The flavors are so fun! I had a great time sampling but the rose one really spoke to me. I love the inspiration behind the flavor combos and the staff was so nice to share their recommendations. The space is colorful and bright, with lots of cheery energy. They also have pints and ice pops in the fridge up front. Something for everyone really. read more

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I am a sucker for desserts with Asian flavors so I knew I would like this place and and it did not disappoint. You won't see any plain old vanilla or chocolate peanut butter on the menu here. Everything is Indian-inspired so you'll see plenty of chili, spices and herbs on the menu. The summer seasonal flavor right now is sweet corn saffron which is easily one of the best corn-flavored ice creams I've had. We also tried the saffron pistachio, which nut lovers will enjoy because it goes super heavy on the pistachio. The saffron is both scoops adds a touch of savoriness but not overwhelming at all. True to Asian desserts, the ice cream here is "not too sweet" which is just right for me. read more

Great Indian ice cream spot - super creamy, unique flavors, and generous portions. Everything you can ask for in an ice cream parlor nowadays! Was able to sample a few flavors before deciding on the cinnamon rose w/ almonds & mangos & cream split scoop (basically two scoops). Also - service was friendly and helpful with recommendations. Will be back again! read more

Wildly unique, inventive ice cream flavors, incorporating Indian and eastern flavors and spices into their luscious ice cream. They rotate active/scoop flavors--12 at a time, with a couple of rotating soft serve options as well. However, they also have pints to go, so even if a favorite has disappeared from the active selection, you might be able to find it in the freezer... or just keep coming back until it is back in rotation--you'll find something else incredible to try anyway! Some of our favorites on our last couple of visits have been the Golden Turmeric, which balances it with a nice ginger flavor, and a Lemon Cardamom, which was just an incredible flavor blend. My girlfriend also loved the Red Chile Chocolate, which had quite a kick--perhaps a smidge too much for me, but I still love the inventiveness, which seems unending at this small, lovely shop. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The spot is cute, with a few tables to sit and linger if that is your preference, but it is also a lovely neighborhood for a summer stroll with your ice cream![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I love indian food, I love ice cream, but together? I was skeptical. Malai proved I had no reason to be. I sampled maybe 6 flavors and every single one was a completely different world and either good or great. They seem to be based on Indian desserts for the most part as well as the tea-based masala chai. I came at a great time since they had special diwali flavors too. The ice cream base and texture is incredibly creamy and velvety, my personal favorite (as opposed to airy/icy/buttery dense like coldstone). I'm completely sold and there was loads more flavors to try. Do not sleep on this gem, and hopefully I'll see this idea make its way across the country to my coast. A boy can dream at least. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Finally can say I have tried ice cream from their store! I have been eyeing their pints at whole foods but have exercised great self-discipline by waiting until I tried their ice cream in the store first. They have more of a variety/seasonal flavors in the store which made for a fun tasting session. I probably tasted five flavors and all were delicious. I ended up getting a split (two flavors in one cup) of the rose with almond and cardamom crumble (i dont recall the exact name) Ugh so good!! Cardamom is one of my favorite spices so it was such a treat! All of the flavors really come through and are super fragrant. Can't wait to make this my summer staple and finally let myself stock my freezer with a couple of pints. read more

Malai - a split of Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds and cardamom - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Absolutely delicious ice cream with Indian and international-inspired flavors! We came in on a Thursday afternoon and it wasn't too busy. We were able to try a few flavors before choosing. They offer split scoops for a small extra fee, so you can get multiple flavors. I got the mango & cream and the saffron pistachio. I saw more flavors online than what they were scooping, but they do also offer pints of all their flavors. I'd definitely come back to try the chai and the baklava flavors! The shop isn't super big, but there's seating outside. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Very creative and tasty flavors- MUST try if in area- Loved their Lychee and Mango cardamon- Shop has really nice and friendly vibes too. Staff is very helpful. They had other interesting flaovrs too that i would defo come back for. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Indian flavor inspired ice cream shops! It's so unique and so fun as they constantly roll out creative flavors throughout the year. The staffs are friendly and welcomes sampling of the ice cream before you make a decision. I really want to like this place but the ice cream is just a bit too sweet for my taste. However, I am picky on my ice cream as I am more of a fan of less sweet sorbet or frozen yogurt. My partner loves ice cream and he definitely liked the place better than I did. read more

I'm a certified Pooja Bavishi fan! I've researched her journey and it is inspiring how she took a very localized culture-based idea and made it of broader appeal. And that too with resilience and later success! I've used their delivery option once, and I have to say, coming in-person is the best way to experience the creaminess of their ice cream. I appreciated that I got to try different flavors before choosing what I wanted. I ordered the Mango and Cream as well as the Sweet Corn Saffron in their Waffle Cone. My preferred of the two was definitely the Sweet Corn Saffron. The ice creams are creamy but more importantly deliciously comforting and refreshing. Pooja representing the Desi community warms my heart, as she makes sure her products are accessible to customers who may not eat eggs and want to experience the delicious flavors of their culture in their ice cream as well. Malai has non-dairy & sorbet flavors, packaged ice creams, to-order cakes, and mango lassi, etc. available at their store too. Looking forward to continuing to support this business! read more

Malai - Mango and Cream & Sweet Corn Saffron Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Was in the area and had to stop by during National Ice Cream Day! I sampled a few flavors and decided on Sweet Corn Saffron and Mango & Cream. Sweet corn saffron is a must for corn lovers, not too sweet. Mango & Cream is slightly on the sweeter side but so good!! read more

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I tried the rose and baklava, both were really good! I'm so glad I got a pint of the rose because there's only one location! Wish there were more locations. Would come again to try other flavors and stock up on pints :) read more

Malai - Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds and Baklava - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Incredible service and unique flavors. Unlimited samples and honestly every flavor was great. My favorite was sea salt vanilla and I got a split scoop of that and the orange coffee soft serve, which pretty much tasted like orange flavored coffee haha and had a really nice, creamy yet refreshing taste. I really liked the mixed flavor of both the coffee soft serve and the sea salt vanilla. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Wow, wow, wow! This places really knows their flavors! Each flavor was so true to its name, and did not disappoint. I got the Mango & Cream and Masala Chai, and both tasted exactly like that. Definitely will be going back! If you're curious about this place, run now & try it out! read more

Malai - Mango & Cream and Masala Chai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I'm not even a big fan of ice cream, but the concept of this store is so cool and the flavors were well executed. After sampling many flavors, we went with the sweet roti and ghee and masala chai. They gave us two HUGE scoops of creamy, flavorful ice cream. read more

The price may seem a bit steep, but the scoops are giant. I love that there are a variety of flavors and that they have South Asian riffs on American classics. I sampled the black forest and tulsi chocolate chip. The base for both seemed to be a sweet cream. I decided on getting a scoop of the tulsi chocolate chip. I was expecting more tulsi flavor, but it's very subtle. The base is most similar to what would be a mint chocolate chip. The chocolate chips themselves provide a good crunch to the ice cream and a more bitter contrast to the sweet ice cream. Only thing that I want, is for the ice cream to be a bit more smooth and less icy. Other than that, a solid and unique place to grab a scoop, especially as the weather is warming up. read more

Malai - Tulsi Chocolate Chip - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

There's something about Indian ice cream shops that just know what they're doing. The ice cream is creamy and the flavors are so unique. I love that the flavors are South Asian inspired from various spices, but even the simple Salted Vanilla flavor so delicious. We were able to sample a few flavors and the lady serving was so kind about it. After trying a few flavors, we decided on the Baklava and Mango & Cream --both delicious flavors. I got mine in a cone for an extra $2 and the single scoop was $6 each. You're also able to get multiple scoop flavors for additional too. Even on a cold day, you can't go wrong with some ice cream for dessert. They also offer the ice cream in pints for $12.50 each. read more

Malai - Baklava Ice Cream in a Cone. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Innovative and amazing ice cream! I had the masala chai and the cardamom pistachio crumble. There was a good amount of ice cream per scoop and had a strong taste associated with each. I was afraid that there would be more of an aromatic association with the flavors, but I could clearly and continually taste the cardamom and chai flavors. Very kind server as well. I thought that the flavors were interesting and different - I really look forward to returning. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This ice cream place is absolutely bonkers. The flavors here are like nothing I have ever tried. My favorites were the saffron soft serve and the chai masala ice cream with toppings--both were incredible. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG AT MALAI!! read more

Malai is one of my go-to ice cream shops when I'm in search for a special treat and feeling a little nostalgic of home. Indoor and outdoor seating is limited, although it is very, very charming. The ice cream shop is nice and spacious inside so when it gets busy, it doesn't feel like you're crammed into strangers. my favorite flavor here is the rose ice cream with the salted nuts. To me it taste like traditional Kashmiri chai in a cup. The Rose notes are fragrant and so delicious. This ice cream really transports me back to my motherland Pakistan. I've also had the joy of trying a couple of different flavors throughout the years. Their mango ice cream is quite good. It tastes like mango fruit and not artificial flavoring and I like that it's creamy and balanced well. The masala chai is also one of my favorites as a captures a lot of the authentic Indian flavors. The shop used to have an outpost on Governors Island and one of my favorite things to do was to get their ice cream sandwiches. However, last year I couldn't find them on the island and I don't think they offer ice cream sandwiches in the shop, I would love for the ice cream sandwiches to come back, because those were a real treat. Please go here to try some unique ice creams and expand your palette into the southeast Asian world of flavors. read more

Malai - Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds Masala Chai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This is a cute danity indian ice cream shop with many unique flavors that are not available anywhere else. So be ready to sample many flavors you have never tried and the workers readily and happily oblige! I Tried the strawberry rose flavor that was stronger strawberry but had end notes of smooth rose. I also had ghee flavor which is the OG most authentic Malai flavor it was buttery and rich. My number one flavor was the pastachio nut flavor which was rich with nuts added but strong pastachio flavor. They had 2 unique flavors for holi which shows that they change flavors regularly so everytime you go they will have a new surprise to try its a new journey everytime read more

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I stopped by here with a friend for an afternoon treat. All the flavors looked so good. Luckily, the woman at the counter let me try multiple flavors! I opted for a split cup of the pistachio soft serve and the Black Forest ice cream. The pistachio was creamy and flavorful, but my favorite was the Black Forest. The fruit swirl was tart and the perfect complement to the ice cream, which had chocolate chunks mixed in. Overall, really nice staff and creative flavors! read more

Malai - Pistachio soft serve (left) and Black Forest ice cream (right) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Malai has the inspiration from South Asian ingredients. I absolutely love how unique it is from a lot of the ice cream shops that are around the area. The staff is friendly and they allow you to sample prior to choosing. I recently stopped by and decided to take pint of the Baklava pint even before trying it. It blew me away and I can say it is my favorite - sweet & nutty. The Masala Chai was also delicious with the hint of spice. There's tables inside if anyone wants to stay and enjoy their ice cream - plenty of flavors to choose from - you can't go wrong! read more

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Feel bad since the flavors sound spectacular and love to support local and bipoc businesses. Same as other reviews, staff was rushing to decide on order when it was a group of us, and only ones inside.... So I got the mango and one of the pistachios. I couldn't taste the flavors as much, too subtle for my liking! Staff didn't promote or let us know they had soft serve until after reading more of the signs. I'll give it another try maybe it was a not as flavorful of a batch I tried. read more

I love Malai. Their flavors are great and so different from other ice cream shops in the city. If you go to the shop, you can get scoops or soft serve, as well as pick up pints and other treats. All the ice cream is egg-free, and if you want non-dairy ice cream, they use a separate scoop to avoid cross-contamination, something I wish all ice cream shops did. On my last visit, I got a trio scoop with strawberry ginger sorbet, pineapple pink peppercorn, and mango and cream, and it was perfect for cooling down on a very hot summer day. I wish I could have bought some additional pints of the strawberry ginger (my favorite of the three) to take home, but they definitely would have melted in minutes in the heat. Looking forward to my next visit! read more

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The Ice cream was really unique and flavorful. The spices included were interesting and the employees mentioned they change every month. I tried a PLETHORA. Turkish coffee - delicious and coffee-ish Mace Date - I can't remember the full flavor. I believe it had cinnamon and I expected to like it more but there were others that I preferred Rose with cinnamon roasted almonds - too floral for my taste Spiced peanut crunch - too spicy for my taste I ended up getting a split scoop of the Baklava and the royal cinnamon with black salted caramel Those two were DELICIOUS ! The employees were super nice, friendly, patient, and knowledgeable to all the little questions we had. They didn't skimp on the samples and were able to keep the line moving even while getting all the samples we wanted to try. The inside is super cute, clean and inviting. Their merch is also cute. They have a freezer with ice cream sandwiches ( we didn't try), warm beverages, and they make pastries that look delicious. read more

Malai - Baklava Ice Cream and Royal Cinnamon with Black Salt Caramel (Vegan) split scoop - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

On our first day of a weekend trip to NYC, we took the train all the way to BoCoCa just to try this Indian-inspired ice cream spot. While we are generally skeptical of fusion dessert spots because execution can be spotty, we were convinced by the rave reviews here to give this place a shot. We didn't regret it one bit - we got the roti with ghee and the masala chai. For any person of south Asian origin, one bite of these flavors will transport you straight back to the motherland. The chai flavor in particular was excellent and despite the recent surge in all things chai flavored, this was easily the best I've tried anywhere in the world. Please come set up shop in the Bay Area!! We are waiting for you!! read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This is a unique ice cream shop. Do come here if you like different and out of the ordinary flavors. This is not a place for your typical ice cream sundae or banana float. It's not even a place for your standard chocolate and vanilla, because they won't have this. This place combines flavors like hibiscus, cardamom, anise, etc. During the couple times I came here I got: Tamarind and date: doesn't really taste of tamarind but it's still good. The sweetness is from the date but it also has peppercorn in it that leaves a tingle on your tongue. Turkish coffee: doesn't really taste like coffee but it has coffee grounds in it so when you bite into a coffee ground you get the coffee flavor. It's a very subtle coffee flavor and has a creamy taste. Chocolate clove soft serve: this was the most unique flavor I've had here. It's not very sweet and the clove really comes in strong at the end of the bite. If you like clove then this one is for you. I didn't finish my cup but I don't regret getting it. Maybe tasting this would be better just to try it. The interior is bright and there are a couple tables to hang out. The service is good, they help you out with allergies if you have any. The labels on the ice cream when looking through the glass at the counter tell you what allergen ingredients each has so that's a plus! read more

Such unique, delicious flavors. They also have a case of pints in the freezer if you want to take some home. There hasn't been a flavor here that I haven't liked. There's usually a like and it does move incredibly slow - the workers aren't proactive about getting to the next so be ready to wait. read more

When the weather gets warm, it's time for ice cream! This place has lots of unique flavors, from their popular rose with cinnamon roasted almonds to saffron pistachio. $7.50 for a double scoop. They are not doing samples right now which is a bummer bc there are so many unique flavors here, but they did give me a sample in my cup after I bought my cup which is nice. Overall: lovely service, clean space, and lots of interesting flavors! read more

Malai - Clockwise: rose, mango and cream, and saffron pistachio - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

It's all delicious. Indian spices work well with with ice cream making for some creative flavors that are swoon worthy. Fig, chocolate chili, pistachio with a twist, lemon cardamom and more. Service is great and [[HIGHLIGHT]]there's limited seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Malai specializes in ice cream flavors that are inspired by Indian flavors. Which translates into very nuanced tastes that are very different than what you find at other shops around here. I've been to Malai a few times, even back when it didn't have its own storefront and was housed in a food hall in downtown Brooklyn. It's unlike any other ice cream I've ever had. But it's not for me. Every time I try it, like once every year or two, I go in hoping I'll like it. But I don't connect with the flavors. And I'd consider myself an admirer of creative combos (RIP Ice and Vice). read more

A friend recommended this spot to me and the Indian flavors sounded right up my alley. We tried: - Mayamasi's Shrikhand - Star Anise Cherry Pie - Masala Chai Of the flavors, Masala Chai was definitely my favorite. I was hoping to try some of their more unique flavors (like Roti & Ghee), but they didn't have a lot of them when we went. I think this spot has more potential. My biggest issue is that they keep their freezers too cold, so the ice cream was way too hard. I'd definitely be interested in coming back to try more flavors. read more

Malai - Mayamasi's Shrikhand, Star Anise Cherry Pie, and Masala Chai Scoops | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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This place is for all the ice cream lovers who like to try diverse flavors and love creamier textures. I originally saw this brand when I was grocery shopping and saw pints of masala chai flavored ice cream. It was really good which is why I think the name is so memorable. I stumbled upon the brick and mortar store and was thrilled to find that I could try their different flavors. I probably tried at least 5 flavors and just love how they taste so unique. They also sell their points in store, so if you can't find it in your grocery store then you can always get it here! Staff are super nice and helpful. Not too many seats available -- would probably be best on a day you can eat and walk. read more

Malai - Peda - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Thanks to Yelp Elite Week, I got to try south Asian-inspired ice cream for the first time. The store was adorable and already bustling when I arrived. They had some ice cream cakes with flavors that intrigued me up front in the fridge. The staff kindly gave me a brief overview of Malai as it was my first time there. I sampled a few flavors with my mom and we both ended up getting mango and cream, the top flavor in our opinions. It was creamy and fruity at the same time! The other flavors were really unique with the different spices incorporated. Though they only had a handful of flavors. read more

Malai - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Located in Brooklyn, this place is unique because of the indian flavors it provides in the ice cream range. The shop is a small one but with a cute ambiance, the servers are really friendly and happy to guide you through their menu whereas are really patient with their customers. I was surprised to see the Diwali special ice cream menu as they had made ice cream out of favorite Diwali sweets such as ghugra, peda, kaju katli, ras Malai. I tried these 4 flavors first, and settled for peda and ras Malai. The ice cream was really creamy as their name (Malai = cream) suggests. Overall it was a unique experience, also it was interesting to see they having unique flavors in the pint size and one which really caught my eye was red chilli chocolate. Hope to try more next time! read more

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We had dinner nearby and I've had Malai bookmarked for a while now. FYI they are not doing any samples due to COVID which was a huge bummer bc their flavors are a little too unique/creative to decide without trying first.. I ended up having their bestseller; rosewater with cinnamon roasted almonds and sweet roti and ghee. A split cup was $7.50 after tax. My friends also took some pints home and they were $12 a print. It was good and the flavors were definitely unique but the ice cream consistency was lacking in the creaminess/texture for me. I'm not sure if I'd return to try any more flavors; maybe I'm biased bc I'm personally not a huge fan of spices/chai flavors and that's why I wasn't particularly blown away. But if those flavor profiles are up your alley, I do recommend stopping by! read more

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Malai is one of my favorite ice cream shops in Brooklyn. There is always something new to try. I really like the attention to detail in their small Carroll gardens Smith st shop. I enjoy soft serve cream in general but I do stray away sometimes st Malai. On this visit I tried the Rose and Sweet corn variants. While both very good the Rose wasn't to strong in flavor as I've had at other shops. I tend to really like a strong rose flavored ice cream. This will not stop me from coming back! read more

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I've always seen a line at this place so I finally gave this place a try on Friday at 6:30pm. Luckily at this time there wasn't a line yet. The staff were very friendly and allowed my friend and I to get samples of the different ice cream flavors. I ended up getting the mango and cream flavor in a cone. I actually didn't see the board so didn't know cones are $2 more than a cup, but oh well. Total was $8 which is a bit steep. I would opt for a cup next time. Luckily one of the two tables were open so we were able to finish our cones before it melted. There were also window seats will pillows. read more

Omgggg so yummy -- got the thandai & the rose cinnamon almond & they were both delicious -- so flavorful, unique, & not too sweet read more

Malai - Rose with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (& Thandai underneath in a split scoop) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Brooklyn, New York