San Francisco is a gem of California with plenty for travelers to see and do when visiting the city. From beaches to the Golden Gate Bridge or touring Alcatraz, visitors are sure to work up an appetite and a sweat, setting them in search of San Francisco’s best ice cream. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of high-quality shops and creameries in the Golden Gate City. Refine your search for the perfect scoop by checking out these 10 ice cream shops.
10 San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery
San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery is a family-run business that was started by two brothers. Their flagship store is on 9th Avenue, and they also operate a fun ice cream bus which can be found at The Marina, in the Financial District, or at Union Square. The shop serves ice cream sandwiches, sundaes, and milkshakes. Some of the creamery’s hometown favorites include Fresh Mint Chip, Madagascar Vanilla, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge.
9 Mitchell’s Ice Cream
Mitchell’s Ice Cream is a San Francisco favorite, founded in 1953. Their shop features small-batch and seasonal ice creams that are made in-house, daily. Their ice creams have a 16% butterfat base and the milk is sourced from cows that are hormone-free. Mitchell’s ice cream serves the Filipino dessert, Halo-Halo along with 40 flavors of ice cream daily.
8 The Baked Bear
The Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the most popular spots to visit in San Francisco. It’s located on the northern waterfront of the city and features tons of cute shops and stalls selling food and souvenirs. One of these shops is The Baked Bear, where travelers can get a mouthwatering combination of ice cream, cookies, and toppings. For the ultimate ice cream sandwich in San Francisco, this is the ideal stop.
7 Philmore Creamery
Philmore Creamery is a quaint ice cream shop operated by a husband and wife team. They serve small-batch ice creams, gelatos, and sorbettos. Customers can order their scoops in a waffle cone, a cup, or even as a to-go pint. Philmore Creamery gets its natural dairy products from a local small-batch producer called Double 8 Dairy and all nut pastes are imported from Italy. Several of their flavors are also vegan, making this an ice cream shop that everyone can enjoy.
6 Polly Ann Ice Cream
Polly Ann Ice Cream has been serving San Francisco since 1955 and has no shortage of flavors to choose from. They have 500 flavors in rotation, and to help customers decide which to buy, they have a flavor wheel to spin. Their wide selection includes Jasmine Tea, Marble Fudge, Persian Princess, Mocha Almond, Rum Raisin, Turkish Coffee, Taro, and Watermelon.
5 Bi-Rite Creamery
For small-batch ice cream prepared by hand, Bi-Rite Creamery is the place to go. The shop was started by two San Francisco residents who wanted to deliver quality delicious treats in a sustainable way. Their ice cream is made with Double 8 Dairy buffalo milk, a company that ensures sustainable farming practices. Bi-Rite Creamery gets its chocolate from the Guittard Chocolate Company, which focuses on obtaining the finest and sustainably sourced cacao. Some of their classic and iconic flavors include Black Sesame and Salted Caramel.
4 Milkbomb Ice Cream
Milkbomb Ice Cream offers a unique take on classic ice cream shops with a number of ways for customers to enjoy their scoops. The shop can serve their ice creams inside a donut (the ultimate ice cream sandwich) and even top it off with a gooey melted marshmallow. Popular flavors White Rabbit and Fruity Pebbles - visitors to San Francisco will have to try these unique tastes for themselves.
3 Swensen’s
Swensen’s is a San Francisco staple that has been around since 1948. The current owner of the shop, Richard Campana, began working there when he was just 15 and the founder, Earle Swensen, entrusted the legacy of the shop to him. Swensen’s still uses the same recipe and high-quality ingredients it did in 1948 to produce homemade flavors like Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Bordeaux Cherry, Mocha Fudge, and Sticky Peanut Butter.
Swensen’s serves ice cream in a cup, a homemade waffle cone, or a chocolate-dipped cone. They also have root beer floats, milkshakes, and malts to take you back to a 1950s diner.
2 Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream
Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream opened in 1982 and takes inspiration from Asian flavors to craft its ice creams. Unique flavors like Durian, Lychee, Green Tea, and Black Sesame set this ice cream shop apart from the others in San Francisco. The shop has multiple locations, one in Parkside and another in San Jose.
1 Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw is an ice cream chain with two locations in San Francisco. One shop is Hayes Valley, and the other is Pacific Heights on Fillmore St. Kim Malek and her cousin Tyler are the founders who focus the values of Salt & Straw around the local community and the group of people it took to get the original shop off the ground. Salt & Straw has plenty of exciting flavors to choose from.
Some of the most interesting on the menu are Baked Brie & Fig Cheesecake, Deviled Egg Custard and Smoked Black Tea, Cinnamon Honey Fried Chicken, and Chocolate Nocino Cherry Pie. Their summer flavors also include a vegan option - the Pink Rosé Watermelon Sorbet.