My friend Liz and I took a ride out to Oakland late one night, to bring our mutual best friend to Insomnia Cookies on her birthday. It’s a sweets spot in Oakland close to Pitt’s campus that offers fresh baked softball sized ice cream cookies. Before entering, my first impression of the place was based on its storefront and the trendy appeal. The LED lights inside and outside the building very brightly illuminate the street that it resides in. The shop’s purpose is to appeal to college students who are up partying, studying or doing whatever at night before they close at 2 a.m. My main surprise was to see that there was a spot for Pitt students to tap their ID’s and use their flex dollars. Although I have never purchased flex dollars, If I did have them and knew that there was a place like this where I could spend them, I would unnecessarily buy ice cream all the time.
Although this specific ice cream wasn’t the best. Ordering from the young woman behind the counter made me a bit apprehensive with how disinterested she seemed in working there. Upon her inquiry I ordered something I was comfortable with; cookies and cream ice cream with a snickerdoodle cookie. My two other best friends ordered some type of mint chocolate ice cream combination and a s’mores deluxe cookie ice cream combination.
I received my $8.25 ice cream sandwich inside of a small pizza box. It was fairly cute and the text written on the outside, “getting warmer,” kind of threatened me to eat it more quickly. We left the small room where the ice cream was scooped and sat to eat birthday dessert at a table outside and across the street.
Upon trying the ice cream in my cookie I was disappointed, I expected more from a place that has very clear and wonderful marketing. For me, the bright lights and colors quickly melted into a facade; this was probably the worst flavor I could have gotten. It tasted so basic, just like some cheap brand that I can purchase at walmart.
The next thing I did was pick up the sandwich in its entirety and take a bite from it. Quickly I realized that I had to be careful for the ice cream to not slip out the back as I bit into one side. Structurally, the firmness of the cookie and softness of the ice cream prevented easy consumption. Although, the taste of the cookie saved the entire sandwich for me and almost made the icecream not terrible.
It was crunchy around the edges as if I made it at home, the inside was chewy and overall, I would have been happier if I had just ordered the cookie alone. After relaying to my friends how basic I thought my ice cream was, we swapped flavors. After tasting the mint ice cream I realized I probably just picked their worst flavor. The mint was subtle and very consistently spread throughout. It was good, much better than the cookies and cream.
With how popular cookies and cream is, I don’t understand how a business like this could sell such a basic version. If I didn’t try the other flavor I would have written off Insomnia Cookies for having terrible ice cream all together. Overall, my experience at the late night shop would have gone better if I asked to sample the ice cream first. So I ended the night with a full belly of mid ice cream and cookies that barely saved the experience for me.
