Soft serve ice cream at its verrry, verrry delicious best. Apparently, Surreal Creamery has multiple locations throughout the country, but it had a very local feel to it when we stopped by the Ridgewood location on a cool, random Friday afternoon. If I hadn't looked them up, I would have never guessed that they were a chain. As expected, we were the only ice cream craving knuckleheads walking in on a 50 degree weekday, but on the plus side we had this cozy ice cream shop all...to...ourselves! We were greeted by an employee who walked out from the back and she presented us with the menu on an iPad since the TV screens above the counter were not operating. To sum up their menu - they specialize in mostly Asian-inspired soft serve ice cream creations that are instagram-worthy. Sure, you'll probably want to take 47 pictures of whatever you order, but the pictures really don't do the delicious ice cream justice. We ended up ordering one of their "Floteas", which is basically a bubble tea topped with a beautiful tower of soft serve ice cream. Specifically, we got the Taro Bubble Tea & Matcha/Taro Swirled Ice Cream, but there were multiple other flavors we EASILY could have been swayed towards. Not knowing just how gargantuan the Flotea would be, we decided to also order the Nom Nom Cookie Signature Mason Jar, which consist of Monster Cookie Ice Cream, Chocolate Crunch, Chocolate Syrup, Cookie Crisp, Marshmallows, and Oreos. Once again, another monstrosity of an ice cream order that could be shared by 2-3 ice cream lovers. Honestly, considering that the prices were around $10-$11 for just about everything on the menu, we should have knew that we were about to find out where every penny of that money went to. Let's just say, we loved, I mean, loveeeeed the ice cream. I especially was infatuated with our Flotea, mainly because I have had a major lifetime crush (if I can describe it that way) on soft serve ice cream and they made it to perfection here. Of course, it didn't hurt that the ice cream happened to be a matcha/taro swirl, which are 2 of my all-time favorite flavors. In addition, they also had Earl Grey Vanilla, Vietnamese Iced Coffee and a combo of both - did anyone say heaven? As for the Nom Nom Cookie jar, excellent. Unfortunately, we were stuffed to the gills from our lunch prior to coming here and, on top of it all, it was a frigid fall day, but we still thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream here and you can bet that we'll be back one day when we can actually feel our fingers after holding the ice cream for more than 10 seconds. read more

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I had high hopes for this creamery. The interior space is very modern and sleek. Pricing is a little high but the serving as you can tell is large. That being said, the tea is premixed so there's no opportunity to adjust tea or sugar level. Tapioca pearls were a perfect consistency. They only have soft serve ice cream available but the taste was very minimal, especially the matcha. I don't see myself coming back. read more

Surreal Creamery - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

A new dessert place in Ridgewood downtown, and it's bigger and better. Surreal serves ice cream in a jar, and it's a aaaa lot, more then your heart can take !!! They filled these jars like the tip of mount Everest. Hence, that justifies the high price. But you can share one jar with three and get a free mason jar to take home, not a bad deal to me. The menu has lots of ice cream flavors to choose from. Lots of syrups, cookies, cereal and condiments available as toppings. They also serves milk teas, fruit tea, smoothies with bubbles. I got the Vietnamese iced coffee jar with cookies, syrup. I requested them to make the jar half full, so they only filled it till I can close the lid. Ice cream had real taste of iced coffee. It wasn't icy or watery. Soft and smooth. The toppings were fresh too. It didn't take them much long to make the ice cream jar. Service is pretty good, as they pay good attention to customer and the orders. read more

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Seriously, this is the best creamery I've ever been to. The ice cream is thick and creamy. They have ice cream flavors that you don't find elsewhere. They make them really pretty, too. The parlor is roomy and trendy. It has comfortable couches and tables for teens and adults to gather, it's isn't like your local carvel or DQ. Pricy but you'll get a lot of ice cream and once you dig in, you won't wanna share. Love it! read more

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First note is that the location name changed. Yelp says it's surreal creamery, it's now called Macaroon Creamery. They're holding on to the surreal menu (floateas, etc) but it's not quite the same. Fyi-bathroom was dirty. read more

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Can't believe they opened up a location in ridgewood! The inside is surprisingly very spacious with hidden space in the back. Lots of seating and bright lighting which I think would make a great work/study spot. Got the smallest size and it was still too much ice cream for 2 people. The Vietnamese coffee was good with the perfect balance between bitter and sweet. Earl grey was just eh. read more

Surreal Creamery - Vietnamese iced coffee + earl grey swirl - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

We stopped here yesterday, as my other half was craving some ice cream. After the visit, the two of us struggled to see the fuss. For a one-time visit? Maybe. Don't foresee visiting again. The decor is modern and hip and the shop is nice. The staff member behind the counter greeted us and was kind and helpful regarding how things worked. Service was prompt. That said, my other half opted for some sort of caramel graham cracker sundae with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and etc. This single sundae ran $10, and was absolutely massive. As other reviewers have mentioned, we had no idea who actually finishes these things. I'm a good eater, and I most likely would have run out of gas on this thing. She also said the taste wasn't up-to-snuff when compared with the price, which was also indicated by the singular graham cracker to be found in the sundae. Absolute Zero is light years ahead of this place's sundae. The kicker: the bathroom was appalling and, had I seen this before we made an order, we never would have ordered anything. read more

so glad I dont have to travel all the way to NY to get these anymore!! ive always enjoyed Surreal and loved their flavors so its just awesome theyre here in NJ. The place here is much bigger and location is sooo much better - and im not just talking about because its NJ, its really where its situated too - Nice downtown area, plenty of shops and restaurants and overall just a great town to be in. However since its also close to residential areas, it could get a little rowdy and loud especially when the teens gather but the staff is great and handles the crowd well. ive always enjoyed their earl grey before but decided to try their cookie monster and Thai milktea - also really because i just love the color combo. The flavors turned out amazing though even when mixed! because of that perfect balance of cookie monster sweetness and thai tea bitterness. Gonna give myself a pat in the back for deciding that combo haha and staff for excellent execution of my request lol the lady finger was a nice touch too. obviously ive enjoyed myself yet again and will sure to be back! read more

Finally a Surreal location closer to home in Ridgewood! Service was great today stopped by during a street fair rush. The girls working we're both amazing and super polite and friendly. The inside was very minimalist and modern. And I always forget how large all the portions are and I always go with the kids portion. I am so happy there is a closer location to me than driving 40 minutes away to the nearest Surreal. read more

Surreal Creamery - Taro Bubble Tea & Matcha Taro Swirled Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

This place is fun for a one time stop but I can't imagine coming frequently. Two ice creams cost us $22.50, and they were wayyyyyy too big. How does someone finish these without sharing? The presentation is really good, but I wasn't crazy about the flavors, they seemed lacking? Strawberry was Ok, taro was a little light on the flavor and matcha was overpowering. If they had a normal sized portion I might come back to try the earl grey read more

Surreal Creamery - It's My Birthday Mason Jar Special - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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Sooo glad that they have a surreal creamery here! Now I don't have to go to the city Service is friendly, but be patient if the place is packed cause there isn't that many workers. But it's well worth it. The floteas are a mixture of bubble tea and ice cream which hit the spot. They also have just bubble tea, ice cream, and milk shakes if you don't want to try a Flotea read more

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Sooo excited for this ice cream shop in NJ! I have been wanting to visit one of their NY locations but haven't gotten to it. The inside is super cute and spacious. They have tons of options to choose from bubble teas to mason jars filled with ice cream, milkshakes, or if you can't decide you can get bubble tea topped with soft serve! They do offer samples if you're having trouble making up your mind (thank god). I got a passion fruit bubble tea which was the best I've ever had, the flavor was very strong and didn't taste light or watered down. I also had to sample the Cookie Monster flavor and Taro which were surprisingly mild. I will definitely be back to try one.. (or 3) of their unique options on their menu soon. The staff was also very friendly and welcoming! read more

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My bf and I got the Thai milk flotea. The size was huge so we shared it. I'm a huge fan of bubble tea so I was very excited to try this! The boba was not great, very mushy but the icecream was the best part. It was nice to try out but we probably won't be back. read more

Surreal Creamery - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

I am beyond thrilled that a location opened up close to us, and it did not disappoint! The prices are high but the quantity they give you is a lot. There was a steady flow of people coming in and the two girls at the counter were not flustered - they were calm and patient, but probably could've used more help. The milkshake mixes in up 4 toppings, and they have a lot of fun mix in/topping options. For a few cents more, rather than just get soft serve ice cream, why not get soft serve on top of bubble tea, which is what we did and it was FILLING and YUMMY! We also bought 3 and got 1 free, which is hidden in their website order but not on the menu. Also the bubble tea nor the ice cream were overly sweet, which we loved. Wish their taro didn't have caffeine like most places. Can't wait to go back! read more

This review covers the service. Service: This absolutely jumped out at me and is what prompted me to leave a positive review. The girl behind the counter welcomed me back as she actually remembers me! And I have only been here once before. Staff is extremely friendly and helpful. And when I paid, this is a place where I actually WANT to tip aside from a sit-down restaurant - recent days have seen much debate about all places putting a screen wanting customers to tip even if it's just a place where the staff just grabs something for you behind the counter. This is not a restaurant setting but I wanted to tip them as I felt like they truly provided exceptional service. But the kicker is, they actually skipped that screen when it popped up! They don't want their customers to feel awkward so they auto-skipped that screen after it flashed. That made me want to tip them even more - even in cash. read more

Everything was so delicious. The wide variety of flavors and combinations makes it a really fun experience, I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Surreal Creamery - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Amazing ice cream with fun creative options in the menu. Theyre open late in case youre craving something sweet too. Will definitely be back this summer! read more

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SO delicious and HUGE portion. The ice cream is so dense and rich but in a good way. The girl serving the ice cream was very kind and sweet and explained the menu. They serve boba drinks, ice cream, or floats half boba. Also open during late hours I saw on the door which is convenient. Highly recommend and will be coming back. read more

Surreal Creamery - Thai Milk Bubble Tea & Vietnamese Iced Coffee Ice Cream Taro Bubble Tea & Matcha Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Oh My God! We tried this place on a whim with some friends and all our young kids. The ice cream is AMAZING. I especially recommend the coffee and vanilla ice cream. I'm not usually a big coffee ice cream fan, but this was delicious. They are definitely a little pricey for a regular every day dessert spot, but if you're looking for someplace special and an ice cream sundae that won't disappoint, try them out! read more

Another franchise has taken over and still in process of transitioning so didn't have any options (January 2024)

We were having lunch in Ridgewood and saw this place across the street. i actually thought it was just an ice cream place. we were in the middle of going to get bubble tea and was pleasantly surprised that they had bubble tea AND ice cream. we got the floateas which is bubble tea topped with ice cream, thai milk bubble tea with vietnamese ice coffee ice cream. OMG the ice cream is soooo creamy and good. the bubble tea was also very good and not too sweet. can't wait to come back and try the other ice cream flavors! read more

I've never before gone out for ice cream and had it be so bad that I couldn't eat it. I tried the earl grey vanilla and Vietnamese coffee swirl. The coffee was so bitter that it tasted like the dregs at the bottom of an oldnpot of coffee. Even the chocolate my son ordered had a strange aftertaste. We spent $40 on 4 orders and threw it all out. read more

placed an online order at 10:29 before the online ordering service closed. I showed up 15 minutes before close (last time I checked, you don't close until the hours listed you close at which is 11) and the doors were locked and the lights were off. I got a text and everything saying my order was being prepared too? Seriously? Who was gonna hand me my order? A ghost? Disappointed read more

My partner really enjoyed his Earl Gray vanilla and caramel soft serve, while I thought the taro flavor was just ok. Also, make sure you triple check the portion sizes -- I thought I was ordering the smallest size, but it was massive (the cup), easily a portion that could feed 3. I thought it odd (too) that they didn't have mochi as a topping either. I took a few bites and unfortunately was too full to finish the rest and regretfully threw the rest out. read more

Great new addition to the neighborhood! I had the matcha and earl grey vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. My only issue is the size of the items, if you just want a small ice cream - this is not the place to go. All options are expensive and they pile lots of ice cream and toppings so it's worth the money but definitely a place where you can share a single order amongst a family. read more

This place was a big disappointment. Everything looks great but the taste wasn't up to par, felt more like a gimmick. Very small amount of bubble tea as well in the floatea, and I felt the price wasn't justified. Also, the place is new but his could the bathroom be so disgusting??? read more

Sooo delicious!!! Mini jars are the perfect size. These were absolutely delicious and unforgettable!

Soft serve ice cream options are delicious. Staff is friendly. Restrooms are not clean. tables are sticky and trash on the floors read more

Surreal Creamery - Chocolate Blackout with vanilla ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Ice cream was flavorless and yet overly sweet at the same time. The machine broke half way through making my sons order and required him to pick a different flavor. The inside was the proverbial cherry on top for me: dirtiest bathroom (smelled like urine, dirty floors, mirror, etc), no music playing inside (very awkward vibe without it) and dirty tables with sprinkles left over from another person. Go to Van Dyks, Kilwins, Ben and Jerry's or literally anywhere else. read more

The ice cream here is disgusting! Maybe not for kids because the ice cream is HUGE and super sweet! Their small sized ice cream is like a whole ice cream sundae. Not to forget the ice cream and drinks are extremely sweet. I understand this place has lots of good reviews but that's only because of how big and sweet the ice cream is. The service was okay but felt like they were a little inpatient. The inside was okay and the inside seemed very mid. read more

Surreal Creamery has good ice creams and their floatee black tea bubble tea was good too. Their Thai bubble tea was too strong and bitter. They did give us a substitute though that tasted horrible. They do need to keep their restroom clean. There were stains all over the toilet and the sink. Paper towels all over the floor and trash can. Seems like they don't care enough about the cleanliness of the restroom. We will not return. read more

This place was amazing absolutely outstanding 10/10 costumer service I would highly recommend coming here!!!

Service was awful, stood on the line while 3 different employees didn't acknowledge the fact that I was there, mind you no one was in front of me. Was beyond excited to try the taro ice cream and was greatly let down, it tasted like straight up vanilla. Don't waste your money on any of the flavored ice creams. $10.88 for a cup is insane! read more

if i could leave 0 stars i would terrible management took really long and when i finally got my order it was expired and even after i got a new one it tasted like soap as if they didn't clean the machine well enough and had soap residue don't come here it's overpriced and the product is bad read more