- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Cold Stone Creamery
Category: Food Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
3934 Rivermark PlzSanta Clara, CA 95054
(408) 654-9137
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
48 reviews for Cold Stone Creamery
Review Highlights
"...strawberry shortcake serenade, mud pie mojo, coffee lovers..."
(in 2 reviews)
"Especially with flavors like Cake Batter and Oreo Cookies..."
(in 3 reviews)
"I got Cheesecake with Graham Cracker."
(in 3 reviews)
Loading...
48 reviews in English
-
Review from Nancy L.
People who know me, know how much I dislike really sweet stuff so for Abby super secret lets throw her off surprise party, I let go of the safe and norm (Prolific oven Cakes) and went over to cold stone for an ice cream cake.
Approx. 11:30 I swing by stop at the freezer and saw a cookies n cream ice cream cake, Sweet. She loves chocolate cake and who would say no to ice cream when its already served.
It was a big hit everyone liked it, i had a sliver of a slice. I dont like sweetes i just had the ice cream portion as everyone looked at me like I was crazy, I told them my truth. I dont eat cake - its too sweet its too weird for me it reminds me of a sponge and I dont need that around my hips. :) -
Review from Nick A.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011
Love the milkshakes here, but not a fan of the ice cream in any other form.
The singing for tips thing is annoying. I feel embarrassed for the employees every time they sing, which is actually worse than being embarrassed yourself. I feel like tipping them to stop singing.
Overall = meh -
Review from Lucy D.
8/9/2011
Pros:
Location: This Cold Stone is conveniently located in the Rivermark plaza right next to many great eateries.
Cons:
Service: I came in to look for a birthday treat and had no help from any of the staff. The staff was inattentive and unfriendly, even when I politely requested for assistance. There were barely any customers, and yet they still ignored my questions.
Freshness: They have ready to order cakes and treats, but when I asked for a fresh batch of their cupcakes, they denied my request.
Overall, I was unhappy with this particular location based on the horrible staff and service. The Cold Stone Creamery located in the Great Mall Milpitas was happy to make my request of freshly handmade cupcakes treats and was helpful on my orders. And their workers are so much more helpful and friendly! -
Review from james d.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
1 worker on a Monday night? Either she's Superwoman or that's a recipe for disaster. Apparently it was the latter of the two because it took forever for my girlfriend and I to get our ice cream. What made it worth it was that we had coupons that they honored.
Came into the a dimly light store, kinda funky dirty water smell smacking you right in the face, but I think that was more of the customers than the actually store, haha.
Anyways, the place wasn't spot on perfectly clean, and just the thought of that poor girl having to clean the whole store herself, so sad. Still there were some visual delights like the sodas in the corner, the 2 cake displays stocked full of pretty looking cakes!
Now when it was finally our turn to be served all I wanted was a small chocolate with heath bars mixed in. She gave me half of a like it cup, literally my ice cream didn't even get to see over the top of the cup, so sad! But whatever it was free so that's probably why she gipped me.
As we paid and left, we tipped, and she didn't sing?! Did Coldstone stop singing?! Who knows? -
Review from Melody C.
San Jose, CA
6/5/2011
Ok so Coldstone, if you are going to hire teenagers at least train them how to make a FLIPPIN specialty ice cream the correct way. I mean jeez.
I took 4 friends here and the baby to have some ice cream for Disha's "bday"
Disha ordered the chocolate devotion - not enough brownie
Ruchi ordered the banana crunch - not enough banana
Akansha ordered the brownie with ice cream - good
I ordered the churro special. - where was my extra scoop I asked for?
Ok I asked the girl to put an extra scoop of ice cream in the churro special and that I would pay for it. She forgot, and it took long for them to make. I mean HELLOOO I'm not asking you to make the ice cream from scratch by churning the SOB. And on top of that Ruchi didn't get any banana in the banana crunch. What kind of CRAP was that. For the amount of money I paid for I expected alot more.
The sad thing is Coldstone is a favorite of my girls...and they love the location in Valley Fair Mall, so we will frequent that one from now one.
This one SUCKED EGGS!
NEXT! -
Review from Andrew S.
5/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I absolutely love the concept of Cold Stone...their tip effect...not so much (read second statement below). On hot summer nights I retreat to this location to cool my senses. Some of my favorite ice cream/topping combos are strawberries, cheesecake ice cream, Oreos, and graham crackers. If I'm not feeling creative, I can count on Cold Stone's suggested combinations which does my sweet tooth right.
One question remains though...is it just me, or do you feel bad when tipping them when you know they have to sing a jingle. And I don't want "not" want to tip them because it takes some forearm power to mix your toppings...but then again I don't want to force them to sing a jingle for a dollar. Is it also wrong to say, no song needed after you tip? Just a thought. -
Review from jessie l.
Santa Clara, CA
6/19/2011
Pro - the girl who made our ice cream tonight was friendly, fast and made our ice cream to order without making any mistakes.
Con - She was the only employee working there tonight. 18 people were in line and it took 40 minutes to get through all of them. -
Review from K S.
Santa Clara, CA
1/19/2011
Man, I can't stand CSC. How this place became America's most popular ice-cream chain, especially with locations like these with really slow service, I don't get.
I guess bland ice cream with obscene portion sizes and a "gimmick" wins people over. -
Review from Annie N.
San Jose, CA
8/1/2011
This place needs a new a new manager. I walked in there and not only were the 2 girls Felicia and Beth Ann texting but also talking about their personal life. What I don't understand is the fact that the manager was there and obviously didn't do anything about it. The girl was also very rude! It's great that they hire teenagers but at least hire girls that work and not only text and talk.
-
Review from Marc M.
San Jose, CA
10/1/2010
My wife can't get enough Cold Stone, but I find Cold Stone (and this location in particular) a bit hit & miss. Some of it is the ice cream universal to all Cold Stone locations, which sometimes tastes no better than store-bought, and some of it is the staff -- Cold Stone is a treat for me, so I like going to a happy place. The staff are hit & miss. Very competent ice cream "artists" always, but hit & miss as to whether they'll be friendly or just tolerant of their customers. I dunno', maybe it's just me, or maybe because I always have a coupon. :-p
A trademark of the Cold Stone franchise is that if you tip them, the employees sing. At this location, sometimes/sometimes not. Always understaffed, always a long line (and with two kids under the age of 4 who want their ice cream now you know what that's like), and often too busy to waste time on promoting the happy atmosphere intended by its creators. -
Review from T L.
San Jose, CA
7/31/2011
Always good. Too bad the cashier doesn't know how to give you correct change.
-
Review from Grant L.
Santa Clara, CA
11/4/2010 1 Check-in Here
If you tip them a dollar, they'll sing. I'll normally tip them my spare change so they don't sing. haha j/k
Coming here after a long absence due to fro-yo sweet tooths, I came back. I did enjoy my usual Oreo Overload in a love it size but for $5.45 and what seems like 1.25 scoop of ice cream, I felt a bit ripped off, it barely went over the cup. I may come here again but this isn't one of my favorite Cold Stones to visit -
Review from Anna K.
Milpitas, CA
5/27/2009
After leaving the Academy of Science my husband promised our daughter cupcakes for good behavior and before FINALLY getting some cupcakes we were on a MISSION.
We stopped off at Specialty's Cafe & Bakery but they were closed. Stopped off at Starbucks but no cupcakes. My husband was informed they were only seasonal... when we finally make it to the Rivermark plaza he stopped off at a bakery and they didn't have any cupcakes. He was left thinking "WTF kind of bakery doesn't have cupcakes?!!" but he saw Peet's Coffee and started walking towards the store but didn't go inside. He saw advertisement at Cold Stone for ice cream cupcakes and into Cold Stone he went... scored 6 cupcakes for each member of our entourage and our baby girl was HAPPY.
The ice cream cupcakes were yummy in our tummies. I would definitely recommend them and THANK YOU Cold Stone for making our daughter's day :) -
Review from Kathleen M.
San Jose, CA
8/18/2008
I recommend everyone get on the mailing list for any chain restaurant you like. When your birthday comes around you end up with more birthday coupons for free stuff than you know what to do with. Case in point: Cold Stone Creamery. And they don't just give you a scoop like Baskin Robbins on your birthday, they give you a fucking Love It Signature Creation (retail value $4.99). (Plus the Love It size is the medium - they didn't stick me with the smaller Like It size. I wish I was kidding on the size names.)
The Signature Creations are those sundae combinations on the wall that I never dream of getting because of the cost (and calories). I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory finally having the dough to buy a chocolate bar and savoring the experience.
Unfortunately the experience involved us standing in line for about 12 minutes on a Sunday night at 9:30. There were 5 people in front of us in line. I was just surprised it took so long. I do realize they mix each dessert to order but what happens when it's prime ice cream eating time? Our server was really nice, but also had very sticky hands. This was noticed when we went to grab our spoons from her. We had to clean them off.
In the end our Mud Pie Mojo (coffee ice-cream, Cookies N Creme bits, almonds, fudge, and peanut butter) tasted really good, though unlike the picture under Signature Creations, it looked like a big puddle-pile of dog diarrhea. It was a little grossed out by all the calories and sugar, but when else are you going to do this but on your birthday.
Besides, they now have fro yo for next time.
(Note: they give the calorie counts for fro yo in 1 ounce portions which is SUPER misleading. The billboard touts 25 calories per 1 ounce portion and 0 grams of fat. No one eats 1 ounce of yogurt, PLUS they probably are allowed to round down to 0 grams of fat which means for a larger portion size there would be a number that's not 0.)Listed in: The Cream of the Ice Cream and…
-
Review from Joanne E.
San Jose, CA
6/24/2008
I love the ice cream, but what girl doens't love sweets especially when you can custom make it.
The only thing a woman can't appreciate is the girls working behind the bar who doesn't really give you the time of day when you are there with your husband, but of course the moment 4 hot college boys come in, they are all over them like flies on a piece of shit...
Sometimes I wish I was a young white softball player with dark blonde hair blues eyes and a penis that always stands erect when there are pretty girls serving me food!!
Coldstone, thank you for the satisfaction of knowing what I didn't have growing up. -
Review from Jeff B.
Santa Clara, CA
12/9/2007
Place can be awesome! Place and also be very slow at times. Sometimes you see a third or fourth guy running around, but not really doing anything... Kind of a pain in the butt when you are waiting to be helped...
But overall the place is normally good... The ice cream is reliably good... Can't say the same for the people making it, sometimes they vary a little...
I strongly recommend you sign up for the coupons on their wen site. You can get free ice cream on your birthday, and other times in the year. Really good deal, for not costing anything... =) -
Review from May C.
San Jose, CA
7/31/2008
This must be the ONLY Coldstone that I know of that serves CREPES! The other day, I went to the Coldstone off of Bernal in hopes of indulging myself with a Strawberry Banana Crepe with icecream. As I was asking politely for one, the Coldstone worker gave me the most dumbfounded look as if I was from Planet Jupiter and just talking nonsense...
Anyway, this Coldstone must be a very special one and indeed... it is....
P.S. They have THE BEST icecream cake EVER - Strawberry Passion.... -
Review from Ailena M.
Santa Clara, CA
6/21/2007
I rate this four stars. Customer service is great and patient. The ice cream is YUMMY! :) My personal favorites are the strawberry shortcake serenade, mud pie mojo, coffee lovers only, monkey bites, strawberry blonde, and oreo overload. Sounds excellent don't you think? Aside from ice cream they also make ice cream cakes and smoothies that are also awesome. They make their own waffle cones and waffle bowls and I kid you not, when I step into the parking lot area, you smell the waffle cones and bowls being made.
Though it's a very small place, this place is always kept clean and tidy.
I love this place! -
Review from Jing F.
2/15/2007
I gave it a 5 star because they have contributed a lot to the community ,they gave free ice cream (for people who gave blood) during a blood drive in Santa Clara a year ago.
Ice Cream is DELICIOUS -
Review from Ron A.
Santa Clara, CA
6/10/2007
The ice cream here is very good. Too bad I'm lactose intolerant. Good thing they have sorbet!
Service isn't that great (it has gone down in the years), but they seem to do a lot of catering jobs for the better good (though all the Cold Stones do that sort of thing). Good place to take a kid...but the ice cream is REALLY sweet, so be ready for the sugar rush.
Seriously, what is with the smell in the store?! It smells like mold and waffle cones! It reminds me when I used to work in food service and someone didn't wash their apron for a week. SERIOUSLY!...it's GROSS! -
Review from Ashley H.
Santa Clara, CA
5/26/2010
Cold Stone Creamery is one of the best ice cream chains around. They have three different portions of ice cream, and have a large topping selection. I hardly ever order toppings because I am all about the taste of the ice cream/sorbet itself. The only thing I don't really like is when they sing if you tip them. It feels like it is torture for them, and it is torturing me at the same time.
They have a good selection of special concoctions, but I don't mess around with these weird science experiments. Overall, this place is great for dessert after eating at a local restaurant. -
Review from John G.
9/28/2006
Nicely located in the Rivermark complex, CSC is a unique ice cream parlor. Ice cream is really made the old fashioned way (lots of cream and sugar). Hmm. Hmm. Good!
You pick exactly what you want in terms of ice cream, mixings, extras, etc. They mix it up on a stone slab (get it?) and deliver it to you in a cone or cup.
Tasty. I like to try to sit outdoors in Rivermark, and watch the Silicon Valley life go by.
If you like great ice cream, CSC should certainly be on your stopping list . -
Review from Hooria T.
12/18/2009
I've tried Cold Stone in the past and always left leaving thinking, "meh, what's all the hype about?" Sure they sing, sure they charge you a lot, sure they fold and knead your ice cream for what seems like hours, etc. etc., but at the end of the day, their ice cream is simply just meh! The only way I can justify a line at this place is because there's nothing else noteworthy in the Rivermark Plaza. Came here right before closing on a weekend and stood in line for way too long - there were only 2 girls working. They were out of what I wanted so I ended up settling for another flavor.
Bottom line, I'm glad I gave Cold Stone another shot but was yet again disappointed and don't find any need to be returning. I'll be sticking with Penguin Froyo in downtown San Jose to satisfy my ice cream craves. -
Review from Erica B.
Union City, CA
1/9/2007
I LOVE Coldstone.
And this location is no exception. The staff has always been friendly and knowledgeable about their craft.
So why no 5 stars, you ask? Because my roommate went here, ordered the coffee ice cream, and found a hair in it. She told them, they replaced it for free, and she found another hair in the replacement ice cream. Now, I don't eat coffee ice cream. But I just couldn't bring myself to give them 5 stars after that experience. I really really wanted to, though.
Because I love them so. -
Review from A K.
Oakland, CA
9/4/2011
I wish I had read the reviews on this place before heading over here tonight. Horrible service by 2 young teenagers who did not know a single thing about customer service. They were so rude when I asked them for some lids and spoons. Why should even have to ask them?? One of the teenage girls started throwing her hands up in the air and muttering rude comments while working. What a horrible mess! The tables and chairs were a sticky mess. Do yourself a favor and stay away! Yuck!!!
-
Review from Joshua S.
Santa Clara, CA
11/2/2008
My wife and I were very much looking forward to Coldstone's crepes. We have been on a strict diet since our wedding reception is coming up, but planned weeks ago to come in today and splurge with the nutella crepes.
Before ordering I asked if they still had Nutella (seems to run out fast at the places that carry it). The employees said yes... made us wait 5min (there were 3 employees in there and no other customers in line), then started making the crepes. It took over 10min to make the first crepe... it was obvious that there was not enough Nutella as the employee kept banging the bottle on the table. When the first crepe was done, there was barely any Nutella in there and it was burnt. The employee said nothing.
My wife's crepe was even worse. After making the crepe the employee notified that there was no more Nutella, and that there was only a dot in her crepe. This was the whole point of why we came and asked if they had enough to begin with. She offered chocolate instead and my fiancee said fine.
Despite obviously giving us half assed crepes, they still made us pay full price. My wife's tasted horrible and she returned it and got a mint ice cream instead. 30min had passed since we first walked in, our experience was terrible, and my fiancee didn't even both eating her ice cream.
Way to ruin something special that we had planned for weeks. We don't ever intend on going to Coldstone ever again. The customer service is horrible. It was clear something was wrong with our crepes, we didn't get the product we asked for, the employees knew this, and seemed as if they could care less.
First time we have ever left an ice cream shop fealing dissapointed. -
Review from Robert R.
7/5/2010
I did not need anymore Junk food to top off my weekend, but who can say no to Luscious Ice Cream. Especially with flavors like Cake Batter and Oreo Cookies filling. We got 2 "Like its" with Chocolate and a Raspberry Sorbet. The topping looked appealing and we also ordered the Oreo Cookies and M&M's with our order. The people are friendly here and are very generous with their portions. I was surprised on how Chipper they were, even though they were working on the Holiday. Kudos to them for stellar Customer Service and Clean store.
-
Review from Lindy P.
Milpitas, CA
1/30/2011
I got Cheesecake with Graham Cracker. YUMMMMM. It was so good. I tasted my friend's ice cream which was Cheesecake with Strawberries. I dont like frozen strawberries, I prefer fresh ones. So I didnt like his. But mine was real food. The girls doing the ice cream are nice also. :D
-
Review from Tim S.
Santa Clara, CA
7/24/2011
I hope someone who can fix things will read these posts since I see a lot of my thoughts already listed including: long waits and little staff, hit or miss friendliness of the staff (though the guy who often works during the day is great), and small portions (compared to other Coldstones). Since it's a luxury and not a requirement, I find myself going to this location less and less over time. I should find out where the next closest store is and start going there instead. Or better yet, they can fix the problems and see their business pick up.
-
Review from Eugene F.
Campbell, CA
3/31/2007
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE ice cream. LOVE IT. The thing with the ice cream here is that I can't anything above a kid size cause the yummy ice cream, and all the add ins can create a lump of ice cream so yummy, and so full of cholesterol that it will give you a coronary just looking at it. Anything outside of the kid size is reserved not for those who are faint of heart or have heart problems for that matter.
-
Review from Hanson Q.
Berkeley, CA
3/25/2008
OK, guys, it's a Cold Stone. You know whether you love it or like it. For me, above average, but not fantastic. Minus one star also for this location, because if you visit, the guy there will start singing "Cold Stone, this is Cold Stone, it's the modern stone-age creamery...". How little do they pay these guys?
-
Review from Sunny W.
Campbell, CA
8/2/2007
Ice Cream..OH YEAH! I am pretty basic: Sweet cream, roasted almonds, graham cracker crust (in pieces, not minced) and lots of carmel topping. Its good, sweet and goes to my butt. Believe me, this is eaten every once in a while. The service is good, just a bunch of young kids working through school ( at least they are finishing their education ...) and what do you expect from an Ice Cream store. Clean, and fun to make creations. Loads of calories..diabetes stay away.
-
Review from Jane D.
9/8/2006
Small location with good service. Its a good place to go on a hot day. they have seating inside. You can go next door to the other restaurants and sit in their out door seating.
Listed in: Whats goin on in the…
-
Review from Fraulein C.
Santa Clara, CA
Updated - 6/30/2008
The yummy temptation of Banana Caramel Crunch (French Vanilla Ice Cream, roasted almonds, banana and caramel), Birthday Cake Remix (cake batter ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, brownie and fudge), Founder's favorite (sweet cream ice cream, pecans, brownie, fudge and caramel), and the Pie who loved me (cheesecake ice cream, oreo cookie, graham cracker pie crust, and fudge....omg! Heaven! I have gained 10 lbs just thinking about it. There is nothing better to eat on a hot summer day....ICE CREAM from Coldstone.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
9/28/2006
i'm happy to say that there's a cold stone down the street. i don't need to drive far to buy some… Read more »
-
-
Review from Nicole B.
San Jose, CA
9/27/2010
Just went here for ice cream at lunch. The ice cream was good but the service sucked. I waited in a two person line 20 minutes while the employee rang up people coming in after us to buy ice cream cakes. Boo on you cold stone!
-
Review from sibani b.
El Cerrito, CA
4/21/2008
I walked in and the guy behind the counter was singing something ince cream related. It was cute. As soon as I walked in, someone tried to help me. i needed second to look at the menu and when I was ready a few moments later, it seemed like forever before someone came to help. I ordered a PB&C shake in the "like it" size. It was the perfect size and I inhaled that sucker. It was really, really good. The service was friendly but not fast enough.
They need more sorbet choices and more "sinless sans fat" choices. I know it is meant to be an indulgence anyway, but if they want me to frequent their establishment, they gotta cater to the skinny freaks like me.
For the 3 of you out there who do not use Dole brand products because of their alleged exploitation of land and labor in the Philippines, this location uses Dole. I thought I would ask and the guy showed me the giant can of Dole pineapples they keep in the back. -
Review from marevie t.
San Jose, CA
10/9/2008
I love ice cream! Went here after having dinner with my friends and there were TWO employees over the counter. Once my first friend ordered his, the 2nd employee didn't bother to look at myself nor my other friends and started just scooping out ice cream into mini cups... didn't tell us it would be a while until the 1st employee finished with our first friend.... Instead, the both of them went to the back and talked to this "boss like" figure about their schedules. WTF?! I almost lost my appetite.
-
Review from Phil M.
Oakland, CA
7/20/2009
It gets too busy and if you leave a tip, the ice cream girl sings a freaky song.
-
Review from Samsudin K.
Santa Clara, CA
6/7/2009 2 Check-ins Here
I love Cold Stone ice cream which is why I gave them 1 star but the customer service sucks. I hope the management or owner of this Cold Stone read Yelp and do something. This review is not about Ice Cream because we love CS and we order them for birthday (From Sunnyvale). I have been to this place so many times and was disappointed with the service. When the line is long and there is 2 staff at the counter, only 1 is serving the customer. Either the other staff is blind or she/he think it is not his/her job to serve customer. They do not smile, they do not greet and care if you have been waiting long for ice cream. I highly recommend the Cold Stone at Sunnyvale. What a huge difference in term of customer service.
-
Review from Hanna P.
9/9/2009
I'm normally not a fan of Cold Stone but I like this one. I like that they have CREPES!!! Sometimes I'll crave for some crepes and I'll just literally walk down the street to go get some. Their cakes are FREAKING AWESOME too! The workers here are so sweet. They kinda fail on the singing part though. LOL It's not as enthusiastic as some other cold stones.
