Finally found a ice cream place I don't like. The perfect day for ice cream and it just didn't hit the spot. I got the Kurimu swirl (toasted marshmallow/ Hong Kong milk tea) and I felt like I was just eating cold milk. I couldn't taste the marshmallow flavor at all and milk tea is just generally bland in my opinion. The consistency was also off, as it was a little harder than usual soft serve. Lastly, it cost way too much for such a little swirl. Even with all their unique flavors, I don't think I'll ever be back. read more

KURIMU - Kurimu swirl (toasted marshmallow/ Hong Kong milk tea) - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Looked up "dessert" in yelp in the chicago area and this place popped up! They're a LOCAL ICE CREAM SHOP, small-sized with no dine-in available just yet. Their flavors are quite unique, with the asian touch, such as thai tea, lychee, matcha, purple yam, and pandan! If you wanna go bougie, go try their gold/solver leaf scoops! I absolutely loved it and would def come back again to try their other flavors. They also have boba and drinks available as well! Flavors we tried: - Thai Tea with Regular Cone - Matcha Matcha and Purple Yam in Cup - Lychee Pearl and Matcha Matcha in Charcoal Cone - Lavendar Rose Water in Red Cone read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The flavors bought were the soft serve jasmine and matcha, these flavors were given a taste beforehand by a very helpful and polite worker who let me try as many flavors as I would like. I believe her name was Tammy, and I would like to highlight her helpful service. One unfortunate thing was the highly anticipated Black Sesame flavor was gone by the end of the day. The Thai Iced Tea especially would be recommended with the bannacoffee flavor, were very surprisingly similar to the flavors they were based on. read more

Finally found a place that has black sesame ice cream just for that this place gets a five star rating. I would definitely recommend trying the black sesame and the purple yam (ube) ice creams if you haven't had them before! They're definitely unique flavors but it's so hard to find them! They have a variety of things to choose from- ice cream, soft serve and boba! They feature two soft serve flavors at a time and you can opt to get the swirl soft serve. The portions are also huge! Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs because my boyfriend and I each decided to get two scoops and a boba. I was sooo full on ice cream after! We got the brown sugar milk tea boba- it wasn't as sweet as I would normally take mine but this was also compared to really sweet ice cream. Perhaps by itself it'll be sweeter! Their tapioca was just ok- I've definitely had better. I definitely want to come back and try their soft serve and the messy boba. Overall a pretty unique place and definitely satisfies the Asian ice cream flavor cravings that I have. read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I got the Taro milk tea with cheese foam, and for a drink that's a little upward of $8, I wasn't impressed at all. the taro puree along the walls was really good when mixed in, giving the milk a unique flavor. they skimped on the cheese foam, which I really couldn't taste and overall wasn't worth the extra that I paid for. the most underwhelming part was the boba - I ended up spitting out most of the boba because it was too firm and flavorless. the workers were really nice and patient while we decided, and the space is very cute. read more

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Wow the ice cream is really good here! The flavors taste like the real flavors of Asian drinks and fruit etc. There are non Asian favorites also like mint chip and Biscoff and expresso latte. There are toppings also. So rich in flavor and the texture is very milky and creamy. They have music playing in the background. Interesting waffle cone flavors also. Free samples also! The inside and outside are fun to look at bc of the art of Peanuts characters. read more

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We love treating ourselves to Kurimi! It's hard to find a yummy boba place with a fun & quirky twist to it. Makes me feel like I've got a piece of San Diego again. They change their soft serve monthly and I wish I remembered the actual names for each! The first one we tried was kind of a more semi-sweet vanilla. I absolutely loved it. Their cones are also really good! They're crispy without making a mess somehow. The second time I went there, the soft serve was described as a "lemon soda" flavor but it hit Blue Moon right on the nose for me. Now, when I say Blue Moon, I'm referring to the blue ice cream - my fellow Midwesterners will definitely know what I'm talking about. Now, both times that I've gone, I've ordered the Brown Sugar Boba with the Caramelized Cheese Foam (or something like that). I highly recommend the cheese foam! SO good. Like a really, really great sweet & savory drink. I usually always order light boba wherever else I go, but they put the perfect amount so I don't have to. And no, I'm not trying to say they skimp you. They still require you to wear masks as of 7/5/21 and I respect it. The staff there works hard and it seems to be the same people both times so I can't imagine they can afford losing anyone to a sick day. Be respectful and social distance. Lastly, parking is tough so be prepared! read more

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So I've been trying to get my tween to try new things and check out new places. Especially places that make boba tea, bubble or milk tea and food spots. But Kurimu has all the tea AND ice cream so I knew this spot would be a win for me and my tween. We tried several drinks and several flavors of ice cream. We also got the messy boba. The messy boba is a must try! It's delIcious! The matcha matcha ice cream was the best! Black Sesame ice cream was ok! The care bear stare flavor was just ok. We tried the Sno milk tea and boba tea. We were able to add toppings to the tea, we added brown sugar. These were yummy as well! We will be back and will try several items again! read more

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Decent ice cream, RIDICULOUS prices. Matcha Matcha was decent though the soft serve at Mitsuwa in Schaumburg is better, and the Thai Tea is okay though the Thai Tea at Village Creamery in Niles smokes this place. Go to ANY other homemade place for better prices and better flavors like THE BEST ice cream place in Illinois, Village Creamery in Skokie or Milkhouse in Pingree Grove. read more

kurimu is one of my favorite ice cream places, i love their diversity in their flavors! the staff is always super welcoming and kind even when the place is packed. Def try their soft serve and horchata ice cream! They had a booth at lolla and it was the perfect treat :) read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

always run out of bobba never fails or dont have brown sugar milk tea. very disappointed

*3.5 stars* I've been wanting to go here forever but the flavors were just not it. It's a nice, little shop and I'm hoping they'll open the indoor seating soon. Service was good. Not much to complain about but it was busy and we had to wait a bit. The average rating was for the flavors. I got the soft serve swirl in Harajuku Strawberry and Melona Melon - the specials for April. My bf got the Harajuku Strawberry only. We both agreed it tasted nothing like strawberry which was disappointing. The melon didn't taste like it either. Separate and together it tasted like cotton candy. Presentation was cute and texture was there but that's about it for the soft serve. Also, the matcha cone tasted nothing like matcha. My brother got Ube and Lychee. He said the ube was better but both were good. These are regular ice cream flavors and not soft serve. I'd go back to try those and their other ice cream flavors. read more

KURIMU - Harajuku Strawberry and Melona Melon swirl - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This's probably one of the best ice cream spot in Chicago! We love coming here for their soft serve and scoop ice cream!! This taro and milk tea soft serve is amazing that we had to order second! They rotate their soft serve flavor every month! Their scoop ice cream flavors are unique, Thai tea and black sesame are our favorites!! If you are looking for ice cream, definitely check out this place!! The place doesn't have a lot seatings inside, and it does get busy especially on the weekends! read more

KURIMU - Taro & milk tea swirl soft serve - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I recommend coming here for a nice, quick dessert. I got three scoops--you pay for two scoops and an extra scoop. I like how they had it in a tall cup. It made the experience clean and easy. I got the purple yam, black sesame, and mango cheesecake. The purple yam was really good. It tasted exactly what I expect ube (taro root) to taste like. The black sesame had a nutty taste to it. It was really good but wouldn't do more than one scoop of it. The mango cheesecake was good. It had more of a cheesecake flavor. I couldn't really taste the mango and it was sweet. I tried the brown sugar swirl boba tea. That one tasted ok. It wasn't my favorite. It tasted exactly like boba tea but I rather drink my boba tea than eat it. Overall, it was a good experience. The place is cute and small. Service was good. The only thing that I didn't really like was that the ice cream had a little bit of freezer burn. read more

KURIMU - Mango cheesecake, black sesame, purple yam, brown sugar boba milk tea - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What fun a little spot on Taylor Street! I stopped in one afternoon and the young girl working was so sweet. She was all smiles and very helpful. My two flavor swirl was so rich and creamy. The cone was crisp and delicious! I want to return to try other flavors. This quirky little spot with a connection to Care Bears offers tasty treats and fantastic service. read more

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Service is hit or miss here and the soft serve flavors change every month. The biggest problem is you have no idea what it could be if they're named after Care Bears or something. (So you close your eyes and just hope that both flavors are good when swirled.) I do like their regular selection of ice creams because sometimes you have matcha flavored ones elsewhere that are too icy or clumpy. read more

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KURIMU is a dessert shop that specializes in soft serve, ice cream, and tea, drawing inspiration from Asian cultures. You may have seen pictures on Instagram of their famous gold leaf-adorned ice cream cones. When I arrived, there was a line out the door (a good sign!). It's a small shop with a modern design. Tsunami print curtains emphasize the Asian inspiration. The soft serve flavors are rotated on a regular basis. The featured flavors when I was there were peach and ramune (a Japanese soda). I got them as a swirl. Both of the flavors tasted wonderful, and together they complimented one another well. In addition to the soft serve, there are also scoopable ice creams in cool flavors. I had Thai iced tea and pandan. I loved the pandan, which had a strong, heady pandan aroma as well as pieces of the actual pandan leaf for some nice texture. The Thai tea iced tea ice cream, though tinted a pleasing shade of deep orange, I found to be a bit mild--if I closed my eyes and took a bite, I don't think I would've been able to tell you what flavor it was. Service was timely--when it gets busy, expect a wait and more likely a line out the door. Immediately outside, the parking is metered. If you are willing to walk a block or two, you can park in the surrounding neighborhood and hoof it. You'll burn calories, anyway. read more

KURIMU - Ramune and peach - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Smooth and delicious ice cream. Some of the best flavors. Staff let me have a free scoop because of my kindness. Quaint but lively.

I love lychee ice cream and it's so difficult to find but this place has it in both a scooped AND soft serve form. A dream come true!!!! As a miffy fan, I appreciated all the decor and merchandise around the store, so cute! read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious unique ice cream, worth trying. I absolutely love the spoon (shovel) they give you but it only comes when you order their special ice cream but I'm sure they can give it to you if you ask if you orders regular single scoop ice cream. The gold leaf was pricy, let me tell you that lol Give this place a try. You may like it, you may not. If you like earl grey tea, you'll like their swirl with white rabbit. I really enjoyed their ube flavored ice cream, it taste just like Trader's Joes ube ice cream but a smoother texture. read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Such a cute ice cream shop! They are not open for indoor seating at the time , but they have a system where you pay then they bring your order out quickly. The coconut ice cream was spot on, not too sweet. The strawberry cheesecake ice cream has the perfect amount of both flavors. I cannot wait to return and give something else a try on their menu! read more

KURIMU - Coconut ice cream Strawberry cheesecake - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

YUM - Kurimu offers Asian-inspired soft serve, ice cream, and drinks, and they also do random and cool collaborations (Peanuts, Care Bears, Snoopy, Oatly, etc.), so take advantage of those special limited time flavors! When we came, we were able to enjoy the Ramune x Okayama Peach flavors - both in a cone and in a cup - they were really good! The soft serve was soft, airy, pillow-y, and cloud-like, but still dense enough - the texture and the consistency was great. It's definitely tasty while also being aesthetically pleasing. Service could have been a bit more friendlier. The place does get jam-packed, especially after the dinner rush and or in the later evenings; note that this is also in the UIC 'hood. Extremely limited street parking available. +frequent flavor collaborations +limited street parking read more

The first time I came into the Kurimu it was great and I love the service but this time I came into Kurimu now I asked for my ice cream and they said OK. 10 minutes later they're still putting my ice cream inside my cone. And during that 10 minutes they walked past my cone around five times with a scoop of ice cream in their hands and by the time I got my ice cream people that ordered after me got their ice cream first. read more

I went back in August 2020. It was definitely worth the hype. They limited to (I think) 3 customers inside a store at a time, so there was a short line, but it wasn't too bad. I took a picture of the menu while waiting so I had an idea of what to get, but I still needed to ask some questions & look at ice cream flavors before ordering. I got messy boba with half earl gray and half taro. Lucky for me, I like earl gray tea. The flavor was rather super strong, and I wasn't expecting that. I didn't mind and finished it, but if you're not a fan of earl gray, I say don't get it!! I also got melon pan bun w avocado ice cream. I had avocado ice cream as a dessert so I was really excited to see that they serve avocado ice cream. However, this was just ok... if I went back in time, I probably would have ordered a milk tea as it's my classic favorite. read more

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Their ice cream is so yummy and creamy. I had one scoop of the ube ice cream and one scoop of the black sesame ice cream. I order Mochi with it also. It was a lot for one person, but I ate all of it because it was so good. The theme for this month is Charlie Brown and the decor inside was super cute. read more

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The ice cream flavors here are so tasty! You'll find flavors that are hard to find anywhere else. I had a lavender soft serve and my husband got horchata and biscoff. All were so good. And if ice cream is not your thing, they also have boba. But I'd definitely say that their ice cream is the stand-out menu item. They also have different flavored cones including orange sherbert and lavender. Their flavors seem to change a lot, so you might catch different ones even if you visit a week apart. They do get busy, so do plan for a short wait. I went on a Saturday night once and it was a 20 minute wait for a cup of ice cream and boba. They only had 1 person making orders. There is street parking, but as I mentioned, that area does get busy so don't count on finding an easy spot. read more

KURIMU - Lavender ice cream - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's been said before but I'll say it again - there's no other place like this in Chicago that has such unique flavors and concepts with their rotating flavors, messy boba, cone variety, and edible foil, amongst other things. Closest thing that I'm aware of would be Village Creamery in Niles, but only in regards to somewhat similar ice cream flavors. My wife and I go down whenever they change up their soft serve flavors, and so far our favorite combination that we've tried has been matcha x black sesame. Hoping they bring back some of the other flavors from earlier this year that we didn't get to try (all can be found on their Instagram). I did try the silver foil once and it didn't really add anything aside from making it an extra Instagram-able photo. The staff have all been extremely kind and welcoming, which makes it a pleasant overall experience. Maybe one day I'll try out their interesting ice cream flavors and boba too, but the soft serve is more than enough for us! read more

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It's a cute place, but the flavors are so extremely weird if you just want a plain ice cream cone, this is not the place for you. I applaud the ingenuity, but they should have some of the standards on offer like chocolate and vanilla. read more

Awesome ice cream shop, the staff are so friendly and they have so many unique flavors of ice cream. I tried the Care Bear Stare which is a mix of purple yam, jackfruit, and coconut so it's like 3 flavors in one! They also have flavors like Sweet Corn, Mango, Black Sesame, and so much more! Ice cream was so creamy and flavorful. I had stopped by originally intending to try the soft serve but learned once I arrived that they had just recently switched the flavors. If you are to try the soft serve I would check their FB page or call to check their flavors as they change them regularly. Lots of metered street parking in the area, if you look to park on the side streets beware of the permit parking! read more

I am a big big snoopy fan for a long time. When i saw about the snoopy pop-up/cross over, i was so excited to go to Kurimu to try the ice cream and get the snoopy merchandise. Waited in-line for their first day snoopy launch. Got my free tote bag with my purchase, well worth the wait. Staff was friendly and explained the menu. This is a must go if you're ice cream + snoopy fan like myself. Thank you KURIMU for bring snoopy to Chi-town! read more

KURIMU - My tote bag & snoopy - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yas! I love it. I've literally gone here 3 times in the last month. They rotate their soft serves. I get the messy boba every time (soft serve + tapioca pearls + maple syrup). One time I had matcha/sesame swirl and this time I had charcoal horchata and taro swirl. My husband also likes it! He got the mint chip ice cream one time and the pumpkin another time read more

KURIMU - Messy boba - taro / charcoal horchata soft serve + boba + maple syrup - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DO NOT SLEEP ON KURIMU. I saw this place pop up on some foodie IG accounts and knew I had to try it. They're really good with enforcing COVID policies so only 3 people are allowed in the store at once, plus they do curbside pickup. I got the swirl soft serve and was shook when they had multiple cone flavors. Such a creamy, not too sweet and delicious bite! I also tried their coffee chip ice cream and holy heck- such good coffee flavor! Highly recommend checking them out for your sweet treat fix. Plus snap a few pics for the gram! read more

KURIMU - taro and earl grey swirl in a matcha cone - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I haven't tried other things on the menu yet, but will be back! Had a chance to try their matcha and black sesame soft serve. It is on point! The flavors shine through without it being overly sweet. My friends and I devoured our delicious desserts in 15 minutes. They regularly switch out the flavors so it keeps you coming back for more! Service is quick (as they can be) and friendly. There was a line when we went but it seemed to be moving along. Once you get to the front the turn around seems quick. All the workers are friendly and helpful! As I was waiting for my order I heard one of the workers apologize about an order. Something about forgetting to add an extra topping? I thought that was sweet and kind of him to apologize and correct the issue right away. Kurimu is a nice addition to Taylor St. I wish it was there when I was on campus 10 years ago! read more

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I got the Ramune Soft Serve, and it was just what I needed on a humid summers day. It tasted like watermelon and bubblegum, but with the light and refreshing feeling soft serve has. I wish there was a location in California. read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been here twice right when they opened for the day and both times there has been a line out the door. Due to covid they are limiting three people in the store at once and masks are required. The soft serve ice cream flavors routinely rotate. The first time I came here they had white rabbit and charcoal soft serve. During this visit I wasn't impressed by either flavor. The white rabbit was too sweet and the charcoal didn't taste like anything spectacular. When I came this week they had taro and earl grey soft serve. This time I enjoyed both flavors. The the taro soft serve had a good amount of taro flavor and I really liked the Earl Gray which was a good balance of flavor and sweetness. read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What a treat! Wide variety of ice cream and more. I had the purple yam UBE and ordered 3 pints to go: purple yam with Oreo and strawberry shortcake. Delicious!!!! I can't want to go back to try more flavors! The service was fast. The server/cashier was friendly and helpful with recommendations after I told her this was my first visit. The ambiance is chill. Seating options are along the windows. read more

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Likes - Unique flavors for soft serve and ice cream - Milk tea and charcoal coconut swirl was great. I would reorder. Dislikes - Price: with tip, I paid ~$20 for 2 soft serve cones, one with gold leaf. The gold leaf one was ~$10, essentially $4 for the gold leaf. - Charcoal coconut didn't have a taste. The milk tea flavor overpowered everything - Matcha cone didn't really taste like matcha to me. I'd likely get a cup next time even though it cost more read more

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Finally made it to this cute ice cream shop. Loved the ice cream - it's right on Taylor and beer by a lot of upcoming restaurants and food shops! It's a Instagram popular spot but when I went it was busy and since it was a hot day! I was happy to get some ice cream to cool day! read more

KURIMU - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I visited this location last summer and the ice cream is so good. Very rich. I ordered Ube Cookies n Cream and Biscoff ice cream 10/10. The service was fine and the shop was clean which is a good sign. read more

KURIMU - Ube Cookies n Cream and Biscoff Ice Cream - Bubble Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

KURIMU is my go-to dessert spot in Chicago. It's a Cali-vibe and could definitely compete with the top dessert places in Los Angeles. For those that do not know how it works -- there is a monthly rotation of 2 unique soft-serve flavors that find a way to compliment each other so well. You could get the 'swirl', which is a combination of the two soft-serves or get individual flavors. Combinations like Yuzu and Matcha hit different in the summertime heat. They do have single-scoop options of unique flavors like earl grey, sesame, taro, green tea etc. but I normally stick with the soft-serve for value. Each cone is around $7-8 but the staff normally gives a generous portion. The KURIMU location hosts different soft-serve flavors from each other. Follow or visit their Instagram page for more information on what flavors each location has at the moment. Unfortunately there are no hints on the next month's flavors but that's part of the fun. Vibe: Ample seating and wall decor/lights for aesthetics. I could come here at the end of a date and stay for 30-45 minutes. Inside of the shop is always clean and well-maintained. Service: I go in the nighttime so I cannot speak against peak-hours. However, we ALWAYS had great service. The workers are genuinely happy and take their time making the cones look picture perfect. I have no issues leaving additional tips here. Food (Drinks): The soft-serve rotations tend to be a combination of one sweet and one subtle flavor. My personal favorite was the Brazilian Passionfruit and Hokkaido Milk. It's almost been a year and I'm still itching to get it again. You get choices for a variety of toppings like matcha powder, pocky sticks, mochi, etc. but the soft-serve is always enough. No need to change the default cone unless you're trying to make it look as pretty as possible (for an extra charge). Overall Impression: 10/10 if you enjoy desserts like me this is a must-try. In my opinion, Chicago lacks a bit in the dessert department but KURIMU gives me hope for a better spots in the future. The place still pops off in the winter time! TIP: Free street parking around both locations. Wicker Park location is a bit harder to find. ------------------------ Josh's Rating System: 1 STAR - Terrible - Will not return even if they paid me 2 STAR - Below average - Something rubbed me the wrong way. I probably will not return 3 STAR - Average - Might come back if there aren't any alternatives 4 STAR - Above average - Would definitely come back in the future and/or recommend it to a friend 5 STAR - Amazing - I'll be back read more

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