To celebrate the release of Detective Pikachu on May 3 in Japan (May 10 for most other places in the world), the ever popular Roll Ice Cream Factory has come up with a delicious collaboration. From now until May 10, 2019, you’re able to devour a limited-time Detective Pikachu Roll Ice Cream! As Pikachu would say “Pika pika, pika!”

Detective Pikachu Roll Ice Cream available until May 10, 2019, at Roll Ice Cream Factory

I called up a friend and asked her if she wanted to join me on a taste bud adventure. Naturally, she said yes because you never say no to ice cream. Knowing it was Golden Week, I made sure we got to the Harajuku store by 10:00 AM. When we got there, the queue was already long.

Roll Ice Cream Factory in Harajuku, Tokyo

Prepare to Wait

We waited about 2-hours before we got to experience the Detective Pikachu roll ice cream. The moral of the story is, you’ll be waiting for no matter what, so bring a book. Might I suggest our travel guides on Tokyo Disney Resort & Universal Studios Japan? (How’s that for a plug?)

The store is tiny and the staff allows about 10-15 people in at a time. This makes the line feel like it’s moving slower than the FastPass line at Journey to the Center of the Earth during spring break.

Throughout the store, you’ll find fun signage like this

Once you’re inside, you order and wait for the staff to call your number. Once you’re called this is when the magic happens. The talented staff creates your order right in front of you. Your ice cream is first poured over a cold plate (yes, poured), flattened, and scraped off to create a roll. It’s quite satisfying to watch.

Experienced roll ice cream today in Harajuku to try the limited time Detective Pikachu ice cream.

The way the staff roll the ice cream is so fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/wxdVPJB4V1

— Chris Explorer (@tdrexplorer) May 1, 2019

After witnessing the creation of our ice cream, it made sense why the line moved slow. You don’t rush art.

Detective Pikachu Roll Ice Cream

The special roll ice cream is ¥1,000 (US$9)

There’s a choice of strawberry or chocolate for the special Detective Pikachu roll ice cream. Mixed into the ice cream is crushed Oreo, while on top is mango, strawberry, a cute Pikachu marshmallow, and finished off with whipped cream and pop rocks!

The presentation is Instagram-worthy without a doubt. The added neon Pikachu photo was a nice touch. Now comes the big question, how was it?

This was my first time having roll ice cream (what novelty) and didn’t know what to expect. While the method is entertaining to watch, the ice cream itself is ice cream and there’s nothing wrong with that because I’d eat ice cream all day if I could. However, the roll ice cream was creamy and a delight to shove in my mouth. The pop rocks were an unexpected touch.

Overall the dessert is fun and delicious. I mean, it’s ice cream. You can’t go wrong with a pop culture icon and delicious ice cream. Was it worth the 2-hour wait? If you love novelty then definitely.

Also, don’t forget to take photos of the fun decor. The inside is rather small with only a counter to eat at, but with how the store limits the number of people inside, it doesn’t feel cramped.

If you find yourself near an Ice Cream Roll Factory in Japan before May 10, then you’ll have to give this a try. I recommend getting to the Harajuku store 30-minutes before it opens. Otherwise, you’ll be waiting for 2-3 hours. If you’re not in Tokyo, other locations are throughout Japan too.

Me taking a closer look at the ice cream when I find out there are pop rocks inside

My face after eating two full servings of roll ice cream

Me getting brain freeze after shoving too much ice cream in my face too fast

Who wants to give this a try? Let me know in the comments! If you’re in need of more pocket monster-themed food in your life, then I recommend visiting the official Pokemon Cafe right in Tokyo too!

Review Summary

By

Chris Nilghe

Review Date

2019-05-01

Reviewed Item

Detective Pikachu Roll Ice Cream

Rating

4