If you're craving Japanese soft serve in SF, Matcha Café Maiko has everything from matcha, hojicha…read moreto black sesame and mixed creations. Their standout dessert is the Maiko Special Soft Serve layered with mochi balls, chestnut, matcha cake, adzuki beans, cornflakes, agar jelly, kuromitsu, and syrup drizzle. And if you want something over the top, try The Golden Sho-Gun, a 24k gold-covered soft serve that's as photogenic as it is indulgent. There are two locations in SF, one in Japantown and one in Chinatown to get your sweet fix!

At the lower level in Japantown adjacent to a beauty salon is Matcha Cafe Maiko. It's really a…read morepick-up-and-go place. I ordered a matcha and milk swirl soft serve in a cup. Their matcha flavor is very strong but their milk flavor isn't as good as what's available upstairs. Still, they have other offerings and I look forward to trying other things!

Matcha/sesame: Great combo of soft serve to end the night…read more Nuttiness of the sesame with the bitterness of matcha. Both are not sweet. Ordering is on the kiosk, comes out in less than 5 minutes. Well lit interior space with 2 staff members working. Utensils are self service. Seating is available across from the store.

I had been looking forward to coming back here for a while, but this recent visit was a total…read moredisappointment. The shop is always packed, but they have completely eliminated customer service by forcing everyone to order through a kiosk. Worse, the soft serve isn't as good as it used to be. The matcha flavor was incredibly weak, and the black sesame was way too grainy, weak and lacked any depth. The biggest issue was a major hygiene and professionalism fail. Despite using order numbers, the employee at the counter ignored them and handed my ice cream to two other customers. When they realized the mistake and said it wasn't theirs, the employee just took the ice cream back and handed it right to me--with zero apology. Passing along food that other people have already handled is completely unhygienic. Japantown has way too many amazing dessert spots to waste your time and money here. I won't be back.

I LOVED my crepe!! It had the most adorable face made out of chocolate chips, marshmallows, and a…read morepretzel. I got the #2: green tea ice cream, red bean, whipped creme, and strawberries. I highly recommend. The service was fast and attentive to my indecisiveness and helped me choose. It's inside west side mall of Japan town, right across from mini stores. It's hard to miss since it's all decorated. I hope you try it!

I was stuffed after dinner, but as we all know, dessert goes into a completely different stomach!…read more Another bonus was that there was no line when I arrived, so I quickly decided on the Daifuku Special. It came with a matcha-flavored crepe, matcha ice cream, caramel sauce, and, best of all, daifuku. I opted to skip the bananas since I wasn't really in the mood for fruit with my dessert. I just wish the crepe skin itself was a bit crispier. I requested it but I don't think their method of making the crepe makes it possible. At $12 plus tax it felt like a fun indulgence and a sweet way to end the evening.

oh bi-rite, you have my whole entire heart…read more this staple of an establishment very well may top the chain of sf ice cream. their rotating new flavors always are a hit, and the ones that stick around are flawless. there's almost nothing better than grabbing a couple scoops and walking right across the street to mission dolores park to watch the sun set over the skyline. the crème brûlée, roasted banana, and tiramisu in particular have nearly drove me bankrupt. not to mention the peanut butter and cookies and cream. it is practically impossible to not enjoy this place. everyone i've ever taken has left in awe, and i will never abandon my spot as a loyal patron. i love you bi-rite

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I wasn't particularly blown away by Bi-Rite. The service…read morewas okay, though I felt a bit rushed by the employee despite there being very few people in the shop when I visited. They allow you to sample up to three flavors, and I ended up choosing the black sesame and crème brûlée. Unfortunately, both flavors felt a bit muted to me. I was especially disappointed by the crème brûlée since my scoop had very few of the crunchy caramelized bits that make that flavor special. I was also expecting a richer, creamier ice cream given the reputation, but it tasted fairly standard to me. Of course, texture and richness are subjective, but overall it didn't quite live up to the hype.

Busy place so expect to wait. Don't forget to grab a number ticket…read more Limited parking in the rear. Staff is friendly and a small place with a bench or two on the outside. Ice cream options are plentiful. Taste test before committing. Overall, a good old school spot for old school ice cream.

A long-time staple in SF. I love that I can get Mitchell's in restaurants, at grocery stores, and…read moreat their flagship store. The last is always the best choice! As if dinner wasn't enough one night, we stopped by Mitchell's for dessert. Since we found parking, we decided to brave the chilly SF evening and enjoy our ice-cream onsite. The store is pretty small so can get quite cramped most of the time. They have an effective system in place though. Grab a number and wait for it to be called for your turn. We got the loudest, funniest server whose voice sounds more like it belongs on a radio station instead of cracking jokes at an ice-cream parlor. He was super-friendly and very generous with our scoops. I got the ube which is one of my faves. I asked to try the halo halo and it was surprisingly very similar to a halo halo dessert. I'll have to get this one next time. There are just so many flavors at Mitchell's. I always have a hard time deciding what to get.

Best ice cream in SF. Bar None. Highly recommend this lovely little super high quality gelato shop…read more I've eaten gelato all over Italy and this place matches the best ice cream in Milan and Florence. Great staff too! Will be taking friends and family here soon!

This was the perfect sweet treat after a somewhat underwhelming dinner next door at Nono Baru…read more The staff was friendly and happy to offer samples. I ended up ordering a small cup with half Sicilian Pistachio and half Rose Petal. The Rose Petal flavor had a lovely floral taste that I absolutely enjoyed, while the Sicilian Pistachio was rich and nutty. Both flavors were creamy, smooth, and, dare I say, not overly sweet?! Every bite was delicious and it was a wonderful way to end the evening.

Sophie's crepes have interesting combination of flavors. I had a mandarin ice cream crepe here…read morepreviously and it was delicious. I like the fresh fruits and ice cream inside the crispy crepe. Service is efficient and friendly. Located on Webster and Post.

mmmm sophie's …read more... I've been a reoccurring customer at Sophie's -- their crepes are always quite cripsy at the top then soft as you go down -- and overall, delicious. You can't miss Sophie's as it's across Marufuku and makes for a great dessert after a savory meal! You come in, order at the register, and wait briefly until your number is called- which takes typically around five to ten minutes for the crepe to made. They're usually quite quick imo.. I always get the E on the menu, which is an vanilla ice cream crepe with strawberries, chocolate, and whipped cream! Normally, I stick with vanilla but my friend and I decided to try cookies n cream for an extra dollar and wowwwww .... it was honestly heavenly... The strawberries are always very sweet and juicy, and there's always the right amount of filling without causing anything to spill. Inside, there's honestly not too much seating -- there's a couple tables and chairs so you'll have to find seatings outside but Sophie's relatively cozy and cute to visit. Definitely a stop worth making. ^_^

Finally got to try Swensen's after a few years of living in SF and I see what the hype is all…read moreabout! The flavors were so good, and so fresh! We tried the lemon custard, lychee, and sticky chocolate (my safe flavor haha) but wow I was blown away by the lemon and lychee! They were unbelievably refreshing yet not so sweet. I highly recommend trying those flavors and I will be back to try more!!

I've been trying to hit more ice cream spots in the city, so what's better to try than…read moreSwensen's--an absolute classic! I got the Sticky Chewy Chocolate which I really liked! It was very rich (tasted very fudgey) and dense, which is exactly how I like my ice cream. The service was also good and I got to try a couple different flavors since it was my first time. I'll definitely be back at some point!