50 Best Ice Cream Shops near South El Monte

“I’ve been coming here for over 23 years, and this place has consistently been one of the best donut shops in El Monte. The donuts are always fresh and delicious, and the service is exceptional every single time. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and truly makes you feel appreciated as a customer. It’s rare to find a place that maintains such great quality and consistency for so many years. Highly recommend!“

“Muy ricas las paletas de todos los sabores“

“So yummy 🤤😋👍👌🇺🇸🤪 and delicious“

“Delicious ice cream, with top quality ingredients! Sizes are bigger than other nearby shops and it even includes toppings!“

“Love the vibes of this place. For those that grew up going to Ace Yogurts, this place is very similar vibe. This place has different variety of flavors to choose from and very unique but so worth it. The flavors are occasionally different from time to time but it’s nice to come back to try something new and fresh. They always give samples of the flavor if you’re feeling curious about the taste they will give you a detailed explanation about it.“

“Staff are awesome!! Yogurt is very yummy!“

“When you have gotten to Handels, YOU HAVE ARRIVED! The creamiest, most flavorful, fair-priced, delicious ice cream ever. I feel like congratulating first timers when I hear they haven't been there before. You won't be sorry, rain or shine. I promise!“

“I don't crave ice cream often but when I do, I expect nothing but the best. My girlfriend recommended we go to this spot because it's been a staple in the area over the years.

I ordered their banana split and it was THEBOMB.COM. I 100% recommend this spot but keep in mind that this place is CASH ONLY.“

“I'm in love with the chocolate chip cookies here they are so delicious I can't explain the level. lol the ice cream is amazing! especially the cookie monster! heavenly delight!“

“OMG, I just visited this place La Garrafa MX? nieces de garrafa reminded me so much of my mother's home town Cocula Jalisco Mx. I tried several flavors, coffee, passion fruit, dragon fruit, nuez, mama, and last but not least pistachio. wow the flavors were amazing I am definitely going back and tried all the other flavors of nieve de garrafa.“

“Best handmade ice cream ever!!!! Love the Taro and Ferrero Roche ice cream“

“Where can I start? The service is above and beyond! They greet you once you enter the door. It’s always nice and cool in there. All their flavors are so delicious! Some of my favorite items are the açaí bowls, the Vietnam coffee cone, the mangoniada, and the matcha flavor! They also have a lovely seating area to sit and chat with a friend. The girls are super sweet and kind. And the owner is so respectful and nice. 😊 highly recommended! Did you know the froyo is organic? 😀 more of a reason to check them out.“

“This place is a must stop if you are within an hour’s drive. Fire Bunny is sweet milk drink with creme brûlée topping. And Thai iced tea soft serve served with fresh hot boba?! Yes please!“

“Decided to come here after dinner because our son had been telling us we needed to try it out. Even though there was a long line out the door, it actually moved pretty fast! There was only one person working the counter and serving the whole crowd, but they were definitely hustling.

They have a lot of really funky and unique flavors to choose from. We ended up trying the Cookie Monster (served in a donut!) and the Ube. Both were really solid—the ice cream is high quality and definitely explains why this place is so popular.

The process is simple: you just pay on the iPad and then grab your ice cream. Definitely a cool spot to check out if you're in Pasadena and looking for a sweet treat!“

“Always good treats on warm days. You can never go wrong.“

“If you offered me this ice cream 1 million times I would accept it 1 million times… It is so delicious. I got the pure milk flavor with black sugar drizzle, PERFECTION. I taste tested the dole whip, and it was also delicious. The texture of the soft serve is exactly what I was looking for. 100% will be back. The staff was so nice and they even have a free topping bar… Really cute little shop!!“

“Went here after going to Descano to see the tulips. Ice cream is different. Everything is Original. You won’t fine their flavors anywhere else. Nightly recommend going if your in the Pasadena area.“

“I had a banana split with 3 different flavors of ice cream it was so yummy fresh ice cream I live in west Covina I'd drive to fosselmans just to have an ice cream“

“The bolo bao ice cream sandwich was the bomb! I had it with ube ice cream. The garlic fries - lots of fresh garlic with a side of bomb lemon aoili and house sauce! The best! Passionfruit green tea was perfect for the hot weather! So cute inside too! It's a smaller space and a one man show. Everything is made fresh so please be patient - it's worth the wait! Great service! It's a hidden gem to the right of BofA in the plaza. — at CrispyandFluffed.“

“Leaving original review for posterity.
Went today & showed the reply to the employee helping me, no questions asked they acknowledge the mistake & replaced the mistaken bowl from last time

Tl;dr: ice cream taste 5/5 service 5/5

While the ice cream was delicious we had a major service issue during our visit. We asked for 2 small cones different flavors but were given 2 cones with the 2 flavors mixed in the each cone. When we were given the first cone with tried to clarify that the flavors were supposed to be separate but the second cone came out the same as the first. Our next issue was that we asked for a large bowl but were given a small cone for the 3rd ice cream; we weren't given a receipt to see if we were charged for a large bowl or a small cone. Last issue was we ordered ice cream sandwiches to take home & instead of being told we could select what flavor we wanted we were given a random assortment of flavors. As a side note the ice cream sandwiches are smaller than you would think.“

“Fosters Freeze’s, Large soft serve,Vanilla ice cream cones, dipped in chocolate syrup, are good and messy. They made me a triple cheeseburger back in the early 70’s way before Burger King or In-n- out ever had them.“

“SUER DELICIOSOS POSTRES , ATENCION EXCELENTE Y EL LUGAR ES INCREIBLE. LA DECORACION ES MAGICA.“

“Very yummy cookies! I came to grab the Olivia Rodrigo cookie, and now I want more cookies. I like how service is fast, and you can watch them make the cookies in front of you! They don’t accept cash here, by the way. They only seem to have kiosks.“

“Sus nieves rikisimas los tostilocos para chuparse los dedos se las recomiendo!“

“My first time there wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Upon going in they had a nice little crowd, the staff was nice and helpful. So my box of 4 cookies $19 was brownie batter, not bad, could use some nuts walnuts, or pecans, . My favorite cookie chocolate chip also could use some nuts walnuts or pecans and cooked a little longer. Next was funnel cake. Kind of like that one crunchy, not sure if it really tasted like funnel cake, but I liked it. Then cake batter thins not too bad either.“

“10/10 The staff here was amazing and super helpful, for being my first time they were patient and all their suggestions were on point. The pistachio and Nutella dipped cone was worth the money! The crema Torino ice cream was definitely my favorite 😍“

“This is my favorite place to get cookies from! Every visit is a great experience, the cookies are always fresh, delicious, and consistently hit the spot. On top of that, the customer service is always amazing. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and makes you feel valued every time you walk in. It’s definitely my go-to spot whenever I’m craving something sweet!“

“Love the coconut flavor!“

“👍 have heard they are pricey but worth it. Can’t wait to try one“

“I love that it's never super crowded when I go in, a helper/cashier always comes to greet me within a few seconds, the vibe is always nice and chill. I love the large varieties of cookies there and they're large! Every cookie and small pie has been absolutely delish! I just had a small key lime pie this past weekend that SO good!“

“I wish they made Thrifty ice cream with out sugar for diabetes. The could make it with stevia, malitol or erithratol.“

“Delicious homemade pies! I've tried the key lime, berry chess, and the carrot cake, and all were so good. They also have a lot of unique candy (including several Swedish candy options) and other gifty things for anyone who loves sweets or cute stuff. Great shop!“

“Amazing flavor choices and delicious cookies!“

“Great place for ice cream.“

“I went in on Tuesday, the new owners were in back of me. I was telling the cashier how disappointed my daughter was, we came in on monday and it was closed. Well the new owners, gave me a couple cookies for free. That was so awesome of them. My daughter was so happy and she said" Thank you so much!"“

“I recently came into the shop and was surprised by how fast they attended me! I would assume cutting fruit to the order would take longer, but they made it look easy. The crepes were delicious! Forsures will be having them when I go back to El Monte! 8.1.23“

“ooh ya...love the banana split...and on one day discount if you bring one!!“

“Riquísimos rapados los mejores !!!! Son nuestros favoritos mmm“

“Came over because I saw that they offered a lot of the Asian store ice creams, but there weren’t that many and it was per piece. They do have a good selection for wholesale ice cream. So if you want to buy in bulk this is a good place. Otherwise the prices are the same as if you go to an Asian market like 99 ranch, Fukuya or duo duo. They do have snacks and candies too.“

“My little kid love this....😋“

“My favorite is the cherry ice cream (beso de angel). But they don't just sell ice cream. They serve fresh drinks, the Maracuyá (passion fruit) is super delicious…!!! They also have delicious sandwiches, many Mexican snacks and above all excellent service!! 100%recommended..!!!“

“Update:
Stopped by this cute spot again today and tried their ceremonial hojicha drinks — and honestly, so good.

We got the iced hojicha latte and a hojicha affogato, and both were super smooth, earthy, and not overly sweet. The latte had that perfect roasted flavor, and the affogato was such a fun treat — creamy, rich, and topped with a fluffy swirl that looked as good as it tasted.

The ordering area is bright and clean, and their menu board makes everything look extra tempting. If you love matcha or hojicha (or just want to switch things up from regular coffee), this place is definitely worth a stop.

Would totally come back to try the matcha affogato next time. 💚

We ordered “chunk and swirls” and “caramel fudge cashews”. They are so good, so satisfying. Highly recommended these two flavors. (Sorry my husband ate it all before I can take a picture of his)“

“Home made Tacos home made ice cream. What else can a growing boy ask for? Lol“

“Love their halo halo and kalamansi“

“The flavors were great! I think most if not all of them are thrifty flavors. The place was nice and clean and honestly a pretty fair price for the amount of scream you get. I only got the scoops, nothing speciality, but it was great and I will definitely be going back.“

“Very clean, friendly staff and delicious frozen yogurt 😊!“

“Absolutely love their ice cream. Best service and friendliest staff!“

“Very delicious the mangoneada and fruit bionico 😋😋🤫“

“delicious choices of yogurt and very friendly. & very clean. will definitely be back“