Eispatisserie Hokey Pokey

I love Hokey Pokey cream.
This year I mean to go out of my way to try more different ice cream and gelato shops in Berlin, but no matter what I find this has got to be among the best in the city.

Ice cream or sorbet, they are all light and bursting with flavor. The Very Cherry is like eating cold sour cherries. The Apple-Basil-Vanilla (Apfel-Basilikum) is a mix of calming Tahitian Vanilla to contrast with the almost-piquant-but-not-quite, almost-tart-but-not-quite, spark of apple and basil. (I've tried many flavors but those are the two most recent so easiest to describe.) They are also beautiful to look at!

There is generally a line down the sidewalk but it looks worse than it is -- the line does keep moving. There are at least two reasons for that. 1) They have three stations at the ice cream counter, so you wait in the main line and then take your spot when a station opens up; 2) they've opened a little shop two doors down just for selling containers of ice cream to take home. If you're getting take-home only, not eat-in or a cone in your hand, head to the to-go shop a little to the west.

I have not learned Hokey Pokey's particular procedures for their ice cream, unlike some I know (Woop Woop or VellGoods in Berlin, Blue Ice Gelato in Tucson) but it must be something special for the outcome to be this delightful.

I saw a massive queue for this spot and was intrigued. There were so many flavors to choose from and I was grateful I had a long line to make up my mind. I got the peanut butter flavor and liked that it wasn't too sweet. The crunch was also nice. Overall I thought the ice cream was good but not great (maybe I got my hopes up too high because of the line lol). The shop is well situated and I walked around the park while enjoying the ice cream afterwards.

Super delicious gelato with variety of flavors. Open later than indicated on Google maps and Yelp. Long line of people for their evening sugar fix

One of my friends received this place as a recommendation for great ice cream in Berlin. We were headed to dinner and sad to learn the ice cream shop would close before we finished so we decided to do dessert first! Thank goodness because it was exceptional! No wait when we arrived later in the evening on a Sunday. I tried the smallest size and cannot remember what flavors I chose but I believe they mixed in two for me. One of my friends has the blueberry and raves about it - so much so, she came back the next day for more! The regular small is quite a sizable portion so if you want just a scoop, I recommend going with the kids size! Pretty inexpensive, €2.60 for the kids size if I recall correctly!

WHAT CAN I GET HERE?
It's a small spot that offers chocolate and ice cream.
NOTE: There is NO frozen yogurt and during winter off season they only sell pre-made ice cream in a cup, so don't expect to get a scoop of ice cream in a cone.

REVIEW:
As someone from California and Ice cream lover I've had many great ice creams in Italy and everywheree. From Smitten, Salt and Straw and other spots around the world. My expectations were very high and the Hokey Pokey Vanilla Caramel for 3.80€ really met or exceeded my expectations. I'd almost rank it in the top 3 if not the best ice cream I've had. Definetly the best in Berlin as someone who was born and raised in Berlin.

The caramel is perfectly sweet and crunchy. The vanilla is perfectly creamy and tasty. Just super thoughtful, taste of quality and ingredients amazing. I am impressed that this type of quality and taste can be served in a pre-made cup I bought in the store. I also didn't feel too heavy and kcal it is completely fine!

I was essentially looking for a place to pee and I did not succeed in my quest. However, I did manage to find this magical ice cream place called "Hokey Pokey". Why is it called that? Who knows. Maybe because once you devour some of their ice cream you might start doing your own version of a happy dance!

The flavors here are simple but with amped up ingredients. They were shockingly not too busy. I got to sample some before making my final decision. Iranian Pistachio was an absolute must. I loooove pistachio and there was literally whole pistachios in this mix. Then the Cafe Noir caught my eye with it's boozy kick! The prices were 1.80 Euro a scoop. Pricey. But to me they use that money for the ingredients. They have become local favorites.

When I got to my friend's house she was shocked that they would raise their prices so high. Being from NY and having NW food snobberies, I had absolutely non problem putting my money where my mouth it. Because it's freaking delicious! And my mouth was in for a treat.

Decor wise. Damn. This place is looking fancy yet not snobby. I love a modern girly living room for my ice cream consumption. It looks like most people like the front benches to soak up rays and they devour ice cream.

I highly recommend this spot when you're in Berlin! You won't be disappointed. If you are, you might need to re watch "Willy Wonka" and learn to enjoy the ice cream eating kid that still lives inside of you!

UPDATED: Moved the original review to this correct location, oops!

Their ice cream rivals anywhere including the super-premium variety. Try the pistachio flavor if unsure what to get, since pistachio ice cream is good anywhere!

The inside has an ordering area with an open layout from the street - no front door - and people can walk right on in. Next to it, what seemed like a different space is a regular ice cream shop layout with tables and chairs. Both sides are connected because a former wall was knocked down?

The location is great since the neighborhood is family oriented and there are lots of families walking about. If prefer sitting outside there are small thick plastic chairs and a bench.

I stayed in Berlin for 2 weeks... and went here three times, it was that good. It's located in the trendy Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood- filled with trendy shops and restaurants (and a lot of families too)- and this place is almost ALWAYS packed on a warm evening with a queue going out the door.

Don't let that scare you, however, because it moves pretty quickly and service is super friendly even if you're an American like me that has super basic German language. But the star of the show: the flavors!!

The Hokey Pokey flavor, is, as they say, what's its all about. It's a toffee-like flavor with a super creamy vanilla ish base. So so good. Another flavor I tried was banana peanut butter (gotta try a more unusual one) and it was good too! Very sweet banana ice cream with little bits of peanut butter chunks. (But the Hokey Pokey flavor- it's namesake- is the winner in my book.)

Great price, great flavors, great service! Perfect place for a little treat.

The reputation of this place has preceded itself. I came there the first time when a friend of mine visited me in Berlin. Three of us were wandering around the neighborhood, and this place popped up. Later I went to the place by myself and tried other tastes. Have to say the queue sometimes adds to that mystery.

I. Am. Melting.

This is why I don't go to Europe in the summer.

Oh, there's Ice cream? OK! :)

The name maybe catchy and fun, but this ice cream shop is serious on quality: real ingredients, no fillers and flavorful selections that will entice even the most unexcited person when it comes to ice cream (me!) Get the Hokey Pokey: vanilla with caramelized pecans, nuts, marshmallows and chocolate.

To. Die. For.