Chick-Fil-A's New Frosted Sodas And Floats Are A Retro Revival Worth Celebrating

We all know that Chick-fil-A has become a fast-food institution because it has practically perfected the fried chicken sandwich. But true fans of the iconic restaurant know that those famous mains are made so much better by the chain's side orders, including its drinks. And starting this month, customers will be able to take things a step further with the addition of frosted sodas and floats to the menu.

The brand new drinks are the beginning of Chick-fil-A's year-long 80th anniversary celebration, which will also bring perks like collectible retro cups from the chain's eight-decade run and the chance to win free food for a year. Frosted sodas are a hand-spun drink made with the restaurant's Icedream soft serve and your choice of any of the soft drinks from the menu, which includes Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Powerade, Hi-C, Barq's Root Beer, and more. The floats, on the other hand, are exactly as the name suggests: A layered soda and Icedream beverage that you can enjoy with a straw or a spoon.

As someone who is no stranger to testing Chick-fil-A's new offerings, I was excited to head to one of the chain's locations in Manhattan just days after its new drinks debut. Could these decadent drinks become one of my new favorite items? Here's what I found out the first time I ordered the brand-new beverages.

If you're already excited to treat yourself to a frosted soda or float at Chick-fil-A, you're in luck. The chain launched the new items on the first day of its anniversary celebration on Jan. 5, 2026, and both are now available at locations nationwide. But unlike other birthday bashes, you won't necessarily have to rush in to try these, as both have already been officially added to the restaurant's permanent menu.

At my New York City location in Manhattan, frosted sodas are available in one size for $5.45 per drink, but prices vary elsewhere. Using a base of Dr Pepper, Coke, Sprite, or Hi-C Fruit Punch makes the beverages 320 calories per serving (including 7 grams of fat and 59-60 grams of sugar, depending on the flavor), while diet versions are 260 calories apiece. A float here will also run you $5.45, with regular sodas containing 320 calories per drink and diet versions coming in at 260 calories.

Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of combinations in front of me, I decided to turn to the real experts when choosing what to order: The incredibly friendly and hardworking staff of the Chick-fil-A on 6th Avenue and 22nd Street. The two employees I spoke with were excited to see me trying the new items, and eagerly suggested I get Coke and Dr Pepper as the bases for my hand-spun beverages (which was where my heart was headed anyway. Kismet!)

All it took was one sip of my Coke frosted soda to appreciate that adding vanilla to the king of all soft drinks is truly a killer combination. It immediately created the old-school soda-jerk effect I think the chain is going for, where the zip of carbonation from the soda reminds you that you aren't just drinking a milkshake. At this point, the New Yorker section of my brain began noticing that this very much felt like a classic egg cream experience, which is decidedly a very good thing.

If anything, things only got better when I moved on to the Dr Pepper version. Is this the way my favorite soda was always meant to taste? That deeply satisfying black-cherry flavor is flawlessly buoyed by vanilla soft serve, with the zip of carbonation providing a pleasant sensation on the tongue. It's decadently sweet, but I had to fight the urge to finish the entire thing.

Even if it's a retro play, there are likely a lot higher expectations set by adding a soft serve float to the menu. But even if this is the type of frozen drink I only ever order at specific old-timey diners, I was fairly confident Chick-fil-A could pull it off.

Following a passionate recommendation from the staff, I started with a Cherry Coke float. I'm proud to report that a combo I've always felt would work truly does, with cherry and vanilla melding beautifully. I quickly noticed that you get more soda followed by globs of Icedream if you're using a straw, but it's much more consistent with the spoon.

And since we were doing floats, I truly couldn't pass up the chance to order the true classic: Root beer. Chick-fil-A's version ticked all the boxes on my mental checklist, with those herbal flavors bolstered by creamy vanilla. I quickly realized that the unspun version also had a lot more zip left in its bubbles than the frosted soda, and that carbonic acid really brought a fantastic balance to this top-tier combo.

While we all know Chick-fil-A for its savory sandwiches, there's an argument to be made that its new frosted sodas and floats put the chain on the map as a retro soda destination, too. My initial expectations of yet another fast-food take on a hastily prepared shake were unfounded, with all of the drinks I ordered passing a throwback quality assessment with flying colors. The fact that there are so many options to appeal to all tastes and cravings is just the proverbial cherry on top.

There's no doubt in my mind that the next time I'm looking to treat myself to a retro soda, I'll make it a point to seek out a Chick-fil-A. If anything, I'm excited to dip into some of the other flavor possibilities the next time I order a chicken sandwich. But is one better than the other? For convenience's sake, I'd have to admit that I prefer the frosted sodas, which provide a more consistent experience than using just a straw. However, it's clear that both have their merits — and that Chick-fil-A has yet another hit product on its hands.