Malai — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Malai the very name for an ice cream shop brings back nostalgic memories of eating ice reams back home, but unfortunately this newly opened place in Philadelphia is anything but that. It's far from the true flavors that they have named this beautiful sweet treat shop. After standing in the queue on the very first day, being all excited, the taste was nothing but a complete lack of the very essence of Malai. It failed to hit those spots that brings smiles. Flavors are very muted. Saffron was nothing but a yellow from the turmeric which had nothing to do with the real goodness of saffron. Mango was yet another failed experience. Tulsi chocolate chip was just like the name, an utterly confused flavor that didn't sit well. If you are going to serve the same flavors like cinnamon, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate chip then you might just call yourself Ben n Jerry's, why Malai??? Please don't loose the true flavors of what the name Malai means and do bring in flavors that are as exotic as the name sounds. As for the place, quite a mess n very cheaply done. Maybe it would be better to have a window just like Rita's to avoid the seating and have a messy store. Toppings are ridiculously priced and the soft serves were very pasty. Overall not a yummy happy experience that usually comes while visiting an ice cream shop or having...

I’ve been to Malai a few times now and it’s become one of my favorite spots for ice cream in the city. The flavors are always creative and surprising in the best way. On this visit, I tried the guava chili and the curry leaf creamsicle — both were delicious and very different from each other. The guava chili had a subtle heat that played really well with the fruity base, and the curry leaf creamsicle was super refreshing — creamy, herby, and not too sweet.

The location is convenient and easy to pop into while walking around the neighborhood, and the space itself is clean and bright. Staff have always been kind and helpful when I’ve gone, and they let you sample flavors if you’re undecided (which I almost always am). I really appreciate that the menu changes often enough to keep things interesting, while still offering a few reliable favorites.

If you’re looking to try something creative and deeply satisfying, Malai is definitely worth...

Their ice creams are really really good. They have such unique flavours like Passionfruit cilantro, Cinnamon Honeybun, and Saffron. Love their twist on traditional ice creams.

We got the trio scoop of their Cinnamon Honeybun, Strawberry Pie, and Mango and Cream. My favourite of the three was Strawberry Pie. So rich and flavourful. The fennel in it really popped and as a south asian, I loved that.

My favourite out of all was the saffron soft serve. The flavour balance was so good and the soft serve was so creamy.

I didn’t really enjoy the mango and cream. The flavour was kind of muted and I was expecting some more mango flavour.

Not pictured here but I also got their passionfruit cilantro another time which was also SO GOOD. That has to be my favourite ice cream I’ve had ever.

So my recommendation is Saffron Soft Serve or the...