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Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
Neighborhood: ParksideMon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"Welcome to the WALL OF FLAVORS! I get excited just thinking about it... I've been going to this ice cream parlor for almost 30 years. I…" read more »
Yummy gelatoes!
My friend Dave, a native of SF took us here when we were visiting him back in '04. I've been back once with other friends. They have very good gelato there. They even have durian gelato and other tropical flavored gelatoes. Its kind of far from downtown sf so you kind of need a car if you're from out of town.
While driving back from a day at the Academy of Sciences, I recalled a promise I made to someone that I would get her some gelato. All of a sudden BIG LIGHTBULB TURNED ON. Marco Polo! That small hole in the wall place on Taraval that I went to 20 years. I knew it was still around and been wanting to go back for some time. Okay... so it's off to Marco Polo we go.
Since I hadn't been here for years, I had no idea what to expect on a Monday. Imagine my surprise to find it absolutely empty. Hey.. better for me that I dont' have to fight with others for the sweets. We opted for the small cup (which can have two flavors). I went with the Lychee and Mango. Heavenly.... She went with Coconut and something else (I don't recall because either my memory is that bad or the Coconut was that good) Either way, both of us were very happy with our choices. AND I ended up skipping dinner after having it (where else you gonna find a $2.85 dinner???) I will be back.. and hopefully not after another 20 year hiatus.
Marco Polo is better choice than any yogurt shop, their variety alone stands out and the taste just makes it even better. I prefer the Vanilla and Sesame combo... mmm...
On the down side, this stuff is probably less healthy compared to fat-free yogurt and fruit toppings. And there's a f---ing tree in front of the place, so you might miss the sign (even though the sign is huge, but I may be blind at times too).
Really really good gelato. Haven't had any in a while, but I'm planning to come up to SF in about a week. Definitely dropping by here!
Once, my brother and I had a ridiculous craving for Marco Polo. We live in San Jose, so it's about an hour drive. We hopped in the car, the drive took about an hour and a half, bought about 10 different pints of ice cream, and drove back home.
I recall sitting, waiting in traffic, spoon in a pint of Green Tea and just feeling divine.
While the prices per pint are pretty expensive, the quality and taste is amazing! My favorite flavors: Green tea, vanilla bean, coconut, jackfruit, lychee. There's bits of fruit in each, and its just all really amazing.
Marco. - Polo! Lychee gelato baby, ~ YEAH! I always drop by here on my way home from work to get some treats... probably why I gained 20 pounds in the last 5 months.I'm not regretting it, I'll work my ass off at the gym to lose some pounds so I can gain some more from Marco Polo. I love gelato. And Durian Ice Cream? Yeah. Caps on each word there. I've gotten an aqcuired taste for the smell - and the taste. YUM. Don't miss out on the Arcobalena. Gotta love it.
Marco Polo is the pajamas of a cat.
My favorite place to get ice cream/gelato. It's easy to distinguish the quality and care that goes into the final product.
Everything I've tried is nothing less than great and the selection of flavors is exotic and lends to great combinations.
I love this place. I absolutely love this place. This place is all about fresh flavors that I know and love.
I'm in the East Bay so I don't come out to this part of town often, but for those rare occasions I'm in the city we make a conscious effort to make a stop at Marco Polo.
My favorite flavors include Jackfruit, Mango, Taro, Red Bean, and yes, Durian.
Sooooo delish. If Marco Polo Ice Cream was a man, I'd marry him. Not the Marco Polo that's a mercenary/colonist - I'd run away from him.
All in all, great place for some "exotic" flavors.
GREAT for weird Asian flavors that you won't get anywhere else! They have Durian (which is AMAZING for durian lovers!), taro, mango, lychee, etc, etc, basically, all your Asian Fruits!! I can't say the gelato here tastes any better than anywhere else, but they definitely have different Asian flavors you won't get at other American Gelato places!!
The Sesame Gelato is so yummy. So much better than the overly hyped Bi-rite.
The end. :)
When I was a kid growing up each year we'd go to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents. Every other night we'd travel to the closest town to a family run Ice Cream Parlor (now closed,) there was always a live jazz band playing out front. My sweet tooth has never forgotten the sugary love layered in these outings..... Ah... those were the days of ignorance, and worry free bliss. Since those early years I've been on a quest to find that perfect scoop, that scoop I've transformed into pure unequivocal bliss with the imagination of my memories. Enter...wait for it.....Marco Polo!
Yah baby yah...... WARNING, Marco Polo's Gelato is some of the richest, creamiest, most unique ice cream I've ever laid my sugar loving taste buds on. If you think your getting (in and out) of here without sampling a few flavors, as well as a few scoops your kidding yourself.
Random Fact #792: Marco Polo (an Italian, Venetian to be exact) traveled around China in the 13th century.
Random Fact #843: Historians have always claimed that Marco Polo introduced noodles to Italy when he returned from his travels across the Orient. It now appears that this may not be true, and that Marco Polo may have only discovered that the Chinese also had noodles. (It all depends on how you interpret written accounts of his trip).
Thus it's only fitting that the Chinese owner of Marco Polo is bringing some of the most delicious, and unique Italian ice cream to us! With flavors such as Red bean, Sour sop, Durian, Guava, Black sesame, Jack fruit, Lychee, Coconut, Green tea, Vanilla bean (made with real beans,) Fresh ground and blended Pistachio, Arcobaleno, Rum Raisin, Chestnut, Banana Walnut, Dark Chocolate, and Cantaloupe you just can't go wrong!
Don't hesitate to drive out of your way to this Gelato shop, it is a destination not a way-point!
FYI: Cash only
I've only been to San Fransisco a couple of times, but I made sure to visit Marco Polo at least 3 times during my visit.
What can I say about the place? It's small, not exactly the best "Italian Gelato" place I'd imagine (comparing with OC italian gelato), and it's owned and created by chinese people. Aside from all of the outlook, Marco Polo is in my list of "Places I'd go before I die".
The Ice cream is to die for. It's very soft, sweet, perfect texture, and what can I say about ... dare I say... "durian gelato". This place has all of my favorite fruit. Durian, lychee, guava, and Soursop. Everytime I go there, I always went overboard and got at least 2-3 double scoop. And I fly to SF, I would bring a container with me and get at least 4 pints of durian and 1 pint of lychee.
It's the best Italian Gelato in my book and I hope to visit there again soon.
Okay okay okay, can you say AMAZING? This place as rare Asian ice cream flavors you can get other places like Taro, Lychee, and red bean.
I got coconut, taro, and green tea, it was AMAZING!!!!
Parking sucks a little bit, and there's not much seating, but it's worth it!
Ah, where else can we get gelato, an Italian product, from an Asian owned store?? Because of this, we get a variety of flavors such as: durian, taro, lychee, guava, green tea, black sesame, and etc.
I bought a pint of it for $7.50. It's worth it, I promise! I've grown up with Marco Polo pints in my freezer at home. Once you've had a taste you'll be packing your freezer too!
Everyone MUST have LYCHEE GELATO at least once in their life! It's THE best flavor there and where else are you going to find lychee gelato? I won't bother describing it - there's no point - you have to try it yourself to get the full effect.
I also enjoy their mango gelato :) all flavors are great though. I just find the lychee flavor to be mind blowing delicious. Enjoy!
As a kid, my parents would take me to dinner at the Chinese restaurant next door, and I'd be given this option: I could order a Sprite to go with dinner, or I could just drink tea during dinner and they would take me next door to Marco Polo afterward for ice cream. I was smart; Marco Polo won out 9 times out of 10. A small strawberry/green tea, in a cup please. My dad would hand me extra napkins because I was a really clumsy kid. The owner of the shop was a middle aged man who rarely smiled and spoke very few words. He handed us our ice cream and we handed over the money...that was it. My dad hated sweets, so he would give me the money so my mom and I could order. This continued for years, a ritual, if you will.
Fast forward to 15 years later. I still come to Marco Polo. If I come with my parents, I'm the one who pays now. My dad still hates sweet stuff. I make sure to grab extra napkins because my mom is clumsy. I have brought friends and my significant others, and they too have fallen in love with MP's exotic flavors. The best thing about being all grown up is that I can drive to 1447 Taraval St. if I suddenly crave gelato, or maybe if I just want to revisit my childhood.
My recommendations: Banana Walnut, Arcobaleno, Green Tea, Taro, Durian, Guava, and Red Bean. But really, you can't go wrong with any of their flavors. The texture is always consistent and the flavors taste natural. So do yourself a favor and head over to Marco Polo, and hopefully it'll make you as happy as it has made my family and friends over the years. :)
So much hype, but for good reason!
I love lychee. Fresh, canned, in gelato, flavored froyo, you name it. This place has lychee gelato, with thin slivers of real lychee. OMG.
I also got the pistachio, which I must admit tasted better as a sample, but was still pretty good once I got a real scoop. The nuts are already softer than most nuts, so when it's mixed in the gelato, it tastes even softer.
The prices are okay I guess, especially since the flavors are just so good. You can get a small, which is 1-2 scoops, for $2.85. I guess if you compare getting gelato elsewhere, that's not too bad.
What a great rediscovery.
Two flavors you can't miss out on: chestnut, black sesame.
The gelato is rather icy, rather than being creamy. Find "exotic" tropic fruit flavors that burst in… Read more »
WOW! That's all I can say. My sis dragged me to this small ghetto place. At first, I thought it was just another American ice cream shop judging by the name. That proves you can never judge a book by its cover since this book is mistitled. It is actually an Asian gelato shop!
They have all your Asian flavors! There were durian, lychee, jackfruit, soursop, red bean, guava etc. We got the durian, guava, and arcobaleno. That durian was the best durian frozen dessert I've ever tasted! I wanted to get a pint home, but it would melt when we get back to Sac. I need to find another reason to go to SF just for the durian gelato.
Solid 4 stars for this Asian gelato place (despite the namesake). It didn't change my life, though, so I couldn't give it a 5 star rating.
I had lychee and green tea and was not disappointed.
My friend had durian and you can smell it from across the table. I tried some and I have to say that it does stink, but after you get past that it does have a certain sweet flavor to it.
Most of my friends didn't like the durian, though...I loved Chris' quote: "It tastes even worse than it smells."
Wikipedia is not telling you the whole story about Marco "Suave" Polo. Yes, that slick Cassanova of the cloth and wine women and song.
Sure, he spent some time on the silk roads doing trades on exotic ingredients and imports, thus paving the way to brand name designer Italian wear for the ages.
But there are tons of stories about how he was the first to bring real Italian food as we know it today that originally came from the Chinese.
Don't believe me?
Marco went to San Tung in SF one day, ate some hand pulled noodles, and bam next thing you know spaghetti was born when he went back home.
Marco hit up Ming Tai on Noriega, learned about those killer shui gow Cantonese big a$$ dumpling$, Hon's in Chinatown for shrimp won tons, spied on the Northern style yumplings served at Kingdom of Dumplings, and voila, the inspiration for ravioli!
Wait it gets better. Marco drove down to the South Bay, hit up Darda for Islamic Chinese, and tried their big sesame flat cakes. He then fuzed the idea of adding tomato paste, cheese, peperoni, and all sorts of other $hizzle, and wam bam pizza mam!
Meatballs? Pffffffft....he had a one night stand with Shanghai Suzy and motorboated her Lion's Head Meatballs while fondling her XLBs. But it was someone else who stole the idea of pairing meatballs with spaghetti, apparently an abomination in the old world. To be fair, no historical document proves where garlic bread came from but it pairs fantastically with cha siu/Cantonese BBQ pork.
Since Marco was so great at lifting ideas, it would only be fitting that some Chinese American dude take something away from Marco, use his name, and make it his own. So that something is gelati, or Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream in SF on Taraval. I still remember coming here since 1989, and I'm sure it has been around even longer.
The formula is simple here, the place offers some of the tried and true classics, then A$Nize the hell out of it with other flavor lineups.
The result? Fanf***kingtastic
Sure, vanilla and chocolate here are nothing to write home about, and any half decent gelati joint in town can easily do a hazelnut choco flavor that blows Marco away, but Marco P's A$N and A$N fruit flavors are a force to be reckoned with.
Soursop
Durian
It doesn't get more hardcore than this. Durian is now a mindf**king $10 a pint with Soursop not far behind. These are the 2 most expensive flavors! Even in gelati form it stinks to hog heaven, but that's a sure sign of authenticity. As a result it has won the hearts and minds of hardcore A$Ns, especially the SE A$Ns.
Redbean? Meh. Save that for the good Canto seafood restaurant desserts.
Mango and lychee are good to very good
But Dragonwell Chinese Green Tea is excellent. It is not meant to be compared to Japanese matcha or sencha, that's the reason why it tastes the way it does.
Black Sesame is SEXTACULAR. This is as close to HK style black sesame paste you can get (in gelato form). True deep good flavors and brain food. Nobody can nail this down better than Marco (although surprisingly, Mountain View's Kappo Nami Nami has a kuro goma in house made ice cream that does taste exactly as good, but at a premium). Fans of kuro goma flavored anything will dig this.
Wish list for the future:
- Hong Kong Milk Tea
- Pineapple
- Yuzu
- Ying Yang (HK milk tea + coffee mix)
- Egg custard (like the kind from egg tarts or steamed egg custard)
- tofu fa flavor (with a hint of ginger syrup)
or if they turn it into Marco Slocombe or Humphrey Polo kind of wacked up offerings
- black bean sauce chicken feet
- baked ketchup pork chop
- soy sauce chow fun
- cha siu (no not pork, but the savory molasses and spice marination)
Can you guess which suggestions I'm not being serious with? :-)
Lychee gelato, baby. If you don't like it, come find me, and I will pay for it.
...or I will just call you a liar.
It's a major hole-in-the-wall and not much to look it, but I love the ice cream here.
It's interesting that this place is called Italian ice cream. It doesn't really taste like gelato to me as it's less creamy than your typical ice cream much less gelato. I think of it as more Asian than Italian.
What makes this place stand out is that it offers ice cream flavors commonly found in ice cream parlors in Asia - Lychee, Mango, Guava, Passion Fruit, Jack Fruit, Durian, Pineapple, Red Beans, coconut, Taro, G. Tea, etc. The consistency is also slightly less creamy which appeals to the Asian palate.
If the flavors above sound more like a vegetable (Taro, red bean) than a dessert to you, or that it's too exotic for you, they do offer the standard flavors such as chocolate, strawberries, vanilla, etc.
The ice cream is made fresh in the back and they are made out of fresh fruit. You can also buy their ice cream in small or large buckets to take home. There's not a lot of seating and it's definitely not a pretty place. If you can tolerate getting the ice cream to go, give the lychee, guava, coconut or taro flavors a try.
Guava and rum raisin.
i'm one of those odd outliers: a chinese kid that wasn't raised in the sunset nor live there now or anytime in the near future. it never bothered me. until i was exposed to all the small, home-like, tasty restaurants/cafes/deli's that were hidden in there.
marco polo being one of those gems in the sunset! their gelato is by far the creamiest & true to flavor in the sunset...also, they have an array of all the delicious asian and italian flavors..
my usual?
a scoop of coconut and a scoop of mango and i'm in heaven... at times the mixture resembles the scent of durian... not my favorite, but bearable, cause it's soo damn good.
anyways... marco polo gets pact after dinner time and during those rare hot afternoons in the sunset, but the wait is all worth it - everyone usually utilize that time to either.. drool and or decide on their choice of flavors..
all in all, 4 stars! definitely going on my default eats list!
They were very great about giving out tasting!! I tried a whole bunch before settle with Mango & Chestnut.. It was a VERY diffcult choice!!!
Lychee, Mango, chestnut, Pistachio are ALL Wonderful!!!
Cash only, so make sure you have enough $$ ;)
Thank goodness my friend's friends recommended this place to us, otherwise we never would have known of its greatness! This small ice cream shop doesn't look like much when you enter, but upon entering you start to notice the pictures on the wall. The photos of exotic fruits on the walls are not there for decoration, oh no, they are the flavors offered there! This wonderful shop carries the conventional as well as the super unique flavors such as: Durian, Black Sesame, Guava, Lychee, etc.
The owner let us sample a few flavors, but I eventually settled on Black Sesame. Sure, I left there with black bits and pieces in between my teeth, but it was so worth it!
Amazing gelato made by Asians... also filled with Asian flavor. This is a great spot to take your date. Strongly suggest you give them a try.
I first saw this recommendation here: http://bit.ly/18X0mr. Thought fellow yelpers would appreciate.
You say frozen desserts? I'm in! Very interesting flavors of gelatos that's not usually found in most ice cream places. Everything I've tried so far has been flavorful and true to taste ... also without weird colors.
Flavors goes from the usual like vanilla, chocolate, strawberry to more exotic flavors like durian, chestnut, sesame, taro, etc. It's not something that'll knock your socks off, but have all been a pleasant, refreshing and subtle taste that's true to the fruit or nut, etc.
You must pay a visit here if you love gelato. My favorites here are: lychee, pistachios (although its too chunky), durian, and mango. It also has guava, cantalope, etc.... the flavors you rarely find in other gelato places.
Durian flavor is my favorite! I have to come to get durian ice cream every time I visit San Francisco. The only draw back is that this place only takes cash.
I was a Marco Polo virgin until today at about 9:45PM.
Yeah, it was late but I came in with 3 other people and ordered our gelato. $2.85 for a small (1-2 flavors), $4.35 for a med (1-3) flavors. All I can remember for now..
I got arcobaleno, the bf got mint chocolate chip & sesame, the other 2 shared a rum raisin and lychee.
The arcobaleno is an orgasmic mixture of vanilla, chocolate, almond, and pistachio.. I WAS IN HEAVEN. Pure heaven. It's SO DAMN GOOD, you've gotta get your butt over there and try the stuff. All the flavors complement each other perfectly, and you can taste every single one of them. DEF the best stuff I've ever had. Hella creamy & all that jazz.
GOGOGOGOGOGOGO!!!!!111ONEONE
So anyway, the bf and others said their ice creams were flavorful, and def made with high quality.. They didn't skimp out on fruit or whatever. I had a nibble of the sesame and BAM, a sesame punch in the face. A pleasant one, of course.
:)
Pistachio Nut Ice Cream is the bomb!!
I give them Four Stars...because I think it's a tad pricey.
Pistachio Nut Ice Cream
http://static1.px.yelp...
(Monday, June 29, 2009)
Marco Polo is now a special destination for me. Ever since I've moved out of the Richmond, Marco Polo is no longer on my way home from work. Okay it was a ten minute detour but who's counting?
I took my friend here who was on the hunt for coconut ice cream like the kind he had eaten growing up in Thailand. I'm proud to say that he found it here. I discovered that black sesame and pistachio go quite well together. Isn't it nice that we all win?
Hi, I'm Monica and I'm a gelataholic. I allow myself to go once a month to get my fix.
I can't…
Read more »
Marco Polo is high premium gelato. But what I like the most about Marco Polo is that they carry the unusual flavors that I love. Soursop? Taro? Red bean? Lychee? Yup, they have it. They also do carry the usual flavors like strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. Very affordable, very friendly service, very well worth the trip if you're in the area.
The chinese store signs may throw you off if you're looking for the store front, but once you find it, it can be your little secret too.
The power was out at Polly Ann on Noriega [and most of the Outer Sunset around those avenues]. Didn't feel like Baskin Robbins or frozen yogurt at Lakeshore Plaza, so the remaining nearby option was Italian Ice Cream [aka gelato] at Marco Polo on Taraval. The portions are rather small, so I ordered a medium of three flavors - Green Tea, Taro, and DURIAN!!! Yes, all Asian flavors.
The Green Tea was OK [Polly Ann's better]. The Taro was nice [Mitchell's is better, I think], but the Durian was delicious! Durian - yum yum yum. The boyfriend, however, was not a fan. It's an acquired taste, I tell you! I could tell that it was made from real durian fruit! He ordered a medium as well - Double Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, and Coffee. A tasty combination.
$8+ for two mediums of six different flavors. An occasional treat to have, but I can get a heartier serving from other ice cream shops around town most days!
If you order the Durian flavor, make sure to carry some mints with you!
If you get the gelato to go, be sure to account for some melt down time. The pre-packed containers are like rocks.
My student assistant gave me three different pint of ice cream Green Tea, Durian, and Taro. Boy oh boy it was all delicious especially Green Tea. Durian, I'm not a huge fan of it because the smell itself is so awful. However, having it in an ice cream content isn't that bad. Taro, not bad very interesting.
Yum Yum...
lots of positive review already for this place but I wanted to give my thumbs up too.
Gonna love the Asian flavor varieties as it's as good as it gets. I mean, soursop?, durian?, lychee?, jackfruit? , taro?, chestnut?
Go sample all the flavors first. Damn good ice cream..wish they open later during summer....
I wonder if they can make a water chestnut flavor...yum yum
I went to Abraham Lincoln High School, just a few blocks from Taraval where Marco Polo is located. Funny, I knew about this place while attending High School but unlike the adventurer who this place is named after, I never ventured to this place.
I guess I've been missing on a good thing all this time. Though I love Mitchell's Ice Cream to death, it's nice to have something good and something different once in a while.
Just like its namesake, it was an adventure coming here since their business number is hard to read. We passed by the place several times until I had to get out of the car and venture on foot. As I got there, I figured out why we couldn't locate it - their sign is in Chinese. WTF?
But it all makes sense since Marco Polo traded with Asia so it comes back full circle.
Their gelatos are delicious as I got the Irish Coffee and Mocha to give me a little extra kick. My kids had the Mango, Strawberry, Vanilla and Chocolate...very typical of them. My wife on the other hand had the Durian. I tasted it but it's not something I would order. It really is an acquired taste and let's leave it at that.
Marco Polo is a good venture for dessert if you're craving for something different compared to all these fro-yo places that keep popping up. You know it's just a matter of time before some of these fro-yo places close but Marco Polo has been in the City for ages. Trust me...head out in the Sunset and treat yourself to something good.
I deducted one star for lack of service plus CASH only policy, but taste wise, it's great. This is like a chinese mom-n-pop store, very tiny in a busy chinatown. My friends luv coming here for the durian flavored ice-cream/gelato. You won't get that in regular gelato store :), only the asians made them and though it stinks for me, as long as my friends are happy, it's good. I came here for the Mango. I'm like a MANGo freak, everyplace I go, be yogurt, juice, fruit place, that will be the 1st one that I ordered.
Okay back to topic, chinatown, parking always a bust, come on peeps, it's SF, but if you go with friends, just drop them off to get your orders and pick them up again when they're done, we can eat somewhere nicer than this place. By far, this is the best gelato store when I go to Bay Area, so many flavors to choose, especially the Asian fruits.
A friend recommended this place. I admit, it's one of a few very best gelato places in the city. It has many asian flavors that are all tasty. Just a few that I love: red bean, sesame, & guava.
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