This is my second time visiting and it does not disappoint. The variety is unmatched, and the taste is delicious. We got the mix of cookies and cream and cookie dough. It was delicious. Will definitely be back.
Joriene M.
Food (5/5 stars): Cali Cream is a great ice cream spot in Encinitas! It's very similar to Handel's as they have lots of the same flavors and the 4 scoop sampler, which we ordered! My favorite by far was the Graham Central Station. I wasn't too thrilled about the other ones we ordered (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, and Faddy Daddy), but I'll be back to try more because the quality of their ice cream is amazing. Experience (5/5 stars): * Price: reasonable * Wait Time: minimal on a Friday evening * Service: good * Parking: street parking is not too bad * Ambiance: it's a nice, simple ice cream shop, but no indoor seating
Lynne B.
Awesome homemade ice cream, friendly service, and beach atmosphere! I thought I was getting one scoop, but ended up with three which I think is their smallest serving.
Jenna D.
Why did I wait so long to try this place?? Love that you can get samples here. Ultimate fav flavor: Oreo caramel latte. Gooey caramel fortified by crumbly Oreo chunks with the delicious backbone of coffee flavor was divine.
Jill Y.
I love everything about this place: the delicious ice cream, the unlimited flavors made with the freshest ingredients. I bring all my friends and family here. Every location is awesome!
Stock U.
The ambience was excellent, but I was disappointed by the ice cream -- it was too sweet for my liking, and tasted like what you could buy from the neighboring grocery stores.
Kelly N.
The ice cream was delicious, we were helped immediately and the staff gave great sample recommendations. My only issue with this place was my ice cream was melting through the cone, which I've never experienced before at other ice cream places maybe an off day for whoever made the cones.
Aaron P.
Absolutely fantastic! This is some of the best ice cream we have ever had! A special thanks to Aiden and Alex! They were very helpful in guiding us through the flavors!
Juanita F.
The best darn ice cream I've had in life period. Our trip to the west coast would have been incomplete without it. Please consider a Midwest expansion : ).
Cathy K.
I've been coming to Cali Cream for years and it has always been a favorite. I ordered their beach theme ice cream cake that they had posted on their IG. I confirmed the order via text with a picture of the cake and asked to write Happy Birthday. When I picked up the cake I didn't get the pretty light blue cake with writing, I got a plain, deep blue cake with no writing. The frosting had so much food coloring that it stained my kitchen counters, our hands, our mouth and made the ice cream taste awful. It was barely eaten because it tasted so bad. What a waste of delicious ice cream. This was for a kids party and I intentionally went with light colored frosting to limit food coloring not only because it's bad for you but because it makes the cake taste so bad. It was embarrassing as a parent when kids were picked up with blue stains all over them.
It satisfied the craving for homemade cream I've had for a month now . I got a double cup of Banana Cream Pie and Then Vanilla (vanilla is the only way to judge and ice cream shop) the Bananz Cream pie was good but not great. More of banana flavoring like pudding than fresh bananas but that's ok. The vanilla though was delicious and I should have just gotten that. Very rich and creamy and the staff was very nice I will note that the serving size and price were excellent for 2024. I had more than enough for $6
Lora C.
Love, love, love their ice cream. Their strawberry is the best I've had, and the fresh peach is out of this world. Try it, you'll like it.
sabrina g.
I ordered a lot of sweets from the bakery for a Valentine's party for my friends. The pop cakes were moist and decadent! The cookie cake was absolutely delicious! The chocolate covered strawberries had little crunchy hearts and could not be any cuter! And the butter cookies were yummy and not too sweet. They could not be any better!
Jerry R C.
This was our first time dining at Cali Cream. Alex helped us and he was awesome! The creamery offers 55 variety of flavors. The flavors rotate through the year with a rotation of around 200 flavors. We recommend the the 'Ice Cream Flight' which allows you to taste four small scoops of ice cream. You can sit outside by a fire heater. They also offer hot fudge and whipped cream on the side if you prefer. Customer service was patient wile we decided which samples we wanted, there's cool music playing in the background. It's a total ice cream vibe -- great for dates, family and solo adventures.
Heather D.
I wanted to love everything about this place but it's a 4 star for me. Pros: Lots of flavors, LOTS. Friendly, helpful staff. Lots of outdoor seating. Good ice cream. Pup cones are CUTE! Outdoor heaters. Cons: The sign outside is not updated, so we decided on flavors outside and then 1/2 went in to get it and most of the flavors didn't exist The heath flavor was just chocolate, no heath.
This is my second time visiting and it does not disappoint. The variety is unmatched, and the taste is delicious. We got the mix of cookies and cream and cookie dough. It was delicious. Will definitely be back.
Food (5/5 stars): Cali Cream is a great ice cream spot in Encinitas! It's very similar to Handel's as they have lots of the same flavors and the 4 scoop sampler, which we ordered! My favorite by far was the Graham Central Station. I wasn't too thrilled about the other ones we ordered (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, and Faddy Daddy), but I'll be back to try more because the quality of their ice cream is amazing. Experience (5/5 stars): * Price: reasonable * Wait Time: minimal on a Friday evening * Service: good * Parking: street parking is not too bad * Ambiance: it's a nice, simple ice cream shop, but no indoor seating
Awesome homemade ice cream, friendly service, and beach atmosphere! I thought I was getting one scoop, but ended up with three which I think is their smallest serving.
Why did I wait so long to try this place?? Love that you can get samples here. Ultimate fav flavor: Oreo caramel latte. Gooey caramel fortified by crumbly Oreo chunks with the delicious backbone of coffee flavor was divine.
I love everything about this place: the delicious ice cream, the unlimited flavors made with the freshest ingredients. I bring all my friends and family here. Every location is awesome!
The ambience was excellent, but I was disappointed by the ice cream -- it was too sweet for my liking, and tasted like what you could buy from the neighboring grocery stores.
The ice cream was delicious, we were helped immediately and the staff gave great sample recommendations. My only issue with this place was my ice cream was melting through the cone, which I've never experienced before at other ice cream places maybe an off day for whoever made the cones.
Absolutely fantastic! This is some of the best ice cream we have ever had! A special thanks to Aiden and Alex! They were very helpful in guiding us through the flavors!
The best darn ice cream I've had in life period. Our trip to the west coast would have been incomplete without it. Please consider a Midwest expansion : ).
I've been coming to Cali Cream for years and it has always been a favorite. I ordered their beach theme ice cream cake that they had posted on their IG. I confirmed the order via text with a picture of the cake and asked to write Happy Birthday. When I picked up the cake I didn't get the pretty light blue cake with writing, I got a plain, deep blue cake with no writing. The frosting had so much food coloring that it stained my kitchen counters, our hands, our mouth and made the ice cream taste awful. It was barely eaten because it tasted so bad. What a waste of delicious ice cream. This was for a kids party and I intentionally went with light colored frosting to limit food coloring not only because it's bad for you but because it makes the cake taste so bad. It was embarrassing as a parent when kids were picked up with blue stains all over them.
Restaurantji Recommends
It satisfied the craving for homemade cream I've had for a month now . I got a double cup of Banana Cream Pie and Then Vanilla (vanilla is the only way to judge and ice cream shop) the Bananz Cream pie was good but not great. More of banana flavoring like pudding than fresh bananas but that's ok. The vanilla though was delicious and I should have just gotten that. Very rich and creamy and the staff was very nice I will note that the serving size and price were excellent for 2024. I had more than enough for $6
Love, love, love their ice cream. Their strawberry is the best I've had, and the fresh peach is out of this world. Try it, you'll like it.
I ordered a lot of sweets from the bakery for a Valentine's party for my friends. The pop cakes were moist and decadent! The cookie cake was absolutely delicious! The chocolate covered strawberries had little crunchy hearts and could not be any cuter! And the butter cookies were yummy and not too sweet. They could not be any better!
This was our first time dining at Cali Cream. Alex helped us and he was awesome! The creamery offers 55 variety of flavors. The flavors rotate through the year with a rotation of around 200 flavors. We recommend the the 'Ice Cream Flight' which allows you to taste four small scoops of ice cream. You can sit outside by a fire heater. They also offer hot fudge and whipped cream on the side if you prefer. Customer service was patient wile we decided which samples we wanted, there's cool music playing in the background. It's a total ice cream vibe -- great for dates, family and solo adventures.
I wanted to love everything about this place but it's a 4 star for me. Pros: Lots of flavors, LOTS. Friendly, helpful staff. Lots of outdoor seating. Good ice cream. Pup cones are CUTE! Outdoor heaters. Cons: The sign outside is not updated, so we decided on flavors outside and then 1/2 went in to get it and most of the flavors didn't exist The heath flavor was just chocolate, no heath.