A certain kind of mad genius is required to open a neighborhood shop specializing in nothing but soft-serve ice cream and French fries. We've already seen the other successful efforts from developer and ice cream emperor Paul Tamburello: the giant cream canister of Little Man Ice Cream, the vintage airplane of the Constellation Ice Cream swooping down on Stapleton, and the jewel-box dessert shop of Sweet Cooie's. But Dang, which opens on Friday, September 20, at 2211 Oneida Street, still manages to surprise, with its array of kooky flavors, piles of rainbow-hued toppings and Pop Art aesthetic that feels straight off of a psychedelic rock or New Wave album cover.
Dang makes its own soft-serve ice cream using local milk, with eight flavors churning for opening day: 'Nilla Eclipse, Black Raspberry, Lilikoi (passion fruit), Iced Matcha, Mexican Chocolate, Caramel Corn, Chocolate Ganache and Dreamsicle (the last two of which are vegan). Get a twist in a bowl or one of several kinds of cone, then choose from more than thirty toppings (boba pearls, Magic Shell drizzles or dips, gummy candy and classic sprinkles, for example), or ask for the Bomb Cyclone for an explosion of colors and flavors.
On the savory side, you have French fries available by the pint. Tamburello explains that there was plenty of taste-testing before the perfect fry was found; Dang's has the slightest coating to keep each one crunchy when dipped in soft-serve — because of course you're going to dip your fries in your ice cream. Or you can stick with sriracha ranch sauce.
Dang is located in a free-standing building in the newly renovated Oneida Park shopping center; there's an artificial turf courtyard with lawn games out front, geometric designs in bold colors on every wall and giant purple hands that serve as chairs inside. Xan Creative designed the space in conjunction with graphic designer Ben Giese; you'll feel like you're on the set of an '80s music video.
Speaking of '80s music, Dang's grand opening on Friday night will include a silent disco and '80s costume party. Show up in costume from 7 to 11 p.m. for a chance to win concert tickets to the Mission Ballroom. After Friday, the ice cream shop will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). Visit dangsoftserve.com or @dangsoftserve on Instagram for details and inspiration for your next cone.