ADDRESS:
5331 University Dr Irvine, CA 92612
(Inside the supermarket Farm Direct on the right side immediately after entering. This place is on University Dr./Michelson)
http://www.bardotbrand.com/
(#248 shout out to the two ladies that greeted me with smiley customer service and the guy that made my yummy mocha latte with the tulip latte art!)
CLEVER TIP JAR!
MUST VISIT: This amazing little shop just opened about a month ago (Officially Oct. 4, 2014) and is definitely a must visit. This place serves artisan gelato and coffee that is so delicious, you'll forget you're inside a supermarket!
NATURAL & DELICIOUS: They use klatch coffee (which is a high-grade coffee bean brand that is also used at Coffee Code (Buena Park) and Sweetea Lounge (Westminster)). That explains why their drinks are on a whole `notha level! As for their gelato, they make it fresh at a factory in Los Angeles and ship them over to this Irvine location. Did I mention they use all natural ingredients?! They don't have that many flavors for now (6 different flavors) but hopefully they will soon! They're actually working on a new flavor: Green Tea and they'll get that ball rollin` once they find the perfect high-grade matcha powder to make it with. But enough about the gelato, what you should really get are the ice cream bars which are also all naturally made at their LA factory. I love their simple and original design on these bars! Wow! Makes it super fun to look at and definitely instagram-worthy (+ other social-media-worthy).
A MINI HISTORY: I love how the workers here are so knowledgeable about their products. They basically were able and willing to answer all my questions and were super friendly about it! I found out that they used to have locations in La Jolla (San Diego) and in Los Angeles a few years back. It all started with the gelato and ice cream bars; that was their initial specialty. The owner then wanted to expand to coffee but due to some restrictions from other competitors, were unable to. Meanwhile during the 3 years, since they had to halt on the coffee, they opened up 2 locations in Korea. These locations quickly became a trendy hotspot for Koreans to hang out and chill and indulge in ice cream & coffee that even celebrities visit. According to the owner, an actress from the new Korean Drama "The Liar Game" works/visits/filmed at Bardot Korea. Ain't that craazy? I'll totally have to visit this place when I visit Korea next year ^__^ ! Anyways, eventually they opened the Irvine location, perfect for coffee lovers and ice cream enthusiasts (like me!). So basically it all started in CA and then moved to Korea and now back to CA again in Irvine. YAY!
P.S. According to their Yelp "About Me", the manager Brian used to work at Coffee Code (have u guys been there?! I totes recommend!) and has won several latte art competitions. Whoa! I know Coffee Code has a really good reputation for yummy coffee and intricate latte art so that sure explains why Bardot Bars and Coffee is so delicious and smooth!
CUSTOMER SERVICE: This place has great customer service. I noticed that when I visited, two ladies sprung up from their chairs and helped me right away, immediately offering me gelato samples. Although I strongly dislike pistachio flavored ice cream, theirs was pretty darn good! They answered all my questions and thoroughly explained all their products. Overall, they were extremely nice and friendly! I also got to speak to the other workers too and they were all welcoming and nice. Thanks Bardot Team! ^__^
WHY THEY SERVE THEIR ICE CREAM BARS IN A CUP: They explained to me that their ice cream bars are made with an Italian gelato method using no preservatives and only natural ingredients. For this reason, their chocolate outer shells break easily. And, that's why they serve it in a cup, so you know... just in case some of the chocolate breaks into the cup, you can still get every bite (;
OVERALL, THEY "DON'T SELL ICE CREAM BARS. THEY SELL LOVE. ON A STICK".
- a bit pricey but worth it
- they serve gelato (in scoops, in shake form, and in ice cream bar form) and Klatch Coffee
- yes, they do latte art!
- there are no seats so don't come here expecting it to be a good study spot...because it just ain't a study spot.
- There are tables to eat and drink but it's part of the supermarket. Also, there's only like...6 tables...
- I don't think they serve their drinks in ceramic mugs, only togo cups.
- I ordered the mocha latte and ohhhhhhhh man, it is one of the best I've had! Very smoooooooth tasting and barely any bitter taste to it. Not overly sweet as well.
- the downside is that they use Torani brand syrup (according to my observations) and I prefer Ghiradelli brand syrup (you know...the fancy stuff)
- great customer service
- very unique shop! And also popular in Korea (4 minute Kpop Girl Group has visited the Korean location!)
- I love the ice cream bar designs. It's fun to take photos with the lipped designs!
- I got the S'mores Ice Cream Bar and it was divine. There were actual mashmallows inside the bar. Yummy!
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