As an anime blogger and kawaii clothing connoisseur, I know a little bit about fun Japanese things! Living in New York City there are few things that excite me more than Japanese inspired, well, everything. My love of Japanese shaved ice started years ago when I first moved to the Big Apple. I’m happy to share my new favorite spot with all of you. So what is Sweet Moment in New York City, and what’s iced Japanese ice cream like?
Japanese Shaved Ice NYC
I was searching on my phone for shaved ice cream near me while shopping in China Town, and that’s when I made my “Sweet Moment” discovery. Late at night during one of Manhattan’s 96 degree heat waves, I desperately sought a moment of solace. That’s when I discovered this kawaii little store front, and decided to take a moment to rest and refuel. My first shaved ice Manhattan experience came from a similarly cute bakery shop, that had the same calm and playful allure. Since then, I’ve returned twice to make further discoveries. After all, my first tasting on that hot summer day was a sheer act of desperation. It was important to sample the product multiple times, to decide whether or not their storefront was blog review worthy. There’s also the fact that I’m addicted to quality sweets, especially kawaii sweets and local Japanese inspired foods. 
Sweet Moment NYC – Korean or Japanese?
NYC’s Sweet Moment dessert shop lists on their website, that they’re known for their “Bingsoos”. If you do a quick search for Bingsoos, you’ll see a return of Korean shaved ice dessert with milk. The difference between Korean and Japanese shaved ice desserts for the most past is small, both using milk or milk syrup with varying consistencies. Sometimes they use different ice cutting techniques. Shaved ice at Sweet Moment, in my opinion, is similar enough to be called either or. You’ll hear local people call it both. Whether you opt for a Japanese or Korean shaved ice NYC experience, you’ll find it here.
The Sweet Moment NYC menu boasts 9 different types of shaved ice. You can tell the recipes are authentic partially because they list very clearly that it’s milk shaved ice, as is traditional for both Korean and Japanese ices. When you’re deciding which recipe to try, consider whether or not you prefer lighter or thicker versions of this delicious treat. With both milk and condensed milk options, it appears that you can pick between light and more weighted recipes and flavors.
Sweet Moment Review
So what was my sweet moment like? I tried three different Japanese shaved ice cream desserts at Sweet Moment. The strawberry and choco oreo shaved ice cream, and also for something different, the matcha and strawberry waffle plate. The first of my Sweet Moments NYC feast included this kawaii dessert treat.
Strawberry Shaved Ice
If you enjoy light Japanese inspired desserts, this fruit inspired concoction is an absolute must. Fresh unadulterated strawberries are mixed with ice cream, shaved ice with milk, and bits of chewy rice cake mochi. Shaved white chocolate decorates the top while fruity strawberry sauce, sizable cheesecake pieces and mascarpone cream add surprising but not competing flavor. For Japanese shaved ice NYC residents truly adore, there’s nothing better than this strawberry treat on a hot summer day. My first Sweet Moment’ creation, it wasn’t just light and delicious, it was fun to eat. Each colorful layer added a new surprise I wasn’t expecting. Many desserts or bakery sweets feature the same flavor throughout. While that kind of dish is still tasty, your palate becomes used to the same flavor. After a few minutes the food loses its allure, and you’ll just be eating for the sake of eating. With this mixed strawberry ice cream dessert from Sweet Moment, each layer is a newfound surprise for your taste buds, leaving you with a desire for more. After I finished my first shaved ice, I immediately wanted another. Unfortunately, I have many kawaii dresses I still want to fit into, so I left with a bit of a pout and made sure to mark down their location for further exploration.
Chocolate Oreo Shaved Ice
This mixture of oreo cookies and shaved ice was by far the best sweet treat I’ve sampled so far from Sweet Moment. A friend and I ordered the smaller size, but I found myself wishing for my own plate the entire time. With hesitant glances at one another we tried to match our munching speeds, only to end up sharing a laugh at how ravenously we devoured our already sizable portion. Out of politeness we didn’t order another, but our exit that day was slower than usual, with paired backward glances at what could have been. This delicious yet adorable recipe includes traditional milk shaved ice, crushed oreo cookie pieces, rice cake mochi bits, dark chocolate syrup, sweet chocolate shavings, chocolate ice cream, and generous square shaped bits of brownie.
Matcha Strawberry Waffle
While I did enjoy the matcha waffle combination, it was my least favorite. With that said, the matcha ice cream itself was delicious, as were the fresh cream and raw berries. It was the waffle itself that I didn’t fall in love with. That doesn’t mean their waffles are bad, it’s just hard to love them when the shaved ice cream parfaits are more delicious and memorable. I’ve tried three desserts in New York City from Sweet Moment, but I intend to go back and try many more. So far though, I have to say they excel in the shaved ice department, which makes sense as that’s how they mainly advertise themselves.
Sweet Moment Prices
I want to talk about the Sweet Moment pricing from two perspectives, because I think tourists will have different needs and expectations from New Yorkers.
For New Yorkers
Depending on what size you order(called a cup or a plate), you can opt for a smaller or larger portion. There’s a small Japanese dessert as low as $7.00, and a large size at around $19.00. The Japanese shaved ice is priced from $7.00 to $16.00. In New York 12 or more dollars begins to be expensive for a kawaii dessert, however that’s the price for a large plate. For my review, I ordered only the cup size, which starts around 7 dollars. I shared all but one of my desserts with another person, and we were both full when we’d finished. If you plan on ordering the larger size, know that it’s called the plate size. Be prepared to share it with other people(two or more). By New York’s standards the prices are good for what you’re getting. Also there’s no New York restaurant trickery. What’s that? Well it’s where they add on two or three inches of whipped cream or something similar to trick your eye. No one likes to dig through several layers of whipped topping to find a tiny piece of candy.
For Tourists
I realize some of you may think it’s odd to separate the New York locals from the tourists. As someone originally from Kentucky, I think there’s a need to address it. For New York tourists, at a dessert shop that you may be shocked at general NYC prices. At Sweet Moment you can expect to pay 7 to 9 dollars for a Japanese parfait style dessert. Rest assured though that you’re not getting ripped off. My mom back home in Kentucky loves her 3 dollar sundaes, I get it. What you’re going to get at Sweet Moment’ bakery and sweet shop, is a special treat that’s well worth the money. Rest assured if you visit the shop, these are normal NY prices for a great luxury dessert. A small or cup size, as they call it, will feed two. The plate size will feed three or more.
For shaved Korean ice in New York or Japanese ice dishes, I think you’ll be pleased with their wares. If you don’t trust me, take a look at these Sweet Moment Yelp reviews. I’m not the only one who’s addicted to Japanese shaved ice desserts in New York City. Many others have tried them out, and love their dishes just as much as I do. To see all of Sweet Moment tasty updates, follow their Instagram account, and while you’re at it, grab my kawaii Instagram too! Keep in mind that their store is almost a 40 minute train ride on the subway. It’s downtown from my little studio apartment. That’s not a short ride, and I’ve gone three times in one month just to revisit them. If you’re a local New Yorker, you know that means there’s love.
