If the 110-degree weather didn’t give it away, summer 2016 is projected to be the hottest summer California will experience to date. We know you already blew through all the ice cream joints we recommended last year, but no worries—the ice cream game has gotten so much better since then. Here are the best places for you (and your tastebuds) to cool down with your fix of heartwarming, brain-freezing, stomach-pleasing ice cream this summer.
The Loop: Handcrafted Churros
My Personal Rating: 4/5 stars
Popular Flavors: Choco Crunch, Matcha Crunch and Strawberry Sprinkles
Busy Line Times: Approximately 1-1.5 hours
Peak Hours: Friday and Saturday nights
Cleanliness: 5/5 stars
Service: 4/5 stars
The Loop pleasantly lives up to all the Instagram hype. They only offer regular soft serve ice cream, but their fresh, homemade churros are what really put a tasty twist on the classic treat. Churros are served “dipped” with Nutella, tiramisu, dulce de leche or strawberry; “glazed” with chocolate, matcha, strawberry or cookies and cream glaze and one topping; or “chilled” with soft serve, one syrup and one topping. Though the line is horrendous (I’m talking about dozens of people wrapping around the building), the churro/soft serve combo is a must for this summer!
Creams & Dreams
My Personal Rating: 5/5 stars
Popular Flavors: Espresso, Cookietella and Cookies and Cream
Busy Line Times: Approximately 10-15 minutes
Peak Hours: Weekend nights
Cleanliness: 5/5 stars
Service: 5/5 stars
This place boasts an ice cream station and an espresso bar—two things every college student dreams of every night. Creams & Dreams separates themselves from the competition with liquid nitrogen ice cream and nitrogen cold brew! Sure, you may be awake for days with all the caffeine, but you won’t find a creamier, thicker and tastier ice cream anywhere else. The employees also never fail to make a small cup of ice cream feel like a large, and who doesn’t love that? Plus, their flavors are quite unique—mais con queso, fresh avocado and orange wild honey? Why are you still here?
Chelo Creamery
My Personal Rating: 4/5 stars
Popular Flavors: Ballin’ on a Fudge-It, Cactus Bloom and Good-Zooky
Busy Line Times: Approximately 40-50 minutes
Peak Hours: Friday and Saturday nights
Cleanliness: 5/5 stars
Service: 4/5 stars
This trendy treat comes all the way from Thailand: rolled ice cream! Not only is it a super cute photo op, it also makes life much sweeter. The employees start by creating a liquid mix of milk, fruit and/or desserts based on the flavor you’d like, then they pour the concoction over a frozen pan. After the thin layer of liquid freezes, they start to scrape the ice cream off the pan until they’ve rolled it up into little ice cream scrolls! They also decorate it all nice and pretty because they know you only came for the Instagram post (but you’ll keep coming back for the ice cream).
Eiswelt Gelato
My Personal Rating: 5/5 stars
Popular Flavors: Ferrero Rocher, S’mores and Thai tea
Busy Line Times: Approximately 30-40 minutes
Peak Hours: Friday and Saturday nights
Cleanliness: 5/5 stars
Service: 5/5 stars
OK, ice cream shaped into tiny, cute animals? This is both genius and completely unfair (because I feel insanely guilty eating something so cute). Depending on what you order, you’ll be given a choice of three to four gelato flavors and each will be shaped into different parts of a little piggy, teddy bear, puppy or rose that you ordered! This place also proves to be more than an Instagram post; the gelato itself is to die for. Eiswelt Gelato is located right next to The Loop, so be prepared to consume all the ice cream your body can handle.
Scoops ‘N Scoops
My Personal Rating: 4/5 stars
Popular Flavors: Marshmallow Cookie Butter, Salted Caramel Pretzel and Cinnamon Bun ‘N Crunch
Busy Line Times: Approximately 10-15 minutes
Peak Hours: Saturday afternoons and nights
Cleanliness: 4/5 stars
Service: 4/5 stars
Like Creams & Dreams, Scoops ‘N Scoops is capitalizing on the very popular nitrogen ice cream trend. The joint offers ice cream paired with cookies, macarons, brownies, shots of espresso, soda and even cotton candy! Choose from one of their iconic creations, or simply make your own; the possibilities are endless.
There you have it, Broncos: the five ice cream places that will get you through this record-breaking summer heat. Triple degree weather never tasted so good.
Have you tried any of these places? Be sure to share your photos and experience with us by using the hashtag #CampusCropChat on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and remember to follow us on Snapchat @asicpp!
