FRIDAY FIVE
Even if the fog mists on this year’s holiday-weekend parade, the most cynical among us will still be susceptible to a traditional summer craving: ice cream. On a good-weather day, a delicious scoop of ice cream sparkles in the sunshine, with San Francisco as its backdrop. On a foggy day, it still sparkles, because it serves as your only saving grace while you struggle to remember why you live in the coldest city in the country during the summer.
Good weather willing, the former will be your experience this weekend. Either way, you’re in for a treat, because ice cream shops in the city have some very quirky flavors on the market this summer. Just as San Francisco is crafty with basically every dish, ice cream is no exception.
Here are the best SF ice cream flavors this year:
1. Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee
Does it get any more SF bourgeois than eating ice cream that tastes like Blue Bottle coffee? We think not. First of all, Blue Bottle is a Bay Area staple. W. James Freeman founded the company in the early 2000s in Oakland. Since then, it’s become an international success. And Vietnamese coffee — pour-over served with sweetened condensed milk — is a hip SF trend at the moment. So it comes as no surprise that beloved ice cream shop Humphrey Slocombe combined the two into this concoction. While coffee-flavored ice cream is always good, it’s the hint of condensed milk in this version that will keep you coming back for more.
2790A Harrison Street (Mission) | humphryslocombe.com
2. Avocado
Is there anything more California than a perfectly sliced avocado? The whole world knows that this corner of the earth is obsessed with avos. And now that obsession permeates our ice cream palates too. The brains behind the treat is Mitchell’s Ice Cream, a shop located in the Mission that’s known for its homemade ice cream, which goes far beyond traditional. Oh, and the avocados are imported from the Philippines.
688 San Jose Avenue (Mission) | mitchellsicecream.com
3. Balsamic Strawberry
San Francisco is known for its food scene, partly because chefs and restaurateurs in the city are bold in the way that they approach flavor pairings. It appears as if the ice cream scene has followed suit. This summer, Bi-Rite Market has a perfect summer flavor on its menu: Balsamic Strawberry. It sounds like a salad, but it’s dessert, described as “bright, juicy, organic strawberries…roasted with Bi-Rite Balsamic Vinegar.”
3639 18th Street (Mission) | biritemarket.com
4. Vegan Spiced Chai
Once upon a time, you weren’t cool unless you sipped on chai. Chai lattes took over San Francisco a couple of years back, but this summer, it could be all about Spiced Chai ice cream. You’ll find it at Garden Creamery in the Mission, and to turn up the SF factor, it’s completely vegan. The flavor is 100-percent plant-based sorbet, made with coconut milk and agave nectar.
3566 20th Street (Mission) |gardencreamery.com
5. Christmas in July
We may be six months from Christmas, but Smitten Ice Cream’s new flavor gives you the chance to “spread a little holiday cheer.” According to its website, the flavor is peppermint-infused ice cream with house-made chocolate chips to make “the summer months a little merrier.” We can get down with that.
432 Octavia Street, #1A (Hayes Valley) | smittenicecream.com
