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Smitten Ice Cream
Audrey Ma

17 Sweet Ice Cream Shops in San Francisco

From classic mint chip to purple ube, there's a flavor waiting for you at these cool spots

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Smitten Ice Cream
| Audrey Ma

It may not always be ideal ice cream weather, but that's never stopped San Franciscans from snaking a line down the block for the sweet stuff, whether by the cone or frosty pint. You already know Bi-Rite and Humphry Slocombe are guaranteed to give you a good frozen fix, but there are also plenty of places with liquid nitrogen-frozen “fresh” ice cream, ice cream sandwiches made with doughnuts, unexpected flavors, and more. In a town that straddles the line between traditional and modern, there are options to reflect both those sensibilities with tried-and-true parlors and more updated spots. Here's a look at all of San Francisco's sweetest options for ice cream.

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Uji Time Dessert

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Uji Time is known for its adorable fish-shaped cones stuffed with soft serve, which began in Berkeley and has since expanded to San Francisco and beyond. The famed cone, called taiyaki, is a take on the traditional Japanese dessert in the shape of a fish, and here it’s filled with flavors like matcha, black sesame, and ube, along with a seasonal option and a multitude of toppings. In addition to the taiyaki cones, which take extra time to prepare, other choices include waffle cones and cups.

Kerry Lee

Toy Boat by Jane

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Toy Boat by Jane is the revived version of Clement Street’s longrunning classic ice cream shop, courtesy of Amanda Michael, the owner of SF mini-chain Jane the Bakery. Michael went to great lengths to preserve the nostalgia of Toy Boat, including the vast toy collection, and opened in September 2020 selling Jane’s bakery breads, cookies, and pastries, and, excitingly, adding Double Rainbow Ice Cream.

Joe's Ice Cream

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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 San Francisco childhood.

Smitten Ice Cream

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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 flavors like salted caramel and chocolate ganache as well as seasonal options.

Smitten

The Ice Cream Bar

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Head back in time at this classic 1930s-inspired soda fountain shop serving malts, boozy milkshakes, ice cream soda floats, and ice cream sandwiches — there are even a few vegan options, too.

Nieves Cinco De Mayo

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Head to this unassuming Mexican ice cream shop tucked into a Mission market for flavors like corn, guava, and leche quemada (burnt milk). Order it by the scoop, in a banana split, or go for a combination of fruit and toppings like a mangonada made with mango sorbet, fresh mango, chile, lime, and tamarind. Check out its sister shop in Fruitvale, too.

Milkbomb Ice Cream

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If ice cream is a dessert that already makes you weak in the knees, Milkbomb will give you more ways to enjoy your treat. From unique flavors like the Fruity Pebbles, White Rabbit, or mangonada — made of mango puree, chamoy, and Tajin — there’s also the added appeal of sandwiching those flavors inside a doughnut.

San Francisco's Hometown Creamery

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There are plenty of reasons to head to Hometown Creamery. At the top of the list, of course, is the ice cream, which brothers Adar and Saadi Halil make themselves. There are the standards such as the fresh mint chip ice cream, but also outstanding and unique rotating flavors that make the case for stopping by year-round. The pastries at the shop are another draw, such as the brownies.

Hometown Creamery

Double Rainbow Ice Cream

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Double Rainbow is an ice cream company that was originally founded by two best friends in the Castro in the 1970s. It returned to the neighborhood in late 2020 with a new scoop shop just a couple of doors down from its original location. Longtime fans stop by for old-school scoops of malt chocolate and mint chip, shakes, cups, and pints.

Double rainbow ice cream sundae Double Rainbow

Bi-Rite Creamery

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Small-batch, seasonal, hand-made, and local 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.

The Castro Fountain

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A second sweets shop from the Ice Cream Bar’s Juliet Prie, the Castro Fountain has an extensive menu of cakes and baked goods on top of fresh-churned ice cream — or rather, to put that ice cream on top of. Like its predecessor, the shop’s style is that of an old-school soda fountain, so go ahead, split a sundae, a float, or a piece of photogenic rainbow cake with a scoop of ice cream on the side. One ice cream flavor, Yass Queen, even has bits of that rainbow cake inside it.

Garden Creamery

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Garden Creamery is the Mission District ice cream shop that became an Instagram star for opening with churro-like chimney cones, made with sweet yeast dough baked and covered in cinnamon sugar. Garden Creamy offers an array of Hawaiian-influenced flavors (including some non-dairy options), as well as matcha with toasted rice, black sesame, plus Mexican and Manila mango, salted plum, and Thai tea.

Kerry Lee/ESF

Polly Ann Ice Cream

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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 more than 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 classics like rocky road and mint chocolate chip.

Humphry Slocombe

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Get your weird on with experimental flavors at this crazy-popular Mission ice cream destination that’s been slowly expanding throughout the Bay Area. 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 from evil ice cream genius Jake Godby.

Humphry Slocombe

Mitchell's Ice Cream

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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 Mexican (horchata, Mexican chocolate), Peruvian (yucuma) and Filipino (two types of coconut) options, including a bright purple ube with its own fan following.

Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream

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Named for the explorer said to have introduced Italy to ice cream by way of China, Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream serves its frozen treat the other way around, with scoops of gelato-like creaminess with Asian flavors. Try lychee, green tea, black sesame, or durian, made from the fruit that’s famously banned on public transit in Singapore for its strong smell. Opened in 1982, Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream is a favorite gathering spot in far-flung Parkside, and a second location opened in San Jose in 2015.

Caleb Pershan

Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt

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The draw of Eazy Breezy is its variety of froyo flavors, but the shop also has a following for its custard, as well as gluten-free and dairy-free options. Toppings are also a big thing here and go past the basic sprinkles into fantastical candy options to really amp up your cup of ice cream.

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Uji Time Dessert

Uji Time is known for its adorable fish-shaped cones stuffed with soft serve, which began in Berkeley and has since expanded to San Francisco and beyond. The famed cone, called taiyaki, is a take on the traditional Japanese dessert in the shape of a fish, and here it’s filled with flavors like matcha, black sesame, and ube, along with a seasonal option and a multitude of toppings. In addition to the taiyaki cones, which take extra time to prepare, other choices include waffle cones and cups.

Kerry Lee

Toy Boat by Jane

Toy Boat by Jane is the revived version of Clement Street’s longrunning classic ice cream shop, courtesy of Amanda Michael, the owner of SF mini-chain Jane the Bakery. Michael went to great lengths to preserve the nostalgia of Toy Boat, including the vast toy collection, and opened in September 2020 selling Jane’s bakery breads, cookies, and pastries, and, excitingly, adding Double Rainbow Ice Cream.

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 San Francisco childhood.

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 flavors like salted caramel and chocolate ganache as well as seasonal options.

Smitten

The Ice Cream Bar

Head back in time at this classic 1930s-inspired soda fountain shop serving malts, boozy milkshakes, ice cream soda floats, and ice cream sandwiches — there are even a few vegan options, too.

Nieves Cinco De Mayo

Head to this unassuming Mexican ice cream shop tucked into a Mission market for flavors like corn, guava, and leche quemada (burnt milk). Order it by the scoop, in a banana split, or go for a combination of fruit and toppings like a mangonada made with mango sorbet, fresh mango, chile, lime, and tamarind. Check out its sister shop in Fruitvale, too.

Milkbomb Ice Cream

If ice cream is a dessert that already makes you weak in the knees, Milkbomb will give you more ways to enjoy your treat. From unique flavors like the Fruity Pebbles, White Rabbit, or mangonada — made of mango puree, chamoy, and Tajin — there’s also the added appeal of sandwiching those flavors inside a doughnut.

San Francisco's Hometown Creamery

There are plenty of reasons to head to Hometown Creamery. At the top of the list, of course, is the ice cream, which brothers Adar and Saadi Halil make themselves. There are the standards such as the fresh mint chip ice cream, but also outstanding and unique rotating flavors that make the case for stopping by year-round. The pastries at the shop are another draw, such as the brownies.

Hometown Creamery

Double Rainbow Ice Cream

Double Rainbow is an ice cream company that was originally founded by two best friends in the Castro in the 1970s. It returned to the neighborhood in late 2020 with a new scoop shop just a couple of doors down from its original location. Longtime fans stop by for old-school scoops of malt chocolate and mint chip, shakes, cups, and pints.

Double rainbow ice cream sundae Double Rainbow

Bi-Rite Creamery

Small-batch, seasonal, hand-made, and local 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.

The Castro Fountain

A second sweets shop from the Ice Cream Bar’s Juliet Prie, the Castro Fountain has an extensive menu of cakes and baked goods on top of fresh-churned ice cream — or rather, to put that ice cream on top of. Like its predecessor, the shop’s style is that of an old-school soda fountain, so go ahead, split a sundae, a float, or a piece of photogenic rainbow cake with a scoop of ice cream on the side. One ice cream flavor, Yass Queen, even has bits of that rainbow cake inside it.

Garden Creamery

Garden Creamery is the Mission District ice cream shop that became an Instagram star for opening with churro-like chimney cones, made with sweet yeast dough baked and covered in cinnamon sugar. Garden Creamy offers an array of Hawaiian-influenced flavors (including some non-dairy options), as well as matcha with toasted rice, black sesame, plus Mexican and Manila mango, salted plum, and Thai tea.

Kerry Lee/ESF

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 more than 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 classics like rocky road and mint chocolate chip.

Humphry Slocombe

Get your weird on with experimental flavors at this crazy-popular Mission ice cream destination that’s been slowly expanding throughout the Bay Area. 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 from evil ice cream genius Jake Godby.

Humphry Slocombe

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 Mexican (horchata, Mexican chocolate), Peruvian (yucuma) and Filipino (two types of coconut) options, including a bright purple ube with its own fan following.

Related Maps

Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream

Named for the explorer said to have introduced Italy to ice cream by way of China, Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream serves its frozen treat the other way around, with scoops of gelato-like creaminess with Asian flavors. Try lychee, green tea, black sesame, or durian, made from the fruit that’s famously banned on public transit in Singapore for its strong smell. Opened in 1982, Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream is a favorite gathering spot in far-flung Parkside, and a second location opened in San Jose in 2015.

Caleb Pershan

Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt

The draw of Eazy Breezy is its variety of froyo flavors, but the shop also has a following for its custard, as well as gluten-free and dairy-free options. Toppings are also a big thing here and go past the basic sprinkles into fantastical candy options to really amp up your cup of ice cream.

Related Maps