This scoop shop on 18th Street always has a line of people out the door eager to satisfy their craving for housemade, small-batch, organic ice cream. Even when it’s 55 degrees and the piercing onshore wind makes it feel like it’s 35 degrees. Well-worth it, of course, for the salted caramel (the most popular flavor because who doesn’t love some salty with their sweet?) and whichever seasonal flavors strike your fancy.

Thanks to its growing presence at local grocers, it’s pretty easy to pick up a pint of ice cream from this Mission-based brand, but if you want to get your scoops in a house-made waffle cone or if you want one of the stranger flavors, you’ll have to visit one of the locations in SF, Oakland, or Berkeley. Humphry Slocombe is probably best known for its Secret Breakfast flavor (bourbon ice cream with cornflakes), but all of the flavors have a creative flair.

The Embarcadero outpost of Humphry Slocombe, SF's endlessly creative ice cream shop.

A lot has changed recently in San Francisco, but time stands still at this 66-year-old Sunset classic, where you can still have staff spin the big wheel to pick your flavor for you. If you prefer to retain freedom of choice, we like the jasmine tea, lychee, and “Bumpy Freeway,” aka rocky road. Don’t fall too in love with any of the more obscure flavors because Polly Ann makes 500 flavors in total, “only” 50 of which are available at any one time.

Grab a stool and settle in for a malt, milkshake, sundae, or float at this ‘30s-inspired soda fountain where everything is made in-house. If the roasted pineapple is on the menu, that is your only choice. It comes and goes quickly, so you’ve gotta snag it when you can. Otherwise, go wild. (Even wilder, perhaps, if you order from the adults-only boozy drinks menu, which includes boozy milkshakes and floats.)

This family-owned business has been delighting San Franciscans with rich, creamy, hand-crafted ice cream for over 65 years. There are 40 flavors in total, all with a 16% butterfat base (yeah, when we said “rich and creamy,” we meant it), including avocado, cantaloupe, and Filipino-inspired ube-macapuno (summer-only). Mitchell’s also has pre-made and made-to-order ice cream cakes.

Salt & Straw may have originated in Portland, Oregon, but the deliciousness of its inventive seasonal flavors transcends state lines. You can always count on the classics, like sea salt with caramel ribbons and Sightglass coffee cashew praline. But half the fun of visiting the Hayes Valley location is to see what new, wild concoctions they’ve come up with each month based on inspiration from chefs, farmers, food movements, social causes, and more.

Half the fun of visiting Salt & Straw's Pacific Heights outpost is to see what new, wild concoctions they’ve come up with each month.

The brainchild of a husband-and-wife team, this unassuming shop turns out some serious small-batch gelato. Sicilian pistachio, stracciatella, and hazelnut are among the standbys, while rotating flavors like honey lavender or vegan Watson strawberry add a little seasonal flair. Need to know what’s on the menu today? Operators are standing by at 415-400-4076 to fill you in, so you’re ready to go when you pick up your cone, cup, or pint.

The Mission outpost of Smitten Ice Cream, where the made-to-order-while-you-watch ice cream, flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen, is so smooth that it’s hard to comprehend.