Love this Ice cream spot, every time I'm here, the line moves quickly no matter how crowded it is. They also have a little seating area around the perimeter of the store. All the flavors I've tried have not disappointed, but my favorites are the Knot your Average Dough, and the S'mores Ice cream. Their waffle cones are the best I've had as well, they are always a perfect crunchy texture and pair nicely with any ice cream. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Small Scoop of the Knot your Average Dough with caramel drizzle and a sprinkles waffle cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

I went here after dinner with my young kids. Each kid wanted a scoop of ice cream on a cone. Why in the world would I get a giant 2.5 scoop of ice cream for a small child?! Instead of offering a portion-appropriate size for a child, the server just said no they don't do that. She couldn't offer a side bowl, or offer just a cone, nothing. When I asked to speak to the manager, she said there was actually an option for 4 scoops in a container. But no cone. Why is the magic of each kid getting just a small scoop of what they want in a cone list on Handels? What business can't supply child sized portions? Especially an ice cream location. They missed out on each of us purchasing our own cone and ice cream. Instead we purchased only one cone and had to share a dripping mess among the 4 of us. I'll skip Handels next time I want ice cream read more

Tried the Oreo cheesecake flavor and it was good! I think the cheese blocks were a little too big for it to feel balanced but if you like cheese, that's definitely a flavor u should try! A little sad that they got rid of trying out flavors since Handel's has a lot of interesting flavors and I want to try it before I commit to a HUGE scoop. This location does have parking but it's pretty popular so we had to do street parking. The workers there work very fast so the wait is very short. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Cheese cake with Oreo - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

As an Ohioan I love seeing Handels on the west coast! This location moves quick even when the line is super long and the staff is always so nice! Good variety of flavors and options as well. read more

4/2/2026 - It happened again. Sent my husband and daughter to grab ice cream around 6:45pm. Little to no wait. Within 10 minutes they are out. He ordered the sampler for the following: Chocoholic chunk, Pistachio, Mint chocolate chip (regular) and Coconut caramel delight. Brings it home and 1 ice cream is wrong once again for the sampler. Twice for me at this place. It was some raspberry vanilla. They can't read their own hand writing. It was the middle booth who did this. See the photos. They purchased a hot fudge sundae and a chocoholic scoop. No issues with theirs. Can't really check the bag when they left because they are stacked on top of each other. They did it to me again with the sampler! Do not order the sampler. It will be wrong. Twice now. My family loves this place. I'm on the other side of the fence. read more

See all

We love ice cream so handmade sounded good and, they have lines. Ice cream has become more expensive these days so we opted to get a quart instead of individual cones. We definitely like it better than Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen. We'll have to try a different flavor next time as we were hoping for something a bit more chocolatey. But overall good ice cream. read more

Unlike the HEFFER Nicole L, my best friend and I were more than satisfied with our portions for our ice cream orders. So much so that I couldn't even finish my single scoop of the twixter flavor, it was huge and delicious! The employee named Belle I believe was by far the friendliest and warmest interaction we have had in the last 3 Handel's locations we've been too. Will definitely be back! read more

Favorite go to spot when I'm craving good ice cream. They have so many options to choose from. Shakes to malts to pints to go. I love the knot your average dough. The best cookie dough I've had. Don't let the line discourage you. It moves fast.! The workers are always so friendly and fast. They have specials every so often! Definitely a go to spot. read more

Ice cream here is good but not great. There is not comfortable seating. Orders are placed at the window and employees are efficient and friendly. read more

Not much to say about this place. Average service and ice cream. I had a chocolate ice cream. My wife had the strawberry ice cream. Nothing stood out. Long wait but friendly service. Not much seating but cool little spot for a date. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Chocolate ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

I enjoy coming to this location because they are pretty quick when taking orders. The parking lot area is pretty small but there is street parking. I always get the butter pecan flavor and it's the best flavor ever. They always have new flavors to try. There are benches available to sit at on the side to enjoy your ice cream. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Seating area - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

Greatest ice cream known to man! You don't need to sample any of em'.... In two trips, tried 8 different flavors and they're all slappin'. It's been a long time since I've felt froggy (lol) standing in line for ice cream. Oh you know what, Salt and Straw hits too BUT Handel's has that "mmmm-hmmm" factor. Im laughing that lady 6 days ago really was complaining about the size scoops and then put a review about it. People trippin with their complaints. Eat the rest of your kids scoop(s) if it's too much for him. Sheeeesh lol. Handle's is about to be the next Better Buzz or Soapy Joes taking over San Diego County. Great work Handle's! read more

By far our most favorite ice cream. The price has increased in the last few years, but still far more reasonable and affordable compared to some of the other mainstream ice cream places. For a family of 5 you can expect to spend about $30ish. But look out for the deals, which may vary by location. We follow the Santee locations' instagram and they regularly do a 3/3/3 promotion. 3 scoops, 3 days, $3. They will tell you what 3 days (It changes) and what flavor they are offering...that also changes. But the flavors are usually fun and we love trying new flavors. There will almost ALWAYS be a line at Handels. But don't let that stop you. It moves fast and the ice cream is worth it. We have been going to Handel's for years now and the Santee location is one of our favorites. read more

We love Handel's ice cream . From the large variety of ice cream to the excellent customer service . We always have a great experience grabbing dessert here . read more

Worth the price. Might as well pay a little more for great ice cream instead of the supermarket brands.

went on a weekday at night, parking wasn't too packed, line wasn't even long either! i always do love Hansel's because of how much they give you (yes it is a pretty hefty price) but i personally think you get the most for your buck as opposed to like Baskin Robbin's. I got the Oreo ice cream and grand central graham one! Employees are always really nice and super fast too! read more

Awesome for kids, tons of flavors, delicious ice cream. Good amount of parking and accessible location. The seating is my only issue- I wish there were more shaded seats. read more

Fast service (but with so many options I had to step out of line so I wouldn't hold up the line). Wow. Never seen so many options and the staff was very helpful by asking me questions so they could make suggestions. I finally decided on a double scoop and sat in my car enjoying the out of the world flavors! Very clean and organized business. read more

This is not only my favorite ice cream shop but this location is the best in San Diego. They have amazing deals (check their instagram) and the flavors are perfection. We bring the family here for a sweet treat and everyone is always wanting more. The serving sizes are good and prices aren't too bad. read more

Came here on a rainy evening and why not? Was in the mood for ice cream and Handel's was the logical choice. I got Cherry Vanilla and Burgundy Cherry and it was delicious. So creamy yet with a frozen bite to it. Love this place. read more

See all

I really wanted to like this place because they have such a huge variety of creative and interesting flavors -- but unfortunately, the overall experience was disappointing. First, you can't sample any flavors, which makes it really hard to decide what to get. Some of the names don't clearly describe what they actually taste like, so you're left guessing. I even asked an employee if they could at least describe one of the flavors, and the response I got was, "Nobody here has ever tried it." That honestly tells you more than a thousand words -- if the staff doesn't even know what their own ice cream tastes like, how are customers supposed to choose? The ordering process was confusing and frustrating. They have very specific rules about what you can and can't do, which made everything more complicated than it needed to be. I ordered a cone with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, but I was only given strawberry. When I asked about it, the shift manager came over and asked what the problem was -- which felt unnecessary. In the end, I was told I could only have two flavors, had to be refunded, and then charged again. Overall, the experience just wasn't great. The system isn't intuitive, the staff seemed more focused on enforcing rules than helping customers, and the ice cream itself was just okay -- not bad, but mid-quality for the price. Honestly, for what we paid, we could've gone to the grocery store and picked up three pints of equal or better quality ice cream. read more

Pretty good on a hot summer Tuesday night. Lines were short. Had the butter pecan on a waffle cone, delish!!! Very good and reasonably priced. read more

I heard about Handel's 3/3/3 promotion and had to give it a try! Every week they pick a flavor and you get 3 scoops for $3 only 3 offered 3 days. This week the flavor is frosted animal cookie. While waiting in the line I was hesitant about the frosted animal cookie flavor but decided to give it a shot and was so glad I did! It was so delicious, better than I anticipated. I loved the rich huge globs of frosting throughout and the animal cookie chunks. I can't wait to see what flavor you pick next week. High quality delicious ice cream with unique flavors! Can't go wrong! read more

Ice cream here is good. It gets packed and there's not a lot of places that are comfortable to eat. When it's cold outside and you're eating cold ice cream that kind of sucks. It's good flavoring, I love their options, but for the price I believe the atmosphere should be more suitable for people to sit with options safe for each weather condition. Comparing this one to the other Handel locations. The staff are professional but not friendly. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

Some of the best ice cream I have ever had. We tried horchata, pistachio, monkey business, cotton candy, and cherry vanilla. We ranked monkey business at the top of our favorites, followed closely by pistachio, horchata, and cotton candy. We would skip the vanilla cherry next time as it just tasted like vanilla ice cream with a few maraschino cherry chunks mixed in. Three of us had waffle bowls and really enjoyed them. Great service, nice outdoor seating, and delicious ice cream. We cant wait to visit again. read more

On a lazy Saturday afternoon I dragged BB here to enjoy some ice cream. She wasn't in the mood so I had to partake alone. There was one person in front of me, and this gentleman was raving about the salted caramel truffle flavor. So I decided to try that, in addition to blueberry cobbler. i believe the medium cone was 6.50. I was expecting two scoops (which is what I would have got elsewhere at that price) but was given 3 and a half scoops total! Great value. Both flavors were good. I actually was not too fond of the chocolate pieces in the caramel, it was sweetness overkill, but I could definitely see the appeal for those who like caramel and chocolate combined. The caramel ice cream by itself was divine. The blueberry cobbler was perfect and more up my alley. I picked out the Taro to try out next time, as I really like Taro. Overall it was a great experience and another one to add into the rotation. Parking was fine but there was only two parties there when I went. I suspect parking may be tighter at peak times. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Medium cone (3.5 scoops!) Salted caramel truffle and blueberry cobbler. Both delicious. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

My favorite ice cream spot! You have to try the graham central station. Workers here are also so courtesy and sweet.

Went tonight for my birthday. We have never been to Handel's before. Was excited to get a bday treat. I wanted to try something different than my regular cookies and cream, that I can get anywhere else. Welp, they only do samples Mon-Fri 11am-5pm. What the heck. That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I'm not going to spend my money and try something that I don't even know if I like. So we left and now going to Baskin Robbin's. You guys need to do better. Super disappointed. (There was almost no line so there wouldn't have been a delay, just wanted to try 2 flavors) read more

My family loves Handel's Ice Cream. We've been there at least 6 times this month. The Banana Cream Pie is my absolute favorite! My husband loves the Blueberry Cobbler and Monkey Business and my daughter's go to is always Strawberry Cheesecake. We get full pints every time. Service is always great and we've never had to wait very long. read more

Handel's is pretty good. The first time we came we left because the line was taking way too long. This time my son and I didn't have to wait long at all. They have a ton of flavors and even some dairy free options. I ended up getting the chocolate almond milk ice cream with peanut butter which was pretty good. My son enjoyed his birthday cake ice cream. read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Chocolate almond milk ice cream with peanut butter - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

Came by with my sister and ordered a shake and a small dish. Mariah and Sienna's service was very friendly and understanding while answering question about their flavors. Sienna was quick at her job and my shake came out quickly while still doing a good job. Definitely would return again! read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

We had some very good tasting ice cream and an orange dreamy creamy milkshake. It was a hot day and everyone was out to get their ice cream on. The line moved relatively fast. I wish they had more shade though for us and the dog. They did have a dog bowl of water which I appreciated for my pup. They have many flavors to choose from but the reason I give it 4 stars is that I think you should be able to have a sample. I couldnt' decide which one to get so I didn't get anything! I just had a taste of my daughter's milkshake and the boyfriend's scoops. Tasted amazing! Check out my video review on YouTube so you can see it in action. https://youtu.be/iz5SqO4P0VM read more

I rarely write a Yelp review, but after my recent experience at Santee Handles, I feel compelled to share how I was treated--so poorly that I left the store in tears. My husband had picked up a couple of the 4-flavor samplers to bring home as a fun treat for our family. My son quickly noticed that one of the flavors he received wasn't the one he had chosen. Wanting to do the right thing, I had him stop eating it so I could bring the container back and ask for a replacement--simple enough, right? Unfortunately, due to the heat and drive across town, the rest of the ice cream melted. Still, I brought it in to show we weren't trying to be sneaky--just honest customers hoping to get what we ordered. What I received instead was shocking. The manager (and owner, I believe), Terry, spoke to me with such disrespect and condescension that I was stunned. He questioned why I would bring back the other correct three flavors and implied I lacked common sense . I explained that I brought it back to show the wrong flavor and be upfront. Wouldn't a 3/4 eaten container look much more suspicious? His response? "All of this just over some ice cream?" No, Terry--it wasn't just about the ice cream. It was about the way you spoke to me. The way you belittled me and made me feel small for trying to fix something for my child. If it truly was "just ice cream," why were you so concerned about the other melted scoops being "wasted"? I also see that there are other reviews complaining about your attitude and customer service--and you always seem to reply with something like, "Posting on social won't help. We have signs everywhere that if you're dissatisfied with your order, speak to the manager. We want all our customers to be satisfied 100%." Sure, eventually you offered me a discount--but that was only after the argument was going nowhere. And seeing how you respond to each critical review, defending yourself just like you did when speaking to my husband on the phone, I can't wait to see what you'll write in response to this. I won't be back, and I hope others are cautious before spending their money somewhere that treats honest, paying customers this way. read more

It's "ALL MONKEY BUSINESS" Loved this banana ice cream with caramel and brownie pieces!! So many different flavors with so many cone choices. It's a very popular place so plan accordingly! read more

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream - Monkey Business- banana ice cream with caramel and brownie pieces - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santee, California

Terrible customer service. First time coming. And asked for a sample. With nobody in line behind me. And they wouldn't give me a sample.

Ice cream is without a doubt my favorite food. I highly recommend the Pistachio, Banana Cream Pie, and Raspberry cheesecake ice cream. Compare this place to Baskin Robins, Cold Stone and other chain stores. For fairness: the flavors are intense. Maybe more than those other places. But as an Ice cream stan I'm here for it. read more

I wouldn't come back worse service and ice cream didn't taste right asked to get it exchanged and said no so made us buy a different one and wouldn't exchange and it melted real fast read more

The location is easy to find, parking is limited so first come first serve. We parked at the office parking spaces when you those office businesses closed around 5 pm. Depth of menu:5/5 Flavor:3/5-It hits the spot. Seating: limited-not many seats outside Texture:3/5 Service:5/5-Friendly Parking: limited-park in the street or the next door parking lot after 5 pm Everyone's taste buds are different. If you're with a group of friends it's a fun novelty to come here. read more

We ordered from Handels via DoorDash, it arrived cold and the ice cream is great quality!

It's great to see Handels come down south. My husband and I used to frequent the locations in Carlsbad, Encinitas before it closed and then Del Mar Highlands when we lived in North County so we were stoked to see it's a short drive away. For those that have never been here before, be warned that their servings are very large. Knowing this, I ordered a small mud pie in a cup. The flavors of coffee, chocolate and crushed Oreos were excellent. My husband ordered the Blondie Brownie Sundae which comes with a big square brownie, several scoops of ice cream (your choice of flavor), whipped cream, a caramel drizzle and a cherry. He enjoyed it but wished he would've picked a different flavor of ice cream since it didn't go well with the brownie. read more

See all