Bombay Ice Cream

I would have totally missed Bombay Ice Cream if it wasn’t for their little sign by a walkway! It is right next to a laundromat, and completely almost under the freeway. It is not your ideal location for an ice cream shop, but Bombay was the first on my list of my ice cream hopping adventure in the Mission District.
The ice cream shop is also an Indian market and it was so much fun perusing around all their products! After carefully looking at their ice cream flavors, I chose Rose Petals and Rose Cardamom. The Rose Petal was decadent with shriveled rose petals infused in the ice cream. I completely fell in love with it! It was very creamy in texture and it was very refreshing from your original heavy classic traditional ice cream flavors. The Rose Cardamom ice cream stayed true to its name, and if you love cardamom, then this ice cream will more than satisfy your cravings.
The staff was very friendly, the location was very odd, and parking is impossible! P. S. they even have fresh baked samosas! Always a nice little touch after a sweet treat.

I think everyone wants to like this place, especially given its sad location and how nice staff are. And possibly everyone has low standards for ice cream. I tried many of their flavors and the chicku (tropical fruit) ice cream was decent, while the coconut got grosser. You get huge scoops. Since it starts tasting super sugary and gets really melty, you don’t really want the huge portions. The consistency is just not right.
Bombay doesn’t compare to the explosion of ice cream shops around the city with their own interesting flavors, or even Double Rainbow or Dreyer’s.
The woman running the shop is very friendly… four stars for her.

(See pics)
Review #1087.
They moved from the busy Valencia Street to the more secluded Van Ness off and underneath the highway. The shop is built and sectioned more practical than aesthetically eye candy pleasing.
The new name is better as ice cream is really one of their major signatures. Some of my favorites are raja rani, Chiku (tropical fruit), falooda, cardamon, cardamon rose, etc.
Also, this hidden shop serves hot lunch (usually 3 choices) that were home cooked and brought in) that came with rice, naan and some vegetable salad. I had the chicken curry and it was pretty good. They do run out of 2 of 3 dishes when I got there before 1pm but they had warm and spicy samosas that were good.
If you are into cooking, you will find fresh curry leaves, lots of cooking ingredients, rice, spices, and a few shawls here.
They are such a nice friendly family that you can see them rotate on the days.

This place is hidden you would never know it exists unless you are actually looking for it. Its near the freeway and its at a corner that is semi hidden. I came to try to the mango rose ice cream and chiku. Both were absolutely amazing! the chiku is a fruity flavored ice cream, its really hard to describe because it is so good and sweet. As for mango rose, it tastes like mangos with a splash of rose. Definitely would come back here to try more ice cream. A unique gem indeed!

One of the disadvantages of living close, but not that close, to a city like San Francisco is that usually SF has so much more variety … especially when it comes to food. It’s the cause of much lamenting and gnashing of teeth. Really.
But Indian food? We’re surrounded by it down here in the South Bay. So at first glance, this looks like a kind of small Indian grocery, with a kind of small Indian ice cream shop in the back.
They do have a few parking spots out front.
We made it up there just under the wire — they close around 7pm. Actually closer to 6:30pm in practice. We were their last customers of the night, and the guy behind the counter was plenty friendly.
A couple freezers filled with attractive looking ice cream. Aside from more normal flavors, they have some things like rose petal, rose-​mango, falooda (rose syrup and vermicelli) and chiku (fruity). And that’s what we got. $ 5 for two scoops.
They are more or less happy to sample flavors, though they don’t have actual sample spoons.
The rose petal had a much more complex flavor than the other rose ice creams, which were made with a flavored syrup. Textures ranged from somewhat icy to somewhat chewy. I thought it was all pretty good, though I got a little overdosed on the whole rose thing.
My companion claims it pales in comparison to what we have back down south … I suppose I’m going to have to do some more research and find out if that’s true.

I’ve heard about this place for a while so I made a trip just to get ice cream from here.
It’s kind of a ways away, but it’s a cute little place. It doesn’t look like much, but it sells Indian groceries. The guy working that time I went was also quite nice. He was very helpful and accommodating. I feel like I should have left him a bigger tip because he was so sweet.
I was only there for the ice cream though. I got two scoops: one cardamom and one falooda (fried rice noodles, basil seeds, rose). The ice cream is pretty good. Although the colors and overall appearance of some don’t look impressive, it’s not that bad. I approve of the variety of Indian flavors they have. This is the only place I know of that sells those types of flavors.
I like this place. I would go back.

After having a double take when passing up the huge red and yellow ‘Bombay Ice Creamery’ signage while driving by, I knew I had to turn the car around to see what it was all about. Afterall, I’ve never heard of an Indian Ice Creamery before. What I do know is that I’m a huge fan of Indian food and flavors.
So, I parked my car, hopped out and walked up to the door. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not just a place where they hand out a few scoops of ice cream, but rather an actual Indian grocery store at that. I was greeted at the counter and although I knew I was there for the ice cream, I couldn’t help walking through the aisles and looking over all the exotic Indian items placed throughout the tiny grocery store.
After looking around for a bit, I walked on over to the ice cream station to check out the different flavors. I decided to go with two different flavors; a pint of the Pistachio and Cardamom ice cream. At checkout, I also decided to pick up some packaged Indian sweets, as they were recommended by the man at the counter. He emphasized that the packaged sweets were really really good and I have to admit, it actually was extremely good! It was made with ghee and ground almonds if I remember correctly. As for the ice cream, it was sweet, refreshing, and had interesting spice flavor.
This place seems like it doesn’t get much traffic so definitely show it some love and try out an ice cream scoop or two.

BB probably deserves three stars for Indian groceries and homemade ice cream, but the owner’s policies leave much to be desired. The Groupon deal expired and they’re supposed to still supposed to give you the face value (what you paid), but they refuse to do so.
The selection of groceries isn’t as good as other Bay Area Indian grocery stores but it could be because they’re about to move again (back to their old location). They carry tea, flour, spices, pickles, jams, lassi mix, snacks, Thums Up, and non food items (saris, jewelry, incense, henna, stickers). They have freezers for frozen food (not ice cream), but they’re empty. The snack/​chaat section didn’t look like it was open but it was hard to tell.
As for their ice cream, they were out of half the flavors, including most of the Indian ones (falooda, cardamom, fig, pistachio). They have traditional flavors too, like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry cookies n’ cream, rocky road, etc. The rainbow sherbet looked murky and unattractive.
* Rose ice cream — creamy, floral, unnaturally pink color, interesting, not too airy, not bad, pleasant but very sweet
* Samosa — light shell that wasn’t crispy at all, well stuffed with potatoes, peas, etc. No dipping sauce provided.
They haven’t done much to make the space attractive (granted it’s a temporary location, but the same is true for their original location on Valencia).

This is one of the randomest places I’ve ever found through Unilocal and I’m grateful for it! Stopped by during a mega sf ice cream sampling. You can barely see it because it’s parallel to 101 and has 4 parking spaces in front with a nonexistent façade, but that shouldn’t deter you from trying this place! They have the common flavors, but also more interesting ones like fig, cardamom and cardamom rose.
Cardamom rose is the way to go! The ice cream is surprisingly light for its apparent creaminess. The cardamom flavor really lingers while the rose subtly surprises you with each bite. Interested to try the saffron flavor when they have it!

The Cardamon and Rose flavored ice creams have to be the best I’ve ever tasted. This ice cream place is small but knows what it’s doing when it comes to serving up some exotic flavors from ’round the world.
Although I can’t say Bombay is my favorite ice cream shoppe, it is one I would go to in order to try some ice cream that packs a punch. The flavors offered here are not average by any means, and constantly leave you wondering «I should have tried that other flavor too…»

Fans of Bombay’s rose petal ice cream can rejoice! Bombay ice cream is back, at a new location.
With the same eclectic combination shop
of Indian women’s clothing (sari), grocery,
Indian ice cream and snacks.
It shares the building with Lost Art Salon (3^rd floor, antiques),
around the corner from shuttered Western Tool Supply, and just a block away from Walzwerks (East German eatery).
The menu is limited at this temporary location. Find tubs of ice cream in a freezer near the entrance,
prices: 1 pint = $ 4.95, 1 quart = $ 8.95; Current flavors in stock are: rose petal (aka. gulkand), black walnut, falooda, mango, green tea, pista-​almonds, cardamon, cardamon rose, butter-​pecan, St. Lemon cheese, marble fudge, and chiku (a tropical fruit, misspelled as chicoo on the label).
And samosas next to the register, for $ 1.25 each.
The owner told me that additional savory snacks (chaat) are available on weekends. And they plan to return to the Valencia street location when repairs/​renovations are completed, in about 6 – 7 months. — **Update: moving back no longer an option, since Woodhouse Fish Co. owner has acquired their old space, for restaurant to be called Mohave.
Parking is very limited in this area, but there are 4 free (not metered) spaces in front of the store. Cash only.
Hours: daily 10am-​7pm
*******************************************
Notes: I recently found that my BIC reviews, when the place closed (11÷18÷10) and later the new location (5÷3÷11) have been moved together.
Some people don’t understand that Unilocal is not Facebook. In my opinion, when a business closes and months later opens another shop elsewhere, should have 2 separate Unilocal pages. Because that business needs to earn a fresh star ratings for that new location.
Yes, the ice cream names are the same. But the menu choices are now very limited (for example, no special drinks), and prices are different. The +400 reviews of the past don’t provide any insight about the new location. All reviews from 2010 and before are now useless, and only a few new pictures are applicable.

Yeah, I was pretty sad when I heard this place close. There were some really nasty/​questionable flavors, like green tea, there. Sure, there was the stupid tasting limit.
But their cardamom rose and theiri mango rose… mmmmmmmmmm damn. I still think about it.
Come back?

OMG! I wish we had a Kulfi shop in Philly.
The Mango and Pistachio Kulfi (rich Indian-​style ice cream) is so good — and they have alot of exotic flavors. I wish they made the Cashew raisin without raisin. I love Cashews!
Oh — and Lassi, too. My little girl adores Lassis.
What a neat place. Perfect for San Francisco!

I want to keep it simple because there isn’t much to say.
Bombay Ice Creamery has some of the best ice cream I have ever eaten in my entire life. Not in terms of shear sweetness or intricateness with random chunks of this and that infused into it. It’s amazing because it is unique, fragrant, and flavorful.
I think this place is an Indian restaurant part time? I really don’t know, it looks and maybe smells that way. I personally didn’t know Indian people made good ice cream. It’s simply not something I associate with each other. That being said, I almost wish this place was a chain because it’s unfortunate that it’s exclusive ONLY to San Francisco. So as beautiful and as wonderful Southern California is, a Bombay Ice Creamery would make it better.
I had Jasmine and Rose and it was like kissing an angel. You could taste and smell the essence of the rose, I don’t know how they did it. It was refreshing and pleasant. The jasmine was calming and sweet. I have never had any kind of dessert like this.
My biggest gripe? I remember it being really pricey. It’s as if they created this dessert for the gods. But it’s lovely, and if you want a great way to finish a meal or to treat yourself, come here.

What I love is the fact that there is something for everyone…
flavors ranging from good ol’ American, to Asian, to Persian, to (of course) Indian (cardamom flavors!)… now that is totally cool. That floats my boat… plus, it can get rather hot walking at a clip from the BART station and nipping in/​out of places if you’re a curious cat, like moi.
Reading through a few friends’ reviews, I have to agree on a lot of points. The novelty at this location lies in the fact that the spectrum of available flavors is pretty spectacular:
Rose Petal (huge in Iran)
Almond Saffron Pistachio (another biggie)
Taro
Black Sesame
Blueberry Cheesecake
Pink Banana
they allow a customer to sample 2 flavors…$ 4.95 for a double
I finally decided upon the Almond Saffron and the Taro.
Unlimited toppings – I’d highly recommend the slivered almonds and ground peanuts. nice touch. The ice cream here is indeed icier than, say, Bi-​Rite creamery. Still though, there is definitely a smooth finish and creamy enough for me. My chosen flavors came through very well. In addition, the servings are much, much larger here, and the variety outshines. Artisan creations over there, ethnic varieties over here!
I also adore very much the fact that the line was non-​existent. enough help to service several customers simultaneously.
Chaat offerings can also be found here, like samosas and cholle puri, that sort of thing.
Zero ambiance here; it’s bare-​bones business and a bit unkempt, but come for the right reason if you’re making Bombay your destination.
Bazaar next door.
PS If you’re going to order more than one flavor, I’d recommend you asking them to put the flavor you’d like to have a larger portion of in FIRST, as they use plastic party cups that hold about 6 oz., and the latter flavor always gets the shaft!

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time now, so I skipped dessert after brunch at Bar Tartine across the street and came over for some ice cream.
They have the largest selection of any ice cream store I have ever seen — 56 on display! — and the most strict tasting policy I have ever encountered. A whole store full of intriguing sounding flavors, no people waiting in line behind you, and the inability to make an informed decision because you can’t try all the flavors you’re considering — sad times.
They limit you to 2 samples per person. They give them to you on full-​sized plastic spoons (boo to their environmental friendliness) and the samples that I got were literally ¹⁄₅ of a spoon — so stingy! I was actually wondering if they were so stringent on their sampling because of the huge amount of money they are wasting on plastic spoons, but after receiving such teeny tiny samples, I’m now more inclined to think that they just don’t want to give anything away for free.
I ended up with a scoop of the butterscotch and nothing else.
Note to Bombay: if you had allowed me to taste more than 2 flavors, I most likely would’ve spent more money and gotten a double. Don’t be so cheap.
The ice cream was good and I like the variety of flavors they have (taro and black sesame in particular), but I just get an uncomfortable feeling being in this place. I don’t see any reason to come here instead of Bi-​Rite unless it’s to avoid the line.

Rose petal ice cream, I love you.
I am someone who can never pass up ice cream and while I absolutely love ice cream, I’ve never tried anything that ever blew my mind quite like rite aid’s cherry chip– that is until I tried rose petal ice cream! It’s soft and creamy with actual rose petals inside! I also tried the banana nut and it was also amazingly soft and creamy. I love the ice cream here so much that I actually had a dream about it’s creaminess last night. If I could have it my way– I would’ve had ice cream for breakfast this morning!

I took LA Unilocalers Anthony N and Valerie C on an ice cream tour in San Francisco and was pleasantly surprised that Bombay is now serving Taro ice cream! I gave it a shot along with a scoop of Falooda ($ 4.95), and the taro flavor was off the charts! It was not as Unilocalalicious as what I had experienced in Taiwan, but sure beats the heck out of Fosselman’s and Marco Polo taro gelato. To add to the wow factor was a deep, creamy full body finish that was hard to beat. Previously fellow Unilocaler Jonathan W had recommended me to get a scoop Falooda and the combination of rice noodles, basil seeds, and rose syrup embedded in ice cream was mouthfuls of deliciousness too. I also tried Anthony’s scoop of Ginger ice cream and the experience was sharp and creamy but the flavor was not as good as the one at Saffron and Rose.
What was challenging to the overall experience was their sample policy which limits each customer to only two flavors. Even though both flavors panned out quite well for this visit, such policy can also prevent others from making an informed decision if the samples don’t live up to expectations. Lei B, BB, Chang L and all taro lovers, their taro ice cream has your name written all over! 5 stars for the taro update but their stingy sample policy dampened the overall experience and puts them at a clear disadvantage when compared to all the ice creameries nearby.

Lately Ive been searching for places with Unique ice cream flavors, I love ice cream but there are more flavors out there than coffee and mint chip. (Danny L. :P) So why not live a little and try flavors you can’t just get at your local safeway. I came here after having dinner with May C, Danny L, Karen Y and Marti L at Esperpento.
After perusing the menu and gawking at the different flavors with Marti L, I decided that Falooda was the most unique flavor i could try. Falooda ice cream has rice noodles, basil seeds and it gets its pink color from the rose syrup that is put in it. If you know me, I love noodles so why not! In the ice cream itself there are little noodle bits which at first Marti and I thought were the Basil seeds but later told by Daniel that they were indeed noodles. Very interesting and unique flavor, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Things to note:
2 sample limit (I am guessing its because their ice cream has ingredients which are expensive, can’t give out too much)
CASH ONLY!

We hit Bombay sixth in the Ice Cream Walk of the Damned.
Ice Cream Texture: ³⁄₅. Not much butterfat, tasted more like ice milk
Flavor Variety: ³⁄₅. Xanath’s saffron was better than Bombay’s saffron pistachio, which left us digging for the pistachio nuggets and discarding the ice cream. Rosewater Cardamom was nice. No kheer rice pudding flavor? They have about 10 interesting Indian flavors but also about 30 flavors which seem ordered out of a food supply catalog. I’d stick to the usual flavors recommended on Unilocal.
Customers: Indian folks, missionites who don’t like lineups and want a samosa with their milkshake
Strengths: Indian flavors
Cons: Non-​Indian flavors

My mom just got me this really good smelling rose shower gel so I was dying to taste the rose ice cream. It tasted just like my shower smelled. I also had the sesame ice cream which was a little weak compared to all the sesame dessert soups I’ve had before. The rose petal ice cream actually had dried rose petals in it, but the ice cream itself was also a little too weak. The star wars flavor looked out of this world, but we saw through its deception after a taste for it was just vanilla with marshmallows. Too bad. It was also too bad that we went on a day that they ran out of chai ice cream, but at least now I know that the flavors on their website are not all inclusive! They have way more flavors than what is listed.
There are 3 different lassi ice cream flavors:
salted lassi
sweet lassi
mango lassi
There are also 3 or 4 different rose ice cream flavors:
rose
rose petal
cardamom rose
saffron rose
I know my choices for next time:
honeydew + lychee
OR
chai + kesar + bedam
The guy who served my ice cream either needed to wear a glove or cut his nails. I’m just glad I did not get a cone. Good thing he gave me huge scoops, so huge that I was very afraid. I finished though! Another guy served my friend and he got smaller scoops, but obliged to give more when my friend pointed out my order. You have to speak up to get what you want boy!
A minus for vacuuming right next to us.
This has happened one too many times for me.
A minus for ice cream that was too soft and melty. It should’ve been more frozen, especially with me being a slow eater.