à la minute

Fun place for ice cream, definitely different.

So I’ve been coming to this ice cream spot for about 2 years now, it is located in the Claremont Packing House, sharing a spot with a coffee place! I’ve never actually tried the coffee in this particular spot and hopefully at some point I get a chance to; I just can’t get enough of the homemade ice cream. Every visit I get the exact same thing… Mint chip ice cream! In My opinion this is the best ice cream my palette has ever tasted! The flavor is so rich, creamy, and not to mention fresh, there is never a disappointment coming here. I also can’t help but to always order a medium size with a homemade waffle cone, which I need to mention is also to die for! So if your ever in the area and looking for a great ice cream spot A La Minute is the place to go!

Although they don’t do ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ on flavors, they were willing to remake mine when it was over frozen. Thanks!

I am a desert person. I love ice cream and I love caramel.
I definitely think this is the best sea salt caramel ice cream I have ever had and that is saying a lot!
The menu has a unique selection of flavored, strawberry balsamic & vanilla olive oil, among many. I almost felt boring ordering the sea salt caramel but my caramel cravings are always real.
It did not disappoint. Topped with caramel and sea salt pieces, LITERALLY SO GOOD. Tried a bite of a friends strawberry balsamic which was also soo good. Flavors are fresh and super rich.
It is a little pricey, $ 5 for a small scoop but it was filling. The sizes look small, but the ice cream is hand maid with liquid nitrogen and a kitchen-​aid and they are RICH. A small was more than enough, friends who are also dessert fiends ordered larger sizes and couldn’t finish.
We went later in the evening and they do run out of certain flavored and the cookies and cones, but still a large selection.
Located inside the Claremont Packing House, which had a super fresh & fun vibe, good date spot and a nice place to hang out and walk around. Beautiful lights at night.
Treat yourself and go here!!!

I’ve already been to the one in Orange location so I will keep this review short. This is the third location for A La Minute which originally started in Redlands around 2012, and it’s one of the first places that started the whole liquid nitrogen ice cream trend. Ice cream base is organic and it uses locally sourced ingredients. The honey used in its Orange Honey ice cream comes from the same bees that pollinate the oranges. How cool is that?
Flavors change depending on the season but Orange Honey is available year-​round and seems to be the signature flavor. This is one of my favorite flavors and I also like Lemon Custard. Not sure if this is available year-​round but it should be. It tastes like lemon bar or lemon cheesecake. It has a pretty strong lemon flavor so just have to keep that in mind. My wife thought it was too strong but I liked the intense flavor.
I prefer the Orange location because it’s much more spacious. This one shares a space with Augie’s Coffee so it gets quite crowded and little chaotic. I was little confused at first because I thought it was just one store. I was standing in line for my ice cream and noticed I was on the Augie’s side. After you order your ice cream, stand on the right side of the store. I was on the opposite side and couldn’t even hear my name when they called out my order.
It’s located inside the Claremont Packing House so you can’t see it from the street. There’s a parking structure right by the Packing House on First Street.

The ice cream is so, so good. But it’s way too expensive!
Also, I do not recommend getting it in a waffle cone. As soon as I walked out of the door it started melting; a few more steps and it soaked through the paper cover they put on the cone. It was 8pm and chilly outside, but still melted like crazy. It was dripping EVERYWHERE.
So I suggest to get it in a cup!
Service isn’t bad. Not very friendly, but not horrible.

Nitrogen ICECREAM !!!
Bomb diggity!
I’m not so big on icecream but this place is the shhhhhiiiiiiiiiiit. Took my momma here because she’s always asking me to buy her icecream and usually not impressed by me selection of deserts but I’m happy to say she really liked this place !
She got the mint chip flavor and I had the salted caramel. All I’m gonna say is that I will be a very frequent customer and tell all my friends.

So there’s not many places near the East San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire that makes affogatos. More places in Pasadena, DTLA, and West LA do, so having this in the Packing House in Claremont is definitely nice. à la minute shares a space with Augie’s Coffee Roasters, à la minute makes organic, liquid nitrogen ice cream and Augie’s has the coffee, espresso, and cold brew. I needed my caffeine fix for today so I got an affogato which was vanilla bean ice cream with Augie’s espresso. The ice cream had such a nice vanilla bean flavor, so fresh, just cream, eggs, vanilla bean and sugar and brought together with liquid nitrogen, they put in two scoop of ice cream into a coffee mug and topped it off with hot espresso. The espresso was a little bit on the acidic side but paired well with the vanilla bean ice cream which was not overly sweet but heavy notes of vanilla bean, definitely not just from vanilla extract, and it was topped off with some shaved dark chocolate.
After finishing my affogato there, I needed more caffeine for my caffeine fix and ice cream for my ice cream fix since it was hot out and it was so delicious, cold and refreshing, a nice treat, I ended up ordering a Toddy Float which was the exact same thing, vanilla bean ice cream but with Augie’s Cold Brew also topped off with dark chocolate shavings. I’m glad I was in the area today, it definitely satisfied my coffee craving and rare sweets craving and was most definitely a nice refreshment for the heat!

A really cute ice cream place in downtown Claremont! It was a little difficult to find, but you go indoors through a hallway and it is right there (there are some signs floating around and pointing you in the direction). They share the space with a coffee place. This is a liquid nitro ice cream place so you won’t be able to try anything… but their menu is so interesting and you’ll want to try everything.
Orange honey sorbet was really good and tasted like they took an orange and froze it into ice cream form! It has actual orange pieces and texture to it. Topped with the honey glaze added a nice chewy texture.
The chocolate lavender was weirdly good! I hate floral tasting things, and chocolate ice cream… but this one actually works really well. The lavender wasn’t too strong, until you ate it with the cacao nibs (so I avoided those). The cacao nibs added a nice crunch but I didn’t like the extra lavender flavor that came with them.
It’s cool that you can get a good view and watch them make your ice cream out front. There is plenty of seating inside to enjoy it and parking in downtown Claremont isn’t so bad! Can’t wait to go back!

Totally loved this place! Such a cute, open place with delicious options of liquid nitrogen ice cream! They offer the typical mint chip, but they also have olive oil vanilla bean, chocolate lavender, espresso chip, orange honey and even strawberry balsamic! They make your ice cream on the spot which was totally cool to see them blend it with liquid nitrogen. The husband is a big fan of mint so we went for the mint (although I would have loved to have tried the olive oil vanilla bean and the strawberry balsamic. Their ice cream was creamy and super tasty. It’s also 100% organic and the staff is super friendly and welcoming! The mint is super fresh and just perfect! Can’t wait to go back!

Got the chocolate chip and the texture wasn’t consistent today. It was watery and melty. I’m sorry, but you probably need to turn up the nitrogen or retrain your employees because it was bad today.

Love this place! The décor is cute and quirky and the ice cream is honestly some of the best I’ve ever had! My favorite is the salted carmel!

Nitrogen ice cream is an innovation in the ice cream industry that is fun to watch and delicious to eat. In SoCal, there are the more popular chains-​Creamistry and such, so I am always excited to try other nitrogen ice cream shops. I came with J, after he ditched work (sort of). It’s located in the Claremont Packing House, an interesting development that I am sure to generate an economic revival in the area that is also aesthetically pleasing. Public parking is a bit down the street from it and had plenty of spots.
A la minute is located right next to the Augie coffee house. Order on the a la minute side, not the augie. There were some flavors that were out. We got the orange blossom with honey and the strawberry balsamic. It was a pretty fast process, maybe about 5 minutes or so from ordering to receive our individual cups of ice cream.
I really liked the orange blossom. The honey on top froze and become a bit brittle. Mixed with the smooth ice cream creation, it was great. The orange blossom had tiny bits of citrus in it. The strawberry balsamic had a balsamic syrup coating it. I liked how the flavors were subtle and not too strong.
The only thing I don’t like is that it is so expensive. It’s $ 5 for this one tiny scoop. You might as well buy the pint for $ 10, which I would totally do if I didn’t live so far. Either ways, we loved this small ice cream joint and how there was so much open space in the packing house where we got to just hang out.

I heard a la minute was a must from fellow elite member, Jeffrey Y. of LA, and so we drove over so I could see for myself! SUPER cute location and VERY friendly staff. We were finishing up dinner outside of a la minute while one of them started stacking the chairs and putting the tables away. He told us to take our time and that they were still open for another hour or so. Talk about awesome and welcoming service. I definitely wanted to get some ice-​cream after!
At first I didn’t realize that the ice cream served here was made a la minute using liquid nitrogen. (I was wondering where all the tubs of ice cream was because I wanted to sample some haha). The menu has an awesome list of flavors. In the end I went for the chocolate lavender in a small cup and they whipped it up on the spot! The lavender was very light and the cacao nibs complimented the sweet ice-​cream. If you like chocolate, go for this one!

Ten stars!
Strawberry balsamic tastes just like fresh strawberries in sweet cream, highly recommend!
Excellent permanent menu and creative additional flavor that changes daily/​weekly.
If you enjoy coffee and IceCream try the Affogato.
If your date doesn’t enjoy IceCream (what a tragedy, reconsider your relationship) then they can have coffee made from scratch at the adjacent counter.
Great ambiance with big wooden center table to bring your laptop, settle in and try all their flavors. (Maybe you’ll get some work done before getting up to try another flavor)
To top off delicious creamy IceCream, the experience is fun watching the making of your very own cup via the liquid nitrogen process.

My first cup of ice cream from A La Minute was actually a to-​go cup my coworker had brought me. I personally couldn’t find a reason to drive 20+ minutes for ice cream all the way in Claremont. I mean… how good can it be?
Until I had my first taste of their vanilla custard. I then completely understood why he was so in love with it. You can taste the richness of the custard melting in your mouth. It was milky smooth and not overly sweet. I give him a lot of credit for getting that cup of ice cream delivered to me. I haven’t found anything like it!
All the ice creams are made with fresh ingredients and made to order. They have multiple sizes ranging from $ 5 – 7 and there’s an additional $ 1 for their waffle cone.
Vanilla Custard: The custard has a unique texture and flavor that keeps it simple yet highly addicting! This is still my favorite!
Espresso chip: This is made from a shot of Augie’s coffee next door! It was amazing and nothing artificial about it! Highly recommend!
Strawberry Balsamic: You can taste the real strawberries and it’s clean and refreshing. The balsamic is made like a jam, not over powering and paired perfectly.
Mint chip: The mint chip here is made from fresh mint. You won’t find it anywhere else. It took a few bites to get adjusted, since most mint chip has artificial flavoring. Not bad!
Seasonal Eggnog: I didn’t really like this one. It didn’t have as much of the egg flavor as I hoped. They might have added too much cinnamon and it over powered. But it’s still creamy!

BUMPING my rating up to 4 stars! so glad I gave A La Minute inside the Claremont Packing House a 2^nd chance
the medium size is A LOT of ice cream, definitely needed to share the medium with my friend
—strawberry balsamic: YUM this has to be some of the best strawberry ice cream i’ve ever had! the balsamic and jam on top pair nicely with the creamy ice cream! loving this ice cream much more than the chocolate lavender or the strawberry sorbet
since i just tried Augie’s coffee shop, which they share a space with, and liked it, i’ll have to try the coffee float next time since it’s made with Augie’s cold brew!

So I’m not a fan of the liquid nitrogen ice cream fad, but for some reason, this one was different. The flavors are really unique (some are quite odd like butternut squash with black garlic). You won’t get your run of the mill basic flavors here. m, but fresh mint is a safe bet if you’re not too adventurous. It also takes awhile to make, so don’t expect a quick trip.
Because this is super premium ice cream, expect super premium prices. Like $ 5 for the tiniest cup ever. And no samples because everything is made to order. That’s why I don’t think it’s someplace I can’t call one of my favorites, but it’s a nice treat once in a while. I’d rather get a scoop of sweet rose creamery or salt and straw in LA but this comes close to rich flavor in the inland empire.
The environment is perfect. I love the décor and a perfect place to grab a cup of coffee and to chat with friends. Or a perfect way to end a date night!

Damn good mint chip ice cream. In fact, the mint is not your run of the mill, artificial green, all-​taste-​the-​same, frozen blob. The ice cream is light brown in color, has dark brown crumbles (they call them cocoa nibs) on top, and just so you know, it tastes like they used fresh mint out of my garden. Sensational! A scoop will make you want to fish around in your wallet for another $ 5 bill.
And let’s not forget the great side show, watching them make it while that nitrogen cloud poofs up in their face. Koo. well!
To my offspring, Mr. B Jr. who found this place: You were absolutely right! But hey, what can I say, that’s my boy (takes after his mother)! Glad we came.

Want to know how to be a sweet talker? Order the fruity flavors, like me.
Try the Grapefruit sorbet. It actually tastes like the actual Grapefruit.
The apple-​cider with salted caramel was actually too sweet and the ice cream became too diluted with the cider.
Would come back to try their other sorbet flavors.

my star rating 3.5.
service was really good. the staff was very nice and provided a lot of explanations and was super patient. everything is made fresh right in front of your very eyes.
history lesson:
augie coffee and a la minute owners are really good friends therefore they share the same space. in case you were wondering or were confused. they pride themselves in their fresh ingredients.
although there weren’t a huge list of flavor options i had mad trouble identifying what to order. staff informed us that we can forgo some ingredients that are listed on the ice cream if we wanted to. but what i have trouble with is if you put the ingredients up there and customers like it then i kinda want to try it. but of course that’s my issue. personally i wished that i was able to get half flavors so that i could try more flavors but of course that’s a lot of work on the staff and probably not cost efficient. i do like that they have unique flavors but just wished they had more flavors options that were a little more common.
ordered:
*chocolate lavendar– now this is the first time i ordered anything with lavender in it. i really wasn’t a fan. i felt like i had the spa in my mouth. because lavender usually is supposed to relax you and make you calm when you go to spa or when you get a massage. however it’s in my mouth. i got a medium which was $ 6 bucks and let’s just say i felt a little sick afterwards.
*fresh mint chip-​it tasted a bit airy. personally i’m not a fan of mint chip so i can’t give you a fair assessment of the mint chip. my coworkers said it was just okay.
*strawberry balsamic– the best out of the three flavors my coworkers and i tried. i probably would personally do without the balsamic.
tips:
*cash and credit card accepted
*indoor seating only
*street parking
*located in the claremont packing house.
*there are 2 other locations besides this one.
*you can get it to go but i hope you’re not driving too far because it melts pretty darn fast. (please see my pictures)
*they also have a few sorbet options if you prefer that instead.
*prices are a tad high but that’s probably because they make it with nitrogen.

Cool concept and a great newcomer (relatively, maybe I’m just old…) to my lovely hometown!
I must say the ice cream I had was very creamy, flavorful, and delicious. $ 5 for essentially a single scoop of ice cream, though? It’s a bit pricey when you have Yogurtland and 21 Choices right outside the Packing House. Nevertheless, sometimes, you just want to go for quality over quantity, and I can assure you this is the place for those occasional, but very worthwhile urges to enjoy some top-​notch ice cream.
I can see this place for anyone who’s sad and wants to eat their sorrows away with ice cream. To the Claremont Colleges students… failed an exam or didn’t get the courses you wanted? No worries, come here and have a feast. Just think about it, you’ll leave with your wallet so empty and yourself so much in debt that you won’t even remember what you were sad about or why you decided to come in the first place!
Jokes aside on the relative priciness, I liked the shared location with Augie’s Coffee, and I’m glad I finally found an awesome study spot in the Village! Mark my words, I will be back, but next time, I’ll be more mentally prepared to pay the price :)

À la minute serves some of the creamiest ice cream I’ve ever had. They make their ice creams using liquid nitrogen, and I think this is the only place in the Inland Empire that I know of that uses liquid nitrogen. There’s another ice cream place in Rowland Heights that uses liquid nitrogen to make ice, but that place is always packed.
For flavors, they offer the classics (chocolate, vanilla custard, mint chocolate chip) as well as some unique ones (vanilla with olive oil drizzle, strawberry balsamic, lemon custard, orange maple). Since they share the space with Auggie’s coffee, they also offer affragatos, and a toddy (cold brew coffee ice cream float).
Prices start at $ 5 for a small and affragatos/​toddy are $ 6 each.
This place has ample seating and a large table with outlets so you can you work/​study.
Phew! Now that we got the logistics out of the way! I ordered the mint chocolate chip and my bf ordered the toddy.
The mint chocolate chip was very refreshing, not at all overpowering in mint flavor. And no chocolate chips, more like bitter chocolate shavings. Great balance!
The toddy… genius! I never heard of a coffee float before but it was good! They were very generous with the ice cream.
If you’re ever in Claremont, be sure to stop by and give this place a try!

The custard is honestly to die for!!! The rich and creamy taste and subtle sweetness of the original custard takes your taste buds back to an old fashion time before all of the hipster artesian ice cream flavors when ice cream came in a single flavor versus fusion.
Parking is conveniently on the street, but on a busy day there is a structure next to it. On the first floor and in the same room as a coffee house, be sure not to get into the wrong line.
Also try the mint. Very very fresh! Offers a refreshing take on the original mint chocolate chip due to the airy mint effect from the fresh mint versus artificial!!! Very happy!!! Will definitely be back!!!

One of those gourmet-​artisan-​hipster ice cream places. They use liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream and they have unique flavors such as chocolate lavender, orange honey, strawberry balsamic etc.
I tried the salted caramel and it was the perfect balance of sweet & salty. It’s topped with sea salt and a caramel drizzle which gives it a nice touch.

This is located in the Claremont packing house and I was surprised and excited to discover this place when I walked in! I was mesmerized by their innovative techniques and menu and wanted to try everything on the menu. What is interesting about this place is that they use liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream in front of customers! Also, à la minute supports local businesses and everything is organic!
I really like their concept and I thought their flavors were interesting. What I ended up trying was their toddy float. I picked between affogato, a traditional Italian coffee based beverage, which is a scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso, and a toddy float, which I’ve never heard of before. It is basically a coffee float. They get their coffee right next to them at Auggie’s.
I actually thought what I ordered only deserves 3 stars. I thought the ice cream to coffee ratio was off because I only got to eat a couple of spoons of ice cream before it all melted. They also put chocolate chips on top, which was good at first until the ice cream melted. I ended up drinking a very milky and creamy cold brew. The concept is definitely on point but the execution wasn’t what I had imagined it to be. I will just try their other ice cream without coffee next time instead!
This place is nice to grab ice cream and/​or a cup of coffee to study or catch up on work. I would definitely be a regular if I still live in the area!

I’d been wanting to try one of those liquid nitrogen ice cream places and today (Sunday) was the day. We went around 5pm and there were a lot of people studying there. A little too loud for me to study. This place is a part of Auggie’s coffee shop. It kind of reminds me of Dripp.
I was curious about how the liquid nitrogen effected the ice cream. It tasted a lot creamier than normal ice cream. They have a lot of interesting flavors like olive oil vanilla and butternut squash black garlic. I chose the medium chocolate lavender flavor that’s topped with cacao nibs and honey. I didn’t taste the lavender at all, but the chocolate tasted good. I liked how the cacao nibs complimented the ice cream, without them I think it would have been a bit too sweet for me.
Pricing is as follows– Sm: $ 4, med: $ 5, leg: $ 7
I asked if you could split flavors in one size but they said I couldn’t…I guess it makes sense since they’re making the ice cream right there. You can see them make it which sounds a lot cooler than it actually is.

Legit ice cream!
Favorite flavors: espresso chip, mint chip, toddy float (cold brew + vanilla bean ice cream)
Other decent flavors: strawberry balsamic, orange honey
Smalls are $ 4 and mediums are $ 5 for a substantial amount more ice cream. Go for it! :)

Claremont, CA: Industrial modern, liquid nitrogen ice cream and local Augies Roast House coffee!
À la minute shares the shop space with local Riverside, CA roaster Augies. I initially was not aware of the shared spaces and had just bought a latte from a nearby coffee shop. This review is about my ice cream experience.
You place and pay for your purchase, starting at $ 4 for a 2 ounce dish. Then step to the right to watch your order being freshly prepared. The white mist of the liquid nitrogen freezing the mixture is quite a sight. Our small orders of Chocolate Lavender and Fresh Mint Chip were wonderful. They were rich and that small size was just right! My taste buds may have been dampened by the mocha latte I was sipping on just before coming in, as I found the lavender was overwhelmed by the chocolate flavoring.
My companion enjoyed her Mint Chip but thought that the production show was more entertaining than the resulting ice cream. I would like to return someday to try their strawberry balsamic flavor.