Restaurant in New York City, United States
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
100ptsCounter-service ice cream with real credentials.
About Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop is a counter-service ice cream stop at Penn Plaza with back-to-back Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats recognition — ranked #335 in North America in 2024. No reservations needed, no dress code, and no pretension. Best visited on a weekday afternoon to avoid MSG event crowds. A practical add-on to a Midtown itinerary, not a stand-alone destination.
Verdict
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop is not a sit-down dessert destination with tableside service and a tasting menu finale. It is a counter-service ice cream shop, open daily from noon to 10 pm, that has earned back-to-back recognition on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats list for North America — ranked #335 in 2024 and Recommended in 2023. If you arrive expecting a precious dessert experience, you will be underwhelmed. If you arrive expecting a well-regarded scoop in a no-fuss format, you will likely leave satisfied. The address at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza puts it steps from Madison Square Garden, which makes it a practical stop before or after an event, not a destination that requires planning a trip around it.
About Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
The shop's recognition on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats list is the clearest signal of what you are getting here: quality at a price point that does not require you to think twice. OAD's Cheap Eats rankings are peer-reviewed by serious food professionals, so a placement in that list — two years running , indicates that the product itself holds up against scrutiny. This is not a novelty shop coasting on a name. The ice cream is the point.
Visually, the shop reads exactly as it presents itself: bright, unpretentious, and built for throughput rather than lingering. You will not find candlelit tables or a host stand. What you will find is a menu board, a short queue on busy days, and a counter. For a special occasion in the traditional sense , anniversary dinner, birthday tasting menu , this is the wrong address. For a casual celebration that ends with a well-made cone after a show at Madison Square Garden or a walk through Chelsea, it fits cleanly. Think of it as a reward stop, not a destination booking.
The leading time to visit is a weekday afternoon, ideally between noon and 5 pm, before the post-work and post-event rush builds. The Penn Station and MSG adjacency means Friday and Saturday evenings can draw longer queues from event crowds. If you are planning around a specific show or game, factor in 15 to 20 minutes of buffer time on the back end. Sunday afternoons tend to be steady but manageable. Hours are consistent across all seven days , noon to 10 pm , so there is no need to chase a narrow lunch or brunch window.
On service: counter-service ice cream is inherently a low-touch format, and Big Gay Ice Cream Shop does not try to dress it up. You order, you pay, you receive your cone or cup. The value proposition here has nothing to do with hospitality depth , it is entirely about product quality at a low price point, which OAD's recognition confirms it delivers. For anyone accustomed to the $$$$ end of the New York dining spectrum , the tasting menus at Le Bernardin, Per Se, or Eleven Madison Park , the service register here is a different category entirely, and that is precisely the point. You are not paying for service. You are paying for ice cream, and the price reflects that.
Within the New York ice cream category, the comparison set is worth knowing. Ample Hills Creamery skews toward whimsical, dessert-forward flavours with a Brooklyn identity. Blue Marble Ice Cream emphasises organic sourcing. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory keeps things classically simple. Mister Dips leans into soft-serve and a diner aesthetic. Soft Swerve focuses on Asian-inspired soft-serve. Big Gay Ice Cream Shop's distinction is its OAD credential and its Midtown Penn Plaza location , convenient if you are already in that part of the city, less so if you are making a cross-borough trip purely for ice cream. For international comparison, Fatamorgana in Rome and McConnell's Fine Ice Creams in Los Angeles both operate in the same serious-but-accessible register.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001
- Hours: Monday to Sunday, 12 pm to 10 pm
- Booking difficulty: Easy , no reservation required; walk-in only
- Price range: Cheap Eats (OAD-listed); no price range data available
- Awards: Opinionated About Dining Cheap Eats North America , #335 (2024), Recommended (2023)
- Service format: Counter service; no table service
- Leading timing: Weekday afternoons before 5 pm; avoid Friday and Saturday evenings around MSG events
- Dress code: None
- Good for: Casual stops, post-event treats, solo visitors, small groups
Explore More in New York City
If Big Gay Ice Cream Shop is part of a broader New York trip, Pearl's full guides cover the city across every category: our full New York City restaurants guide, our full New York City hotels guide, our full New York City bars guide, our full New York City wineries guide, and our full New York City experiences guide.
Compare Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Gay Ice Cream Shop | Ice Cream | Easy | |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Unknown |
How Big Gay Ice Cream Shop stacks up against the competition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lunch or dinner better at Big Gay Ice Cream Shop?
Neither slot has a meaningful edge — the shop runs the same counter-service format noon to 10 pm every day of the week. Midday tends to be quieter if you want a shorter wait. Evening crowds, especially on weekends near Penn Station, can back up. Go when it fits your schedule, not based on a preferred meal window.
What should a first-timer know about Big Gay Ice Cream Shop?
This is a fast counter-service operation — you order, you pay, you eat. There is no table service, no reservation, and no sit-down experience. The shop's placement on Opinionated About Dining's Cheap Eats in North America list two years running (2023 and 2024) signals the draw is quality at a low price point, not atmosphere. Walk in, decide quickly, and you will be set.
Is Big Gay Ice Cream Shop good for solo dining?
Yes — counter service is one of the few formats that genuinely works better solo than with a group. No splitting, no coordinating, no waiting for a table. You are in and out in minutes. The 4 Pennsylvania Plaza address puts it in a high-traffic area, so you will not feel out of place eating solo here.
What should I wear to Big Gay Ice Cream Shop?
Wear whatever you have on. This is a walk-in ice cream counter open to anyone noon through 10 pm — dress code is not a consideration. Comfortable street clothes are the norm given the location and format.
Can Big Gay Ice Cream Shop accommodate groups?
Practically, yes — there is no reservation or minimum required. Larger groups should expect to queue individually at the counter rather than being served as a party. If your group has varied preferences and needs time to decide, be aware that the line can build during peak hours near Penn Station. For a structured group dessert experience with seating and table service, this is not the format — but for a casual post-event stop, it works.
Hours
- Monday
- 12–10 pm
- Tuesday
- 12–10 pm
- Wednesday
- 12–10 pm
- Thursday
- 12–10 pm
- Friday
- 12–10 pm
- Saturday
- 12–10 pm
- Sunday
- 12–10 pm
Recognized By
More restaurants in New York City
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- AtomixAtomix is the No. 1 restaurant in North America (50 Best, 2025) and one of the hardest reservations in New York: 14 seats, one seating per night, three Michelin stars. Junghyun and Ellia Park's Korean tasting menu pairs precision-sourced ingredients with Korean culinary heritage, explained course by course through hand-designed cards. Book months ahead or plan around a cancellation.
- Eleven Madison ParkEleven Madison Park is the definitive case for plant-based fine dining in New York City: three Michelin stars, a 22,000-bottle wine cellar, and an eight-to-ten course tasting menu in a landmark Art Deco room. Book it for a special occasion with a plant-forward appetite and three hours to spare. Reservations open on the 1st of each month and go within hours.
- Jungsik New YorkJungsik is the restaurant that put progressive Korean fine dining on the New York map, and over a decade in, it still holds that position. With two Michelin stars, a 2025 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, and a seasonally rotating nine-course tasting menu in a quietly formal Tribeca room, it earns its $$$$ price point for special occasions and serious dining. Book well in advance.
- DanielDaniel is the benchmark for classic French fine dining in New York: three Michelin stars, a 10,000-bottle cellar, and formal Upper East Side service that has stayed consistent for over 30 years. Book four to six weeks out minimum. At $$$$, it is a genuine special-occasion restaurant, but the wine program alone — 2,000 selections with particular depth in Burgundy and Bordeaux — makes it the strongest wine-and-food pairing destination in its category.
- Per SePer Se is one of New York's two or three most complete special-occasion restaurants: three Michelin stars, Central Park views, and two nine-course tasting menus that change daily at $425 per person. Book exactly one month out — the window fills fast. The salon accepts walk-ins for à la carte if you miss the main dining room.
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