Bi-Rite Creamery
Category: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission3692 18th St
(between Dolores St & Oakwood St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 626-5600
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
341 reviews
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset
"Tuttimelon's really doing it for me! LOVE their promo & their prices, LOVE their yogurt! A small is only 99 cent right now, and is…" read more »
1101 Reviews for Bi-Rite Creamery
Soy chocolate + spiced pecans + BLACK SABBATH?!?!?!
Get the picture, businesses. No more fucking elevator music.
I love you ice cream scooping man for cranking up 'Sweet Leaf'.
Who knew waiting in line could feel so good?
Communism would have a totally new meaning.
People thought this was:
Useful (5)
Funny (5)
Cool (5)
I love a good scoop of ice cream! Thanks to Olive, I got to try Bi-Rite Ice Cream! Soooo GOOD!
One scoop of Brown Butter Pecan and Salted Carmel, please! I want a second helping!
The weather being perfect today in SF, helped with the 5 stars! Yum!
Ice Cream here is really awesome.
and it has nothing at all to do with the fact that i have a crush on the tall handsome fellow who serves it. (" i'm from the east bay too.. way east bay".."richmond?" "no.. chicago..")
favs are coffee toffee and salted carmel.
yumm. ice cream.
Good prices. Good Service.
happy ivel (:
The World According to Noelle
~Allergic Girl's Guide to Life~
Issue Update
L O V E
@
F I R S T
L I C K
noe tunes
http://www.youtube.com...
After a delicious dinner at Sushi Bistro, I had a craving for ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. Parking is hard to come by in this particular area. We found parking and had a nice walk to the creamery. I was dying to try the Salted Caramel. Mmmmmm, the Salted Caramel did not disappoint. Other flavors ordered that night- Honey Lavender and Bananas (something which I forgot, since I'm allergic).
Noelle's Notes
The BEST ICE CREAM EVER.
Allergy Friendly, Noelle Approved.
Noelle's Post Secret
this is my call I belong to You
this is my call to sing the melodies of You
this is my call I can do nothing else
I can do nothing else
http://www.youtube.com...
People thought this was:
Useful (8)
Funny (6)
Cool (9)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
This place is not helping with my diet. Once you come here, you wonder why Mitchell's is so popular.......
Came down here on Tuesday night. It was warm and a nice way to end the evening.
I picked honey lavender. It hit just the spot. Sweet and floral, but not too sweet where I couldn't finish it. comes in kiddie scoop, single, double and so on. Also got to try my cousin's roasted banana and that was good. They seem to have weird flavors like Balsamic Strawberry and Soy Chocolate, but they end up tasting really good! We will def. be back next week!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Some of the best flavors of the year are enjoyed during the fall... it's fun seeing new seasonal menus at your favorite eateries. I've lived right by Bi-Rite Creamery for 2 seasons now (spring and summer), but the ice cream menu hasn't changed at all... the popsicle flavors do occasionally (Concord grape yum).
I love you, Salted Caramel, Malted Vanilla, Cookies n Cream, Banana Split, and I love you the most, Hot Fudge, but I feel like something's missing...
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
01/18/2008
Believe the HYPE!
I wouldn't compare Bi-Rite to Mitchell's at all. I'd compare Bi-Rite to Ici in… Read more »
Salted Caramel + Orange Cardamom + Sugar Cone = Express Train to Flatulence City
*toot toot*
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
Funny (12)
Cool (7)
Sugar Cone +
Salted Caramel +
Coffee Toffee +
(substitute either with Peanut Butter with Fudge Swirl if you're feeling frisky)
Sunny day in Dolores Park
=
Damn good Valium substitute.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
It's Indian Summer, is that politically incorrect to say that, in these neck of the woods. Warm weather is expected end of September and October so it's no surprise the lovely weather we've been having.
My grandparents live up the street from Bi-Rite but we were raised on Mitchell's Ice Cream. Today we went to visit grandma on her 93rd Birthday, after our visit we headed to Bi-Rite.
Parking is a biiiiiiiitch! What with Mission High school right there, Tartine down the street, and Dolores Park too. Circled 2x and managed a space on Guerrero.
Thankfully there was NO line at Bi-Rite! I knew what I wanted to try and what my mom would be open to taste.
Prices have gone up! AUWE! At least with the single you're not limited to 1 flavor but for $3.25, I want more!!! So I got the Salted Caramel and the Roasted Banana, how could I not? Everyone raved about them here on Yelp! And mom got the toasted coconut and butter pecan.
Being a warm day and having to walk back to the car, a block away, melting was occurring. I actually noticed that they seemed soft when the guy was scooping for me. The salted caramel tasted like burnt creme brulee to me. Not bad, but not great either. The roasted banana was more my cup of tea but it needs nuts in it or something, walnuts perhaps? My mom loved both her selections. I only got a taste of the butter pecan and it tasted like vanilla with raw pecans. Where was the buttery goodness? or pralined nuts?
Noticed the cute benches built round the trees out front. And there's some bench like seats built into the building.
I can see it being a hit with some, but I guess I'm a self proclaimed Mitchell's loyalist!
I guess I just don't understand what all the hype is about. After standing in line for 35 minutes and hearing the people behind us in line rave about it, I expected something uniquely delicious, but my Balsamic Strawberry tasted like strawberry and my Roasted Banana tasted like banana. I kept trying to taste something unique, but I just didn't. The ice cream was good, but so is Ben and Jerry's.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I am hesitant to say this, given that I am such an ice cream fanatic and I'd like to leave the field open, but Bi-Rite may be the best ice cream I have ever had!
I had a sugar cone with Salted Caramel and Roasted Banana ice cream. Extremely creamy, unique, intense, complex flavors. The portions are small but due to the complexity of the flavor, larger portions would really be unnecessary. This isn't the type of place to come if you just want to get your traditional fill (oversaturation?) of milk and sugar.
Would be nice if they had a bigger location so that the store would be more than just one big line, but really, the ice cream was so damn good that I can't complain!
When in the Mission, no meal is really complete without a trip to the Creamery. Last night I opted for Mexican Chocolate with Roasted Peanuts and Salted Caramel. Wonderfully offbeat flavors in a cool, creamy package. Yum! Next time, possibly Balsamic Strawberry or Roasted Banana.
No doubt that their ice cream flavors are unique. That's what makes them good. I would go here just because you can't those those flavors anywhere else (unlike Mitchell's). I tasted their salty caramel, which is kinda too strong for me, so I opted the Cinnamon with Snicker doodles. It was pretty good though I expected a bit more. I think I will go back to try out their other flavors.
The first time I was here, it was a hot Saturday afternoon and there was line out the door that almost reached the corner. But I waited in line patiently underneath the scorching sun.
And you know what happened on my inaugural visit? I was asked to leave the premises.
I didn't mean to to destroy their display of books and stuff. But I thought there was a clue hidden in one of the fixtures.
How was I suppose to know they weren't participating in the Yelp Scavenger Hunt 2008?
And in my defense, when asked for a clue, they were the ones who pointed me to the display in the first place.
I made a promise to return and try their famous ice cream and see what all the hype was about.
I finally got to experience it.
And to the chagrin of many family, friends, and fellow yelpers, I didn't like it.
The Roasted Banana was too sweet.
The overall flavor wasn't bad and the texture was creamy enough, but there was this sugary aftertaste with almost each bite.
It's too bad since I like do enjoy banana ice cream.
I wonder.
With so many positive Yelp reviews, could I be the one who's wrong?
I'll give this place yet another chance.
Beware Bi-Rite, I'll be back.
And when I ask for a clue, you better not point to the bookshelf.
Oh, and that ice cream of yours better impress since I rarely give a second chance.
Bi-Rite's ice cream is okay but i am giving them 4 stars because they have unique flavors (Balsamic Lavender, Cinnamon with Snicker doodles, Roasted Bananas and etc). The line can be out the door but the quick service makes the wait just 5 minutes are less.
Seriously, what is consider GOOD ice cream? Maybe I'm just not an ice cream person because ill eat ice cream from Polly Ann's or even Baskin Robbins. But if you are in the mood for something different or around the neighborhood, check out Bi-Rite.
PS. Parking can be a biotchh......
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Not the only ice cream shop worth going to - but arguably the best ice cream place in the city. I'm docking about a half-star for being a little overambitious with some of their flavors. Some of what they offer, I dream of. for example Salt Caramel.
Or a Salt Caramel brownie fudge sundae. With Caramel
Agh Gad. (drooling)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
5+ stars! Bi-Rite, you make the world "rite!"
I came here with my sister on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We went pretty early around 12:45, and luckily, barely had to wait. I got a single scoop of honey lavender and balsamic strawberry. The single scoop is definitely more than enough for one person. It looks like a small cup, but they really pack in the ice cream! The honey lavender was SO GOOD! I've tried different lavender ice creams in the past, and nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to this. There was the perfect amount of lavender flavor because it wasn't overpowering. The balsamic strawberry was the best strawberry ice cream I've had. EVER. You can't really taste the balsamic, but it definitely enhances the flavor of the strawberry. Very delicious. I highly recommend the honey lavender.
I tried the orange cardamom.. it was just OK. I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea. I really wanted to try the flavor of the hour which was creme fraiche, but didn't want to keep asking for samples. I love that they use metal spoons for samples instead of wasting plastic spoons. Biodegradable cups and spoons! Yay for the environment!
Anyways, beside having just ice cream, they have ice cream cakes, ice cream sandwiches, loaf cakes, mini pies, retro sodas (!), books, and ice cream toppings. The most interesting topping was the mint chocolate syrup topping. I loooove mint chocolate!
If I'm in the area, I would most definitely come back (I would come here over Mitchell's.. and I love Mitchell's!)
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
09/03/2008
OK. My sister brought home a pint of ice cream because she was there five times in about a week.… Read more »
So this place has like 1000 reviews that tell you how incredible BiRite is and why you should come here, so why write another review?
Because this place is awesome.
Even from the line outside (which can get long on nice days), you can smell the creamy goodness that is taking place inside. With flavors of ice cream ranging from Delicious to Exquisite (maybe a maple pecan something or other somewhere in the middle), you'll never be disappointed with their rotating selection of flavors. Go see Andrea while you're there - if you leave grumpy after talking to her, there's no hope for your soul. Oh, there's also plenty of tasty treats you can buy inside from cookies to cakes made from local bakeries. There's really no way you can leave unhappy after walking into BiRite. Unless you're the devil.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
this shop is always crowded...why wouldn't it be when they have such awesome ice cream flavors? they have great unique flavors and excellent ice cream sandwiches...we got a chocolate coconut sandwich after we scarfed down our double scoops of ice cream..EACH haha. Afterwards you can play at the park and listen to live music...yay love it!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
This ice cream was so incredibly good my burp long after the last spoon was delicious. There's a thousand reviews about this place, but has anyone ever mentioned the culinary excellence of burps this place yields? Fresh, quality ingredients, small batches, and organic dairy yields some incredibly tasty ice cream... and some delicious burps. Yummm... Salted Caramel buuurp...
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (5)
Cool (2)
This is the first place that I have seen that has over 1000 reviews.... now I'm a believer!
I will def be back lots now that I know it's right across from Delores park .... I got the toasted coconut YUM... the strawberry balsamic was also great and the vanilla with malt and peanut brittle was just ok ... the brittle tasted a little burnt.
The employees are all super cool and funny/fun.
Awesome place!
Ten stars for Bi-Rite!
Yesterday I had the "Sam's Sundae." One scoop of chocolate, one scoop of honey lavender, and drizzled with olive oil and sea salt, with (almost unsweetened) whipped cream. $5.50.
The olive oil does something extraordinary. The crunchy sea salt ... o m f g. Is it wrong to love something inanimate so much??
You have to have one at least once before you die. I intend to have at least 100 of these before I die.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (4)
Cool (3)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
08/27/2007
With all the food-related hype here in the Bay Area I try to take things with a grain of fleur de… Read more »
For my wedding, I knew i didn't want to go the traditional cake route--so expensive and nobody ever eats it! Instead, I had an ice cream Sunday bar from Bi-Rite Creamery!! It was the best ever. I had four flavors--salted caramel, honey lavender, roasted banana and coffee toffee. Then a whole mess of sauces and nuts and sprinkles--everyone loved it! Even my parents friends who initially found the whole no-cake thing to be tragic. My guests where comparing toppings and Sunday styles--you name it. I'm telling you I have begun a new trend. You too can be on the cutting edge!
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/16/2007
ODE TO SALT AND CARAMEL
Oh, ye salted caramel
ye sweet and salty
ye satisfy my every whim
ye bring a… Read more »
From the moment I got there until I finished my last bite of ice cream, this place was packed with people! We got a 2 scoop cup with honey lavender and salty caramel. I wasn't much of a fan of the honey lavender. At first bite, it wasn't that bad, but then the aftertaste felt like I was eating a plant, twig or something earthy and herbal. The salty caramel was bomb diggity though.The blend of saltiness with a bit of sweet caramel was exceptional! I'll definitely be coming back here to try the other flavors, since the consistency and texture of ice cream was also superb!
Ok there are already 1000+ reviews for this place so everyone knows its delicious already but man I still have to write out it.
They've got some really unique flavors so its like a cool tasting expedition. They also have the good ol' standby flavors for people less adventurous. Man i got the butter pecan and there was like a chunk of butter still frozen in the ice cream! thats how real this stuff is!! so GOOD.
The line can look crazy at times but it moves pretty fast so don't be scurred. Goodluck with parking in the area though, it sucks.
Organic, check.
Supports local business, check.
Ingredients made in house, check.
Salted Caramel, Coffee Toffee, and Balsamic Strawberry...
CHECKMATE, BITCH!
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Last week, I finally went into Bi-Rite Creamery. I had really high hopes and expectations about this place. You know how this story is going to end . . .
I did a double of 3 flavors. I did my Yelp research on this place and everyone raved about 2 flavors. Yes, you know what they are: Salted Caramel and Honey Lavender. Unfortunately, I have to say I was heartbroken with these flavors. I was confused with the taste of the Salted Caramel being toffee-like or almost butter pecan. Strange but true. The Honey Lavender had too much lavender for my palate, which reminded me of air freshener. I decide to finish them anyway to: 1) make sure my tastebuds were working, 2) refresh me on a warm day. After all, it's still ice cream.
The 3rd flavor was my lifesaver: balsamic strawberry. This flavor was delicious!! A fruity flavored ice cream without being too rich and having more substance than a sherbet. Bless this flavor!
Bi-Rite Creamery, you have not seen the last of me! Worth going back for the balsamic strawberry. My favorite flavors are still yet to be discovered.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (4)
Cool (3)
The line doesn't lie.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
Bi-Rite! My Love! How have I not reviewed you yet? Hmmm, maybe because every time it occurs to me to review you, my sweet one, I think it is a much BETTER idea to actually visit you. Yes, that is why.
All I need for the rest of my life is Salted Caramel ice cream.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (4)
Cool (4)
An eco-friendly, local, sustainable, recyclable wet dream. In my own backyard. They pick the lavender for the honey lavender ice cream off some hill like, in DP or something. I don't really know but I do know it is delish and environmentally savvy. My roommate gets the caramelized bananas? What? Yes! And they are so good. My personal fav is the salted caramel. I'm not cool enough to like something that everyone else doesn't like. Actually, there is nothing NOT to like about this place. Well... other than the line on a hot sunny day but even then, grin and bear it. its totally worth the wait. The staff is super friendly. Get a frequent flier card. I promise, you'll need it.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
The best $3.25 I ever spent = single cone at Bi-Rite Creamery. Honey Lavender, Salted Caramel combo. I took my first bite and the world literally went all black except for the cone in my hand. Little pink and yellow sparklies radiated from my prize, and "All You Need Is Love" started playing in the background. I turned into a cartoon and went skipping down the street with my new found love.
This has redefined my definition of food. From now on, I'm only going to eat Bi-Rite ice cream. I don't mean instead of any other ice cream. I mean instead of any other food. Roasted Banana for breakfast. Honey Lavender for lunch. Butter Toasted Pecan for dinner. Concord Grape popsicle for dessert.
Also, I highly recommend cutting out of work and going there on a weekday. I only waited in line for the sweet, sweet nectar that is my addiction for 5 agonizing minutes.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (5)
Cool (5)
*Sees ROTD for Bi-Rite Creamery*..hmmm
CONSIDER: How to write a killer review that will eventually get ROTD
INSERT: clever introductory remark.
INSERT: inside YELP joke.
INCLUDE: reference to how young and drunk I am
MAKE: sexual innuendo (or in my endo- either way)
REALIZE: that because I am unelite and unreal I will only ever attain RIMH- REVIEW IN MY HEAD- it is TOO an award. this realization when felt even though admittedly TOO STOOPID activates sugar need.
ENTER: Bi-Rite Creamery
INSERT:
Mint Hill Honey Lavender
Ritual Coffee Toffee
Salted Caramel
Soy Chocolate
Strawberry Balsamic
FALL back in drunken lactose intolerant sugar crazy stupor.
mumbling *my REAL name IS Squinka. I AM elite because my pussy is also Gil's pussy (when he had the fake avatar Cruella Deville posing as a tranny living in the TL- hells-not now).* IT IS TOO! -
just ask a friend about infamous Protest Kitty.
. . .SUBTRACT: a star because ice cream makes me fart.
did I mention I'm a model.
um cos i'm not.
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (10)
Cool (9)
the 1st birthday dessert stop...
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!..(sorry, i just got sexually aroused by their ice cream)
I MUST GIVE SO MUCH PROPS TO BI-RITE AND THEIR CUSTOMERS!!!
right after dinner we headed over to the bi-rite ice creamery... at first, we walked into their grocery store down the block.. the employee was so cool, that he walked us half way to the ice cream store...even though it was less that a half a block, i thought that was some friendly fuckin service!!!
what to get? ..is always a question when you get ice cream... they gave us huge spoonfuls of samples to try without any attitude... so we decided on the mint chocolate and the white chocolate strawberry... mmmmm.. so delicious!!!
ok..go back a couple steps... when deciding our flavors, b-day girl asked what flavors i wanted to get... i replied in my regular tone ..."i cant choose, its your b-day so, you get to choose!!!"
while the b-day girl was trying to pay...i pushed her money aside and all of a sudden the lights went out.....
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!..." ...started singing by the owner/manager, turning around with a candle in our ice cream...
...enter all of the voices of the customers in the shop singing in unison...
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO (b-day girls name here)...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!..... YAYAYAYAYAY ...a bunch of cheering..etc...
WOW...i did not plan this nor did i expect this...
SEE...., DO YA SEE WHY I LOVE THE CITY!!! NO WHERE ELSE DOES THIS AMAZING SHIT HAPPEN!!! THANK YOU SF!!!
it was probably the most amazing thing i have witnessed...
if i could give 10 stars i would... the ice cream is outstanding and the service is true genuine family feeling!!! i love it!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
Saturday afternoon showdown....worth the 20 minute wait!
Roasted Banana versus Orange Cardamom
No clear winner but one hell of a satisfied customer!
People thought this was:
Useful (7)
Funny (8)
Cool (7)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
05/07/2007
SF- Sunday 5/6/07 hottest day in what seemed like forever...
My guilty pleasure- Bi-Rite… Read more »
What do you do when it's hot as the devil's ass crack in the city, and you just had an absolutely amazing meal, but the restaurant didn't have any desserts that called out to you?
Given that I'm writing this review, those who have not suffered severe head trauma would naturally conclude the answer is: go to Bi-Rite Creamery.
I had the brownie sundae (because I'm a sucker for those), but swapped the vanilla ice cream for lavender honey. Wifey had a double-scope cone of roasted banana.
We took our just desserts and found a nice slice of bench near a tree in front of Bi-Rite, and sat and watched the sun fade from the western sky, as the houses on the hill glowed from inside out, and people on the tennis courts near the park lazily lobbed balls back and forth under the lights. I savored my sundae, the ice cream perfectly recreating the flavor of lavender honey. Wifey devoured her cone, which tasted just exactly like Bananas Foster. We sat in front of the brightly-lit Creamery, and we talked for a long time in the cool clear night air. And life was good.
People thought this was:
Useful (12)
Funny (12)
Cool (13)
I went back again this weekend. It was even better than the first time! That never happens in my book??? This place ROCKS!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
08/29/2008
OK people. Believe the hype. This place is darn near fantastic. The honey lavender blew me away. The… Read more »
Yum!! Lately, everyone has been bringing up Bi-Rite to me, even a friend who doesn't live in the bay, so I knew it was time for me to try it out. We came here for dessert and it was so close to closing time and there was still a line out the door... but the line goes fast because there were 3 people scooping. I love the idea that the single is actually 2 scoops and you can get two flavors... I got Mint Chip (which is always my favorite) and Balsamic Strawberry... both were so goood. My husband had the coffee toffee and he wasn't expecting it to be so good... after his first bite.. he was like OMG! this is SO GOOD! lol i thought it was cute.
Love the eclectic flavors! The experience would have been five stars had it not been for the rude server who was unwilling to dole out samples, shouldn't ice cream be served with a smile?
