For as long as most adolescents can remember, South Tampa eatery options have been utterly steadfast. Able to be listed on one hand are the choices for meals and even fewer are appealing options for after-dinner delectables. Save a few failed radical ideas (remember Taco Fusion? How about the entire store dedicated to Dippin’ Dots?), hungry students and families have remained doomed to perpetual rituals of eating out at the same restaurants and dessert parlors weekend after weekend.

Mr. Penguin, at 1920 W. Platt St., opened as the newest addition to the quickly transforming foodie scene of South Tampa in December 2014 near Tijuana Flats. Housed in a building that resembles a retro gas station, Mr. Penguin specializes in “gelati,” a unique twist on ordinary ice cream that layers Italian ice and soft serve in a single cup.

In the later half of 2014 and now continuing into 2015, an explosion of new restaurants seem to be springing up on every street corner from Howard to Ashley, boasting new and alluring, even exotic, concepts. These new hotspots like BurgerFi and Epicurean challenge classics like CDB’s, and Miguel’s. Small businesses like Datz Dough rival large chains like Coldstone.

Driving into the ice creamery parking lot, the size of the building gives the false impression of a spacious inside parlor. However, seating to enjoy a soft serve and Italian ice is available only outside, in a patio with simple tables matching the colorful exterior. The outdoor seating perfect for hot summer days (and warm January ones), but could present a problem for the few colder days of the year.

In a simple fashion, customers place their order with a friendly employee at a counter on the side of the building and select either Italian ice, soft serve or the gelati combination. To create a personalized gelati, one first selects an Italian ice for the bottom layer out of a selection varying from savory peanut butter or salted caramel to more fresh and fruity flavors like blueberry, green apple, cherry and more. For the next layer, a soft serve flavor is chosen; vanilla, chocolate or swirled. According to an employee, the most popular combinations are strawberry or mango and vanilla or peanut butter and chocolate. More than 20 flavors tempt customers from a brightly colored menu above the ordering window.

The first dollop of soft serve melts seamlessly across the tongue,the smoothest and creamiest of any ice cream I have experienced. Dipping further into the gelati, the spoon hits the first layer of Italian ice folded into the mixture. The two textures are different but blend together to create a pleasantly cold and even smoother taste than soft serve or Italian ice alone, options also offered at Mr. Penguin.

Ice cream and gelati come in sizes small through large, and a kids size is available if ordering soft serve alone. However, the free and unlimited samples Mr. Penguin offers during the decision making process are almost filling enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. Prices are far more reasonable than those of chains such as Yogurtology who stingily measure and charge the consumer for every ounce of product. Flat rates of soft serve are a bit more expensive than Dairy Joy, but Mr. Penguin offers a far wider variety of flavors and when you consider the numerous possible combinations of gelati.

Although the aesthetic presents somewhat confusing, bright outside posters and advertisements promoting their products are oddly complemented by a gaping parking lot of bare pavement, the product that Mr. Penguin produces tastes more than satisfying to the frozen cream connoisseur and young children alike, and because of their success at a grand opening event in addition to rampant word of mouth promotion by staff, the new business is likely to keep it’s cool in South Tampa.