It may not always be ideal ice cream weather, but
that's never stopped San Franciscans from snaking a line down the block
for some of the sweet stuff. You already know Bi-Rite and Humphry
Slocombe are guaranteed to give you a good frozen fix, but here are some
of the city's best options for ice cream when the mood for a scoop strikes.
1 Bi-Rite Creamery
Small-batch, seasonal, hand-made, local, etc. ice cream is
the calling card at San Francisco’s arguably most popular scoop shop.
Lines usually snake out the door and down the block with people waiting
for tastes of salted caramel and balsamic strawberry, two of Bi-Rite’s
most popular flavors, or the more unusual options like basil and honey
lavender. Pro-tip: fans of soft-serve can usually forego some of the
wait time at their soft-serve and baked goods window, just past the main
scoop shop. [Photo:
Facebook]
3692 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
2 CREAM
Expect to wait in line for Berkeley-based CREAM’s (Cookies
Rule Everything Around Me) mix-and-match ice cream sandwiches that have
proved exceedingly popular with the Cal student set. The endless options
allow ice cream sandwich fiends to build the ideal sandwich from a
large selection of cookies (there are vegan and gluten-free flavors,
plus more unusual variations like turtle, M&M and cappuccino) and
ice creams (green tea, cinnamon, and the highly meta cookie dough).
Check out their full list of locations around the Bay Area
here. [Photo: CREAM]
6300 College Ave
Oakland, CA 94618
3 Fentons Creamery & Restaurant
It doesn’t get more iconic than family-owned Fentons, which
opened in 1894 and has been scooping up old-fashioned favorites such as
toasted almond in its famous Black & Tan sundae ever since. Bonus:
Fentons knows ice cream is often best after a burger, which you can
order here, too. [Photo:
Facebook]
4226 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
4 Humphry Slocombe
Get your weird on with experimental flavors at this crazy popular Mission ice cream destination (with
an outpost in the Ferry Building, too).
The most-talked-about flavor is Secret Breakfast, made with vanilla,
cornflake cookies and Jim Beam bourbon, but there’s no shortage of wacky
options such as prosciutto, cheese, mushrooms and foie gras from evil
ice cream genius Jake Godby. [Photo: Humphry Slocombe]
2790 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110
5 Ici Ice Cream
If you’re feeling fancy, Ici in Berkeley is most definitely
the place for you. Handmade cones and unique flavors like saffron rose
and orange rosemary toffee by former Chez Panisse pastry chef Mary
Canales are a labor of love, absolutely delicious — and priced
accordingly. [Photo:
Yelp]
2948 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
6 Joe's Ice Cream
This no-frills classic scoop shop doesn't pull any punches,
offering Americana standards such as root beer swirl and rum raisin, or
more unconventional flavors like wasabi and chai tea. One thing’s for
sure: it’s still serving up ice cream straight from your SF childhood —
even after a 2010 move across the street. [Photo:
Yelp]
5420 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
7 Mitchell's Ice Cream
Mitchell’s opened in Bernal Heights way back in 1953 and has
been inspiring lines of fans ever since. The classic shop is known for
its authentic Mexican (horchata, Mexican chocolate), Peruvian (yucuma)
and Filipino (two types of coconut) options. [Photo:
Facebook]
688 San Jose Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110
8 Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous
If it’s gourmet ice cream you desire, look no further than
this daily-changing option from Wolfgang Puck Spago alums (and husband
and wife team) Ian Flores and Annabelle Topacio. Flavors like mango
chili lime, chocolate chicory coffee and candied violet will satisfy
your higher-end needs, though there’s no shame in going classic with
plain old vanilla bean, too. [Photo:
Yelp
699 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107
9 Polly Ann Ice Cream
Have flavor fatigue? Leave your fate in the hands of Polly
Ann, where you can spin the wheel and let it decide which of the over
500 rotating flavors you’ll be trying today. The shop, which has been
open since the 1950s, often has Asian flavors like durian, lychee and
jasmine on display, as well as favorites like rocky road and mint
chocolate chip. [Photo:
Yelp]
3138 Noriega St
San Francisco, CA 94122
10 Smitten Ice Cream
If the excitement of dining at a chef’s counter is your idea of a good time, head to Smitten where the ice cream is made at
all locations
in front of you in about 90 seconds, using liquid nitrogen for a
smoother, denser cream. Owner Robyn Sue Fisher created and patented the
machine herself, which churns out everyday local flavors like Blue
Bottle espresso and TCHO 60.5 percent chocolate as well as seasonal
options such as sweet corn with berries and rhubarb crisp. [Photo:
Smitten]
432 Octavia St #1A
San Francisco, CA 94102
11 Swensen's Ice Cream
It’s all old-school all the time at this Russian Hill ice cream parlor — which has since
gone international
— scooping up standbys such as sticky chewy chocolate and Turkish
coffee, plus turning them into massive classic sundaes, too. [Photo:
Yelp]
1999 Hyde St
San Francisco, CA 94109
12 The Ice Cream Bar Soda Fountain
Head back in time at this classic 1930s-inspired soda
fountain shop serving up vintage phosphates, lactarts, malts, plus
boozy milkshakes, ice cream soda floats and ice cream sandwiches in
vegan options, too. There’s
another location headed to the Castro in the near future, so be ready for more maple syrup or chicory coffee ice cream shakes. [Photo:
Flickr]
815 Cole St
San Francisco, CA 94117
13 Three Twins Ice Cream
Yes, you can grab a pint of Three Twins at the grocery store, but this ice cream shop got its start (
and expanded)
in nearby San Rafael. Now its SF location is scooping up flavors with
inventive, cheeky names like Bear Bait (a Gay Pride special of vanilla
with muffin top chunks) along with more staid options such as lemon
cookie and cardamom. [Photo:
Yelp]
254 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94117
