Soft Swerve

Broadway (Ube Purple Yam Ice Cream With Fruity Pebbles on Top and Bottom, Finished With a Ring of Cereal Marshmallow)

Soft Swerve is one of the few Asian-inspired soft serve ice cream parlors in New York City. It was first founded by Michael Tsang and Jason Liu in 2016. They were both born and raised in Chinatown, and went to local public schools until graduating middle school. After, they stayed connected to the community through part time jobs in the neighborhood. When they founded Soft Swerve, they stayed committed to the community by donating to schools and local organizations, and hiring locals as much as possible.

Michael and Jason loved the scoops of Asian flavors that they could get in the city. However, they noticed a gap in the market when it came to soft serve. They had to travel as far as New Jersey to get their favorite soft serves in Asian flavors. Before becoming ice cream pioneers, Michael was a project manager for a non-profit and Jason was in finance. Jason also grew up helping his parents with their laundromat business, which prepared him for managing the business on a day to day level. Michael’s work led him to managing social media and media outreach. 

During COVID, Soft Swerve lost their entire staff and had to close for many months. To keep the business afloat, they pivoted to focus on their take out offerings, and redesigned the website, where they offer catering, delivery, and merchandise.

Their most popular flavor is their ube soft serve, which you can get in a cup or cone. You can also try an Instagram worthy sundae, like their Woodside sundae (ube ice cream with toasted coconut on top and bottom with a ring of mochi). And don’t forget to check out their other Asian flavors too!

📍 Soft Swerve
85B Allen Street, New York, NY 10002

📍 Soft Swerve
85B Bayard Street, New York, NY 10013