Ice Scream by Asthetíque is a Neon Confection of a Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Parlor

Count your sprinkles not your problems. That sage advice is writ large in neon signage at Ice Scream, the first liquid-nitrogen ice-cream shop to open in the Bronx, New York. The 1,300-square-foot parlor by Asthetíque is a confection in and of itself. “We focused on Memphis because it sparks nostalgia in millennials, who grew up watching Saved by the Bell and Nickelodeon sets, but modernized it,” partner Julien Albertini says.

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Indeed, a 15-foot-long communal table running down the center of the space is topped in Scandi-esque white oak. “It’s timeless,” co-partner Alina Pimkina notes of the wood. Subtle cement floor tiles flow beneath the table, but it’s flanked by four arches, each lined with a rainbow of multicolored LEDs. Behind the cash-wrap, its lively hand-painted pattern extending to the project’s packaging, clouds of steam further beckon customers. That’s the liquid nitrogen at work, being mixed in a pair of machines that have been custom-colored sherbet pink and mint chocolate chip green.

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