My family and I have been on an ice cream trip!
Living in Southern California, sometimes the only thing to cool you down on a hot summer night is to hit up your favorite ice cream shop!
National Ice Cream Day falls on the third Sunday in July. This creamy, delicious, nostalgic dessert, with endless flavors, deserves to be celebrated.
National Ice Cream Day is a fun day to enjoy with the whole family, no matter how old you or your kids are. I mean who doesn’t like ice cream?
Whether you want to make your own ice cream at home or just want to visit your local shop, you’re bound to have a good time.
If you decided to stop at an ice cream shop, be sure to ask your good friend Google, or Siri, what deals are being offered to help celebrate the special occasion. Some locations will offer discounts, BOGO deals, or even a free cone.
I’m sharing a few of our family’s favorite ice cream shops in San Diego below along with some of our favorite flavors.
Stella Jean’s
Favorites:
- Ube Pan de Sal: My husband and daughter’s favorite
- S’mores: My son’s favorite
- Guava Cream Cheese: My seasonal fave!
We love the vibe of this neighborhood ice cream shop. They make small batches with local ingredients, which to me makes a quality final product. Their flavors are bold and tasty. You can buy and enjoy your ice cream by the cup, in a cone, or if you’re really feeling it, in a pint!
This spot has blown up to 4 locations in America’s Finest City with 2 more coming soon. They also have a location in Costa Mesa.
National Ice Cream Day Offer: Unknown. Follow them on IG to see if they reveal something soon!
Salt & Straw
Favorites:
- Sea Salt w/ Caramel Ribbons: My son’s favorite
- Honey Lavender: My daughter’s favorite
- Pear & Blue Cheese: Yes, you read that right! I love the combo
Salt & Straw has a very nostalgic vibe. They’re similar to Stella Jeans in the sense that their flavors are bold, they might be over-the-top bold. They have combinations you’d never think would go together, but they do. They also offer vegan and non-dairy options.
National Ice Cream Day Offer: Get a complimentary pint with the purchase of three pints.
SomiSomi
Favorites:
- Cookies n’ Cream topped with Oreo® crumbs: Kid’s favorite
- Ube: For the husband. As you can see he is so Pinoy!
- Black Sesame: For me. If I’m being completely honest, I’d much rather have a box of taiyaki filled with Nutella.
If you don’t already know, SomiSomi is a Korean dessert known as “Ah-Boong”, a fish-shaped waffle cone filled with your choice of filling and topped with soft serve.
The portions and fillings are very generous. I can hardly finish a whole order on my own before it melts into ice cream soup, but it’s very good. They garnish each serving with a macron, only if you want. My son, always says, “YES”! It’s such a sweet topping, almost like Americans putting a cherry on top of a Sundae to show the dessert is complete.
National Ice Cream Day Offer: Unknown. Follow them on IG to see if they reveal something soon!
Dairy Queen
Favorites:
- Oreo® Cookie Blizzard® Treat: My son’s favorite
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard ® Treat: My daughter’s favorite
- Classic Soft Serve in a Cone: Mine. You just can’t go wrong.
This place brings back lots of memories. I feel like it’s hard to find a Dairy Queen nowadays, whereas before, you’d see one on every major street. My son plays basketball near one of the few locations we have left, so we took advantage of frequenting the spot after each game as much as possible.
Dairy Queen serves a variety of treats, but I like to keep it simple and stick to my cone.
National Ice Cream Day Offer: $1 off any Dipped Cone on National Ice Cream Day through the app.
Honorable Mentions
- Coldstone Creamery. I haven’t been here in a long time, but they when we did go, we’d always order strawberry ice cream + cheesecake ice cream with graham cracker crust!
- Hammonds. You’ve got to try their mini ice cream flight, especially if you can’t decide!
- Good old Baskin Robbins. This place has been around forever. My favorite here is their jamocha almond fudge. The kids love the Cotton Candy and Wild ‘n Reckless sorbet! That flavor described my son so well when he was in his younger years.
- Laperts. I almost forgot about this place. I loved trying all their Hawaiian flavors. They were also one of the only locations we still know that sells Pineapple Dole Whip, which we’ve only seen at Disneyland and in Hawaii.
- Handel’s. We’ve only been here once but their ice cream quality made a big impression on us. They’re also very generous with their portions and have a good selection of shakes, sundaes, and flavors. Can’t wait to go back!
- Bobalicious. Although we love them for their milk tea and boba, they also have a very nice ice cream selection. Flavors for the Filipinos if you will! Heading there right now!
Your Turn 🍨
How and where will you celebrate National Ice Cream Day? What’s your favorite flavor?
While we’re getting to know each other, why not share your favorite ice cream story in the comments below.
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