When I accepted an internship in San Francisco for the summer, one of the first things that came to my mind was the mouth watering food I was going to get to experience. Being a melting pot of cultures, SF has every type of food you can imagine…and also every type of ice cream you can imagine. From popsicles, to banana splits, to snow, to ice cream cookie sandwiches, to crepes, and regular ol’ waffle cones, SF truly has it all. I’ve always said that ice cream is my favorite food (sorry waffles, you come in a close second), so I made it a mission to find all the best creameries. With that said, in no particular order, here are my personal picks for the best ice cream in San Francisco (drumroll please).
1. Milk and Wood
Photo by Megan Clarkson
So, although this first one technically is in San Jose, it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. I would HIGHLY recommend driving to San Jose for these delicious ice cream popsicles. We got a strawberry mango bar and cookies n cream. They let you pick as many toppings as you want, and they seal it in with drizzled chocolate. I was talking about my popsicle for hours after and debated going back for a second one. AKA this place is a MUST go.
2. Loving Cup
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Loving cup was a magical experience. There are two locations in San Francisco, and a new one in Marin. You basically pick a base of ice cream (vanilla or chocolate) and what toppings you want, and then they blend it all together. I got vanilla with Oreo and Nutella…magical. I just want to keep going back to try different combinations of toppings.
3. Lappert’s Ice Cream
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Okay, although this one also isn’t right in San Francisco, it’s in Sausalito, which is just right across the Golden Gate Bridge. I drove in to the adorable little town by the water, and immediately freaked out when I passed Lappert’s. It’s originally from Hawaii, and I had no idea it existed over here. When in Hawaii, we got Lappert’s every single night. I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw it here, and ordered a flavor with caramel and nuts. Eating that along the waterfront instantly sent me back to paradise. Clearly I couldn’t even wait to start eating until after I took the picture.
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Obviously I couldn’t go just once. I’ve gone back a few times and tried out different flavors. This one was like a monster cookies n cream with cookie dough. Equally as amazing.
4. Belly Good
Photo by Megan Clarkson
OK, are these NOT the cutest crepes you’ve ever seen?! PLUS they taste delicious. The ice cream-fruit-Nutella ratio on mine was perfect and didn’t leave me totally stuffed. They let you pick your flavor of ice cream, and whatever other toppings/sauce you want inside. I found my heart breaking to ruin the adorable face on mine, but every bite was worth it.
5. Ice Cream Bar
Photo by Megan Clarkson
I heard about the Ice Cream Bar because they are supposed to have good milkshakes. I walked in with the intention of getting one, and walked out having eaten this delicious banana split. They caramelize the bananas, which was a really nice touch. We got a scoop of cherry, raspberry chip, and butterscotch. They put a different sauce on each scoop…our favorite was the cherry sauce. It is located in the Haight-Ashbury area and I was definitely impressed with the quality of creamy ice cream.
6. Smitten
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Smitten is a chain with 3 locations in San Francisco and 4 in the surrounding area. I tried it out for the first time in Oakland. This is the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever had, due to the way they make it. They use liquid nitrogen machines to make the ice cream, which provides creamy ice cream because ice particles can’t form within it. I got the “cookie dough with pretzels and chocolate chips” flavor with some caramel on top. I was definitely not disappointed and am looking forward to going back.
7. Ghirardelli Factory
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Although there are Ghirardelli Factory locations across the U.S., Ghirardelli was founded in San Francisco, and therefore this location is more special. Located in Ghirardelli Square in the Marina, this ice cream shop is a classic tourist location, but for good reason. Their ice cream sundae’s are amazing, and their banana split was one of the best I’ve ever had. Don’t forget to get a free chocolate sample while you’re there!
8. Humphry Slocombe
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Humphry Slocombe was probably my favorite ice cream in San Francisco. Their unique flavors left me speechless every time I went there. I first stumbled upon it in the Ferry Building, and then learned that there are several different locations in SF. The ice cream is also sold in certain stores and cafes. Although two scoops is a lot, I’m an ice cream fanatic who is very indecisive. I made the quick decision to not make a decision and just get both the Eton Mess (strawberry with homemade marshmallow fluff) and the Blackberry Crisp (Brown Butter ice cream, homemade blackberry jam, and crisp crumble).
Photo by Megan Clarkson
I’ve also gotten the Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple flavor, which equaled pure happiness.
9. Three Twins Ice Cream
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Three Twins is a huge thing in San Francisco. It was started here in the Bay Area, and is sold now in stores all across the U.S. I had heard the Lemon Cookie ice cream was the best, so I went for it, and was in awe when I took a bite. You know those lemon Girl Scout Cookies? It tastes EXACTLY like those, and even has legit chunks of cookie. All the other flavors I’ve had are also good, but nothing is comparable to the Lemon Cookie. They also have a few actual “scoop shops” if you’re not looking to buy a whole pint of ice cream.
10. Bi-Rite Creamery
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Bi-Rite has been in San Francisco since the 1940’s, and is a classic ice cream must-go-to. The line is always out the door, which is a dead give away that it’s amazing. I ended up getting funfetti ice cream, but I was so close to getting the snickerdoodle ice cream because it tasted exactly like my mom’s delicious cookies. Every flavor looked deliciously creamy. Their shop is right across from Dolores Park, which is a perfect spot to sit and enjoy your ice cream, while relishing in some prime people-watching.
11. Swensen’s
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Swensen’s originated in San Francisco in the 1940’s also. Their unique flavors set this creamery apart from any other. I couldn’t resist getting both the raspberry and the peanut butter swirl (even though it was already my second ice cream stop of the day).
12. It’s-It
Photo by Megan Clarkson
I had never heard of an “It’s-It” before moving to San Francisco this summer, but I quickly learned that people up here are obsessed with these ice cream sandwiches that were created here in the 1920’s. They’re sold in most convenient stores and grocery stores, although it took me 3 tries to actually find a store that wasn’t sold out of them! After eating one, I was super stoked to learn that they’re also sold in Southern California and a few other states.
13. Honey Creme
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Honey Crème is located in San Francisco near Golden Gate Park, and is the only one in the U.S. It’s originally from South Korea and Taiwan. They are known for their soft serve with honey comb, but the one with popcorn looked unique, so I went for that. It was definitely a unique combo, but I enjoyed it.
14. The Sweet Spot
Photo by Megan Clarkson
The Sweet Spot is a food truck that I found at “Off the Grid” in the Presidio one Thursday night. I got this GIANT ice cream sandwich with peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, and cookies n cream ice cream. Although delicious, I couldn’t finish the whole thing by myself.
15. Powder
Photo by Megan Clarkson
On a different trip to “Off the Grid” in the Presidio, I got this strawberry snow/powder. Flavored snow is a big trend where I’m from (Orange County), so I got really excited to find out that somewhere in San Francisco was doing it too. For those of you who haven’t had “snow,” it literally tastes like flavored snow. They use a whole block of flavored ice and finely shave it so it’s fluffy and delicious. Nothing like shaved ice that’s all crunchy.
16. Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos
Photo by Megan Clarkson
This is another good food truck find. I’ve had ice cream tacos before, but they just crumbled apart and made a mess. This ice cream taco was unique in that they ask you what ice cream you want inside, and then seal it in with chocolate. It wasn’t messy at all and was such a joy to eat.
17. Over the Moon
Photo by Megan Clarkson
Over the Moon is conveniently right next to the Ferry Building, so while you eat your delicious creamy ice cream, you can walk through the Ferry Building or stroll along the Embarcadero. We went for the cookie ice cream sandwiches, and neither the cookies nor the ice cream disappointed. I got banana Nutella ice cream, which reminded me of the Banana Split Dippin Dots. There were several other flavors that I was tempted to get, such as funfetti, and one called “Drumstick.”