20 Best Ice Cream Shops in Oakland

“If you like good things, you’ll love Bad Walter! Don’t expect low-calorie or fancy or bougie. This is “my soul needs ice cream” kind of ice cream. This is “my inner child feels neglected” ice cream. This is the kind of ice cream that will actually make a break-up okay. 10/10 recommend.

Seriously, the Rainbow Road is legitimately the best ice cream I’ve ever had and it’s a problem that it’s not available all the time. The owner really should resolve this issue.“

“New favorite ice cream spot in Oakland. The ice cream is nice and dense. (I don't like airy ice cream). I am vanilla all the way everyday. I have compared vanilla ice creams far and wide, grocery store, and gourmet. The vanilla here is greaaaaaat, I'd say it's in my top 3 favorites amongst Double Rainbow and Haagen Dazs. So if you're into those, you'll very likely love Miharu's vanilla ice cream. :)“

“So the burgers used to be AMAZING here but something has felt a little off for me the past few times I have gone. They’re still decent burgers but the past few times leave me not really wanting to go back… their ice cream and cookies are still great so no complaints there. I’m just bummed that one of my fave smash burgers went down in quality 😔“

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

“delicious ice cream and everything“

“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!“

“Vegan Donut Gelato is PHENOMENAL! My wife and I loved our brief stop this week. The donuts are massive and well worth the price. Friendly service and the woman who served us was great. Highly recommended!“

“Great product. Pleasant and helpful staff.“

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

“Amazing that we’ve gained this place back in Oakland! The icecream was incredible, and sitting in there was a fun blast from the past. The cherry icecream was really something special, people don’t make icecream like this often. Enjoy!“

“im a brokeass student and everyday is a living hell for me because of the hotass weather plus my horrible grades😭😭

i went to QTea Bar for the first time and honestly - ITS NOT BAD FOR A PERSON WHO ONLY HAS $10 AT THE MOMENT LIKE ME.

basically, its a small place - however they offer a lot of items on their menu! the one on the picture is the Brown Sugar Milk Tea with Boba, which costed $7 dollars (I DROPPED MY JAW AT THE PRICE, BUT ITS FINE I GUESS?)

i chose Normal sweetness level and was expecting a nice sugar level, but was instantly kicked with a flavor that felt like 10 spoons of sugar on my mouth😭💔

i suggest letting it dilute for a little bit and drinking it, because the sugar really was kicking me 🫩

im used to the “normal” amount if sugar level since im a sugar-tooth, but if youre an adult, i suggest 50-75% sugar - also the toppings (boba, etc) are $0.50 — which is an okay price

the employees are super nice, they only had 2 people working at the time i was there - so i believe its a small business run by them

overall; great service, nice menu, small place but functional!

5/5 in my opinion, if i were bias, id give 3.5/5, but they were kind :)“

“love this place. Good for munchies, ice cream activities and food. They sell food as well. this place has something for everybody. I love the Dubai chocolate strawberries. and the different flavors of ice creams that you will not find anywhere else.“

“My husband and I just spent two weeks visiting Oakland and we discovered Gelato Firenza (near Grand Lake Theate) one week into our trip. Once we did we made a special trip there every day, and one day even went twice! It’s the best gelato we’ve tasted anywhere, and we’ve been all over.

We first had gelato 40 years ago in Rome and were delighted as it became increasingly popular all over the world. We’ve tried it in many places, but this is our favorite.

We learned that it’s all natural, no additives, and made on the premises daily by the owner, who is so devoted to getting the flavors just right that she often spends four or more days perfecting them.

We love the fact that it’s not overly sweet, so you can really taste the underlying flavors (and feel good about it having less sugar). They’re very generous about allowing you to taste before ordering, and the prices are excellent.

Our favorites were: hazelnut, salted caramel, strawberry and rose (which was so unique and delicious!) Others we tasted and loved included Earl Grey, Matcha, coconut, almond, Dulce de Leche, and cookies and cream, but every flavor we tried was truly delicious.

For reference I have only written two other reviews in my life: one about my dog’s veterinarian, and one about a hotel in Thailand. But this gelato is so special and the owner so delightful I had to pass the word on.

We can’t wait to return to the Bay Area for more.“

“Mangonada, nieve de garrafa, raspados, bionicos, tostilocos, tejuinos“

“I usually stop for a shake or packed ice cream. The sundaes are very good but with a quart of ice cream I can tell myself I'm not eating it all in one go. (A lie!). They also have coffee, doughnuts and some hot breakfast sandwiches so not just a dessert place. Friendly owners I always enjoy visiting with.“

“I love this place so much. They have the best breakfast sandwiches and the best movies in my area. They also offer a variety of drinks such as soda tea orange juice any kind of juice coffee donuts and chips. They also offer a different variety of breakfast sandwiches. They have several tables and chairs for dine in. They have a bathroom all the way in back of the store that is pretty decent. The owners are really friendly and kind. They will make your breakfast sandwich however you asked for it.“

“Based solely on the experience of purchasing an espresso, the service went well as intended with any type of service from a traditional cafe. While the espresso itself is up to the standard where it doesn’t shine by itself (judging only on my own intuition as someone who casually consumes coffee), the gimmick more than makes up for it in a time where such thing is yet to be the norm or at least be less uncommon. As for the atmosphere, the future spaceship theme is apparent but can give off feelings of uncanniness and may be misinterpreted as dystopian; from there, incorporating some elements that goes easy on the mind. As a bonus, the store manager himself was polite and easygoing with how the cafe came to be.“

“Great addition to Ripon’s Almond Blossom festival this year! I was a fellow vendor and swung by multiple times for your fantastic treat! 😋🍍🍦❤️ Very reasonable price point too!“