50 Best Ice Cream Shops near Albany

“Our first visit but absolutely not our last! What delicious flavors! Everyone loved their desserts, the toppings are incredible (vegan hot fudge, vegan caramel, toasted almonds,) and we all left full and happy! Definitely stop in when you’re in the neighborhood!“

“Everytime I go there, the staff are always warm and welcoming. The prices are great as far as I'm concerned. They keep it very clean and tidy. It's never been too busy. And the atmosphere is perfect for a random after school treat worth the kids.“

“We were in the area, nice 👍 to be able to enjoy our yogurt plus close to coffee shop as well & lots of benches to relax👋🤙👋“

“When searching for a quick, easy, and filling lunch during my break, I ended up here at this cute little Viet Bagel & Banh Mi shop called Tay Tah Cafe!

When you first enter, you’re guided by arrows that lead you to the ordering tablet, or you can order at the main counter. The shop is small, but has plenty of counter seating and some small tables available as well! In between the front door and ordering, there’s a selection of chips and snacks for you to browse as well.

I was initially looking to order Banh Mi but was a bit intimidated by the $17/banh mi price tag. I opted in for an open face Asiago Bagel with Lox for $13 and placed my order. Breakfast orders that are $10+ get a free house coffee as well, so of course I opted in for it!

There’s a bathroom just around the corner from the ordering kiosk, but while I was making my way over there, the kind staff let me know that they are actually sold out of lox. They offered me a refund or to change what I ordered. I decided to switch to the Asiago Bagel with Ham, Bacon, Egg, and Cheese since it was the same price as the Lox!

My coffee came out first, and the person who gave me my coffee also filled up my cup with ice when I asked! The coffee itself had a nice deep & bitter flavor which I look for in a house coffee.

The sandwich was STUFFED full. I’ve never had a bagel breakfast sandwhich where I’ve quite had to unhinge my jaw like this. My photos did not do the sandwich justice, but I promise it’s so much bigger than you’d expect!

The eggs were perfectly fluffy and smothered in cheese. The ham and bacon were cooked to my personal liking. If you like crispy bacon, maybe mention that to them, because it was perfectly chewy for me. The bagel, was soft, fluffy, yet so bouncy, and I LOVE that there are poppy seeds mixed into their Asiago bagel.

The cost to quantity ratio for the breakfast sandwich was 100% worth it. I’ll definitely be back when I need a hearty sandwich.“

“Best gelato in San Francisco.“

“Historically best ice cream in SF!“

“It's amazing, I highly recommend everyone to go here“

“If you haven't tried frozen custard yet, you should know it's the best type of ice cream. It has the scoopability of hard serve with the lickability of soft serve. Top-notch texture, super creamy, perfectly sweet.

Lexie's is the best ice cream shop in Berkeley!!! Maybe in the whole state :) So come try their frozen custard!!“

“Marshmallow fluff;) Loved the Milkbomb sandwich! Will definitely go again;)“

“I loved that they have parking in the back because that’s a huge deal in SF. Their flavors are very unique, I tried the Thai tea which was amazing as was the espresso toffee crunch. My wife really liked their chocolate caramel crunch flavor too. I was excited to try their ube but unfortunately I sampled it and tasted pretty much no ube flavor it was just purple lol. But I’d def recommend Mitchell’s for anybody that wants good ice cream in the area or wants to switch up from the usual flavors“

“i’ve been going to this place since i was a child it was originally named fat ladys on the corner of fillmore and Mr Tom opened more stores and closed my childhood store and renamed it.. but i grow up in the area and still come here like i did as a kid💯🖤🖤 my best memories are the 5 cent pack of banana now or later and penny candy 😘😘😘🖤🖤“

“We love this ice cream place not just because of their delicious flavors. They always have, or because of the monthly new flavors that they cook up all the time. But we also love it because they always have vegan options. We don’t do well with dairy, so we’re always willing to take dairy pills to have these delicious flavors. But we also love that they are vegan flavors are also high-quality! It’s nothing fancy, it’s just ice cream. But they do it very well.“

“Everyone loves Bad Walter’s!! Most delicious and inventive ice cream of all time and lactose-free dairy is a huge plus! Mo who works there is the sweetest and the punch card deal is super sick. Oakland is lucky to have Bad Walter’s <3“

“good selection of flavors! its a lil crazy for two scoops of ice cream to cost 7 dollars tho 😅 tried four flavors: thai tea, salty kaya, biscoff, and black sesame. the thai tea is incredibly good, so creamy, and its vegan! the salty kaya's unique, almost reminiscent of a salted cream foam with a subtle hint of pandan/coconut. def recommend those two flavors!“

“Came here as an act of kindness for a school assignment because my group wanted to support a small business. Let me tell you, the staff was so nice ! The ice cream was SO GOOD (I got strawberry matcha with a waffle cone) and flavorful. Their ice cream flavors are so different that gives them a unique advantage compared to other shops. I will be coming back, it’s definitely worth the stop.“

“Great little ice cream shop, they have a great selection of ice creams, as well as hot and cold drinks. The ice creams are some of the best I have ever had, and they do a great hot fudge sundae. The service is great, prices are good and I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the Fishermans Wharf area of San Francisco.“

“fabulous! please open another in the San Jose area. great service..the way they encourage you to taste while waiting in line...loved the various, different flavors“

“This place is a dream, with the best ice cream and atmosphere around. I’ve never tasted such good ice cream in my life!!. It’s all healthy and the owners are so nice no matter how busy. Just all smiles and great service. Go here if you want the best ice cream of your life“

“Friendly staff ! Delicious icecream - we accidentally dropped our icecream as we were walking out and the staff didn’t hesitate to replace 💕❤️🍦“

“I honestly wish I hadn't been so hungry that I forgot to take photos. We had the Okie burger with fries and afterwards had salted caramel/coffee ice cream in a waffle cone - all delish! The staff was friendly, fun and accommodating. Made my birthday a delicious experience. Thank you. We'll be back!“

“just the best gelato cake this side of Italy. great crew, great owners. their kids are awesome!“

“Good stuff, love nondairy options!“

“I am addicted to their Dubai Strawberry Cup — it is soooo good. Every time I come in, I tell myself I’m going to try something new, but nothing compares. I’ve also tried their fresh-squeezed juice and it’s delicious. The flavors are perfect, everything tastes so clean and refreshing, and I honestly don’t know what magic they put in it, but I’m hooked. Highly recommend!“

“Our first visit but absolutely not our last! What delicious flavors! Everyone loved their desserts, the toppings are incredible (vegan hot fudge, vegan caramel, toasted almonds,) and we all left full and happy! Definitely stop in when you’re in the neighborhood!“

“It has been a long time since I had Smitten and my impression back then was not that great. I thought it was just a fancy ice cream. However, this time I had the eggnog ice cream, freshly made. I come to realize how smooth the ice cream is. More importantly, the aroma and flavor stood out without feeling too much. Of course it is still a fancy ice cream but given that all ice creams are expensive, it is worth trying the high quality and delicious one!“

“Great experience at this spot. They have maintained the same experience with some decent updates since the last time I visited this place 20 years ago ! The Dubai chocolate was a great addition. It was super crowded and totally worth the wait“

“Yummm. Try the sf cheesecake and the bubbly Texan“

“Unique and exquisite homemade ice cream, original, tasty and so much more!😍 Don't hesitate to visit their cute shop and try them all!“

“The most delicious, fresh, and hand-crafted gelato I’ve ever tasted. You must try! Thank you Philmore!!! Can’t wait to come again!“

“Vegan (& Gluten-free) flavors! I loved the pluot, the dark chocolate, and the walnut (that has no pieces of nuts in it, which is really helpful to those like me who can’t have much fiber). Additionally, I found all three flavors more refreshing than (sickeningly) heavy, and the flavors 🤩 🎇—like the grand finale of a fireworks show for the taste buds. I’ve only had about a spoonful of each so far but am in love 😍🤤😋. I didn’t go to the shop, someone brought me some, so I’m not able to give my opinion on the actual shop. From what I heard, though, it wasn’t as crazy as many ice cream places are on hot weekends! 😊“

“Loved the crepes and service!

Crepes were soft and fluffy. We got #28 which had coffee icecream and pudding. Was a unique combo but both flavors paired well together.

The bear face was adorable (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠) ʕ⁠´⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠`⁠ʔ“

“Our first visit but absolutely not our last! What delicious flavors! Everyone loved their desserts, the toppings are incredible (vegan hot fudge, vegan caramel, toasted almonds,) and we all left full and happy! Definitely stop in when you’re in the neighborhood!“

“delicious ice cream and everything“

“Not too sweet and great place to hang out!!!“

“Loved my ice cream sandwich- such a fun dessert business! Very nice woman working the day we came. I do wish there were 2 gluten free cookie options and at least 2 gluten free ice cream options. It looked like there would be more variety on the website, but the day I went, there was only a chocolate chip cookie and a non dairy chocolate chip ice cream- would have loved to have chocolate or other options! Very delicious though!“

“Happiness in a cup. And a cone 😁“

“I love these cute little corner stores in San Francisco on potrero Hill. We only had ice cream but the ice cream was great. Nice little tables and chairs to sit out and watch the world go by. Someday we'll have to go back and try some of the other thing on the menu besides ice cream.“

“Lovely place and really friendly staff!“

“We visited from across the country, and this was our first visit to any of The Yard's locations. Sean was a bright spark in the place. They were just beautifully kind, and incredibly helpful. We went in for the milkshakes and they were very good, all the flavors, it was difficult to decide. I got the Pecan Turtle, which was so rich and good. We also ended up getting some cookie dough to bring back home (in our checked bag, which made it home beautifully after talking to Sean about if he thought it would work). The dough was also sooooo good! I think that there is something different about the dairy products in the PNW versus the South East, it's richer, and perhaps fresher. I definitely recommend this location, especially if you're lucky enough to see Sean 💙“

“soooooooooo........goooooood 😋🤤💯❤ All the Cookie dough and Hot Chocolate 💯❤🤤😋“

“After chemotherapy, I asked my daughter to stop at Fosters Freeze for Ice Cream only since the registered nurse had already given me a Turkey sandwich for lunch. And, since my daughter hadn't had lunch yet, she ordered a hamburger with fries to go even though inside and outside seating was available. By the time my daughter's order was ready, I was almost done eating my delicious vanilla ice cream. As you will see in the photo, it's closer to a medium rather than a small size. When my daughter got into the car with her order, she told me to dip the French fries in the ice cream, so I tried it and found that it didn't taste bad. The fries were nice and hot and together we finished eating them before getting home. She enjoyed her burger very much. The person at the window at Fosters Freeze prepared the burger and fries very quickly. This Fosters Freeze in Pinole and the one in Berkeley are unfortunately the only ones left. There used to be one in San Pablo where I'd go to for lunch and afterward spent some time reading there. I knew the owner, who wanted to sell the business because she was planning to move to Canada. I was sad the place closed. Fosters Freeze ice cream is one of the best, which reminds me of the ice cream I enjoyed eating when my grandmother used to take me to Kuridis in Africa during our vacation.

Be well!“

“Best hot chocolate ever. Definitely trying the Gelato next!“

“This is our neighborhood go-to for frozen yogurt! My husband is a regular here, and now I completely understand why. The yogurt is always perfectly creamy with great flavor options, and the toppings are always fresh. The staff is super friendly and welcoming — they always remember familiar faces. A great local spot for a sweet treat!“

“Always a good experience, everything is very good especially their TaroMatcha drink, one of my favorites. Rated 4 stars though I'm pretty bummed out we drove 20 minutes because I really didn't want to leave the city without getting one of my favorite drinks. Got their 20 minutes before closing just to be told that they stopped making drinks 30 minutes before they close. Let them know that's pretty messed up especially since it's not stated anywhere and drove all the way there for nothing. Was only told to come by 1 hr before closing lol wanted it so bad I could taste it 😭 if you know you know.“

“Great product. Pleasant and helpful staff.“

“Delicious Harvey Milk and Peanut Butter. As good as it gets.“

“"a mini is small, a small is large, and a large is gigantic"“

“Vegan caramel chai with chocolate rocks...because I’m 7 ❤️“

“Amazing waffle & flavour and lovely atmosphere. Would definitely recommend you check them out!!!!!“

“Got an ice cream sandwich with their house cookies and ice cream $8 - cookies and cream cookies with earl grey ice cream. The earl grey was yummy and I wish it could be stronger. The cookies were just okay, too fluffy and not enough cookie bits. Very nice staff who helped us just before closing.“