Sweet Moment — Restaurant in New York

Outstanding shaved ice cafe located in the heart of Chinatown! I have to make a stop at Sweet Moment every time I'm in NYC, and I'm blown away every time by how perfectly fluffy the ice is and the number of mix-ins they add to each bingsoo. I switch up my order each time I visit, but I've recently been obsessed with their mango and strawberry matcha bingsoos. They come in two sizes -- the small fits in a 16-oz plastic cup, which is the perfect size for 1-2 people, and the large option comes in a lovely little black pan and can easily serve 3-4.

The mango bingsoo is delightful, with layers of their perfectly fluffy, milky, and slightly sweet shaved ice sandwiched between a slightly tart, slightly sweet mango puree. There are a few mini mochi pieces mixed in throughout the shaved ice, and then the whole thing is topped with a scoop of ice cream, fresh mango chunks, and little cubes of cheesecake. As a finishing touch, they drizzle on a bit of mango syrup and, to add a slight bit of crunch, a few cornflakes and a small wafer roll. The various pieces come together to create a great combination of sweet and tart, and there are so many different textures in each and every bite.

Their strawberry matcha bingsoo is equally delightful, with layers of their perfectly crafted shaved ice studded with pieces of mini mochi, and slightly sweet and tart strawberry puree. The bona fide tour of shaved ice is topped with a huge scoop of matcha ice cream, whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and white chocolate shavings. Then, the entire thing is drizzled with strawberry and matcha syrups, which give the ice lovely stripes of white, red, and green.

They definitely load up each of the shaved ices with plenty of mix-ins and toppings, although they could probably add just slightly more. The ratios are a bit off, so the last quarter or so of the shaved ice tends to lack a bit of flavor.

The staff is also super friendly and there's a decent amount of seating, so you should be able to enjoy your shaved ice inside; even if you aren't able to snag one of the single-party tables in the back, there's a large communal high-top right next to the cashier counter that's a great spot to hang out and people watch. The front half of the store also often has a few small tables for local vendors (often folks selling k-pop merch), so you can also browse their selection...

This is my go to bingsoo place in Chinatown, it's usually refreshing, and yummy. Not too overwhelming but I guarantee it is not underwhelming. They tend to do little setups at the front for local businesses for any kpop event or kpop idols birthdays. This time we went ~2pm on a Sunday. There was a Namjoon event and it was super cute, got a little purple bracelet for a friend's birthday.

Service: 8/10, they were very attentive and let us know in advance that the food we ordered will be a little slow because their kitchen is backed up.

Food: Chicken Sandwich : 8/10 - my friend got this and I only tried a bite or two. It was unexpected spicy (???) but it was still pretty good. The sandwich ends up falling apart, because it is a lot but it's very filling and i genuinely wish they opened a semicolon near me because I'd get it daily. Bulgogi Sandwich : 9/10 - absolutely love this. I always get this because it's so good. The egg and the Bulgogi perfectly compliments each other. the sauce is also really good, but like expected, it will fall apart in your hands.

Drinks: watermelon ice ade - 6/10 - I didn't really like it because it didn't taste like much but it also tasted like something I didn't like. the flavor wasn't really watermelon based. blue lemon ice ade : 8/10 - I like this, it's very good, refreshing, and the lemon taste wasn't overwhelming. I got this twice and would get again.

Bingsoo: Naughty Caramel: 8.5/10 - I usually hop between the matcha, melon, etc other ones but this is my first time trying the naughty caramel one but it might've jumped up my list. I like the flavor, it's not too sweet even tho I expected it to be very sweet being caramel. Didn't expect there to be a chunk of ice in the bingsoo tho, maybe it just wasnt shaved properly.

Service: pretty quick, but a lot of people left a mess on the table after they leave, tables fill up pretty fast. you have to grab the first available one you see. napkins and utensils are out so you can grab it yourself. I wiped down the table because someone left stains and a napkin...

A cute café to hang out with friends. I saw a couple of people working on their laptops or studying when I dined in.

The seats in the rear of the place are probably the best bet especially now that winter is here. Also the lighting (for food pics) is better there too compared to the bar-like stools with the high countertop table.

It's self-service, you just order at the counter and sit wherever you want. I got their mango cheesecake shaved ice (it comes in small and large) and red velvet milk tea (there's whipped cream art on the top!). The milk tea tasted like HK style milk tea and the whipped cream art was just too cute. It wasn't too sweet. The shaved ice was milky and the mango syrup was pretty good. The small comes in a medium cup, I'm guessing the large must come in a bigger bowl.

There are napkins and utensils to the side of the counter. Bathroom is available in the rear as well.

Next time I'd probably give their sandwiches a try as I saw another table order them and they looked tasty.

Update- I came back to try their bulgogi toast and it was great! There's a lot of ingredients packed into between two slices of toast so it was a bit messy to eat. Luckily they had a bunch of utensils right next to the pick up area. Also tried their yuzuade drink and it was refreshing on a hot summer day. Just wish they gave less ice. This is a nice spot to just take a sitting break before getting on with the rest...