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    Fosters Freeze

    2.7 (116 reviews)
    Closed 8:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Order Fosters Freeze Takeout or Delivery

    Fosters Freeze Photos

    Business Info

    FOSTERS FREEZE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Fosters Freeze

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    Barbara S.

    Stopped in for a cone treat on the way home from geocaching. Ordered small half n half dipped and small vanilla cones at $11.93! Paid cash because they charge to use card. Service was ho hum. Cones were good size, ice cream was creamy but the actual cone was stale. I asked if they had a restroom- nope. Ok, they may be exempt from providing one due to age of building but must have an employee one in which peeps with medical conditions may use. Essentially the place was empty, filthy, old and not your typical welcoming beach town establishment. This was always our stopping place for an ice cream treat but may reconsider our options. This particular location has gone down hill before hitting Hwy 17.

    Therese K.

    Stopped by Foster's Freeze in Santa Cruz for a classic soft serve and it totally hit the spot. Got the 1/2 chocolate, 1/2 vanilla swirl and it was perfectly smooth, creamy, and not overly sweet. The chocolate was rich, the vanilla was light, and together they're basically a perfect combo. Simple, nostalgic, and exactly what soft serve should be--great treat on a Santa Cruz day.

    Restaurant walking from pacific ave
    Shohei O.

    Fosters Freeze in Santa Cruz has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It's more than just a burger and soft-serve spot -- it holds a special place in my heart. I've been coming here for years, and every time I step up to the window, it brings back so many memories. The food is classic -- nothing fancy, but that's what makes it great. A dipped cone or a chocolate malt on a hot day, crinkle fries that taste exactly the same as they did when I was a kid. There's something comforting about how little it's changed. It's sentimental for me -- a place I've come to with friends, family, and sometimes just by myself to take a pause. There aren't many spots left like this, and I really hope it stays around for a long time.

    Brooke C.

    Not only was the food significantly better than the location closer to me, the staff is so kind vigilant and efficient! Spencer needs a raise! Spencer took my order quickly and kindly and did the best lowkey check to see if I was ok while being repeatedly questioned by a customer on something other than life. Spencer was professional with the customer who was also giving him a hard time and was still able to get my food out quickly! I didn't get the name of the friend who cooked my food but he needs a raise too, it's great!

    Outside
    Annabelle R.

    A cool and casual fast food joint with indoor and outdoor seating. Excellent, friendly customer service, no extras, just what I needed. Got the fish & chips order with tartar sauce and ranch, the food obviously not gourmet quality, but the fish was tender and cooked just right, and the crinkle-cut fries were filling and not salty. The sauces were good too, tartar not too sweet and the ranch was not hidden valley, which is a plus for me. Quick and easy dinner on a Saturday evening.

    Extreme Bacon Double burger
    Jay T.

    For years now, my Bride has regaled me with tales of Foster's Freeze, a family owned burger shack in Santa Cruz, justly famous for their milkshakes. So while we were in town we had to stop in for lunch. We both got Jalapeño Spicy Chicken sandwiches, and split an order of krinkle cut fries. The sandwiches were crispy, spicy, and delicious. She got a triple berry shake which was bursting with berry flavour. I had a cold-brewed mocha shake, which is the most coffeelicious shake I've gotten in years! The Kid had an Extreme Bacon Double burger and a Red Velvet shake. I swear he likes red velvet mostly because I think it's gross. Total was $47, and I threw a couple of bucks in the tip jar.

    Outside trash can
    Jackie W.

    This place is so slow they take forever to make your order and they don't have a bathroom and they have a kiosk to take your order or a scan and pay thing you can do on your phone it kinda expensive but good food but they need to clean it up.

    Small Strawberry Milkshake for $7.74. Looks like a kids size
    Ashley K.

    With prices of everything rising the least I would expect is to get fresh food made properly. My burger had 3 hard center pieces of lettuce and was cold. The cheese didn't even melt. Wasn't given any napkins or straws for the drinks on a delivery order. It was 10 minutes for the driver to get here from the restaurant on a direct delivery.

    the outside of a restaurant
    Ken N.

    Well, the ice cream is good, but that's about the extent of the positive experience. My Sister sat down on one of the benches inside, and it collapsed underneath her and bruised her leg significantly. We were refunded for our order, and my sister was able to hobble to the car and wanted to continue our road trip, so that was that, but I would recommend anyone going her to be careful if you intend to sit down on anything. There are no bathrooms here, and not much interior decor that tells me it's a Foster's unlike some other Foster's I have been to. Also, I would recommend that you make sure the height of your ice cream cone matches the height you're supposed to get on the display. My sister should hopefully be recovered in a week or so. 3 Stars is more than generous for this review.

    the receipt for the restaurant

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    2 months ago

    Soft serve was delicious and exactly what we were looking for. Clean dining area and wonderful service! Would definitely return

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    1 year ago

    Milkshake was phenomenal!!!!! Customer service was great and treated with a smile. A must have for those craving ice cream or milkshakes

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    Great customer service, greatly tasty food and clean interior of the restaurant. Great environment all together.

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    Ask the Community - Fosters Freeze

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    We were walking downtown on a Sunday afternoon and saw a little sandwich board pointing us to ice…read morecream. I'm not one to say no to sweets so we popped in. They say this is "real fruit ice cream"- ice cream with fruit blended in. There are not a ton of flavors here, we had a choice of blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, or blueberry. We were thinking to share two cups but we saw a sign that said that if it is your birthday (or within 7 days after your birthday) you get free ice cream! So that took care of our kiddo! We got strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry. They blend the ice cream right in front of you. Overall the ice cream was good but I didn't feel the fruit flavors were real strong. You can get some toppings if you wish for $0.50 each, the kiddo wanted coconut flakes. Not a ton of seating area inside here, maybe 7-8 stools, but it was quiet in the afternoon so we had a place to sit. Props to the guy working there- he was friendly and helpful and I appreciated how in between customers he was cleaning the counters, sweeping the floors, etc... loved the fact that he was keeping himself busy and making the business better. $6 for a kid cone, $7 for a cup, $8 for a waffle cone... a bit pricey for what you get in my opinion.

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    Nico's Ice Cream
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    Cruz Creamery - Half Honey Lavendar and Half Rose Ice Cream

    Cruz Creamery

    4.0(210 reviews)
    0.8 mi
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    This one was difficult. It was really closer to a 2.5 for me, but with all of the other ice cream…read moreplaces around town, Cruz Creamery just really misses the spot. Ultimately, we came here because the other one that we wanted to go to down the street had a line into the parking lot. In hindsight, we probably should have just waited. The ice cream here just didn't stand out. It melted too quickly-almost like it wasn't really kept cold cold. The flavors meshed together and didn't really pop and you know something is odd when after going through 4 flavors, the lady up front say, "that's the best", or "that's one of my favorites" to each and every one of them. Getting your order mixed up was also a deduction. I wanted a brownie sundae and because she was out of hot fudge, asked if that could be replaced with caramel. I said yes, but ended up just getting a caramel sundae without the brownies?! Unfortunately I didn't notice until after I sat down with my sundae to which point, I just didn't care enough to get it fixed. The place seemed dingy and confused. With ice cream, but froyo, it could be a bit confusing. Overall, it just didn't seem genuine. There are too many ice cream shops around and to call this one a local and community focused ice cream shop seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

    Cool dessert shop offering lovely lounge seating, ample space, a froyo station with a variety of…read moretoppings in the yogurt bar, and plenty of ice cream flavors in the display case, including vegan and sorbet options. There were 4 types of chocolate available, but no dark chocolate. I opted for a double chocolate fudge brownie milkshake. They didn't have lowfat milk but the worker was friendly and offered to put less milk. Strangely, the shake ended up being on the watery side. It also wasn't quite filled to the top, and even got foamy at the surface. But it was delicious nonetheless.

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    Cruz Creamery - Inside.

    Inside.

    Cruz Creamery - Outside

    Outside

    Cruz Creamery - Inside

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    Inside

    Fosters Freeze - burgers - Updated September 2026

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