Rolled ice cream shop brings new treat trend to Naperville
Ice cream is classic in a cone or delicious in a dish, but at one new Naperville shop, it now comes in a roll.
Munchies Rolled Ice Cream sells Asian-inspired desserts and snacks with a menu highlighted by its namesake ice cream all rolled up.
The dish starts with an ice cream base flattened and rolled into a swirly cylinder, then finished off with three toppings of the customer's choice.
Charles Stephens of Aurora chose fruit, an Oreo cookie and mochi, a Japanese rice cake that looks like colorful marshmallows, when he came to Munchies around lunchtime Monday for a treat he'd never heard of until last week.
“It's very good,” he said, giving the trendy creation an early thumbs-up.
Munchies co-owner Gee Zhi of Naperville said he got the idea to start the rolled ice cream shop when he realized how popular the Asian dessert staple was becoming in New York City and Los Angeles.
He and his business partner both live in Naperville and already work in the trading industry between the U.S. and Asian countries, but they got excited about the rolled ice cream trend and wanted a spot nearby to open their own shop.
Zhi said competition research told them only a few other rolled ice cream shops exist in Chicago and the suburbs, so they gave it a go and opened Aug. 8 at 22 E. Chicago Ave. near North Central College and Naperville's downtown.
Munchies also sells fried chicken, chicken wings, bubble tea, smoothies and Hong Kong-style egg waffles, but Zhi said the rolled ice cream became an immediate best-seller. Its eye-pleasing appearance could be the reason as much as its sweet taste.
“When the teenagers come in once they get their order, the first thing they're going to do is take a picture and put it on Instagram and Snapchat,” Zhi said. “It looks really nice.”
Stephens didn't snap an image of his rolled ice cream to share and save, but Zhi says the shop's six employees always make each creation “like”-worthy. He even refers to the toppings customers can choose — things like M&M's, gummy bears, panda biscuits, rolled cookies or rainbow sprinkles — as “decorations.”
The shop is open 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for its summer hours and is open to creating new, photo-worthy treats as customer preferences develop.
“We might combine ice cream and our egg waffle together,” Zhi said, “to make it even better.”