate helped each of you).
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I think the ice cream is mediocre and whenever I have mentioned that to fans of Cold Stone they almost always reply "yeah, but it's all the stuff you put in it that makes it great!". Yeah, but the ice cream should be good by itself. Also, I particularly wouldn't recommend the one at Astor and Broadway. I was waiting in the ridiculous line and happened to look at the wall behind the counter. The only thing on the wall was a little plaque saying how Cold Stone prides itself on cleanliness, a great customer experience, etc. All around the plaque, covering the entire wall were scores of dead gnats stuck to the wall. They had obviously been sprayed with something because there were streaks of it all over the wall. Yum!
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this place has amazing ice cream.... fresh, thick, creamy ice cream that you can choose from a whole line of possible mix-ins. The price is a little on the steep side, but it's well worth it! Warning, start out with a smaller size or sharing... though it doesn't LOOK that big, it will fill you up fast.
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They have the best ice cream I've ever tasted and I am an ice cream lover. I got a waffle cone for $6.97. The place is bit on the expensive side so it's only recommended if you are depressed, feeling like pampering yourself or out on a date. I won't recommend it for everyday spending, but what the hell...it's worth it!
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ahhh, this place brings me so much memories of my ex boyfriend ( i even forgot his name lol). we used to go there alot to get ice cream like every weekend i dont know if i was growing fat or not but every time i go i would get love it size ( it so big that i cant even finish it ).last time i went i had their special of the week i think it was blue berry and caramel. it was so good but those memories was like 2 summers ago lol .
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For a crazy busy place, the wait is not so bad, and the workers have no time to stop or BS, so you'll see some hard attentive work going on (a rarity in this city). You gotta respect that.
Way too much $ for ice cream though; not a dessert for a first or second date, wait until they reach S.O. status before splurging, this way you can get one huge one in a waffle cone, so you can share it oh so cutely and maybe it can give off a sensual vibe (especially if it has PB and chocolate) as you spoon feed each other indulgent treats. Or something.
Anyway I liked it until I the time I was waiting in line and saw the roach crawling across the glass where the toppings are. I left and never looked back.
At this point I'd rather just have a few friends over, buy a couple of pints, some candy bars and cookies and have everyone mix up their own creations with a potato masher, while singing customized cartoon jingles.
2 things: 1. I like soft serve ice cream the best. 2. I hate having people sing to me when giving me food. Sooooo...Cold Stone is not my favorite place. The ice cream is good and all the varied flavors are great as they are chopped in (nothing compared to Blend-Ins you can get in DC). The big problem though is when the servers start singing which they do ALL THE TIME - and especially at 42nd street it sounds like they are being forced to sing by the managers. (don't tip them for the love of all that's holy, or at least tell them you're tipping them not to sing!)
So - in conclusion - ice cream good, sad singing employees bad. Bring your appetite and your flame thrower.
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I don't understand the what the buzz is with Cold Stone. It's just regular ice cream. Their French Vanilla Bean taste exactly like the ones bought from the supermarket. I personally think that it's not worth the long lines for ice cream that costs more than five dollars.
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A chain of sheer indulgence. If you can handle waiting in the usually enormous line, you will be pleased with some very good ice cream with all your favorite fixins mixed in. Choose one of their suggested combos or make your own. You might want to share the large serving with a friend...
Yet another All-American chain joins the gentrifed and prettified 42nd Street. You can pick and choose from a number of mix-in options, which are blended into the ice cream on a frozen granite stone and served in a fresh-baked waffle cone. Choices run the gamut from M&Ms and gummi bears to macadamias and pecan pralines to apple pie filling and raspberries to brownies and Oreo cookies to marshmallows, peanut butter, and cookie dough, so your treat can be as sublime or bizzare as your imagination and taste buds allow.
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PEANUT BUTTER CUP PERFECTION IS MY HERO! Gotta have it!
sigh.. what a shame.. the one time i make an out of the way trip to find this cold stone it doesn't live up to my standards (worked at cold stone for four years in daly city).. i don't know how they got the golden spade.. maybe the location..
anyway i ordered the old creation dulce de leche which is french vanilla ice cream with cinnamon, honey, and caramel very simple but a bit messy cuz vanilla is a soft.. the guy that was serving my aunt and i didn't know what dulce de leche was.. i didn't mind telling him what was in it.. but telling him four freakin times not in a row mind you on four different occassions so basically he asked me four times during this one visit before he finally made it...
i asked for it to be in a "to go cup" and i guess in new york they just put a plastic dome over it. The ice cream was so messy and just not appealing anymore when it got all over his hands and dripping off the side of the cup.. you could at least have some sense and put it in a bigger cup or clean it! what kind of training did you have!? ::shudders::
Other than that yes cold stone has delicious and yummy ice cream with tons of mix-ins and combinations of the both.. i was taken away with the oval shaped center to divide the crowd into two sections =] the set up of the ghea and stones were nice =]
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i went to this coldstone, and i have to say the set up of the store was cool, but it lacked certained things. and its packed most of the time. (but who can blame them cold stone has the best icecream around)
Icecream was good, its a nice on the go icecream treat. And Working at a coldstone myself, i have to say they transitioned nicely to the new paper cups, in which we are have way there in my store. But The one major issue is the space and cleanliness. It was dirty, they pride them selves with awards, but come on show it . And of course b/c of the location, its tourist central. But seriously, It will be better if it was clean
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