Balboa Ice Cream

1844 San Jose Avenue, San Francisco
(415) 859-9160

Recent Reviews

Yahkoo B

Ice cream here is Good! Great customer service. They also have custom drinks. Gives Mitchel's competition...for those familiar with the area ( prices are similar). For those visiting, you can't go wrong stopping by at Balboa Ice Cream.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

Kanani T.

First time going here and the guy who helped us was kind and friendly. It's a hole in the wall type of place, it seemed clean and very well kept. Outside seating was nice and very picturesque. The flavors I had were Lime and Mango sorbet. Both were amazing, but I would pair the flavors differently next time. The lime had a perfect amount of sweet to balance the sour & the mango was more on the tartier side. My son had Maui waui sorbet which tasted just as it sounds, fruity, refreshing & sweet. I would definitely come back to try the other flavors and drinks they also offer.

C C.

I'm always down for late night ice cream, this neighborhood spot has some unique flavors and I think they may change them up but their ice cream is delicious haven't made it the other items on the menu but I will make time. The service was great, and the seating outside so we enjoyed the night air with our dessert.

Edith H.

3.5 rounding up to 4 Despite having just one worker, the service is excellent, with the staff allowing us to sample flavors. The interior is cute and cozy, perfect for enjoying a scoop or two. While the ice cream is decent, it's not the absolute best in the city. Nonetheless, Balboa Ice Cream is worth a visit for its charming ambiance and friendly service.

William A Rodrigues

Great flavors and prices, staff was top notch! Very positive attitude when handing out taste samples.We want to go back to try their boba drinks.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Strawberry, Single Scoop

Alvaro Hoyos

Cute little place with lots of ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet options. They also make smoothies and affogato, although I'd skip that last one as the coffee was not very good. Still, the service was good and I'd happily support this small shop in the future.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Christian Alarcon

I'd recommend stopping by Balboa lce Cream. It feels like you're supporting a local business, and the experience is as good as the ice cream itself. There's a lot of flavors and toppings. The prices might be a high, but hey, it's ice cream! Plus, knowing you're supporting a local business adds an extra helping of satisfaction. You should stop by!

Recommended dishes: Chocolate Ice Cream, Strawberry, Single Scoop

Jacob Garcia

Love this place!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Single Scoop

Melissa Megginson

Thick and creamy ice cream with classic flavors and some new twists! I got two scoops (moose tracks and raspberry cheesecake) and loved every bite. I’ll definitely be back to this neighborhood gem! There are some places to sit but I was happy eating in the car.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fancypants X.

If You Know, You Know. And after one visit, I know Balboa Ice Cream, despite its near-perfect Yelp score, isn't for me. For two people who love to consume liquid calories, we didn't think our drinks were worth finishing. The Yellow Smoothie ($9) was extremely ginger forward; the fresh mango, pineapple, & banana flavors we were expecting didn't come through strong enough. Mangonada ($9.75) had chunks of mangos floating in mango sorbet. Not the flavor or smoothie-like preparation we're used to. We took home a quart of ice cream ($12), which is still sitting half-eaten in our freezer weeks later. Instead of being packed side-by-side (like store-bought Neapolitan, for example), Wild Mountain Blueberry (which was middling) was packed on top of Pistachio Almond so the two not-necessarily complementary flavors melded into one another. Sticking to our usual ice cream spot which is also located on San Jose Ave. IYKYK.

Rita Deleuse

Family business, good selection and great service. We will come

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Tony D.

Everyone seems to think that they have the best ice cream in town, better than mitchels . Service was fast being we were the input ones there .

K. Dowers

Oh. My God. The honey LAVENDER!!! That's all you gotta know. Order Honey Lavender. If you look hard enough, you can see actual lavender seeds in the icecream - such rich natural lavender flavor. & INCREDIBLE prices. Wow.

Food: 5

Eric Goodman

I was in SF visiting my son attending SFSU, and we were going to have a shake at Beep's on Ocean Ave. They were slammed (it was dinner time), so we tried Balboa Ice Cream instead. The wait time was short, the ice cream was rich and flavorful, and the young man that served us was welcoming, enthusiastic, and friendly. It was an experience that reminded me of what used to be a normal experience. I will visit again, for sure.

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Double Scoop

hia1423

Always a great place to have a snack.

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