THE DAILY NEXUS
GOLETA, Calif. – Choppa Ice Cream opened its doors in Goleta this past weekend. Welcoming residents with a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal for its soft opening, the shop is located in Hollister Village by Pickles and Swiss. Serving up Thai rolled ice cream, Choppa is setting itself apart from the typical run-of-the-mill soft serve and frozen yogurt.
The location is great, allowing natural sunlight in through the windows and beckoning customers to come satisfy their sweet tooth. Decorated with mounted neon signs throughout and largely painted wings on one wall, the shop is the perfect backdrop for any Instagram photo.
Choppa Ice Cream offers 10 different flavors of ice cream: “taro bby,” “matcha-cha,” “take me 2 paradise,” “dark matter,” “for the ’gram,” “milk buddy,” “monkey business,” “tarty party,” “mangoes & crème” and “vanilla-killa.” The ice cream comes out to $6.99 plus tax, giving customers the option to choose a total of up to three toppings. Switched out daily, toppings can include anything from sprinkles and chocolate chips to gummy bears and Pocky.
Rolled ice cream is exactly what it sounds like and twice as delicious. The employee pours a milk-based liquid onto a large steel plate that is set to below freezing temperatures. Toppings are then added and quickly chopped up into the mixture using metal spatulas. Once frozen, the mixture is thinly spread out on the surface of the metal plate and the metal spatula is pushed across to roll up thin strips. The treat originated through street vendors in Thailand before becoming popular and eventually making its way to the U.S.
I fully indulged in all that Choppa Ice Cream had to offer, opting for the “milk buddy” Oreo ice cream and topping it with chocolate chips, sprinkles and M&Ms. The dish lived up to every one of my expectations, perfectly creamy and somehow holding up under the surprising midday sun. Despite the overwhelming number of sweet ingredients, and my typically salty palette, I loved the ice cream. There’s no doubt in my mind that I will be back; within an hour of returning I had recommended Choppa Ice Cream to my housemate.
Choppa Ice Cream already holds a place in my heart, and I’m sure the same will soon be true for others. With temperatures set to rise in the coming week, Choppa is sure to be brimming with customers longing for a sweet treat.
