i was super excited to come to sugar koi to check the ice cream in the taiyaki. the environment was awesome and beautiful. the brick building is pretty and lots of shops to check out. totally a place to bring a friend or a group of them. but i was pretty bummed because it was crazy expensive and there was no custard in the fish cone with the ice cream which was what i had before in los angeles. it's pretty disappointing but i think this the only taiyaki place in this area so definitely a try for ppl. enjoy! read more

I got the Thai tea in a koi cone and it was great! The owner was super nice and let us sample some of his fall flavors. I'll be back for sure. read more

Visited this new establishment for the first time today. Told my server that I couldn't decide between coffee or ice cream. He said that he had a drink to incorporate both. Choose a scoop of ice cream and have 2 shots of expresso added to the cup. He suggest a bourbon, chocolate, caramel ice cream. It was out of this world!! Will be back! read more

Durham again surprises me by serving another eclectic Asian cuisine - taiyaki ice cream. My fiancé had actually just proposed to me and this was the place I wanted to try out to celebrate! I agree with some of the other reviewers that the matcha flavoring in the soft serve is not particularly strong, but the fish cone is soft and delicious. The toppings are also very cute, so overall, a presentation well done. There isn't a lot of seating in the place, but the fish cone is perfect for walking and eating. read more

Lovely little ice cream place, and a lot of flavors are made in house - toasted coconut, green tea, Thai tea, all are super yummy. Best green tea ice-cream I think I've ever had. The restaurant is family owned, and the kids have been making their own Asian-influenced ice-cream since they were 10 years old or younger. My children love this place. We will be back. read more

We had the most amazing experience here...we are visiting Duke for treatments and the owner was so kind and caring....the shoppe is adorable and sparkling clean....but the ice cream....wow! Must be hand made...I got a small chocolate mint chip and it was just rich an loaded with high quality woven through...it was abundant too....2 nice big scoops....but my husband had a hot fudge sundae with extra fudge and extra whipped cream...he said it was the thickest best fudge he had ever tasted and all the other ingredients were wonderful too...this has got to be the number one ice cream/ coffee shoppe in Durham...please if you are in the area, do go...I only write reviews for outstanding places...this place is outstanding and the owner will make you feel welcome! read more

Cute place and fun concept, but way too overpriced for me. I just can't get into the idea spending more than $7 (!!) on a fish cone. The ice cream was good but nothing amazing. Not worth it to me. At least they have the more affordable option of just not getting the fish cone (and getting a regular cup or cone). read more

Service was AWESOME! They were so nice they even let you taste flavors during the virus going around.The fish cones are made fresh and when you bite into the cone it taste fluffy warm and delicious! 5 star review for me! (By 9 year old ) read more

delicious ice cream, adorable fish cones, friendly and helpful staff!! everything was wonderfully flavorful--a perfect, refreshing treat for summer nights :):) we will def be back!! read more

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I was hoping to try the Thai tea, but they were sold out when I was here. I got the toasted coconut. I almost think the coconut had a smoky flavor. The ice cream is a bit on the icy side. My friend got the green tea and vanilla in the fish cone. It was fun. read more

This place has been hyped up so we had to try it. I think it taste like average ice cream. Not worth $15+ for 2 cones.

This place is awesome! Great homemade waffle cones and Asian inspired flavors such as green tea and Thai tea. Grab a coffee in the morning and soft serve ice cream in a fish cone at night after dinner in bright leaf square. read more

The banana pudding ice cream was very good! The fish cones were adorable. Great location!

My boyfriend and I stopped in and had a wonderful experience. The Thai ice cream is great and so are the lattes. The owner was so welcoming and kind and we had great conversation. Just a little place of happiness amongst all the madness in the world right now. Looking forward to going back. read more

This is my kids favorite ice cream place! And it makes for awesome photos! I wish they had more signage and publicity! I really want them to do well! The Icecream is great and the owner is very nice! I love local businesses and so happy to have found this one! read more

Watery and extra sweet ice cream. I won't pay that kind of money for this ice cream. read more

Yummy warm waffle cones and the koi fish come is so cute. I recommend the truffle buttered caramel ice cream.

The soft serve had no flavor, so it just tasted like soft served sugar. It was also very overpriced. I wouldn't come here again. There are definitely way better places you can spend your money. read more

I don't think I can emphasis enough how wonderful the koi cone is! It's really cakey and wonderful not a hard cone I was expected. This is obviously a house made product and so delicious. I was disappointed in the soft serve. Generic chocolate and vanilla that was more icy than creamy. Despite this I cannot stop thinking about that cone and I know we'll be back often :) read more

Stopped by Sugarfish for a Saturday night treat and really enjoyed it! I've never had Koiyaki before and wasn't sure if it would live up to the hype it's created on Instagram, but it was delish!! They've got a step-by-step menu set up so it's pretty easy to figure out what you're doing. The first major decision is whether you want softserve or hard icecream, they had vanilla m, chocolate and green tea all with a twist option. I went with the green tea vanilla twist and chose the fish cone, because why not?! You also get a topping (rainbow sprinkles for me) and a stick (pocky or pirouette). It was a really yummy icecream, the green tea did not have a ton of flavor but it was refreshing and the cone was amazing. Slightly soft like a waffle, which made it delish and messy! I would definitely suggest eating quickly or getting a bowl to hold underneath to prevent any mishaps. I will definitely be back to eat more fish cones from Sugarfish! read more

Sugar Koi - Koiyaki - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

The ice cream here is fantastic. I will note that you can only get soft serve in the koi cones. The cones are soft and almost cake like so you have to eat the ice cream fairly quickly. It was hard to decide between soft serve and the other flavors so I'll be back to try more! read more

It's an ok place. The ice cream does not look to be made in house. The containers look to be labeled as Hersey ice cream . Perhaps some were made in house, not sure. Not bad if you are in the area and looking for something sweet. read more

The best ice cream! Perfectly creamy. I got Thai Tea and my Wife had Butter Pecan and loved it, (my 1 y/o loved both!) Moreover, we chatted with the owner who is very friendly, kind and thoughtful. We will definitely return! read more

This shop is a jewel and not to be missed. The ice cream is wonderful and the Fish Koiyaki cone is tasty and inventive. The only thing better than the ice cream is the owner Nat, who is friendly, energetic and eager to chat about his shop or anything in the Raleigh area. Well worth the stop. read more

Amazing ice cream, beautiful presentation! It smells heavenly as you come up to the place. The owners are super sweet

Had the green tea fish cone it was delicious would recommend to everyone whose in Downtown Durham

This is an amazing place to get dessert and coffee! The tayaki is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with the perfect flavor. There are a lot of selections for ice cream (we loved the Matcha flavor). The coffee is great on the side. Owner is super kind and thoughtful! read more

This place is great!! Nice family friendly environment and attentive staff. They also have a nice variety of scooped ice cream flavors!! read more

Sugar Koi - Brown Butter Bourbon Truffle Ice Cream w/ hot caramel - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

The ice cream here was great! The fish cone is soft and cakey. Also the peanut butter cup cookie you have to get. Best peanut butter cookie I've ever had. Warm it up before you eat it and it's perfect. read more

AMAZING!!! This place has so many unique and delicious flavors of ice cream. The basic cones are great as well as the koi fish one! The owner is so nice and made us feel very welcomed. The store's location is a bit hard to find due to construction at the moment. But once you find it, it's so worth it!! 100% recommend for the perfect treat! read more

Everything about Sugar Koi was AWESOME (Mint Green Tea-Vanilla (soft serve) and Toasted Coconut YUMMY...... read more

So stoked this delicious Taikayi ice cream gem exists in Durham. The thai iced tea ice cream is delish!

Incredible ice cream - so many unique flavors. The kids loved the cotton candy and banana pudding flavors! My iced caramel decaf was far better than anything I have ever had at Starbucks! Hope that this small shop continues to do well! read more

So delicious! Really feel like you are geTting a special treat. Much nicer than the versions I've had elsewhere.

Sugar Koi is an absolutely awesome restaurant. When you first enter, you are greeted by the kind, passionate owner offering delicious samples and pleasantly chatting with you. The ice cream is fantastic - I trued the brown butter truffle and the banana pudding and was blown away by the banana pudding. I opted for the fish cone and WOW it was delicious, like a fresh, homemade waffle. The toppings included wafers, chocolate chips, and hot fudge. I can't recommend Sugar Koi enough for the delicious ice cream and friendly, caring owner. read more

You definitely don't want to miss this place! I had the green tea and chocolate soft serve swirl in the fish cone! It was great, with chocolate sprinkles! Perfect to top off a summer evening walk downtown with the family! What a fun treat! The Brightleaf location is superb! And the shop owner gave us tips for sightseeing around Durham! Thanks again, Nat! We hope to see you on our next visit to the Bull City! read more

Honestly this is the best peach ice cream I have ever eaten. There are slices of peaches in the ice cream. They have a variety of ice cream flavors and coffee. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend Sugar Koi! Yum! read more

Sugar Koi has an amazing range of ice creams and they are so good! The peach ice cream is to die for and they have both soft serve and regular ice cream. They also have a variety of coffee so there's a little something for everyone. 10/10 recommend. read more

Had the green tea/chocolate soft serve fish cone. The ice cream itself was delicious but I feel like the fish cone was sorta dry. It's an okay place. read more

What a great place to come get a treat! The fish cone is adorable and delicious, the ice cream was very good, and the whole thing is decorated with even more edible goodies. This visit was a total delight for my three-year-old...and me, too! Try it! read more