The small clusters of Chinese restaurants and massage places on Buford Highway are out shined by the tiny ice cream shop, 8 Degrees Fahrenheit.
The blue and red lights shine above the ice cream sign as rap music blares creating a urban, cozy feel. A long line wraps around the small complex, but it was worth the wait.
Groups aged from teenagers to senior couples stand around the chefs, mesmerized by the chopping and rolling of the ice cream. This new frenzy quickly gained popularity through social media and videos, as people watch the way they turn ice cream into art.
Crowds stand by the cold, silver counter tops as the ice creamers concoct crazy combinations. First, they pour on cream with fruits or nuts. Then, they chop up the mixture and continue stirring. After, they spread it on the cold top, it gets really cold. They roll the ice cream into little spirals and use chopsticks to put it in the bowl. Finally, they pile the toppings on in massive amounts, making sure you get your money’s worth.
At 8 Degrees Fahrenheit, topping options are endless. They have whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and lots more. You are allowed to choose up to three toppings per bowl.
The price is $5.99 per bowl, which is not too pricey for ice cream but not for the experience. Many might find that the small bowl does not hold very much, but in reality had a lot packed inside. The wait is about ten to twenty minutes depending on the crowd.
In addition to the crazy ice cream frenzy, the walls are covered top to bottom in colorful sticky notes with different writings on it. In front of the cash register, there are sticky notes and Sharpies to write with and stick on the walls. The sticky notes range from phrases in foreign languages to beautiful art.
The largest difference between regular ice cream and rolled ice cream, other than the spiral look, is that the rolls stay cold and don’t melt as quickly. If you like that, this would be perfect. The ice cream stays smooth after a couple minutes of just letting it warm up, and the toppings create a perfect balance of flavor.
While 8 Degrees Fahrenheit provides a great experience, their actual ice cream does not excite. The super cold rolls make the ice cream hard, grainy, and somewhat crumbly. Also, if you add any toppings, like M&Ms or chocolate chips, they become hard as rocks and make it extremely difficult to enjoy.
I definitely recommend going on this ice cream adventure. However, if you are looking for some really creamy and delicious tasting ice cream, this is not the place. 8 Degrees Fahrenheit is a cool, urban ice cream place that brings a new life to the ice cream, but lacks that smooth and familiar creaminess that many crave.