I first discovered my love for taiyaki fish cone ice cream at Uji Time. I was so bummed when the spot in Berkeley closed down! While I know there's a location in San Francisco, I'm rarely in that area anymore since I'm mostly in Palo Alto these days. That's why I was absolutely thrilled to find SomiSomi, which completely filled that taiyaki-shaped hole in my heart! My usual at Uji Time was black sesame soft serve, but since it wasn't on the menu here, I happily went with Ube, which I also adore. I got it in a cup with a fish cone on top for $6.95 (plus tax). Beyond the soft serve, I also tried some of their taiyaki with various fillings. While they were all delicious, the cheddar one really surprised me! Its savory flavor was a standout and actually became my favorite. SomiSomi offers really good prices for a sweet treat. Many other places are super expensive, so it's nice that even with the extra taiyaki, I felt it was worth it. Just a soft serve would have been under $10, which is fantastic. I'll definitely be coming back here. As for service, they have a self-service kiosk system, which I actually prefer. It's easy to see all the options and place your order. They have block seating inside, which is cool, but it feels more like a grab-and-go spot since there aren't any tables. Perfect for a quick treat on the fly! I really like this place and will absolutely be a repeat customer! read more

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Somisomi is honestly such a cute little treat stop We got the matcha and UBE with matcha and Nutella toppings, and it was so good. The matcha flavor was smooth. The cone was warm and crispy, which made it even better. It's such a simple dessert but it feels special every time. Definitely one of those places you leave happy read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Been here multiple times, and always enjoy some Somi Somi. My favorite is getting taiyaki filled with Nutella or Cheddar. At first I was iffy about the cheddar, until my friend convinced me to try it and it's so good! When it gets busy, it can take some time to get the items you ordered, but if not, then it's pretty quick. It is a spacious Somi Somi, but there are no tables you can sit at. They do have seating but it's low and again no tables. For this, I usually take my items to go or eat it while walking around downtown Palo Alto! read more

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It was my first time trying Somisomi and it didn't disappoint! I ordered the matcha soft serve with the fish waffle topping. The matcha soft serve was more on the milky and sweeter side. The real highlight of my dessert was the fish waffle - it was crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the inside, and had just the right amount of sweetness! The staff were welcoming and helpful, the space is perfect to sit for a quick bite! I plan to return for the fish waffle! read more

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I love Somisomi. I've been to multiple locations, and they're all great. This location in downtown Palo Alto was not crowded at all on a warm Saturday evening, we waited maybe 2-3 minutes total after ordering on a kiosk for our soft serve to come out. They had a new flavor, sakura berry, which was light and fruity, perfect for a spring day! The fish cone was warm and crispy and delicious as usual. There's some seating inside but I usually take it and walk down University. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a sweet treat in downtown Palo Alto! read more

Somisomi - Upside down ahboong - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

My favorite taiyaki: Somisomi This weekend was my 3rd time visiting Somisomi in Palo Alto, CA, and it doesn't disappoint! Taiyaki is a waffle pastry typically filled with red bean paste, but the filling can vary. Pictured is Black Sesame and Milk soft serve with a Taiyaki filled with custard. They're best when the waffle is warm off the griddle (unfortunately this one wasn't :/). Such a fun dessert experience! Plus, the little macaron topping is so cute. read more

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You order on iPad. The move is definitely to get the taiyaki's separately - the they come out hot! So good

I have visited this place over the weekend for the first time after my frnds suggestion. Tried match soft serve. It was so good. I really like their ambiance with fish cone on top of my icecream. Loved it read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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SomiSomi has an Earl Grey and Cookies & Cream swirl right now! I've always been a big fan of Earl Grey, and this one's just perfect -- not too sweet, with just the right amount of tea flavor. Definitely worth a try if you're an Earl Grey lover like me!! read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Follow up... This is how they treated us when we visited. The first photo shows what someone else received, and the second is what we were given,completely untouched, so you can clearly see how little they served us. We arrived about 15 minutes before closing, and it felt like they were annoyed we came in at all. The portions were noticeably smaller, the staff was unfriendly and rude, and they were even talking about us to each other in an unprofessional way.Very disappointing experience. Customers should be treated with respect regardless of the time, as long as the business is still open. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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It was my first time trying Somisomi on a warm afternoon and it was yummy yummy! You place your order at the kiosk, with choices of different flavors of soft serve (when I went, there was ube & matcha available, among more traditional flavors) along with taiyaki - a breaded Japanese dessert usually in the shape of a fish and holds different fillings inside. I got the number one recommendation, which was a taiyaki waffle cone filled with red bean filling and matcha soft serve. The flavors paired well together, and while I'm not a huge dessert person, this small but mighty treat tasted divine on a hot day, especially when enjoyed outdoors. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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SomiSomi always hits my soft serve cravings. The ube and cookies and cream are my favorites and I love when they offer the swirl of those two. This location is pretty small, there's not much seating available, and it's also challenging to find street parking during peak hours. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Great experience here!! Would've loved to have the fish waffle warmed up, but otherwise super delicious. I got cookies and cream ice cream with black sesame and coconut shavings for the topping. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

My SO and I were stoked to see a SOMISOMI here! I love their taiyaki and their soft serve. We decided to get two taiyakis and holy moly, they were quite disappointing. They were raw as the taiyaki wasn't heated up long enough and I had to throw it away. Welp, most disappointing SOMISOMI experience I have ever had actually. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We looove Somi Somi for their Taiyakis - freshly made and stuffed with Nutella or Custard (my two faves) & is absolutely delishhhh! This time we tried their Ahboong with Thai ice tea soft serve and my husband g their matcha. It was pretty standard taste wise but I still somehow enjoy their taiyakis more than their ice creams. read more

Somisomi - Matcha - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Longer wait times than usual ice cream shops because of the concept of making fresh hot waffles! I tried the earl grey and chocolate soft serve and I loved the flavor of earl grey! I'll give this place another try for all its Asian flavors and a newer ice cream shop concept! I believe one waffle cone cost me around 6 bucks! You just come in and put your name down in the POS ordering system and wait for your name to be called! Must try ice cream shop for a casual ice cream craving read more

The place was very quiet not so busy came in on a Sunday evening. Wanted to try this spot for a while since I always saw it packed.The staff member was very sweet and patient she gave really good recommendations. Was very good and I can see why it gets packed here. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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We had an impromptu ice cream pow-wow here as a family on Wednesday - this is my son's favorite soft-serve ice cream - I was underwhelmed by the one I had - maybe I need another round here before I can make up my mind. Decor is quirky and fun and the service is quick and efficient (not super friendly vibes). We all got the Ube flavor and I appreciated the fact that it wasn't overly sweet but not yet sold on this place - I will be back ! read more

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The soft serve is soo good. As a celiacs person, I was very happy to find out how many gluten free options they have. I had the ube with toasted coconut. My husband who can eat gluten had the peach and cream flavor with custard takoyaki! Everything was yummy read more

Somisomi - Ube soft serve with toasted coconut - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Consistently delicious ice cream, the new Earl grey flavor is a mild but welcome addition, a little bit too sweet but tasty read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Somisomi is a solid dessert spot! I'm pretty basic, so I went with the milk soft serve topped with matcha powder. My boyfriend tried the sweet corn soft serve with biscoff crumble and OMG, it was sooo good. Honestly, I think I liked his choice better than mine! The sweet corn soft serve is on a whole different level. I highly recommend giving it a try! I also love that the toppings are free so be sure to load up. Plus, they give you a free strawberry or macaron with your order! read more

Somisomi - Left: Milk soft serve with matcha powder Right: Sweet corn soft serve with biscoff crumble - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I'm glad to say that Somisomi is alive and well! Sorry about that! There was a staffing problem when I was hoping to visit for the first time but I've returned a few times since. I do enjoy the red bean taiyaki and stop by for that when I can. My son likes the cheddar filled taiyaki so I'd call that an endorsement because he is very particular about everything he eats. I did try the matcha cream filled taiyaki and I did not like that flavor though I like matcha lattes quite a lot. It's fun to watch the taiyaki being made and it's not a long wait. We'll be going again! read more

4 stars for flavor. We got vanilla & macha and we enjoyed them. 3 stars for service: there were only 1 or 2 people working with a long line on a Saturday night. So obviously poor person was overwhelmed and service was slow. Also they had ran out of fish waffles, which was also disappointing. We will go back for more but they need more people working here. Places has decent space inside but it's packed and therefore looks messy. read more

Somisomi - Vanilla & Macha - enjoyed the vanilla more - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Ok but not extraordinary! Good price but no place to sit???! More for young people! Not a place I will go again! read more

Refreshing spot to hit up on a summer day. Great combination of soft serve and taiyaki, try the custard with matcha ice cream. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I love this place! It's great to get Asian-flavored ice cream. Also their takoyakis are very good too! I like their custard takoyakis and their Oreo one. My boyfriend likes their Nutella one. The ice cream's also really great here too. They have a good milk ice cream. I also like their cookies and cream ice cream. They also change up the pairing of their swirls ice cream, so it's nice to drop by and see which flavors they've paired up for swirls this time. I also like how they make the ice cream fancy. You can get a waffle fish on top of your ice cream. Also you can add toppings like sprinkles or Oreo crumbs. And like adding a cherry on top, you can add mini macaron or a strawberry. The inside is new and clean. There's not a lot of seating area on the inside, but it's still pretty popular in the evenings and people just stand around on the inside or outside of the store. The service is good. I like how you order at the kiosk ordering station. They can take some time to make the takoyakis, but you can watch them make the takoyakis from behind the glass at the counter. Also since this place is so popular you sometimes have to wait for them to make your ice cream too, but I don't mind the wait because their ice cream concoctions are worth it. Parking: There are many parking garages in Palo Alto so it's not too hard for us to find parking read more

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Fantastic. Kim behind the counter was all alone but was so kind and did an AMAZING JOB!! Taiyaki was crispy & warm and chewy and just so good read more

(Overall: 93% | A) - One of my favorite soft serve places opened up in Palo Alto replacing the old Ice Cream Sandwich place which I personally did not find good. I love the fruit forward nature of the mango and guava, adding a tropical note to the soft serve. The dessert is very pretty and the taiyaki is decently crispy. The only thing to note about Somi Somi's soft serve is that it melts incredibly fast so be sure to eat it quickly before it turns into soup -- it is very soft and luscious though! IG: @amei.eats read more

Somisomi - Mango and Guava Taiyaki. 5 stars. IG: @amei.eats - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Taiyaki with no filling is the best! soft hot and not sweet. Their ube and milk soft-serves are our go-to. Not too sweet, super smooth, good ube flavor. Coconut flakes topping is crunchy and fresh. The lines can be long after dinner but they are pretty fast. read more

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My taiyaki was super hard. The owner was nice enough to replace it for free. He was really generous and has great customer service skills. 5-stars for making a customer happy! My favorite is ube ice cream with red bean taiyaki. Note - this location does not have any place to sit at the time of this review. Also you need to order on the screen. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I love that DTPA has a Somi Somi! Their ice cream's super creamy (quite mild in flavor though) & their taiyaki is super delicious- warm and chewy and filled with whatever you desire my fave thing to get here is their cold brew affogato - great coffee + ice cream for the price of just a coffee elsewhere! read more

Somisomi - Affogato - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Very instagrammable and tasty ice cream spot! I've heard of Somi Somi before but never had the chance to try it until today. I was in downtown Palo Alto with some friends and noticed a location on University. After getting some lunch nearby, we circled back to see what all the hype was about. The storefront was simplistic (barren walls, no seating) and ordering was easy. You're able to order on a pair tablets up front, but if you want swirl flavors, you order with an employee. Speaking of employees, the one that helped us out was doing a great job. She was the only person up front, but was friendly and made our cones very quickly. Mad props to her. I ordered the upside down ahboong with Nutella filling Ube ice cream, which I've also never had before. The ice cream was thick, and reminded me of soft serve, but smoother; this firmness prevented the ice cream from melting quickly. I liked the Ube flavor, but couldn't really place it. Honestly, it just tasted like vanilla. The ahboong was good as well. I was expecting a hard, crispy cone, but when I bit into it, I discovered it was soft and chewy. The Nutella filling was standard. I'd recommend getting one of their more interesting fillings, like custard or red bean. If you want some aesthetically pleasing and interesting ice cream in Palo Alto, skip the line at Salt and Straw and give Somi Somi a taste! read more

Somisomi - Upside down Ahboong filled with Nutella and Ube ice cream - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

This place has great soft serve that is just right-as in not too sweet (Asian level sweetness) and pretty ok price point for what you get. Had the cookies and cream and milk soft serve with taiyaki with custard. Small menu options is great, especially for indecisive people like me. Just a perfect amount of dessert after lunch nearby. One person working/making the taiyaki and filling orders. You order and pay on the tablets on the counter. No tables but square cubes along the walls for seating. Not too long of a wait to get our treats and not super packed on a sunny, albeit cold Saturday afternoon in December. First time at this chain but wouldn't hesitate to patronize another if I ever come across another. read more

Coming at closing time is always a workers worst nightmare but the employees were super nice when my boyfriend and I walked in 5 mins before closing. The location is in downtown palo alto and there's parking along the street or in the lot. The store is super bright and clean looking. There is a self ordering system in the front. The order was placed and our ice cream was out in less than 2 mins. The service was so fast! We got the coffee and milk swirl with biscoff and coco dint topping in a Taiyaki with custard. The ice cream was perfect and not too sweet and the taiyaki was fresh and crispy. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I recommend order taiyaki and ice cream separately! They make fresh taiyaki! I wished they have more filling inside taiyaki. Both taste good:) I like mixed flavors ice cream. read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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It's so nice to see SomiSomi opening more locations! I used to go down to Cupertino all the time before these other locations opened up. Located right on University Ave, this location is super convenient! As with most things on University Ave, parking is either on the street or in a nearby parking garage. There was a bit of a line to order which meant a bit of a wait to get our order. Both waits went by pretty fast so that wasn't an issue. The soft serve was as expected and the taiyaki was fresh and crispy! All of us in my group really liked what we got and even agreed the servings were pretty generous (but also we had a good amount for dinner right before). I'd definitely come back and recommend it to others! read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Love getting the 5 piece combo for the kids. The bomb is actually their strawberry milk, real strawberries and not super sweet.

Delicious, great options for soft serve and fillings for the fish waffle. Tiny scoop of filling perfect ration where it's not too sweet or stuffed. We also got an order of just the fish waffle with no fillings. It was so fresh warm and chewy delicious. Crunchy on the outside but mochi consistency inside. Loved it. All the extras come like sprinkles and numerous other topping options. Not only was it aesthetically appealing but delectable as well. Great quick service! Enjoyed the experience! read more

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So good so good. I liked the options that they had and ordering from the machines in front make it really easy to use. They were really fast and it was just one employee. They were so good I would come back for desserts anytime read more

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SomiSomi in Palo Alto is the 3rd location to open in the Bay (the others being in Dublin and Cupertino). They opened a few months ago, so lines aren't too long. Being in Peninsula, this is much welcome since I don't have to travel as far to get my soft serve in taiyaki (ahboong) cone. I tried the Thai tea/cookies and cream and matcha/black sesame swirl flavors- all of which were flavorful without being too sweet or heavy. Your choice of different toppings (such as fruity pebbles, cookies and cream) and a macaron or piece of strawberry. Best way to enjoy SomiSomi? With the fish cone. If you're a messy eater, then make sure to get your ice cream upside down (e.g. the ice cream will be in a cup, and then the fish cone will be on top). The soft serve can melt fairly fast especially on a hot day, so you may be faced with having to eat your ice cream really fast if you have it the traditional way. Upside down allows you to eat your ice cream at a more manageable pace in case it melts a little! Parking is plentiful - street parking mostly providing 2 hours parking (during the hours of enforcement). SomiSomi is a perfect dessert treat. Come by and get your soft serve! read more

Somisomi - Desserts Near Me - Palo Alto, California