Review Highlights
“The staff is wonderful, the ice cream cylinders are in perfect shape plus unlimited toppings!” in 44 reviews
“My other friend had the Gotcha Matcha, which was a nice and smooth green tea flavor.” in 4 reviews
“I think you can taste the difference esp in the strawberry fantasy--just strawberries, graham crackers mashed up into freshly frozen cream.” in 12 reviews
Location & Hours
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Amenities
Ask the Community
Question:
Are you no longer open on Tuesday's? I came by at around 6 and it was closed.
Answer:
No, you're not... We went tonight, and you were not open. We've made multiple visits downtown this week to visit your shop, and you've been closed every time we've been there.… Read more
keith o.2 years ago14 people found this helpfulView 6 more answersQuestion:
Is there a long wait?
Answer:
Recommended Reviews
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- Jaclyn M.Santa Rosa, CA
9/24/20191 check-in
I FINALLY had the chance to try rolled ice cream. I know I'm a little late, but it was sooo worth the wait!!
S E R V I C E:
It was pretty busy when my friend and I walked in. There were only two people making the ice cream and one cashier. The cashier was very helpful and gave me suggestions on what tasted good with what. The girls making the rolled ice cream looked like pros haha and it was very cool to watch.
F O O D:
I didn't think heaven could be rolled in ice cream! I chose Butterface which had cookie butter ice cream and graham crackers. I added cheese cake bites topped with whipped cream and caramel. The toppings didn't cost extra so I wished I put more! I will next time :). The ice cream was creamy and it doesn't seem like much when they start making it, but the portion size was pretty big and...I devoured it.
O V E R A L L:
I can't wait for the next time to get rolled ice cream! - Elizabeth M.San Francisco, CA
11/13/2019I came by Icicles last week and was really dissapointed.
The line was shorter than usual, about a year ago the line was to the end of the block. Now, the line was about four people long.
It usually takes a long time before your order is called, and even with the short line it took about twenty minutes until we were called.
The icecream was not good at all, I ordered the fruit punch. It was overly sweet and horrible texture.
I do not plan on coming back here anytime soon! - Yunzhi G.San Mateo, CA0 friends2 reviews
9/24/2019My boyfriend and I are treated very badly at this place. The cashier person mocked our Chinese accent and our names (we gave our English name, Leslie and Nick).
When both of us told the cashier person we don't need the receipt, she pretended not hearing it and mocked us as we got to the waiting area.
It was a bad day for my boyfriend. He has long term depression and we were coming to this place wish to lighten him up a little bit. The experience totally did the opposite.
Also, we saw one of the employee here sneezed a lot while making the ice cream, without the protection of a face mask. - Ka Yan C.Hayward, CA
1/25/20202 check-ins
Rolled frozen ice cream is always a unique and fun experience! I've been here a couple of times. Flavors are good and you get to choose unlimited toppings for your ice cream. It is on the pricier side (almost $10) but I guess you pay for the experience and the quality! :)
- Sana E.Daly City, CA
9/8/2019I love this place ! I can't think of any reason why anyone wouldn't. Their Ice cream is delicious and the texture is different and unlike any other ice cream I've had. They have a variety of options for everyone and I appreciate that because I always feel like something different! It's also fun watching how they make it, it's definitely a cool part of the entire experience.
The ice cream shop is huge and there's a lot of leg room to sit around and wait for your ice cream - Lyndia T.Millbrae, CA15 friends13 reviews18 photos
1/25/20202 check-ins
My go to for ice cream cravings!! I always order the Bae-sic option, but i guess i just like my ice creams simple! The flavor of the ice cream really comes out with each bite and the toppings are super yummy! Great service, but on busy days, the wait can be a bit long.. Price wise, Icicles is definitely pricey. Their price did go up, but Im still coming back, so the ice cream must be deeelicious!
- Ge W.San Mateo, CA85 friends11 reviews44 photos
1/18/2020Worst customer service. There's only one person in the store on Saturday noon. Customers are waiting for one person making the ice cream and be the cashier at the same time. I was waiting there for more than 20 minutes after she finally finished the other customers ice cream, and she apparently forgot about I was there waiting for her to take my order, and start to taking order for a person who just came in. I told her that I was there first, and she still decide to make the other person's ice cream first. No stores should only put one person serve on a weekend lunch time.
- Steven C.Fremont, CA
5/18/20191 check-in
I always wanted to try rolled ice cream and I'm glad I did. It was a cool experience and the ice cream was really good! They have so many different combinations and I would definitely go back to try others. This time we tried "Mai Thai" and it really does taste like Thai Tea.
Price was $8.99 flat with unlimited toppings. You might think this is expensive but they allowed us to split the order into two cups wich effectively makes it 2 for $8.99. Great place to take your date and share. We left very satsified.
The store has benches to sit on while you eat and we found it perfect without any issues. Service was good and the staff was friendly. Nothing really to complain about.
I ROLL for ICE CREAM!......i guess that doesn't really sound as good as I Scream for Ice Cream :(. - David L.San Mateo, CA
5/6/2019I like the unique concept of Icicles and the choice of so many different varieties and flavors. I had never tried something like this before so I was looking forward to it. First thing I noticed is how much work and physical labor is needed by the staff to make each order of ice cream rolls. Kudos to them for their hard work. It was cool to see your order being made from scratch right in front of you. The unlimited toppings was good too but sometimes there is too much of a good thing as adding too many toppings masks the flavor of the ice cream.
The ice cream itself I thought was only ok. The texture was not as creamy as I would like and it was a bit icy. Not sure if I would come back as I prefer the ice cream flavor and creamy texture of the nearby Coldstone Creamery. But this place is worth a try at least once! - Judy C.San Francisco, CA
9/14/20192 check-ins
Knew of this place from the downtown SF location and was happy to discover they opened another one here in San Mateo. Came here a couple times in the past but every time I come there is just way too many people here in comparison to SF. This type of Thai style rolled ice cream isn't a new concept to me as I've been to a couple others in the past. What is new is the price point... there's only one size and it costs $9. Granted you can put as many toppings as you want on it but it's really similar to the self-serve froyo places and not even that cost as much as this. I'm also trying to be considerate of the fact that this style of ice cream making is a lot more laborious than others so maybe that's where the additional cost comes in? Other places I've been to cost around 5 to $7 with a smaller option at around $5.
Also, beware because the ice cream making is laborious, the time between you lining up and putting in your order to the time you actually get your ice cream may take anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes. I showed up today with about 5 or so people who already put in their order and I got my order after about 15 or so minutes and there were just two girls making ice cream.
Today, there was this one girl who was adding the toppings to the orders and it felt like she was doing a pretty sloppy job for the cost of what the ice cream was... I didn't ask for that many toppings but some of the toppings did fell out of the cup and she just handed it to me just like that and didn't add back anything that was missing. Minor thing but like I said for the cost of the ice cream service should also be a little bit better. If it didn't cost as much as it did I probably wouldn't bat an eye. - Deepthi P.Folsom, CA
6/2/2019My first time having rolled ice cream and I loved it! We tried the 'NutellaNChill' cuz it has Nutella, banana and graham cracker and what's not to love! For toppings I added almonds and chocolate drizzle. Super tasty with the perfect amount of banana and Nutella.
I would love to come try out their other flavors too. - Cindy C.Sunnyvale, CA
3/2/20191 check-in
Now that the hype has died down and the lines are no longer 2 miles out the door, I can finally try these ice cream rolls! Cute little dessert shop located in downtown San Mateo. It's a great place for a quick date or a stop for dessert after dinner.
I tried the nutella n chill and it was nice. The texture was unexpected; it has a little chew to it. I wouldn't choose it over traditional ice cream, but it was a novelty of a dessert.
I like that they call you when your ice cream is being made so you can watch. - Ronnie A.Emeryville, CA
4/8/20191 check-in
Have always been wanting to try this place ever since
I've seen the lines always out the door. On this particular day it wasn't so bad.
The workers were trying their best to get everything done in a timely and efficient manner. A+ effort to the whole team. They were also friendly and helpful.
I ordered a bravocado and i am so glad i did. It tasted as described. Like a fresh avocado. I also added bananas, toasted coconut flakes, whipped cream, and condensed milk. Soooo refreshing - solid 4 stars - Kyle H.Millbrae, CA
4/22/2019Went here with a friend on 4/17/19 at about 8pm. There was barely a line, but the entire wait when my friend and I got our icicles, was almost 30 minutes! There was about 3-4 people rolling the ice cream, but they seemed stressed too. (I don't think it was worth the wait) You can watch the staff make your order. The unlimited toppings choice is great too!
The ice cream texture was pretty rough, firm, and pretty decent tasting. I got the oreo blast (mint flavored) with blackberries, brownie bites, white chocolate drizzle, and a roasted marshmallow (which comes on a pretzel stick. However overall, I feel like it is a bit overhyped.
Also for the large guy behind me in line, who was probably high from his weed, goes in with his girl, stands to the side next to me, my friend and I both feeling that he was gonna cut in line pretty soon, after a minute, he goes out loud "is this where we start?" me and my friend look at him, my friend goes like "yea!" (In my mind I was like "there was a sign there, that says order here?? lol) - Christina S.Austin, TX
6/15/20191 check-in
This is a pretty standard Icicles location, although they really need to hire more people to work. Also a few people's ice cream got handed to the wrong person, so keep an eye out!
Unlimited toppings, which is pretty exciting! Love the Cereal Killer. - Alay V.Los Angeles, CA242 friends15 reviews
1/5/2020Out of everything. They were out of fresh strawberries, fresh blackberries and brownie bites. I visit icicles for the fluffy rolls of fresh fruit and cream but instead i had to make do with dense spoon breaking icecream that tasted like graham crackers
- Diwash B.Houston, TX59 friends26 reviews37 photos
11/27/2019This is a regular ice cream shop, i loved their flavors and the service was definitely A+. I have never beena big fan of icecream besides baked brownies with Icecream but this place stood out for me for their wonderful service and the new flavors they bring.
Also its intersting to watch how they make those rolls and mix and match for your own taste. - Roen R.Hayward, CA
6/17/20191 check-in
Came here on a Sunday around 6:30 pm and the place looked empty, as in it wasn't busy. Ha. It's a illusion. Just because it doesn't look busy, doesn't mean there are a bunch on orders in queue and it takes about 3-5 minutes to make one cup of ice cream.
My family ordered 4 things off their menu. I ordered the banana with nutella and graham cracker.
I use to work at a cold stone, so to me this place didn't really impress me at first, until I actually watched the servers. Oh man, they do too much work to make these. I get that it's cool that it's made right there for you, but waiting almost 30 minutes for ice cream @ $9/each isn't worth it unless you're really craving this specific ice cream.
It was about 30 minutes to get all our 4 ice creams to come to us. I was blown away by how good this was. And they give a pretty good amount; not $9 worth, but it was really good. I topped mine off with more graham crackers, waffle bits, and brownie bites. I feel like this gave me cavities.
Why 3 stars?
First, I was annoyed after I paid with card, they try to force a tip. When you insert your card, you have to press 3 buttons, "add 15%" "add 25%" or "other." I know most people don't press other because they wouldn't know what that is. You have to click "other" and type $0 if you don't want to tip.
Next, I was hearing conversations I shouldn't be hearing when the servers were mixing people's ice cream. Sure, you have to keep your self entertained while you're mixing, but don't vent about personal shit in front of me to your co-worker. Asian female with a hallow-ish voice, was talking about how it's her parent's duty to pay her rent when she goes to college and she didn't really need this job. Then she got hella pissed and threw the F bomb out loud when condensed milk spilled on her "brand new" light blue slip on vans. Why are you wearing it to work then? Doesn't your job call for non-slip shoes to avoid a slip and fall injury?
Anyways, this is a type of place that you would try once, but never actually come back. People are different, but I wouldn't come back here. Not for over priced ice cream. - Katie M.San Francisco, CA
6/17/2019Updated review9 check-ins
This is my favorite ice cream place in the San Mateo area. You are eating not only ice cream, you also get the full experience of "the make" from scratch to finish. Stuffs are friendly, menus have different varieties from chocolate, Oreo, to fruits and nuts. I think you also can special request for half and half flavors? Also make sure to check in, they are giving away cute ICICLES keychain at a certain time of the day. Heard that they will have new menus coming, can't wait for the next visit!
5/21/2018Previous reviewGreat service, friendly staff, lots of menu selections, lots of toppings to select. Fun experience, will come back again!
Read more
- Devan K.Belmont, CA
7/14/20191 check-in
I have had similar roll rice creams before but this one is missing something!. Too much sugary and I could not eat it all. They should have small sizes too. Now they have only one large size ($8.99).
Workers were very friendly.
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