YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I was curious why the ice cream was so cheap so I asked the employees and they said that they use a lot of artificial food coloring and preservatives, so much so that they can keep in freezers for years and that most of their ingredients aren't real ingredients but artificial flavorings and that sometimes they use expired milk and cream! Wtf?! I wish I had asked before I paid. Went straight to the trash.
Patrick Y.
John's Ice Cream is the spot in Berkeley for cheap Ice Cream. John's Ice Cream is probably the only spot in Berkeley that you wont feel guilty for spending money on as it doesnt break your bank like other ice cream spots in the area that charge you five dollars or some s**** My favorite is always the Thai Tea ice cream. If youre not asian or never had thai tea, this is a must. Or my back up would be green tea. One thing I love about this place is that they have so many different flavors youre bound to find something you like, AND sugar cones are free! John's Ice cream used to be a dollar a scoop, but then went up to a dollar fifty, and now a dollar seventy five. I recommend getting two scoops to get your moneys worth.
Laurel H.
I don't understand how this is so cheap. They have a bunch of good flavors. I got a baby scoop of Pirate's Treasure, and my girlfriend got a scoop of avocado and a scoop of peanut butter chocolate. All three were good. The total was ~$4.50, which is what you'd pay for ONE scoop at those fancy pants ice cream places. What. The two people behind the counter were friendly and patient with the indecisive customers even though there was a decent sized line. The space is small, and there's no indoor seating, but the adjacent streets are nice to walk around, and there's a little public seating just outside. My only tip would be to bring cash if you'd like to leave the employees a tip, since you can't tip on a credit card purchase.
Minah L.
They have so many flavors I have yet to try but I love the pandan, reminds me of nostalgic Asian desserts. The cookie mint was a great combination of classics. And it's only $1.75 a scoop so that's still pretty cheap; one scoop was the perfect amount after a filling dinner. Wish they would use smaller spoons (rather than the full size plastic spoons) or wooden ones for samples though!
Ashley F.
4 cones for $7!!!! Can't beat that. Over 20 flavors. I went with the guava and it was delicious!
Victoria K.
TL;DR: Great flavor and unbeatable prices. Right off the bat, I was very pleasantly surprised by the amazing selection of flavors at this ice cream shop. Aside from standard flavors like Chocolate and Vanilla, they also had unique flavors like Ube and Bubble Gum. After doing some taste-testing, I settled for Thai Tea ice cream in a sugar cone. I really liked how the Thai Tea flavor wasn't overwhelming, as it sometimes can be in typical Thai Tea drinks. For $1.75 a scoop, their prices are truly unbeatable. Not only was I given a very generous scoop, but the consistency of the ice cream was creamy and just right. The service was pretty good as well, as we were in and out of there in mere minutes. This is definitely a go for college students on a budget!
Fiona T.
$1.75 A SCOOP!!!!!!! A SCOOP!!!! I couldn't believe how affordable they were. Their flavors and quality matched places that charge double even triple the amount for the same scoop. The choice is pretty obvious. This is the go to place. I ordered the huckleberry, my friend got birthday cake
Nisha S.
Probably my new favourite icecream flavour. The rich flavour of yam and coconut make my tastebuds go ooh la la.
Mikey J.
It's pretty good! Simple ice cream shop with reasonable prices and tasty ice cream. I've heard they even have Ube ice cream :O though we had the coffee/chocolate flavor ice creams and they were good. Service is friendly and fast. Btw, there is a small font 75¢ after that big $1 on the sign, so it's not $1 scoops but $1.75. I missed it at first though it's a small difference in price. Worth a visit!
Lowell Harrison
Hands down my favorite ice cream spot in the east bay. Don't be fooled by the low price. The ice cream is LEGIT.
Crazy good value: $1.75 per scoop for really awesome flavors and pretty good service, although docking one star for the stale sugar cone. They have cool options like ube, guava, Thai tea, lychee, and also the good standbys like cookies and cream, etc.
Justin C.
This is my Berkeley hidden gem ! If you don't know about Johns now you do ! They offer a variety of ice cream based products as well as sherbets (I'm not sure if they have vegan options but definitely will check !! ) This place is super cheap without sacrificing the quality of their ice cream , a single scoop comes out to 1.75 , the ice cream cone I had came out to $3.25 (possible cashier error due to the fact my cone alone was $1 ) THE SERVICE: The service is always great here , great attitudes and very patient staff (I'm so indecisive haha ) . Once they take your order you're literally in and out . Order of service : -Greeted upon entry -order -ice cream is handed to customer -pay -on your way out the door My go to is always cookies and creams and rocky road half and half . I always look to try different flavors but there are sooooooo many to try . Next time I will try there Thai Tea ice cream !!! Go give this place a try the ice cream is very creamy and a decent portion for the price .
Gail C
Always a treat to come here! Love the variety of flavors! Had the guava and lychee today.
Wesley Ma
Amazing deal and good quality. But the best area this is not so be Warned.
Jeffrey L.
"Ube ube be, ooo la la la... ube ube be, ooo la la" - Pit Bull ft. Ube Ube was super good! I remember tasting this flavor when I was 3 years old in China and I would always get random "taste flashbacks" of this unknown ice cream flavor that I didn't know the name or I couldn't find anywhere in the US. My tastebuds were crying when they got triggered once again after 22 years. :')
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I was curious why the ice cream was so cheap so I asked the employees and they said that they use a lot of artificial food coloring and preservatives, so much so that they can keep in freezers for years and that most of their ingredients aren't real ingredients but artificial flavorings and that sometimes they use expired milk and cream! Wtf?! I wish I had asked before I paid. Went straight to the trash.
John's Ice Cream is the spot in Berkeley for cheap Ice Cream. John's Ice Cream is probably the only spot in Berkeley that you wont feel guilty for spending money on as it doesnt break your bank like other ice cream spots in the area that charge you five dollars or some s**** My favorite is always the Thai Tea ice cream. If youre not asian or never had thai tea, this is a must. Or my back up would be green tea. One thing I love about this place is that they have so many different flavors youre bound to find something you like, AND sugar cones are free! John's Ice cream used to be a dollar a scoop, but then went up to a dollar fifty, and now a dollar seventy five. I recommend getting two scoops to get your moneys worth.
I don't understand how this is so cheap. They have a bunch of good flavors. I got a baby scoop of Pirate's Treasure, and my girlfriend got a scoop of avocado and a scoop of peanut butter chocolate. All three were good. The total was ~$4.50, which is what you'd pay for ONE scoop at those fancy pants ice cream places. What. The two people behind the counter were friendly and patient with the indecisive customers even though there was a decent sized line. The space is small, and there's no indoor seating, but the adjacent streets are nice to walk around, and there's a little public seating just outside. My only tip would be to bring cash if you'd like to leave the employees a tip, since you can't tip on a credit card purchase.
They have so many flavors I have yet to try but I love the pandan, reminds me of nostalgic Asian desserts. The cookie mint was a great combination of classics. And it's only $1.75 a scoop so that's still pretty cheap; one scoop was the perfect amount after a filling dinner. Wish they would use smaller spoons (rather than the full size plastic spoons) or wooden ones for samples though!
4 cones for $7!!!! Can't beat that. Over 20 flavors. I went with the guava and it was delicious!
TL;DR: Great flavor and unbeatable prices. Right off the bat, I was very pleasantly surprised by the amazing selection of flavors at this ice cream shop. Aside from standard flavors like Chocolate and Vanilla, they also had unique flavors like Ube and Bubble Gum. After doing some taste-testing, I settled for Thai Tea ice cream in a sugar cone. I really liked how the Thai Tea flavor wasn't overwhelming, as it sometimes can be in typical Thai Tea drinks. For $1.75 a scoop, their prices are truly unbeatable. Not only was I given a very generous scoop, but the consistency of the ice cream was creamy and just right. The service was pretty good as well, as we were in and out of there in mere minutes. This is definitely a go for college students on a budget!
$1.75 A SCOOP!!!!!!! A SCOOP!!!! I couldn't believe how affordable they were. Their flavors and quality matched places that charge double even triple the amount for the same scoop. The choice is pretty obvious. This is the go to place. I ordered the huckleberry, my friend got birthday cake
Probably my new favourite icecream flavour. The rich flavour of yam and coconut make my tastebuds go ooh la la.
It's pretty good! Simple ice cream shop with reasonable prices and tasty ice cream. I've heard they even have Ube ice cream :O though we had the coffee/chocolate flavor ice creams and they were good. Service is friendly and fast. Btw, there is a small font 75¢ after that big $1 on the sign, so it's not $1 scoops but $1.75. I missed it at first though it's a small difference in price. Worth a visit!
Hands down my favorite ice cream spot in the east bay. Don't be fooled by the low price. The ice cream is LEGIT.
Restaurantji Recommends
Crazy good value: $1.75 per scoop for really awesome flavors and pretty good service, although docking one star for the stale sugar cone. They have cool options like ube, guava, Thai tea, lychee, and also the good standbys like cookies and cream, etc.
This is my Berkeley hidden gem ! If you don't know about Johns now you do ! They offer a variety of ice cream based products as well as sherbets (I'm not sure if they have vegan options but definitely will check !! ) This place is super cheap without sacrificing the quality of their ice cream , a single scoop comes out to 1.75 , the ice cream cone I had came out to $3.25 (possible cashier error due to the fact my cone alone was $1 ) THE SERVICE: The service is always great here , great attitudes and very patient staff (I'm so indecisive haha ) . Once they take your order you're literally in and out . Order of service : -Greeted upon entry -order -ice cream is handed to customer -pay -on your way out the door My go to is always cookies and creams and rocky road half and half . I always look to try different flavors but there are sooooooo many to try . Next time I will try there Thai Tea ice cream !!! Go give this place a try the ice cream is very creamy and a decent portion for the price .
Always a treat to come here! Love the variety of flavors! Had the guava and lychee today.
Amazing deal and good quality. But the best area this is not so be Warned.
"Ube ube be, ooo la la la... ube ube be, ooo la la" - Pit Bull ft. Ube Ube was super good! I remember tasting this flavor when I was 3 years old in China and I would always get random "taste flashbacks" of this unknown ice cream flavor that I didn't know the name or I couldn't find anywhere in the US. My tastebuds were crying when they got triggered once again after 22 years. :')