Whether the weather’s hot, cold or somewhere in between, there’s never a bad time for ice cream. From swirls of soft serve and sorbet to traditional scoops and creamy custard, everyone’s got a favorite flavor.
Are you a strawberry waffle cone, lemon sorbet in a cup or chocolate and vanilla swirl in a cone? But the real question is, would you dare to eat pickle sorbet?
Whatever your choice, Sonoma County ice cream shops have you covered.
Top 15 Picks: Our Dining Editor’s Choices
Nimble & Finn’s, Santa Rosa and Guerneville
Cheeky by-the-scoop flavors include Front Porch Mint Chip (the mint is from one of the owner’s front porch), Meyer Lemon, Lavender Honeycomb and Whiskey Butterscotch. Can’t decide? Go for an eight-mini-scoop sampler. 16290 Main St., Guerneville, 707-666-9411; 123 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-666-9590, nimbleandfinns.com
Goguette Bread, Santa Rosa
While known for their mélange of breads and pastries, Goguette also churns out delightful, French-style ice cream, or glacée. Using locally sourced or imported (from France and Italy) ingredients, find flavors like pear, lemon, chocolate orange, Madagascar vanilla and more. The bakery also sells ice cream cakes, with such flavors as vanilla, strawberry, pistachio and matcha. 59 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, goguettebread.com
Handline, Sebastopol
This restaurant in Sebastopol was built on the site of an old Foster’s Freeze and the swirled chocolate and vanilla soft serve is still a favorite. Don’t miss the affogato, made with eye-opening cold brew and soft serve. 935 Gravenstein Highway S., Sebastopol, 707-827-3744, handline.com
Darling Ice Cream Shop, Sonoma
The ever-changing flavors at this charming Sonoma ice cream shop mean you’ll have plenty of reasons to return. A sister location to Sweet Scoops on the Sonoma Plaza, this neighborhood fave is known for its Watmaugh strawberry, salted caramel and, if you want to go the soft-serve route, a sunny Pineapple Dole Whip. 201 W. Napa St., Suite 6, Sonoma. 707-343-1482, darlingsonoma.com
Dave’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Santa Rosa
This local artisan producer uses premium organic milk, organic cream and liquid nitrogen to make its ice cream. At a cool 321 degrees below zero, the liquid nitrogen keeps fat and water molecules small, making for a creamier ice cream. 320 W. Third St., Suite D, Santa Rosa, 707-978-2635, dgicecream.com
Angela’s Ice Cream, Petaluma, Forestville and Healdsburg
Formerly known as Lala’s Creamery, this spot looks like the soda fountains of old, with a marble-topped bar and brick walls, but in addition to the traditional confections and banana splits, it serves up unique flavors. If you want to pair burgers with your ice cream, head on over to the Healdsburg location, home to Iggy’s Organic Burger. 134 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma; 1390 N. McDowell Blvd., Petaluma; 6671 Front St., Forestville; 109 Plaza St., Healdsburg. angelasicecream.com
Fosters Freeze, Santa Rosa
This old-school burger and ice cream spot is all about the memories. Maybe because you’ve walked there, or your mom and dad took you in the family wagon – or it’s just Tuesday and you need a dip cone. 1400 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-576-7028; 855 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 707-542-3212, fostersfreeze.com
Frozen Art, Santa Rosa
The Alcazars have been making Michoacana-style ice creams since 2011, originally as La Real Michoacana, and they continue to expand their lineup of 40-plus flavors. The menu includes Merlot chocolate chip, Kahlua, Mexican caramel, hibiscus flower, rum raisin and strawberry butter. The family comes from Tocumbo, Mexico’s ice cream-making capital. 500 Sebastopol Road, Suite B, Santa Rosa, 707-331-2899, frozenarticecream.com
Pink Sugar, Santa Rosa
Furry pink swings, a wall of shimmering pink mermaid scales, retro-style pink pay phones and pink velvet barstools make for an oh-so-Instagrammable moment at Pink Sugar, Santa Rosa’s favorite Thai rolled ice cream shop. Here’s how it works: Straus organic ice cream mix is poured onto chilled steel plates that almost instantly freeze it. Dual spatulas then chop, pulverize and blend in candy, cookies, fruit or cake before the mixture is spread into a thin layer and scraped into tight, frozen curls. Options include the Brookie, made with the standard vanilla base, fudge brownies, cookie dough and hot fudge; Cinnamon Toast Crunch with cinnamon toast cereal and caramel; and Banana Pudding with fresh bananas, caramel sauce and Nilla Wafers. 1224 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. 707-368-3200, Instagram.com/pinksugarcreamery
Salt & Straw, Santa Rosa
The Portland, Oregon-based ice cream company is known for fearless flavor combinations: pear and blue cheese, Arbequina olive oil, strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper, or goat cheese with marionberries and habanero. Even its crowd-pleasers come with a twist, from vegan coconut mint chip and sea salt with caramel ribbons to fudgy brownie batter chocolate ice cream. At the start of each month, five limited-time themed flavors drop – always worth a taste, even if you’re not ready to commit to a full scoop of Gruyère and tomato custard tart. 700 Village Court at Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa, 707-360-6349, saltandstraw.com
La Michoacana, Sonoma
You can’t miss this ice cream spot’s bright pink and orange exterior. It’s best known for fruit paletas, or frozen ice pops. Try their Mangonada: blended fresh mango with ice, swirled chamoy sauce, topped with mango chunks and tamarind candy, and a tamarind stick. 18495 Highway 12, Sonoma, 707-938-1773, michoacana.com
Screamin’ Mimi’s, Sebastopol
It’s no surprise that Food & Wine magazine has named this Sebastopol ice cream spot one of the best in America. There’s always a line, there are always kids with messy chocolate grins and there’s always a new flavor to try. When it comes to rich dark chocolate, there’s always Mimi’s Mud or Deep Dark Secret. 6902 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-823-5902, screaminmimisicecream.com
Squatch’s Ice Cream and Coffee, Rohnert Park
This nonprofit ice cream and coffee shop near Sonoma State funds a nearby student center and serves up Petaluma’s own Mariposa ice cream. Find traditional scoops, milkshakes and Squatches — over-the-top ice cream sandwiches, like the popular Cookie Monster made with cookies-and-cream ice cream between chocolate chip cookies and rolled in mini M&Ms. 1451 Southwest Blvd., Suite 111, Rohnert Park, 707-992-0841, squatchscoffee.com
Sweet Scoops, Sonoma
Sonomans go wild for this housemade ice cream spot on the square, which always has fun, seasonal flavors, from simple vanilla to lemon custard and Mexican chocolate. Ice cream flavors rotate regularly; check their website or Instagram for current offerings. 408 First St. E., Sonoma, 707-721-1187, sweetscoopsicecream.com
Simply Scooped, Windsor
Ice cream tacos are the specialty: your go-to scoop, folded into a chocolate-dipped waffle cone. 9240 Redwood Highway, Windsor, 707-837-5965, thesimplyscooped.com
More favorites
Cielito Coffee and Ice Cream, Sonoma
This coffee and ice cream shop in the Vailetti Plaza shopping center on Highway 12 serves a wide variety of coffee beverages, milkshakes and ice cream. 205 Nino Marco Square, Sonoma, 707-343-7330, instagram.com/cielito_coffee_and_icecream
Fru-Ta, Santa Rosa and Petaluma
All natural flavors, both traditional and unconventional. Among the more unique are rose petal, guava, cheese, membrillo, chongo zamorano and mamey. Five locations in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, including an ice cream truck. frutaicecream.com
The Chocolate Cow, Sonoma
A Sonoma Plaza staple, Chocolate Cow scoops rich, creamy ice cream in classic and seasonal flavors, piled high into cones, cups and old-school sundaes. It’s the kind of place where kids press their noses to the glass and grown-ups suddenly remember why a double scoop always seemed like the right decision. 452 First St. E., Suite F, Sonoma, 707-935-3564, thechocolatecow.com
Honeymoon Frozen Yogurt, Sebastopol
This local yogurt shop is a favorite because of its organic ingredients and commitment to local farms. 7108 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 707-829-9866, honeymoonfrozenyogurt.com
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Santa Rosa
The ultimate kid spot with over a dozen flavors like crème brûlée, mudslide pie, white chocolate raspberry and Dole Whip pineapple sorbet. 2188 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-545-9866, menchies.com
Noble Folk Ice Cream and Pie Bar, Santa Rosa and Healdsburg
This ice cream shop is worth a special trip. Unique flavors include Thai tea, cornflake maple, Dutch cookie and strawberry miso butterscotch, each inspired by local produce and the seasons. The menu changes frequently. 539 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-978-3392; 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-395-4426, thenoblefolk.com
Petaluma Creamery, Petaluma
This historic creamery makes housemade ice cream along with Spring Hill cheese. Most popular is the lavender ice cream, but Meyer lemon is also a contender (pro tip: both work perfectly together). 711 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707-762-9038, springhillcheese.com
Swirl Time Frozen Yogurt Bar, Rohnert Park
Another locally owned Sonoma State fave serving up great fro-yo with a smile. 1718 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, 707-795-7900, swirltime.com
Two Dog Night Creamery, Sebastopol
Another instant-ice cream spot that uses organic local ingredients and natural flavors zapped with liquid nitrogen for soft, gelato-style ice cream. Seasonal flavors like matcha and brown butter are a treat, while classic scoops, including Dutch chocolate, banana Foster crunch and coffee Heath Bar, always satisfy. Don’t miss the floats, sundaes and milkshakes. At The Barlow, 6760 McKinley St., Suite 110, Sebastopol, 707-823-9376, twodognightcreamery.com
