Heard about Santa Cruz's famous Marianne's ice cream years ago but finally had chance to stop by after visit to Natural Bridges State Park to see Monarch butterflies. This is the newer shop attached to the factory (would be so cool if there were window to peek into the factory). I thought Marianne's would be like Fenton's in Oakland with more classic American flavors but I was immediately impressed by the vast selection of flavors listed on wall grouped by more classic, chocolate based, fruity, nut based and original creations. Can ask for free samples. Staff is kind and patient as you try to decide. DH and I split a double cup with ollaliberry with honey and classic vanilla in cup with a cone on top. Definitely very rich and creamy. Will definitely stop by next time in area! Parking lot is very small, street parking is available. Some bar seating inside and benches outside. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Ollaliberry and classic vanilla double scoop - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Amazing ice cream flavors, cool employees, fair prices. Not much atmosphere b/c it's just a big room that can hold dozens of customers. I enjoyed a double (Mexican chocolate and Heaven ice cream scoops) Sundae with in-house made whipped cream, hot fudge and Oreo crumble instead of nuts, the cherry on top was dark, and semi-sweet (not the typical maraschino type fortunately). Btw, Heaven is vanilla ice cream with peanut butter fudge and brownies - deliciousness! Yeah, I will definitely be back ;-) read more

We stopped by Ice Cream on Fair on Fair Ave for a quick treat and had a really good experience. It feels like a small local spot rather than a big chain, which I liked. The ice cream tasted fresh, the portions were good, and the price was reasonable. The staff was friendly, patient, and served us pretty quickly. The place was simple, clean, and comfortable, with an easy neighborhood feel. I also liked that it was a convenient stop and not overly crowded or complicated. Nothing fancy or overdone, just a nice local place to grab ice cream. I would come back again when I'm in the area. read more

Stop by here with some friends for a friend Ms birthday n we each got ice cream I got the small mint chip ice cream.Very tasty. Parking in their tiny lot n street parking. Employee's are very nice Outside seating.I recommend this place read more

See all

Went to dinner nearby and wanted Marianne's ice cream so I started to look up the nearest location and found this gem. It was literally walking distance from dinner so that was really nice. The shop had the same original Marianne's feel with the ice cream names up on wooden squares on the wall but it was huge and industrial/modern looking. Apparently, it is called Ice Cream on Fair because they serve Marianne's and two other ice cream brands. The girls working there that night were so knowledgeable and very friendly. They were so helpful when giving out the samples and even made recommendations on flavors I might like based on what I explained as my favorites. They started to get busy but took their time to care for each customer. This place was such a sweet treat. I ended up choosing my normal flavors - banana and mudpie. Yum! The waffle cone was fresh and crunch. It was an amazing ending to a great night out. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Delicious ice cream and incredible milkshakes! They don't skimp on the ice cream so the shakes are nice and thick. Service is fantastic friendly happy people work there. Who wouldn't being surrounded by all this wonderful ice cream read more

Nice location with easy parking, and conveniently next to the bicycle path. Nice shaded or sunny outside eating area. Large selection of locally made ice creams. The service was quick, and professional. There were two young ladies really keeping up, as they had a constant flow of customers on the Labor Day Holiday. Definitely will go again. Waistline permitting. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - The exterior of the shop. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I finally popped in here and I'm glad I did. I'm familiar with Polar Bear ice cream and so I knew what I wanted. It was buzzing on a Saturday night and the service was great. Definitely treat yourself to some tasty cream if you're in the area! read more

Marianne's and Polar Bear ice cream in one place?! What's not to love? Great selection by scoop, quarts, and ice cream sandwiches. Good service and not usually a crowd, so quick. Some benches outside but no other seating. read more

Huge selection of I team. There are 111 the day we went. Great service too. With a family of five we took a while to decide. But they were patient and let us sample flavors. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - a woman holding a cone of ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

So many flavors to choose from and the ice cream is delicious! Super friendly customer service too, I will be back soon.

What a find! My daughter and I were here in town for volleyball and just finished dinner and decided we needed ice cream and found this place. The ice cream is so freaking good! The service was on point and super friendly and patient with my indecision between the coffee flavors I sampled 2 different ones before I picked my treat. The ambiance is neat and very cool. If you are in Santa Cruz eat their ice cream. I know we will be back on every trip to Santa Cruz. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Fudge brownie in a cake cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

ice cream stop in santa cruz and ice cream on fair recommended by couple ucsc professors...a few people ahead of us, so a short wait...gives us time to ponder over the choices...deciding on a double in a cup $7.75...taking lavender and blackberry...and, a single in a standard cone $6.25 for the child...marianne's ice cream served...you can find marianne's ice cream in many places, but the ice cream at on fair is super creamy and freshly made texture...lavender was delicious and the blackberry was tasty...it was good... read more

Ice Cream on Fair - double $7.75...lavender and blackberry...singles are $6.25 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

See all

Marianne's is a Santa Cruz staple and this new location is my favorite! Marianne's is know for their variety of delicious ice cream flavors and this location does not disappoint. They have all of the flavors listed on boards (just like the original location) and have them sorted into categories too which is super helpful. Some of my favorites are Rocky Road, Pumpkin, 1020, Pistachio, and pretty much anything with peanut butter or chocolate. One of the reasons I love this location is because of the ambience. The building is a bigger space than the original which allows it to be more low-key. I also like the seating area outside which is perfect to enjoy Santa Cruz's beautiful weather. One other reason I always end up at this location is because it's so convenient! Somehow I always end up in this area when I visit Santa Cruz (usually because of Verve, West End Tap Kitchen, and West Cliff) and so it's only natural that I end up grabbing ice cream while I'm there. Overall, I love Marianne's and this location. I can't wait to visit again soon! read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Rocky Road & Pumpkin (double junior) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Mocha chip and chocolate fantasy double scoop with a sugar cone was delightful ! We will be back read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Double goodness ! Polar bear and Marianne's combo - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

If youre looking to get a prepackaged pint of ice cream from here, you will be ignored. I live down the street and have been going there for a long time now with no issues at all. They have a good variety of the pre packaged ice cream in the freezers next to the counter. I arrived and grabbed my ice cream like always and placed it on the end of the counter. I know that the employees are always busy scooping ice cream, so like always I stand there patiently waiting. The employees are always so nice that when they charge someone for a scoop they tap the iPad next to them and charge me for a pint at the same time. But this time, I stood there and was totally ignored by the girl running the cash register. I really liked the place, but guess I won't be going there anymore. read more

Yummy ice cream! If you can't choose between Marianne's and polar bear ice cream, this is the spot because they have both! Such a wide variety so there's a flavor for everyone. I loved how they gave pup cups and my dog got to eat ice cream for the first time!! read more

Spectacular ice cream shop. Super busy. I had 2 scoops of green tea and pistachio. Fresh, aromatic, not too sweet. A real treat!

Amazing ice cream. I didn't know there is another location that also has Marianne's. Enjoyed the Kamura Krunch and Cookies and Cream. Location has Marianne's, Polar Bear, and Treat. read more

Good service and great ice cream ! We absolutely loved it here. Not too crowded mid day ! read more

Ice Cream on Fair - Main entrance - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Love this place for all of the flavors. Service can be slow but worth the wait. They have great sorbet too.

Stopped by here for a scoop and was overwhelmed by choices! By far the most flavor options offered at any ice cream place I've visited. You can sample as many flavors as you want... take advantage! I was happy to see there were 8 different options for coffee ice cream alone. There's bar stool seating inside as well as tables outside. Typical prices and well worth it. read more

See all

This place was so good! I got the mint Oreo and finished it so fast. My bf got the sherbet shake and he loved it. It was his birthday. Service is on point, it's the perfect place for the summer to grab ice cream read more

YAY, ice cream!! Such a great location. There aren't enough late night or dessert options on the Westside. This location is in a really nice modern building. There are like 100 flavor options. I got the cherry burgundy and it was superb - would be even better with chocolate chunks but a girl can dream. read more

Ice Cream on Fair - a hand holding an ice cream cone - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I'll be honest, I didn't get any ice cream. But my daughter did, and she seemed quite pleased. They have I don't even know how many flavors. So yeah, if you are looking for variety, this is a win. They have Marianne's, Polar Bear, and Treat Ice Cream. Nice modern clean space. Very open and airy. read more

So good!! So many flavors to choose from!! They answered every single question for us, telling us in detail about each flavor we asked about! read more

This is the place where Santa Cruz's Great "Cool Stuff" is made! Ask any Santa Cruz local, "Who makes the Best Ice Cream in town and you'll probably here them say, "Marianne's, Polar Bear or Treat Ice Cream"! For my family, growing up in Santa Cruz, Marianne's Ice Cream was (and still is), the Only place to find the Best Ice Cream in town! My parents were friends with the owner Sam Lieberman and my brother and I were friends with his son, so we were exposed to their outstanding ice cream decades ago, long before Marianne's became a Santa Cruz institution. And trust me! Marianne's Ice Cream is THE Ice Cream of Santa Cruz! It is now served in Fine Restaurants, Grommet Food Stores and Specialty Sweet Shops around the area! But the Real Treat is going to the "Holy Grail", the Original Ice Cream parlor, Marianne's Ice Cream on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz! This is the Original spot where Sam Lieberman made & sold his amazing ice cream treats! I remember going there Every Sunday night for the perfect Chocolate Malt, while I was in High School, now fifty years ago! WOW! Has it really been that long ago? Yes! And I'm still happy to say that those perfect Chocolate Malts are still made there, on that spot! But since, those early days of the 1960's, Santa Cruz has grown (a lot) and the fame and demand for Marianne's has grown too and it became a bit of a "schlepp" and hassle to drive across town and deal with the huge crowds at the Ocean Street shop...so a shop went up in Aptos too but then, of course that became not enough to satisfy the demand for Marianne's Ice Cream. Well, fear no more! Last year saw the opening of "Ice Cream On Fair"! A Huge, Brand New Ice Cream Parlor and Manufacturing Facility built just to churn out the finest Ice Cream in the area! And this facility doesn't just make Marianne's Ice Cream but also makes other fine Ice Cream's that have been favorites in our area too! Aside from Marianne's, you can also get "Polar Bear" & "Treat" Ice Creams, all made from their original recipes! Oh Wow! An Ice Cream "Mecca" In Santa Cruz Has Arrived! Don't believe me? Check out "Ice Cream on Fair" at 1201 Fair Ave., just off of Mission Street on Santa Cruz's Westside! Go there and experience Santa Cruz's Best Treats! read more

Really delicious ice cream place with a ton of different flavors, and very friendly staff. Recommended!

The best ice cream place even when there are a ton of loud kids. Super patient and polite staff.

Finally Marianne's on the West Side! Aside from a slim counter and a few benches outside there is no seating (as of yet). It's a grab and go kind of affair. But there are scores of flavors, free samples, and everything else you expect from Marianne's. read more