The Ice Cream Bar

Yummy milkshakes! a little crowded need to wait for a seat. they let you mix two flavors together which is awesome!

This place is great, but I wouldn’t come here for the ice cream. The floats and soda is what I think makes this place special, despite the name. That isn’t to say the ice cream is bad — it’s good, but nothing special; if you had to choose between a soda and ice cream, the soda wins.
Things are a bit pricy here, expect to spend around $ 19+ for your beverage, but I think it’s worth it just for the experience. The soda jerks make you feel as if you’re in a 1920s movie. They make all drinks from scratch, and you can’t really go wrong with any. The orange creamsicle is delicious, ginger beer is refreshing, and any of their shaken «malt» drinks are a good option!
I’m definitely coming back here the next time I’m in the area.

The Ice Cream Bar is delightful. I love that if you order «for here» they serve the scoops in little metal dishes that remind me of my grandmother, and the ice cream sodas in fancy tall glasses like something you’d see in an old movie. My husband and my friend ordered theirs on cones and both could not stop talking about how great the cone was. We asked about the recipe– they make them fresh and basically it’s just butter and cornmeal. My friend desribed it as eating ice cream from a hot fresh corn muffin.
My root beer float tasted like real «root» with a slightly licorice after taste, more like a sarsaparilla. It had toasted marshmallow fluff on top which was a bit too sweet for me, but such a beautiful touch.
We didn’t try any of their real food, but I wish we had. The menu said the sandwiches were served on fresh house made buns, and it all looked delicious.
Also, unlike many places in this area, they let customers use the bathroom, which is actually kind of important.

I write this review on behalf of my children. So, if you believe what a 8 and a 10 year old’s options, read on…
When we walked in, we didn’t see any other children, probably because it was kind of late in the evening. My children thought the retro décor is interesting, it’s something they’re not familiar with, we had to give them a little history lesson on 1930’s or 50’s. The ice cream guys are dressed in white uniforms and army styled caps with bow ties. Our kids were staring at them for a while before they decided on vanilla AGAIN. It seems like that’s the only thing they like.
I honestly don’t think they can tell the difference between the ice cream here and Dreyer’s, but they both said «excellent»!

Customize your soda or get something from the menu. Definitely never came to a place like this before.
The ice cream selection might not be huge but it’s more than enough. Possibly the best banana flavored ice cream I ever had. The coconut ice cream which I believe is vegan was phenomenal. It had more coconut flavor than the actual coconut itself if that makes sense. I’m always pleased to see cherry ice cream too! :). The hot fudge sundaes are a great deal. Two generous scoops of your choice with lots of almonds. They don’t go stingy here with the nuts! I wonder if I can select the flavors for the banana split cause as good as it was. I only cared for the cherry flavor and not so much the vanilla or milk chocolate which was still good to try that came with it. They caramelized the banana ! Fancy lol…
This is 2^nd time I came here actually and every time I came with different ppl but everyone loved it. I really like the décor and atmosphere of the place. Relaxing, friendly, and a good place to take a date for dessert or maybe some alcoholic dessert drinks!
Can’t wait to go back!

The flavors of their ice cream are strong and delicious, only complaint is that it’s not creamy enough.
Coming here though I just knew I had to get a sundae! I got a scoop of their caramelized honey and one of the banana pudding with hot fudge and toffee pieces… oooooooooooooooooooooooh good lord this was one of the best sundaes I’ve ever had! The toffee felt and tasted like pieces of heaven, so glad I went with this! Fudge was delicious as well, just can’t get over their generous portion of perfectly buttery and smooth toffee though.
Place gets pretty busy but we were able to grab a table. Sister got a cookie sandwich and said it was hard to eat (they did give her a plate) but pretty good. Service was friendly and patient as we sampled away.
I would definitely come back here to try some more sundaes and specialty drinks. Great place for family and friends to gather for some dessert!

I passed by this place and decided to try spontaneously because ice cream on a summer day is always a good idea. I’m a fan of their retro vibe and the fact that there are plenty of room to sit down to enjoy the ice cream. Also, this place changed my ice cream experience because I had my first crème fraîche here and it is pretty freaking phenomenal. How can an ice cream be so decadent yet so fresh at the same time? I actually had cravings for it right after I get it and the next day I went to Bi-​Rite in search for that perfect ice cream flavor again. Also, definitely try their waffle cone!
Thanks the guy who helped for letting me be the obnoxious customer who wanted to try ALLL the flavors. Also, thanks for not kicking me out for having an annoying dog who wanted everyone’s attention. I have to say, it was a successful ice cream experience!

Usually my ice cream outings are pre-​planned but I’m down for ice cream any time so when my friend and I passed by this place we decided to give it a shot. Good thing we walked by the place because from the look of it there’s not exactly a lot of parking in the area (mainly street parking). Ice cream is around 4.5 stars. I got the basil and the crème fraîche which went really well together. The texture isn’t as good as some places but by no means bad.
The service was average. One employee didn’t seem very friendly while another one was. There is a good amount of seating inside but mostly bar style. The interior has a retro look to it that’s very cute. I’d definitely like to come back if I’m in the area.

I frequent ice cream bar as often as my diet allows. It’s such a gem. The ambiance is great and the best part is watching them make their old fashioned shakes and floats. It’s at the back counter. The shakes are amazing! They use licorice and other basic ingredients. The malts are great and shaken with egg. My favorite was the orange Creamsicle tasting drink. They also have some alcoholic drinks, as well!
The other day I got ice cream… they recommended the butterscotch, banana pudding, and the mint chip. I was sold on the mint chip. It was more on the creamy vanilla than mint side.
One day I’ll have tried the whole menu. Definitely a place to stop if you’re visiting San Francisco. Do it.

YESSSSSSSSS! PUMPKIN PIE ICE CREAM PLEAAAAASE.
Seriously could it be creamier, tastier, more thanksgiving-​y? Nope it’s as good as it gets. Hangin in cole valley and looking for an afternoon sweet treat/​dessert/​ice cream place? Don’t think and hit this spot. It’s amazing. All fellow cole valley neighbors will agree to that.
Can fall last forever? Please. I need to have this ice cream every day.

Toting one of the only old-​fashioned soda fountains in the city, The Ice Cream Bar has more to offer than scoops of creamy bliss. I like to think that they offer the best of both worlds, namely their awesome root beer float! With the trifecta of their vanilla ice cream, cold-​brewed sassafras root beer, and a torched toasted marshmallow, the treat is not only delicious but unique.
It’s incredibly easy to walk in for a scoop of ice cream and bounce, but their sodas are seriously worth a try! It’s fun to watch them handcraft creative and cool drinks while you anxiously watch, perched on the little bar stools. I don’t know about you, but wild cherry phosphates, blackstrap molasses malts, and Guinness stout caramelized honey ice cream floats sound good to me!
Many of their ingredients are locally sourced and everything is made in house. I’ll admit, The Ice Cream Bar doesn’t have the most memorable ice cream, but it is still very good. Their soda fountain is what really makes them over-​the-​top special though. They have friendly service, average prices, and difficult parking. This place can get super crowded at night and they have limited seating. It can look seemingly disorganized at first glance, but they do have a number system to keep the mob in check, so make sure you grab a ticket when you walk in! Great place for a date and a popular neighborhood spot!

I love it here.
Makes me feel nostalgic for a time when I wasn’t even born yet.
The deets…
All the soda fountain favorites… sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, etc.
It’s more soda fountain than ice cream parlor. The ice cream flavors are very limited.
They make soda from scratch.
Soda from scratch!
They do a great milkshake.
They do adult milkshakes, too.
They do food. Surprisingly good food.
I don’t know about you, but I get happy when I see mandarin orange olive oil ice cream.
Very happy.
A great spot.
4 stars.

What a cute neighborhood gem! I don’t know what’s taken me so long to get here!
Everyone is dressed like a 50’s soda jerk — loved that. The menu is extensive as far as what you can get. I did like the fact that I could have boozey shakes. I actually went with a warm brownie sundae instead and it did not disappoint.
The brownies were amazing! Warm, fudgey, soft and chewy, ugghhh my definition of a perfect brownie. I really loved the blueberry & cream ice cream. The caramel on my sundae was also tasty.
The inside has a couple of small tables and bar seating.
2 small tables outside, so if it’s a warm sunny day sit out there!

Alcoholic milkshakes?!
I recalled taking my bestie here back earlier this year for celebrating her birthday. Thought it’d be fun to try some boozy shakes.
The look of the place was definitely retro & cute with the staff dressed up in old school ice cream parlor type of outfits/​hats.

This is an old fashioned ice cream parlor that serves a yummy vegan dark chocolate sorbet, changing hand-​scooped ice cream flavors, sodas, sundaes, shakes, AND alcoholic shakes.
The atmosphere definitely makes the experience. This isn’t a fast food ice cream shop, so expect a bit of a wait. You grab a ticket with a number at the counter and wait for your number to be called– usually no more than 10 minutes. Worth the wait!
Hoping to up this place to 5 stars but unfortunately the past couple of times I’ve been the staff has been unfriendly, short and memorably rude. That aside, they’ve got a great thing going here.

Atmosphere — ⁵⁄₅ — Old fashioned 1930s feel.
Ice creams — ³⁄₅ — Tried passion fruit, banana pudding and coconut milk dark chocolate almond (vegan). A bunch of sundaes have made the 7×7 list the past few years. Although the ice creams were decent, I would probably skip them and get sodas in the future.
Custom sodas — ⁵⁄₅ — Cream one was great. Would like to try many others in the future.
Overall, sodas and atmosphere are «as good as it gets.»

Yum Yumm! I loveeeee the atmosphere of the Ice Cream Bar! It’s got a retro feel to it, with all the workers looking like they stepped out of the 50’s, complete with little hats. You have your typical ice cream bar at the front (fridges where workers scoop out your ice cream for you), but in the back there’s this cool little bar that seats around 5 – 6 where the bartender can whip up some awesome stuff for you. My friends and I decided to stick to the latter and get some different things!
From the menu I saw, there were alcoholic ice cream concoctions, malts, house-​made sodas, freshly made rootbeer floats, etc. Within our group of friends, we had the ginger soda (freshly made on the spot), the Too Good to be True, and a root beer float.
All three were top notch! The ginger soda was refreshing and light, and definitely quenched my thirst. The Too Good to be True was AMAZING. We watched the guy make this, and it was definitely interesting. This milkshake concoction had molasses, butterscotch, malted cream, and TWO EGGS. What. Blended altogether, this tasted creamy, sweet, and absolutely delicious. A little bit pricey, but definitely worth it for a treat! Root beer float was pretty normal, the root beer wasn’t too strong (which is a plus in my book), but it was cool watching him make it!
Oh, and side note, i’m not sure if its the night we went or all the time, but the inside of this place is HOT. No ventilation, so don’t expect to stay there long without feeling like you’re in a sauna!

Want to live life like the 1950’s? Well welcome to The Ice Cream Bar!
If you haven’t been, ITS DEFINITLY A MUSTTTT!!! This place has been on my bookmark list for a LONG time and I finally was able to cross it off my list when I came with a group of friends after brunch.
It’s a cute little spot with an Ice Cream Bar in the back! It comes with a 1930’s décor feel to it with a vintage ice-​cream bar and soda fountain. I feel in love with it when I first walked in! They call the workers Soda Jerks which is such a throw-​back word but I love it! The employees are dressed like «soda jerks» of the ’40’s and 50’s. White uniforms and army styled caps with bow ties. They also have a juke box which plays songs from the ’40’s!
The ice cream is made fresh daily and comes in many different variety of flavors. Many unique flavors as well as the more traditional ones.
They make tons of different deserts in here from: Ice Cream on a cone, Root beer floats, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Milkshakes and Malts. They also have soup and sandwiches. Owe Wee my sweet tooth is jumping and kicking just thinking about it!
If you haven’t been here you have to come and experience this spot!
My sweet tooth looks forward to coming to the Ice Cream Bar! I’ll definitely be back VERY soon!

How I lived in the Bay Area not knowing about Ice Cream Bar, I do not know. I love ice cream and I love cocktails, and here the twain does meet and the result, delightful concoctions that will surprise and wow you!
From the moment we walked in, I instantly fell in love with the 1930s décor. I walked past the ice cream and sat by the lunch counter toward the back and perused the menu. The menu is pretty impressive. They have «Lunch Counter» sandwiches, Sodas, Floats, Sundaes, Malts and Milkshakes, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Remedies which are specifically for people of a certain age (21 & over folks). I was particularly interested in Remedies.
After looking at all the choices, I chose the Dublin Honey – Guinness Stout, Caramelized Honey Ice Cream, Valrhona Chocolate Syrup, and a float of Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port. It was delicious! All the flavors went well together and it really didn’t taste that boozy. Th Stout and Port blended so well with the chocolate and ice cream. I am so excited to try their other «Remedies.»
I did have a chance to try one other remedy as one person in our group ordered one. She ordered the Royal Red Milkshake. It had Duchesse de Bourgogne Flemish Red Ale, sherry, Morello Cherry Ice Cream and Turbinado Syrup. Again, another delicious concoction that I might just order next time we visit.
After having my remedy, I really did not have room for ice cream. I did try the Basil Ice Cream which was a nice green color. Very interesting. The ice cream counter lady told me that it would be perfect eaten with a scoop of Strawberry or Cherry ice cream. Of course! Strawberry and Basil are a classic combination. I’ve made a Strawberry Basil Gin cocktail at home before and it was a nice cocktail.
This place is definitely not your mother’s or grandmother’s soda fountain or lunch counter. Check out their menu and you will intrigued and enticed. I plan to go again soon!

Mmm when i imagine an ice cream shop, I imagine something very cute and quaint. The atmosphere, with the retro chairs and décor, definitely gave me that feeling. That’s one star awarded to The Ice Cream Bar.
But the servers didn’t seem enthusiastic or happy. I know I shouldn’t have expected so much but I associate ice cream with happiness and they just seemed really dull. It was a holiday and the store was pretty empty. I had called ahead to make sure that they were open. I called and said something along the line of «hello, i was wondering if you guys were open today and since you answered, I’m assuming you guys are!» and all I had was a flat reply of «yup.»
The same attitude when I came in, just dull and not cheery. It didn’t seem like the servers wanted to engage us in any kind of interaction. The only glimpse of hope was when the male server made me a ginger ale. He was slightly distant but didn’t pull back at conversation when I asked questions. There was just so much history in this store, I just expected to be warped in for something amazing.
It was fun to watch the ginger ale being made and it definitely tasted real compared to Canada Dry but it’s not enough for me to want to revisit the shop on my own. The basil ice cream was unique and yummy, but it’s not going to be a favorite flavor of mine any time soon.

Je né suis pas tellement sucré, mais là je doit reconnaître que je suis tombé sous le charme !!
De plus l’ambiance rétro est vraiment bien réussie.

Leur milkshake n’est pas un milkshake, c’est un nectar tout droit sortie de l’Olympe ! C’est à dire que c’est tellement bon et tellement intense comme goût qu’il faut faire des pauses entre deux gorgées pour pouvoir reprendre ses esprits ! C’est à ce point !
Niveau service c’est impeccable, j’y suis allée alors que c’était bondé et le serveur a pris le temps de me conseiller et de me montrer toutes les options que je pouvais prendre sans lait de vache. Je m’attendais à un truc un peu bof et en fait que nenni, c’était DINGUE ! Mon pote a pris le «Too Good To Be True» qui était bien bon aussi !
La déco american-​retro, la tenue des serveurs et serveuses et le côté mixologie version milkshake valent aussi le détour !