Ice cream and frozen treats in Palo Alto

Palo Alto takes ice cream seriously for a city its size. A neighborhood scoop shop on Middlefield Road dates to the 1950s. A national small-batch brand scoops on University Avenue until late. There is frozen yogurt at the mall, organic soft serve at a nonprofit cafe, matcha soft serve on El Camino Real and milkshakes at a diner that opened in 1923. Korean shaved ice is on the menu at a California Avenue ramen shop.

Every place named below was confirmed as operating in October 2026 through its own website or a verified page in our business directory. Hours here are the ones each shop publishes. Warm evenings are the busiest time. Hours can stretch or shrink with the season, so check before a late visit.

What to know about the styles

• Ice cream. Churned from cream, milk and sugar, sometimes with egg yolks for a custard base. American-style ice cream is served colder and holds more air than gelato.
• Gelato. The Italian style. It uses more milk and less cream, is churned slowly so it is denser and is served a little warmer, which makes flavors taste stronger.
• Soft serve. Ice cream frozen in a machine and served soft from a tap. It is lighter and smoother than scooped ice cream.
• Frozen yogurt. Made with cultured milk. Tart styles taste tangy. Non-tart styles taste closer to ice cream.
• Bingsu. Korean shaved ice, fluffy and milky, topped with fruit, sweet red beans, mochi or matcha.
• Eggless ice cream. Made without egg yolks. It suits diners who avoid eggs, including many vegetarians.

Where the shops are

Downtown has Salt & Straw on University Avenue and the Palo Alto Creamery on Emerson Street, a five-minute walk apart. The downtown guide covers parking. Midtown has two scoop shops on Middlefield Road: Baskin-Robbins in the 2600 block and Rick's farther south near Mitchell Park. Ada's Cafe is next to the Mitchell Park library. Pinkberry and Shake Shack are at Stanford Shopping Center. Ryokucha Cafe is on El Camino Real in south Palo Alto. Ramen Kowa is on California Avenue.

Scoop shops

Rick's Ice Cream and Pints of Joy, 3946 Middlefield Road

Rick's calls itself a Palo Alto ice cream tradition since 1956. The shop took the name of Rick Payne, who bought it in the 1970s. It has passed through several owners since. Hoodline reported in January 2026 that it had come under the management of Pints of Joy, a Sunnyvale company founded during the pandemic that makes eggless ice cream with flavors drawn from Indian desserts and sweets from around the world. The same report said the case holds 48 flavors, about a third from Pints of Joy, with Rick's favorites such as Computer Chip and Blue Moon staying alongside Alphonso Mango and Chili Lime Guava. The shop's website now presents the two names together.

Salt & Straw, 250 University Avenue

Salt & Straw is a national small-batch ice cream company. It splits its menu between classic flavors and a monthly series of limited flavors that retire when the month ends. In October 2026 that meant a five-flavor Halloween series. The company says its cream comes from Scott Brothers Dairy and that it makes mix-ins in house. Vegan and dairy-free flavors are always on the menu. It scoops from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, the latest regular dessert hours downtown.

Baskin-Robbins, 2615 Middlefield Road

The Baskin-Robbins in Midtown follows the national chain's formula of many rotating flavors and custom ice cream cakes ordered ahead. It offers dine-in, online ordering and delivery through app partners. The company's location page does not post hours, so call before you go.

Soft serve and frozen yogurt

Pinkberry, Stanford Shopping Center

Pinkberry is in Suite 14 at 680 Stanford Shopping Center. It sorts frozen yogurt into tart flavors, led by its Original, plus a list of non-tart flavors. Fruit and other toppings go on top. It is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, later than most of the mall's shops, which suits dessert after dinner at the center.

Ryokucha Cafe, 4131 El Camino Real

Ryokucha Cafe opened in April 2026 and says matcha soft serve is the reason it exists. It folds stone-milled Shizuoka matcha into the cream and serves it in a waffle cone. It also sells matcha and hojicha drinks and boba. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. Our boba and tea guide covers its drinks.

Ada's Cafe, 3700 Middlefield Road

Ada's Cafe is a nonprofit cafe at the Mitchell Park library building that trains and employs people with developmental disabilities. Its menu lists Straus Creamery soft serve in vanilla, chocolate or a swirl, plus an affogato made with the soft serve. It suits a stop after the playground at Mitchell Park. It is closed on Monday.

Milkshakes, sundaes and shaved ice

The Palo Alto Creamery on Emerson Street has a soda fountain that makes milkshakes, banana splits, sundaes, ice cream sodas, floats and a New York style egg cream. Shakes can be customized with hot fudge, peanut butter or dates. Shake Shack at Stanford Shopping Center serves its namesake shakes from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. On California Avenue, Ramen Kowa lists bingsu, Korean shaved ice, including a matcha version, as its dessert.

Gelato: the honest picture

Bacio di Latte, a gelato chain founded by two Italian brothers, opened its first Northern California shop at Stanford Shopping Center and lists it on its 2026 store list. Downtown, Caffe Stellato at 435 Emerson Street also scoops gelato, so Bacio is no longer the only option. Our gelato guide compares the two. Our bakeries and desserts guide has more sweets. Salt & Straw and Rick's are the other options for a dense, flavor-forward scoop.

Dietary notes

• Dairy-free and vegan. Salt & Straw keeps vegan flavors on the menu. Sorbet-style flavors appear at other shops; ask.
• Egg-free. Pints of Joy describes its ice cream as eggless.
• Nuts. Scoop shops share scoops and freezers. Tell staff about a nut allergy and ask for a clean scoop.
• Gluten. Cones, cookie mix-ins and brownie pieces contain wheat. Ask for a cup.

Timing tips

1. Beat the evening rush. Warm evenings bring lines downtown, so an afternoon scoop is quicker.
2. Monday is thin. Ryokucha and Ada's are closed on Monday.
3. Pair it with a film. Salt & Straw is a short walk from the Stanford Theatre.
4. Order cakes ahead. Baskin-Robbins makes custom ice cream cakes. Salt & Straw sells cakes and pints on its website.

Ice cream is easy to work into a day out with children; see Palo Alto with kids. On a trip to San Francisco, you can browse San Francisco food tours and check each tour's stops before you book.

Frequently asked questions