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SF Sweets and Sugary Delights
Spots to return to for dessert and sweet tooth fulfillment.
- 413
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7 Places
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Nicholas’s 4-star review: Love this spot. Dropped by Three Twins after date night at a Korean restaurant nearby. We grabbed a little bit of everything. AMBIANCE is small, yet quaint. There were 6 of us, and we filled the shop. Must get pretty stuffed during peak hours. Customer service was bomb, though. Gave us samples and walked us through her favorite flavors. ORDERED mint confetti and lemon cookie in a waffle cone. FOOD was amazing. The lemon cookie is one of the best ice cream flavors I've tried. RATING is a 4. Great spot to grab a cone and walk around on a date... or contemplative night. -
Nicholas’s 4-star review: My bud and I were finishing dinner and decided to walk around the neighborhood. We saw Genki and decided to peek in. I'm glad we did- this is definitely a hidden gem! I've never had an ice cream crepe, and this spot was the perfect intro. ORDERED strawberry ice cream + kiwi. It was big enough for the two of us, and didn't break the bank (under $5 I believe). Highly recommend this location. There's spaces to sit down and enjoy the crepe, and hey- you can even grab a few essential items in the mini-mart. -
Nicholas’s 4-star review: My favorite experience about Smitten Ice Cream is that they make the ice cream right in front of you. They use a liquid nitrogen Brrr machine to make the ice cream fresh. You can taste the difference! AMBIANCE gets an A. This location resembles a pop-up shop, so you basically get in and get out. There is a small park beside the shop with places to sit, which is super convenient. ORDERED Cookie dough with pretzel and chocolate chip in a waffle cone. FOOD - ok, this is my only qualm. The menu is so small. I didn't like the flavors they had available, so I went with the cookie dough and... pretzels? I don't immediately think of pretzels when I think of ice cream (hell, I thought the idea was gross), but I admired the quality of the ice cream. RATING is a flowery four. Head to Hayes Valley one Sunday, enjoy a coffee with a friend, and make your way over to this spot. I've seen the other flavors online, so I look forward to going back and checking those out! -
Nicholas’s 4-star review: My sister wanted to do 3 humble things during her San Francisco trip: travel to the Golden Gate bridge, sneak away into Japantown, and... visit Castro for Hot Cookie. Take a guess at her selection, or look at the photos below. AMBIANCE is giving you red light special realness, mixed with the quaintness of a food boutique. There is nowhere to sit inside, but there are a few bicycle racks to lean on with a friend or two. Stuck in line? Let the collage of hot men clad in branded underwear along the walls take your mind off of things. ORDERED oatmeal raisin cookie, chocolate chip cookie, and the infamous dark chocolate penis cookie. FOOD was honestly some of the best cookies I've ever had, especially considering the size. For about $3 a cookie, it doesn't break the bank for a nice bag of goodies to take home. RATING is a sizzling four. This place is an institution for Castro dwellers, and a must-see for visitors to the neighborhood. Awesome customer service makes for a great trip and a gaggle of laughs per bite. -
Nicholas’s 4-star review: This was my partner and I's last stop on what was a beautiful Italian-themed date night in SF (North Beach). Who could turn down delicious gelato to top off the evening? It was a small shop, but there were a few seats inside and outside. We staff was helpful and patient as we scanned through the flavors and tried samples. We ultimately picked a variety of flavors. The mint chocolate and salted caramel were among my favorite. For the amount of ice cream, the price was reasonable. Looking forward to coming back (Italian day part two!). -
Nicholas’s 5-star review: Sweet, sweet delight. Whenever I venture to the Castro in the evenings, I usually pass a crowd of people outside Dessert Story (and a busy room of guests inside). It wasn't until I decided to give their treats a try that I learned why everyone is rushing to give their menu a go. AMBIANCE is perfect in all the right places. The space is not very large, which is also a factor in this space being so crowded, but the wood tables and access to viewing the kitchen is a great touch. Both the desserts and the space are Instagram friendly, including a photo booth backdrop containing Dessert Story's logo. ORDERED iced matcha latte with almond milk ($6), Thai tea crepe cake ($12), and large mango sticky rice bingsoo ($13.50). FOOD was an incredible experience. I'd never tried bingsoo before, but I can easily add it to one of my favorite desserts. The soft texture of the ice with the sweetness of mango and condensed milk blew my tastebuds away. The Thai tea crepe tasted just like a Thai iced tea, and I could tell a lot of work goes into creating it (I had a new appreciation after looking at the process online). I should have gotten my matcha latte iced since there were quite a few chunks of matcha floating around, but the quality was great. OVERALL I give Dessert Story a festive five stars. I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. PS: shout out to the very kind and friendly service. -
Nicholas’s 3-star review: I've seen CREAM a few times as I've traveled around the city, but have never gone in. My partner was in the mood for something sweet, and they were right around the corner from where we were. I will say the spot is quite convenient- right by 16th Street Mission Bart. The ambiance was a little underwhelming. I was planning on sitting down for a bit and enjoying some warm cookies with my boo, but there were no chairs. As for the cookies, they weren't warm at all. Out of the CREAMfetti, Chocolate Banana Bliss (Vegan), and Chocolate chip flavors we chose, the Chocolate Banana Bliss was the only solidly moist cookie (the poor CREAMfetti was quite hard). The blueberry pie was tasty (and warmed up), but would have been better with a scoop of ice cream. They do have a vegan variety of cookies though, so if you're on the plant-based hustle and feeling a craving for something sweet, I recommend the Chocolate Banana Bliss (ask them to warm it up for a couple seconds).
