Cowlick’s – Mendocino County
Cowlick’s Ice Cream is an icon of the North Coast, made with local ingredients, in small batches and all by hand. The star of the show is the mushroom infused Candy Cap flavor, which is not only unique, but absolutely delicious. Candy caps, a type of mushroom, have an amazing scent when dried, reminiscient of rich maple syrup. When you infuse ice cream with them, you get a full-bodied, almost earthy, maple syrup flavor.
Fallon House Ice Cream Parlor – Sonora
Want to pair Gold Rush history with some ice cream tasting? Columbia State Historic Park is known as an 1850s gold mining town, but the local favorite spot is the Fallon House Ice Cream Parlor. Stay historic and order the Nutty Minor ice cream special. Enjoy this delight while sitting on the boat dock and taking in the views of the High Sierra – it never gets old, even for a local.
Penny Ice Creamery – Santa Cruz
The Penny Ice Creamery is the only shop in Santa Cruz making ice cream completely from scratch, in-house. With renowned Pastry Chef Kendra Baker, who was the former pastry chef at both Tartine and Michelin-starred Manresa, customers are left in awe of how many flavors and options they have. They’ve got everyone covered, offering at least two vegan/dairy-free scoop options, a vegan house-made popsicle, and a vegan float.
Jolly Kone – Bridgeport
Famous for its chocolate-dipped cones, Jolly Kone offers up the best soft serve ice cream around. With plenty of outdoor seating shaded by large umbrellas, it's the perfect spot to enjoy a cold treat on a hot summer day while soaking in the classic vibes. With roots dating back to the 1860s, this ice cream shop is a must when visiting the Eastern Sierra.
Roll Me Some – Fresno
Roll Me Some offers a unique and fun experience for ice cream lovers. The shop makes their ice cream with a natural cream base on top of a -32 degree cold plate, a unique fast freezing method. Toppings are added directly onto the cream and once it freezes, it’s hand rolled right in front of your eyes. Popular flavors include Himalayan Crunch, The Pollasky, and their best seller Nuttella and Chill. Roll Me Some has become a hot spot for foodies and in Fresno County.
Doc Burnstien’s – San Luis Obispo
Enjoy the fun and wacky flavors made in Doc Burnstien’s lab, while watching the in-house train disappear through tunnels, travel around a giant ice cream waterfall and finally journey through the wall of ice cream flavors. Here you can taste classics like the award-winning traditional Vanilla along with some crazy creations like the Elvis Special (banana ice cream with peanut butter), Merlot-Raspberry Truffle (with Central Coast wine), Jack and Coke (with real Jack Daniel’s), or the fan favorite Motor Oil (dark chocolate & Kahlua ice cream with fudge swirls).
À La Minute – Redlands
At à la minute, ice cream is made with fresh local ingredients sourced from surrounding communities. Using the finest dairy, Straus Family Creamery, which is 100 percent organic and oh so delicious, they have become a local favorite of those in Redlands, located in California’s Inland Empire 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
Creams & Dreams – Santa Monica
Located on Santa Monica’s bustling Third Street Promenade, Creams & Dreams is a liquid nitrogen-churned ice cream shop, bringing ice cream goodness back from the simpler times before artificial preservatives, gums, stabilizers and emulsifiers were ever added into our food. Along with the classics, Creams & Dreams offers unique flavors including fresh avocado and maiz con queso.
Snowpolis – Anaheim
Snowpolis’ new menu item, 24Karat, is sure to be the next Instagram sensation. This pure gold ice cream is going for $14.95 a scoop with limited daily supplies. The waffle cone is pre-sprayed with 24Karat gold dust and filled with vanilla soft serve that is covered with 24Karat gold leaves. The creaminess of the vanilla makes the gold form to every curve before it’s served! Don’t miss out on this amazing treat!
SomiSomi – San Diego
Indulge in beautifully crafted Taiyaki soft serve at SomiSomi, who specialize in “ah-boong.” A Japanese-Korean fusion, this goldfish-shaped waffle cone is stuffed with filling and a tantalizing swirl of soft-serve ice cream. From there, partakers are invited to choose from fillings like red bean, custard and Nutella, and soft-serve flavors like matcha, ube, milk and black sesame.