Address: | 432 Octavia St #1A, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA |
Site: | smittenicecream.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–10PM |
RO
Roy Chi
Smitten has a lot going for it: interesting liquid-nitrogen ice cream process, incredibly fresh ingredients, and a nice neighborhood within which to be planted. As cool as the process is, however, there are some drawbacks: the wait is much longer than it needs to be (especially with an already long Summer day line), there are only 4 flavors, and you cant get more than 1 flavor in your cup/cone. Some may say these are necessary evils for amazing ice cream, but I say that the ice cream really isnt THAT amazing to warrant the long lines and flavor limitations. You may say "Well, Bi-Rite and Humphry Slocombe also have tremendously long lines!" To which I reply: "Well, I think Bi-Rite and Humphry Slocombe taste much better and theres more to choose from, which justifies the wait. At least more so than Smitten, that is." I got the Mint w/ TCHO Chocolate Chip, which tasted phenomenally fresh. This is the first time Ive had mint ice cream that actually tastes like real mint leaves, rather than artificial green-colored flavoring. It was definitely refreshing, but keep in mind that "fresh" doesnt always equate to "delicious," especially when it comes to ice cream. The texture and consistency is a bit too airy for ice cream -- it lacks that creaminess that puts the "cream" in ice cream. Im sure many people will prefer it to the buttery texture of ice cream like Bi-Rite or Humphry Slocombe, but for me, its more like the fat-free ice cream knockoffs you find in the diet section of your grocers freezer. Of course, I didnt get to try any of the other flavors because of their stupid 1 flavor maximum. Anyway, Smitten is an interesting addition to the already saturated ice cream market in SF. Its worth trying if you like your ice cream to be a bit lighter and fresher than usual. For me, however, if Im going out of my way to wait in line for ice cream, all I care about is taste and texture, and in that sense, there are many other better offerings in SF than Smitten.
JA
Jace Proctor
Smitten is not a kind of ice cream youve had before. Probably not, anyway. So dont place this on the spectrum you would normally rate ice cream on. Its not a difference merely of quality, but also of kind. Smitten is ice cream that is a) churned for you when you order it, b) with liquid nitrogen. Theres actually a LOT of important facts packaged into that sentence, so lets break it down. Its churned for you - they dont do samples. They dont have any ice cream laying around, ready to serve you. Their ice cream exists as a liquid, full of whatever ingredients that go into your specific flavor, until you order it. They usually have 3 staples and 1 rotating. Its churned for you on the spot... WITH LIQUID NITROGEN! They have a proprietary churning thingy thats a combination stand mixer and liquid nitrogen blaster, and because the liquid nitrogen is so cold, its able to freeze and churn the ice cream for you in about a minute flat. According to Smitten, because the process is so fast and so cold, the ice crystals in Smitten are much smaller than typically produced ice creams, leading to a much smoother experience. I can attest to that last part. Smitten has the consistency of the best frozen yogurt/soft serve, but the taste of a traditional milk ice cream. In my experience its completely unique; without going into how good or bad it is, Ive never had anything like it. Because Smitten uses quality ingredients and makes extremely small batches, everything tastes explosive. They come up with crazy combinations - rhubarb crisp, sweet corn with berries, chocolate earl grey, creme fraiche with pear... the combinations might not be your particular jam, but theyre all bursting with flavor. I know of a few other places across the country that do liquid nitrogen ice cream, but I cant attest to them. I can attest to Smitten, and they get the highest recommendation possible. Go, then go back, then go back again.
JE
Jenn W
TL;DR: Some flavors good, but generally overrated. Id been wanting to hit up Smitten for months... I finally forced myself to go because PayPal had a deal at the spot, $5 woo! The flavors available were vanilla, mint chip, and blood orange with pistachio shortbread. Note that you have to wait while they make your ice cream with liquid nitrogen. My friend ordered a small mint chip for $4.75 and because I thought Id get my $5, I went all out with the medium $6 blood orange with caramel sauce (+$0.50). I was confused when I was charged $7... and learned that their seasonal flavors cost $0.50 extra... because theyre sourcing seasonal produce? I thought that was odd since I assume produce thats out of season is more expensive. And then of course, PayPal failed to work with their system... so I paid $7 for three small scoops of ice cream. Very pricey in my opinion. Onto the ice cream itself. First the good - the blood orange was very tasty. It was like having a super fancy creamsicle with the nice crunch of buttery pistachios and shortbread. The caramel was also good, but added too much sweetness/richness for my taste. The mint chip though, which I was told is their most popular flavor, was interesting with its mint-infused cream. Definitely a different flavor, which wasnt bad in and of itself. The texture however was AWFUL. It was icy - more like a snow cone and the whole thing was just so watery ... its as if they used water mixed with some cream. And Im pretty sure it has to do with their liquid nitrogen process ... and the fact that they leave the ice cream custard sitting around in bottles... its possible/probably the cream at bottom of the bottle began to separate, which led to watery watery ice cream. Anyway, overall, Id say it was pretty disappointing. Very pricey and a long wait - for ice cream that is very tasty at best and grossly similar to an icee at worst.
TI
Tiffany K
Yes I am smitten for sure. Strolling around Hayes Valley, came across this unique structure of a storage container-turned-ice cream shop on a corner. On one side is a list of the featured flavors of the day, the main area has three odd-looking contraptions that look like if a Kitchen Aid Mix Master + the flux capacitor + the device that froze Han Solo had a baby, this device would be that love child. Ice cream is created on the spot. There are four featured flavors of the day and they make it while you wait adding fresh cream and other ingredients. I found the sequence of when you got your order to be based on whether or not people ordered two of the same flavors, etc. I dont recall all the flavors except the TCHO chocolate and the blood orange. The couple who ordered their TCHO chocolate after me got theirs first while I had to wait a little longer for my blood orange with pistachio shortbread. It was worth the wait, by the way. The subtle blood orange flavor counteracted the crunchy pistachio shortbread; the texture of the ice cream was velvety smooth. There isnt a table and chairs seating area, but there are some bench-type spots inside and of course the park that is nearby. My small ice cream was $4.70, but hey, I dont mind paying a bit more for quality ingredients and watching the magic at work.
ST
Stinky Bot
Ive been here a few times and they always only have a handful of flavors at a time, about 4 to choose from. Last night I got the cookie dough with pretzels. I like cookie dough and dislike pretzels. To my surprise, it seems like anything that the "brrrrristas" make is always good, no matter how weird it may sounds. So if theres something you want to try, go for it! You will like it!! During my last visit, I did notice that they no longer seem to make my ice cream to order anymore. After my friend paid, our order was ready in less than 2 mins. Before, I used to remember that it took about 10-15mins as I watched my ice cream being made. Are the now making them in batches? It is hard to justify paying an $8 ice cream cone when they are just churning them out. It looses that personal touch. I can no longer say that ice cream was made for me and for me only. In any case, the people that work here are great. I dont know where they find all these happy people.