By Devin O’Leary, The Paper. — OK, nobody said our favorite dish had to be a full meal. So there’s nothing legally or morally wrong with us choosing soft-serve ice cream as one of our favorite, must-have food items in Albuquerque. Now, soft serve isn’t normally considered any sort of “gourmet” item. It’s the entry level product of countless Dairy Queens across America. But Pink Pony has turned this childhood comfort food into a transcendental experience. Chocolate, vanilla or twist are your only basic choices here (made with local Rasband Dairy milk/cream), but the elevated toppings are what sends these desserts into overdrive. From the basic (rainbow sprinkles) to the advanced (honeycomb brittle), Pink Pony does it up right. (Do not – I repeat – do not sleep on the homemade, small-batch marshmallows! They’re $1.50 each, but worth every sticky cent.) The eye-opening, mind-expanding treat here is the Italiano sundae cup ($7). Vanilla ice cream, roasted hazelnuts, olive oil, maldon sea salt: That’s it. If it sounds a little savory, it is. If it sounds a little sweet, it is. It’s the perfect balance, and the ideal treat for those who find sickly sweet, artificially fruitfied desserts too much to bear. The roasted hazelnuts are a terrific textural addition, and the maldon sea salt (a premium “finishing salt” hand-harvested in Essex, England since 1882) makes the simple sweetness of the vanilla ice cream explode in your mouth. Try one, and you’ll be hooked for life. (Also, keep an eye out for their newly added location at 1501 Mountain Rd. NW.)
- Pink Pony Soft Serve
- 2536 Alvarado Dr. NE
- Sun. 12pm-8pm. Mon. 1pm-8pm, Wed.-Thu 1pm-8pm, Fri. 1pm-9pm, Sat 12pm-9pm
I scream, you scream, we all know the drill
Ice cream around the city
I Scream Ice Cream
A family fave crammed full of colorful games, toys and nostalgic collectibles to ogle.
2000 Carlisle Blvd. NE
Sun.-Thu. 11am-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 11am-10pm
Burque Licks
This new kid on the block is winning fans with unique flavors like apple butter oatmeal cookie and Burque burn (vanilla with Hatch green chile).
4207 Lomas Blvd. NE
Sat.-Sun. 12pm-9:30pm, Mon.-Fri. 1pm-9:30pm
Heidi’s Ice Cream Shop
Casual, outdoor-seating shop with all the usual suspects, plus housemade waffle cones and jams (straight from Heidi’s Jam Factory).
3427 Vassar Dr. NE
Wed.-Sun. 12pm-8pm
Old Town Ice Cream Parlor
Stroll through Old Town Plaza with a cone or cup from this quaint neighborhood shop.
323 Romero St. NW
Sun.-Thu. 10am-6pm, Fri.-Sat. 10am-6pm
OLO Yogurt Studio
Yes, it’s frozen yogurt, not ice cream, but at least you can trick yourself into thinking it’s healthier – until you pile on the M&Ms, gummi worms and cookie crumbles.
3339 Central Ave. NE
Sun.-Sat. 12pm-10pm
Neko Neko
Head into the Sawmill Market for the fun of Japanese-style ice cream jammed into a taiyaki (fish-shaped waffle).
1909 Bellemah Ave NW
Sun.-Thu. 12pm-9pm, Fri.-Sat. 12pm to 9:30pm
Ay Chihuahua Ice Cream
Mexican-style nieves (a south-of-the-border frozen treat that contains fruit rather than cream) and other snacks in a tidy little strip mall location.
2113 Central Ave. NW
Sat.-Sun. 1pm-10pm, Tue. 1pm-8pm, Wed.-Thu. 1pm-9pm, Fri. 1pm-9:30pm
Mrs. Sprinkles Ice Cream
Banana splits, peach pie sundaes, milk shakes, floats and more populate the menu of this old-fashioned ice cream shoppe.
3107 Eubank Blvd. SE
Sun. 12pm-9pm, Wed.-Thu. 12pm-8pm, Fri.-Sat. 12pm-9pm
Big Boy Ice Cream
Like an ice cream truck without wheels, this hidden shop stocks all the push pops, ice cream sandwiches and cartoon confections on a stick that you used to go bonkers over when you were a kid.
1200 Yale Blvd. NE
Mon.-Fri. 9am-3pm