The Ohio-based brand known as one of the country’s leading artisan ice cream producers has finally opened a scoop shop in San Diego where its premium pints and scoops include bestsellers like Brambleberry Crisp, Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks, and Gooey Butter Cake as well as more limited flavors ranging from Homemade Banana Bread to Powdered Jelly Donut.

Lick into a scoop of artisanal ice cream at this family-run shop in Encinitas’ Lumberyard Shopping Center and get a free regular or gluten-free mini cookie with each ice cream purchase. There, everything — from the caramel to the cookie dough — is made from scratch using organic, local ingredients. Vegan options with coconut and cashew milk are also available, plus gluten-free waffle cones.

The “farm-to-pint” ice cream brand was born out of Rancho Santa Fe’s legendary Chino Farm, where it’s sold at its farmstand Wednesday through Sunday. Made in small batches, the Alice Waters-approved ice cream comes in hyper-seasonal flavors, showcasing produce from the famed North County farm as well as other locally-sourced ingredients.

While the classic menu and house-made waffle cones are available year-round, keep your eyes peeled for seasonal flavors from the Portland-based ice cream chain like the flower power series with flavors like saffron and honey with real flower petals.

Woman-owned, Kula is known for its vegan and gluten-free delights sold at its Sorrento Mesa shop. Make-your-own ice cream sandwiches along with sample trays where you can try multiple flavors are on the menu and, lo and behold, dog-friendly ice cream, too.

With scoop shops in downtown La Jolla as well as Little Italy, this gelateria specializes in all the classic Italian flavors, from stracciatella to pistachio, but it also makes seasonal and specialty concoctions (including vegan options) that might include rosewater and honey, charcoal vanilla, and banana and dulce de leche.

For a swirl of creamy soft-serve ice cream in a fish-shaped waffle cone, visit the Convoy, Mira Mesa or UTC locations where picture-worthy ice cream is guaranteed. Each ah-boong or Korean waffle cone comes with a choice of filling, including red bean and Nutella, that is topped off with soft-serve flavors ranging from ube and black sesame to milk tea. 

A beloved family-run shop in Adams Avenue, Mariposa holds a slew of awards and accolades earned over the last two decades for its homemade ice cream with no eggs. Several rotating seasonal flavors are found alongside a long list of classics, like coconut almond fudge and Mexican chocolate.

Nestled behind a walkup window next to Cardellino in Mission Hills, this boutique ice cream shop is led by the Trust Restaurant Group’s executive pastry chef Jeremy Harville, whose creative flavors include peanut butter lovers, honey vanilla, chamango mango sorbet, carrot cake, Captain Crunch, or malted milk soft serve.

Gelati & Peccati: where Roman-style pizza and gelato meet in North Park. Helmed by the Buona Forchetta Family of restaurants, this shop serves nearly 20 flavors of gelato. For a combination of carbs and cream, order the Gola: gelato stuffed into a pizza crust with whipped cream and hazelnuts.

This family-owned shop revolves around soft-serve ice cream, featuring a rotating list of flavors like churro, Mexican hot chocolate, and chocolate vanilla twist made with organic Strauss dairy along with vegan offerings that include Dole Whip and coconut ube. Beyond classic cones, the soft-serve ice cream can be plunged into homemade dips like cherry, butterscotch, and sea salt caramel or be turned into malts, shakes, sundaes, and more.

This South Park scoop shop from the owners of Dark Horse Coffee Roasters does a great coffee ice cream, naturally, but it also excels as creative flavors like cookies and goat cheese cream, roasted banana ice cream with homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and vegan mango coconut cream

Tucked inside the Kababayan Bakery in Spring Valley, Snoice serves pandesal ice cream sandwiches filled with flavors like iconic ube (yam) and buko pandan (coconut, screwpine leaves), enclosed by two slices of the popular Filipino bread rolll. Shaved snow and Filipino favorite dessert halo halo can also be savored here.

Named after his 10-year-old daughter, San Diego restaurateur Emilio Tamez’s Bonita showcases nostalgic Mexican flavors like café de olla (coffee with cinnamon and piloncillo), Mexican hot chocolate, and horchata. Using Randy’s Donuts, Sadie’s also makes doughnut ice cream sandwiches.