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    Nico's Ice Cream

    4.2 (26 reviews)

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    Maricarmen C.

    Spotted the sign while walking to grab lunch, so we decided do stop by after for dessert. I tried their strawberry flavor with sprinkles in a cup which was delicious. It was busy inside, but we did not have to wait long. There is limited seating indoors, so I would say it's more of a grab and go place. Will be going back to try their other flavors!

    Banana with chocolate sprinkles kid cone
    Christopher S.

    One of five ice cream shops in a square mile "the Scoop Loop". This shop blends fruit and vanilla ice cream to order. Choose from a limited amount of toppings. I went on a Thursday and instead of the regular berry fruit flavors they have banana, mango, and pineapple. Entire group chose banana with chocolate sprinkles, which was very smooth and good flavor. The sprinkles add a nice touch of look, taste, and crunchy texture. Ideally it would be nice to have all the flavors open every day and maybe a few more toppings, but tastes fresh!

    Blackberry   Ice Cream with coconut flakes in a cup
    Leah Y.

    Super cool concept! When we walked in, the staff helped us understand the different ice cream style and we were very impressed. It is essentially vanilla based ice cream that is mixed with fruit via a soft serve style machine to get its flavor. We tried three different flavors and liked them all. The strawberry and raspberry flavors were very light and refreshing, not at all overpowering. However I did think the blackberry flavor was a little weak after the first bite or two, but I still gladly ate the entire thing because it was still very tasty. The vanilla base is super creamy and not at all too sweet. We all loved the light and creamy texture!!! As for the toppings, the coconut was toasted and gave a really nice flavor to the ice cream. I had never had anything like that before but will definitely be trying it again. Again, such a fun and different ice cream concept that yielded yummy results. Inside was very clean and modern, with a small area to buy drinks and merch. The staff is super friendly and prepared to answer all your questions and offer recommendations.

    Samantha C.

    Delicious ice cream! So cool to have New Zealand ice cream in Santa Cruz! The flavors all look good and I love how they make it in front of you! I'm not the biggest fan of vanilla things so it wasn't amazing for me but I thought the concept was really cool! I would want to try a different flavor next time!

    Raspberry, blueberry, strawberry
    Ms T.

    I traveled for 45 minutes to sample the ice cream at Nico's and chose a traditional fruit mix without any added toppings. While I respect the classic New Zealand style approach (generally made without topping's) I was disappointed, particularly by the portion size in relation to the cost. Since my family owns a real fruit ice cream business in New Zealand, I had elevated expectations. It was decent, but I won't return.

    Kim C.

    I was looking forward to trying Nicos after seeing all the great reviews and pictures here. But I was really disappointed in my blackberry ice cream. It had no blackberry flavor and didn't look anything like the very impressive pictures here. It was a small sad child size swirl for 6.00.

    Ice cream

    Got the strawberry ice cream with gram cracker dust. It was good! Want to go back and try the other flavors

    Blueberry and Raspberry Swirl with Coconut Flakes

    If you love fruity ice cream this place is incredible. Ice cream tasted super fresh, and then give student discounts!!!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Absolutely wonderful ice cream. Made with fresh fruit. We loved it and we will be back!!

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    2 years ago

    Amazing quality and not too sweet! Love how you can blend the flavors of the fruit. A new downtown favorite forsure!

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    The Penny Ice Creamery

    The Penny Ice Creamery

    4.4
    (2.4k reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    My goodness!! The toasted marshmellow fluff was absolutely delicious and the perfect touch to my…read moreice cream. It was light and paired with a cone it's like smores! We got the Brown sugar oat with walnut ice cream, I also really enjoyed the bitter caramel, which really was bitter but perfect for people who don't like too sweet of an ice cream. Quinn was the employee who helped us out, she was so sweet and accommodating! She gave us recommendations convinced us to get the marshmellow fluff which we are grateful we tried. Thank you Quinn!

    I've been coming here for a long time and visit pretty frequently, so this experience was really…read moredisappointing. When my boyfriend and I walked in, one of the employees was having a conversation with what looked like friends. I didn't mind at first because there were two other employees standing at the front, so I assumed one of them would help us. Instead, we stood there for several minutes without anyone acknowledging us. I understand if the other employees weren't assigned to the register, but what bothered me was that no one even took a second to say, "We'll be with you shortly." A simple acknowledgment goes a long way and would have made a big difference. The lack of customer service and communication made us feel ignored so we just ended up leaving and went some place else. As someone who has supported this business for a long time, it was disappointing. I hope management addresses this because good customer service is just as important as the product itself.

    Photos
    Mandarin Sorbet with rainbow sprinkles
    Mandarin Sorbet with rainbow sprinkles
    Dark Chocolate (Vegan) with Toasted Marshmallow topping
    Dark Chocolate (Vegan) with Toasted Marshmallow topping
    Verve coffee praline ice cream with roasted marshmallows topping! Hee.

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    Verve coffee praline ice cream with roasted marshmallows topping! Hee.
    Cruz Creamery

    Cruz Creamery

    4.0
    (210 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Inside.
    Inside.
    Outside
    Outside
    Inside

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    Inside
    Chocolate

    Chocolate

    3.5
    (773 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    The truffles!!! Such a variety and quality Also the pasta…read morerosettes are fantastic I've definitely ripped off the recipes and make versions of them at home . David is a very sincere and kind person so that really carries through Bravo and brava to the staff

    This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

    Photos
    İnside
    İnside
    Coconut Cheesecake!
    Coconut Cheesecake!
    Outside

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    Outside
    Ice Cream on Fair

    Ice Cream on Fair

    4.8
    (30 reviews)
    1.5 mi

    Heard about Santa Cruz's famous Marianne's ice cream years ago but finally had chance to stop by…read moreafter 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.

    Amazing ice cream flavors, cool employees, fair prices. Not much atmosphere b/c it's just a big…read moreroom 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 ;-)

    Photos
    Fudge brownie in a cake cone
    Fudge brownie in a cake cone
    Double goodness ! Polar bear and Marianne's combo
    Double goodness ! Polar bear and Marianne's combo
    Outside

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    Outside

    Nico's Ice Cream - icecream - Updated August 2026

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