Critic Rating: 8.5/10
In recent years, dessert restaurants and cafes have become increasingly popular, often offering wide menus filled with a variety of desserts and flavors. Mango Mango, a dessert chain founded in 2013 takes a different approach. As its name suggests, the restaurant centers most of its menu desserts around mangoes.
With just under 40 locations across the U.S., Mango Mango stands out from other dessert spots because of its Hong Kong-inspired menu and emphasis on Asian flavors. Along with its signature mango dishes, the restaurant offers items including Filipino-style sago and mango sticky rice. For Harrisites, the closest location is in Flushing which can be reached by taking the Q44 to 38th Ave and walking about two minutes to Roosevelt Ave. However, for this review, we went to the Bayside location, which students can reach by transferring from the Q44 to the Q27.
When we arrived, the restaurant was busy, with nearly every seat filled. Luckily we were able to snag the last available table. Despite the crowd, the restaurant remained relatively quiet, with soft music in the background. The modern white furniture and walls along with the occasional wooden decor and greenery helped give an overall homey and welcoming feel to the atmosphere.
Our three orders were taken quickly, and the wait time was short. Each dish arrived separately, with less than five minutes between each one.
Brown Sugar Bubble Tea – $6.75
Critic Rating: 8/10
The first item we tried was the brown sugar bubble tea. Brown sugar is a staple bubble tea flavor, so we were excited to see Mango Mango’s creative spin on the drink. When the drink came out, I was surprised to see that the boba was still warm and chewy. They were extremely generous with the portion, but the drink was rather sweet due to the greater ratio of tea to actual pearls, making it difficult to finish the entire thing. While I would not recommend this for people who have a neutral palette, those with a sweet tooth may find this delectable.
Classic Crepe – $11.25
Critic Rating: 9/10
The second item we tried was the classic crepe. Mango Mango offers several flavors, but we chose to try the strawberry one. The dish came with thin crepes filled with whipped cream and strawberries, paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate. These crepes were aesthetically pleasing, and were still warm when first served. The soft crepe paired beautifully with the ice cream, and the strawberries added a tart crunch to every bite. Though one order was quite small for two, the dessert was nonetheless delicious and not too sweet, making it easy to enjoy the whole plate.
Mango Pancakes: $7.25
Critic Rating: 7/10
The third and final dish to arrive was the mango pancakes. They came in two large pieces presented on a long rectangular plate. The pancakes were cool to the touch, and the title of “pancake” followed true to its name, with a crepe-like dough that imitated mochi surrounding the filling.
Taking a bite, it was clear that the filling was composed of only two ingredients– whipped cream and large cuts of fresh mango. The mango itself was refreshing and cool, while having a subtle citrusy taste alongside its sweetness and juiciness. The whipped cream paired nicely with the mango in its lightness, but the mango to whipped cream ratio was completely unbalanced and made the dish feel like a mouthful of cream after every few bites. Additionally, the whipped cream and thinness of the “pancake” made the pieces prone to falling apart and becoming messy, which soured the experience. Despite this, the taste of the dish was generally pleasant and refreshing — after seeing the mess that the first piece caused, eating the second one more carefully allowed for a smoother experience.
Overall, Mango Mango was an amazing experience. The menu offers a wide variety of desserts including drinks, crepes, and cakes. Although mango is the restaurant’s main focus, there are enough other options, such as strawberry and banana-centered dishes to make it appealing even to people who may not want a mango-heavy dessert. By the time we finished eating, we were both hooked and wanted more. As this is a dessert place, the dishes were not as filling as those of other restaurants. However, each dish was beautifully crafted and fork licking good. We would definitely recommend this place as a location to sit, chat, and enjoy your time.
