CocoCrissi Tropical Icees — Restaurant in Durham

Decent, but...

Just got back from my first time. My wife and kid went before and wanted me to check it out. The interior is cute and NY-themed BUT, it had just finished raining and the floor was a major slip hazard. We could see water everywhere and there should at least be a Caution sign put down because there's literally no traction to be had on the floor, which appeared to be hard concrete or stone.

Had one family in front of us. One person working behind the counter. Fair enough, it's a small place, but still, feels like having two would be smart and it's Saturday night; pretty busy time. Counter guy seems to be really withdrawn and talks very softly. Little eye contact too. Looks down a lot. Difficult to hear him, but maybe it'll be better when we get up there. Pretty long wait for a family of four, but then again, making 4 icees (in cheap plastic cups, though I commend them for being smart about not branding and wasting $$) is a process. Finally get to us.

Right away, it's clear this is going to take some effort. He turns the tablet screen to us as if we're supposed to do something and says nothing. That's weird, so I just pipe up and politely ask if he wants all the orders at once or one at a time. He kinda nods (not really answering my question) but I figure it should be one at a time. Do the first for my kid: Blue Raspberry and Sour Apple Combo. $6. A little steep, but that's the world we live in now. He goes in and does this cool double scoop thing where he fills half the scooper with raspberry and the rest with apple, then repeats for the second time. I like that a lot, but unfortunately, it turns out he's got a really screwy idea of cleanliness, mixing flavors, and overall presentation.

My wife just wants a double scoop of lemon. Easy, right. Welp, this guy takes the scoop he used for raspberry and apple, both very bright colors, and proceeds to scoop out lemon WITHOUT running water over it or cleaning it. So instead of a nice, solid colored lemon ice, my wife gets a seriously speckled version with hints of apple and raspberry. Not all that appealing. I get Strawberry Lemonade and Pineapple and again, he doesn't clean off the scooper and now I've got all sorts of colors and weird stuff in there. Yeesh. There's also a line forming behind us, but frankly, this guy's pacing is insanely slow. If he were more energetic and friendly, then it really wouldn't matter honestly, because you can tell they're working hard, but with so little personality or even enthusiasm, he comes off as uncaring and unpleasant. Get the bill, almost $20, so very overpriced for three small icees. My wife leaves a tip. I probably wouldn't have.

Get out to the car because the picnic area is soaked. Decent enough and certainly better than those cheap ones where it's chipped or crushed ice doused in that sickly sweet syrup. Yet it's not mind-blowing or especially flavorful. My pineapple barely registers and it tastes almost plain. My wife's lemon is fine, but again, the flavors don't pop at all. Seems like they should be more aggressive with the flavoring. Overall, a disappointing experience from a customer service perspective and an average to mediocre experience from a food/treat perspective. Meh, might go back because it wasn't awful, but I won't make any...

I don’t even know where to start! First off, I had been driving by this place for a little while and decided one day to stop in. Sometimes these places down here oftentimes claim to be the real deal New York style product and it be a major flop. I’m from NJ and said to myself that I would finally give it a try and see if they had it… WELP….. THEY HAD IT! The flavor was on point! I had the Tiger’s Blood and Sour Apple. The consistency of the ice was on point, it didn’t clump or harden, it stayed consistent. The flavors didn’t melt to the bottom of the cup and leave just ice on the top, it stayed! I’ll be back! The service was top notch and I didn’t catch his name, but he gave a “keep the change” type of service. If you’re looking for authentic flavorful Italian ice paired with excellent customer service, CocoCrissi Tropical Icees is the way to go! Price point icees and you get the bang for your buck! You will not be disappointed going here‼️🔥🔥🔥 The service and flavors were so great, I’d definitely give this place a GEE-WHIZZ‼️ If you enjoyed reading this review, follow me for more! Also hit my TikTok...

There is definitely something to be said about a local business that cares about their guests!! Found this amazing Italian Ice at the State Fair and was told there was a local shop. My mission was to get there asap to have more of this amazing Italian ice but the day after the fair ended I broke my leg and I have been pretty much stuck in the house!! :( My first trip out I was bound and determined to get to the shop. ( over an hour away ) Called to make sure that they would be open but the owner said that they were on winter hours but....TOLD ME TO CALL WHEN I WAS 5 MINUTES OUT AND HE WOULD MEET US THERE!! Who does this anymore? Keep in mind I said nothing about my leg being broken. He offered this out of the kindness of his heart. He even came out to the car to talk to me, told me the back story of CockCrissi, and well wishes for my leg and a Happy Holiday!! We will 110% will be back to support this business, we need more local business like this!! Oh and side note...the Italian Ice is...