The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop: Flamboyance, not taste is toned down at the famous truck's storefront version

After achieving food truck fame for its provocative cone creations, The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck has decided to give stationary life a try by opening The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop (125 E. 7th St., between First Avenue and Avenue A) last weekend.

With the word-of-mouth-fueled success of the original truck, Big Gay Ice Cream’s challenge with its newest store is to feature the product without relying too much on its glittery gimmicks—something the shop successfully navigates by not trying to do too much with a space that is physically quite small. The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop plays on queer culture as a source of inspiration for its flavors without letting the concept overwhelm the food or the space. Rather than a rainbow overload, the Shop allows itself a single self-aware unicorn and forgoes logoed cups for a simple, eco-friendly ice cream presentation.

The shop caters to the young, the queer, and the NYU-attending, playing on familiar tastes and reworking them into novelty dessert form. With cones priced from $5 to $6, customers are definitely paying a price for all the buzz, but the product does offer an appeal beyond its immediate presentation.

The focus is on the flavors, and Big Gay uses elements of gay and more generally American culture to guide and interpret its fairly original creations. The “American Globs” makes explicit a national obsession with pretzels and bacon, while “The Gobbler” mixes and matches fall flavors in anticipation of Thanksgiving.

The “Salty Pimp” stands out on the list of menu items for its namesake salty-sweet combination. “The Mermaid” reworks basic elements of a key lime pie in sundae form, mixing swirled graham cracker crust and lime curd with vanilla soft serve. “The Monday Sundae” uses the same flavors as the Pimp, with a Nutella-lined waffle cone, dulce de leche whipped cream and, of course, the Shop’s signature sea salt.

Though the Pimp’s sea salt/dulce de leche duo is impeccable, the Shop does over-rely on this combination as a way to give every cone the same twist, ignoring other possibilities for creative topping combos. But with a list of selected toppings that ranges from Sriracha to wasabi pea dust, cardamom, and cayenne pepper, creative souls can take it upon themselves to provide what the shop’s signature menu is missing.

If the lines out the door opening week are any indication, people are willing to travel to give Big Gay a shot. If they continue to improve on an already solid line, the Shop’s grounded success seems likely—unless a drag-themed popsicle truck steals its thunder.