Flavor Brigade

This store was easy to find with lots of parking behind the store, but the surprises remained as I meandered through this visit. This combination, which I had mixed with passion fruit and strawberry flavor, unusually delighted my senses. I sat there in Diamond Park, which is nearby, with a boyish smile. I thoroughly enjoyed my dessert, being brought back to my childhood memories of what a desert should taste and feel like. Most desert stops I've been to enthusiastically share their offerings with large posters and mouth-watering menu images. Flavor Brigade was no different to me until I tasted their Italian Ice. I'll be returning here for more of the excellent service I received from the smiling staff.

Unusual local ice cream shop because they serve custard, sorbet and ice products as well as ice cream. Custard is smoother and more tasty than regular ice cream. Try the 2nd Street or The wookie cookies or the frozen custard cannoli. A small unassuming location off of fruitvale with limited seating outside. It can be difficult to park on fruitvale, but there's a big parking lot for the businesses right behind the building if you go through the alley.

My first time coming here. I walked right by it--it is on the eastern corner of the alley. When I walked in there was already a line of people getting their different forms of ice cream. What I found was that Flavor Brigade has some items that aren't usually available on the West Coast. They have Italian Ice--especially for those that aren't into dairy or gluten-free. They also carry frozen custard. Some people like to have layers of frozen ice and frozen custard. They also carry Organic Ice Cream from Straus Family Creamery. I wasn't super hungry so I tried their Wookie Cookie filled with Chocolate Ice Cream--pretty tasty--which they make in small batches.

My 9 year old likes that they have different flavors of ice cream. Our friend likes how you can get a custard swill with sprinkles Yum Lots of options. Strauss organic Support tasty local !

Treasure! Can’t believe I missed this place! Right across from the library. Friendly owner super nice and delicious custard mixed with Italian ices!!

This is the best Italian ice place. That’s saying a lot because I’m from Trenton, NJ and I am no stranger to Philadelphia water ice. Their custard is the highest quality. They have such creative flavors and they don’t taste artificial. We come here more than I’d like to admit.

I love this spot every, since it opened. My kids always ask me to stop in everytime we visit my mom's salon around the corner. I'm glad to see they are still in business after the pandemic. If you love something sour like I do they got you covered. If you got a sweet tooth, that custard is what's calling you. I like both sour & sweet. I highly recommend trying the 2nd Street. I got the green apple with white custard this time & it does it for me everytime I stop in. Perfect for the heat wave or just to fulfill your icy taste buds any day of the week!!!

This place is definitely grateful, kool place to grab a t-Shirt too …. Lots of different flavors

Amazing experience! Gave me samples to choose from, can't complain on a day thats around 65° in November. Go check them out!!

The service was AMAZING! Gabriel was extremely helpful and quick, we asked for a coffee malt milkshake and a butterfinger and reese's pieces candy Sunday. I believe it was in the middle of a rush. The items were picture perfect! Thanks Gabriel! We will definitely come back for more Ice cream and shakes. We loved the wide variety of unique choices for ice creams and gelatos. They had really cool flavors, I saw one Churro flavored and Arnold Palmer, I can't wait to come back and try them all!

Super nice and friendly service. The flavors for the Italian ice have a nice variety. The custard is really smooth and good. We got the orange cream and sour watermelon 2nd street kid size for $5.75, which is a great deal in today's inflated world of prices. Nice little shop with its own parking lot.

Favorite Ice Cream and in this order: 1. Pear 2. Rose 3. Rum Raisin 4. Lavender Some of the best ice cream out there and I'm an expert taster. One of the few places to get ice cream that I don't feel sick to my stomach after. They definitely use quality ingredients. I've also gotten their Italian ice mixed with custard and that is also really good too but nothing beats an cold ice cream on a hot day. Staff are also really friendly and helpful. I only wish they would list online their flavors of the day online somewhere but understand it doesn't last long.

Italian ice is great. Service was friendly. It's a small shop with very limited seating inside. Prepare to order and then eat outside.

Ordered a butterfinger milkshake and I got a cup of milk... not even thick and had one butterfinger in it. I threw it out before I event got top it.. and my partner had a broad-street mix-in and the guys behind the counter forgot 2/3 things in it.... The floors were sticky and dirty. And to top it off, they were taking whip cream and spraying it on people's hands.. and in dogs mouths..... i love a good dog bowl of whip cream. But not in their mouth .... I nearly died when they asked if I wanted whip cream on my milkshake later...

3540 Fruitvale Ave Oakland, CA 94602 In Oakland's Dimond District, "Flavor Brigade" is a neighborhood favorite for icy cold refreshments. This place has been on my Yelp radar, and I decided to visit this place on a warm July day. There was a steady flow of customers, and everyone walked out with a smile on their face. This is a small place, with no tables inside. There's just benches for you to sit and enjoy your frozen delights. It has a unique tie-dye decor. The menu offers a variety of favorites such as: Italian Ice, Frozen Custards, Ice Cream, Sundaes, Milkshakes and Floats. They had something I never heard of before called The Mummer's Mix. I ordered a medium Mummer's Mix of Chocolate/ Vanilla Twist Frozen Custard and a scoop of Mango Italian Ice on top. The Mango Ice was cold and refreshing, with a delicious flavor. The Frozen Custard was like a thick and creamy frozen yogurt, but a little sweeter. I liked the Italian Ice so much, I went back for more. I ordered a medium Italian Ice. I was told I can get up to six scoops of flavors of my choice. So I asked for one scoop each of any fruity flavor. The server suggested I get Watermelon Sour to gauge the sour taste. The Italian Ice was cold and refreshing, and withstood the summer heat for awhile. If you have a craving for something cold, drop by and try Flavor Brigade! Down the street from Safeway, and across the street from Ly Luck Chinese Restaurant and Willows and Pine.

Favored Italian ice when I'm in town. It's in a cute little neighborhood and the Italian ice is delicious. I went back twice when in a week when I was there. They have a variety of flavors to suit everyone's needs. I highly recommend trying this place.

This place is not much to look at but often in the most unexpected places do you strike gold. They obviously focus on flavours here. I had the hankering for a milkshake and it led me here. They have a selection of ice creams as well as italian ices more akin to a sorbet style dessert. I really wanted a salted caramel shake which wasn't available as an ice cream but the gentleman at the back who had been dealing with some tasks piped up that he could make me a killer one and if I didn't like it he'd refund me or make me whatever I wanted. Cue the A-Team music, he set to work and combined what looked like house made caramel, soft serve and a little salt and produced a salted caramel milkshake that slayed. It wasn't horribly expensive either at $8 for a large. I'll be back for more for sure.

Stopped in for a respite from the heat and got a soft serve. The consistency was smooth and creamy. I spent more at another place selling Straus branded soft serve and I felt this was better. It got chocolate, coworker got the swirl and another a mango sundae. Flavors were bursting. I'm getting this place into my rotation so I can try more.

My daughter loves it! Cute little spot with lots of flavors. We've only had the Italian ice but they also have ice cream and milk shakes. They usually have a flavor of the day which is only $2.

Flavor Brigade is the real deal for Italian water ice and gelati in Oakland. Located in an unassuming storefront on Diamond. Wide array of water ice flavors. Intense flavors and cream like consistency. The ice cream is organic from Strauss dairy. Try the gelati. Water ice and soft serve. A winning combination. You want good water ice? Fo to Flavor Brigade.

Review from 4/11/24: My cousin and I took my one year old son and he loved the orange cream and sour watermelon Italian ice. The guy working was nice and let my son try the banana Italian ice, but he did not like it. My cousin ordered mango and passion fruit Italian ice. The passion fruit wasn't very tasty, but the mango was delicious.

Good place. I ordered a small "2nd Street" which was served with abundance. The fro-yo twist was fine, but the cherry Italian ice was bland. The clerks kind of agreed and threw a few coupon cards my way. Slight off-putting aroma when we walked in. And some bad guys broke the front door's glass. Would go back and would order other flavors - ask for tastes.

The place itself is nice and cozy with amazing funny and nice staff that are always on top of things even when they run the place all by themselves! The food is amazing. I always get Italian ice because its something different than I always have. Overall, recommend this dessert place when your really aching for some delicious treats!

Small and busy store. Unique in that they offer a variety of ice creams like Italian ice, soft serve, and hard ice cream (although, not too many flavors). They also do mixes of soft serve and Italian ice which was delicious! It's a great place if you're craving or want more options than just hard ice cream. Definitely a treat and found a new liking to Italian ice with soft serve.

My favorite place for all things frozen and delicious. The frozen custard is always good start in vanilla or chocolate. You can always choose the swirl if you're feeling dangerous. If you want to take it up a notch then you need to order the "Second Street"! The combination of the frozen custard and Italian ice is a match made in heaven. The hard part is choosing from all the flavor combos. Sure, picking vanilla custard is a no brainer given it's easy to match with everything, but then what? You get to pick two flavors of Italian ice and you could add the chocolate custard which means.... 2.5 billion flavor combinations. Pro tip: Grab a card and get it punched with each purchase. If you save up 4 cards fully punched you can turn it in for a free tie dyed t-shirt. How great is that? I love Oakland and this place is one of the rea

An unassuming place. But due to the high ratings, we still came on a rainy day. Every flavor of ice cream, custard, and icee was delicious. I decided to go for more of a citrus flavor profile while my husband went for the creamy, coconuty flavor. I like how it wasn't super sweet and didn't leave that aftertaste in my mouth. It's not fancy or modern, but it focuses on the right thing of making yummy flavors.

Flavor Brigade still going strong. Awesome Italian ice flavors, delicious eggy custard, friendly staff, ample parking. This may be a Philly thing but I consider them an Oakland treasure!

Tasty treats . Chill vibes . The custard is super creamy and the perfect consistency. The guy is super chill too that helped us out .

My family and I come here all the time and it's never consistent. We'll switch between getting a large 2nd Street (not blended) or a large Mummers Mix (blended) and the way it's made is different every time. For the 2nd Street some workers say we can only choose 5 flavors and others say 7. Sometimes the Mummers Mix will be well blended or barely blended other times. Today I had an issue with our large 2nd Streets. Usually it's filled to the top but today there are a lot of gaps! The person who ordered after us got a medium 2nd Street and it was filled up and honestly looked bigger than the large size. All in all I just want my orders to be consistent every time!

The best frozen dessert place in the East Bay! Try it, there will be something you love, 2nd streets are the best, though.

Writing because I have met the owners who are amazing and hoping they read this review. If they respond, I will happily adjust my rating. The store says it closes at 8, so having kids that work there laugh at you and other families and telling them its closed when its 10 min til 8 is very uncool. They seemed to get a kick out of seeing little kids look super disappointed. I get that good people are hard to find, but instead of leaving me feeling like "Alright, next time I'll try to get there sooner" it left me with a "Nope, there are other small businesses I can support that will be actually open when the open sign is up." Update: the owners responded and went above and beyond. Truly this place is a gem.

My first time coming here. I walked right by it--it is on the eastern corner of the alley. When I walked in there was already a line of people getting their different forms of ice cream. What I found was that Flavor Brigade has some items that aren't usually available on the West Coast. They have Italian Ice--especially for those that aren't into dairy or gluten-free. They also carry frozen custard. Some people like to have layers of frozen ice and frozen custard. They also carry Organic Ice Cream from Straus Family Creamery. I wasn't super hungry so I tried their Wookie Cookie filled with Chocolate Ice Cream--pretty tasty--which they make in small batches.

Had a craving for a milkshake and hit this spot up. I was stoked to see that malted was an option and got a malted strawberry. It was rich and sweet and hit the spot.

Love the Mummers Mix, a blend of flavorful Italian ice and creamy frozen custard soft serve, which is also delicious on a cone. Ice cream is Strauss organic with good selection of flavors, some unusual ones like Rose and Lavender, which are my favorites. BEST ICE CREAM PLACE IN OAKLAND!

we love flavor brigade. we're grateful that they've been able to weather the storm of running a small business in oakland, especially over the past several years. they're a core part of the dimond community. we were in last night after dinner at dimond slice and the owner and staff are so kind and treat kids with a lot of care and warmth. our standard order is the second street - it's the perfect treat!

The custard is bomb!! Lots of ice cream combos and specialties you won't find anywhere else.

I came for the Italian ice but I was blown away by their custard. We ordered a large 2nd street to split between 2 people. We were given 8 scoops/flavors of Italian ice sandwiched by 3 layers of vanilla custard. Sour apple, margarita, and passion fruit were both of our top favorites. Personally, I really liked horchata, but my bf said that it didn't taste authentic. The orange cream, lemon, and strawberry tasted great as well, especially when paired with the custard. The cotton candy was good, but it's not as memorable as the other flavors.

A true gem in Oakland's Fruitvale district! First time here and had no idea what to order. Went with the old school root beer float and it was the best I've ever had...they churn their own ice cream. Can't wait to go back to try the Italian Ice and other items on their menu!

Went to try their malt milkshake and left with a new favorite go-to for desserts. I'm huge on milkshakes and I really liked it ! I'll be back to try out the rest of the menu and for another milkshake. The owner was there, helping the staff and communicating with the customers.

My new favorite ice cream shop in the Bay Area. How did I not find this place before today? They have italian ice, soft serve, hard ice cream, milk shakes, root beer floats, the options are never ending. It is a very extensive menu for being an ice cream shop. Definetly try their sundaes and milkshakes. Tons of flavors of ice cream to choose from, and I can't wait to go back again. A very friendly staff that is helpful in making decisions on what to eat. They have a Yelp check in offer for 20% off!!

There are a lot of flavors here but they seem to run out on hot days. This place also seems to be a favorite neighborhood spot. There were also only two workers and a line of like 12 people on a weekend - so it also seems understaffed on hot days.

Loved it! The ice cream was yummy and the service was great. We will be back. I got the soft serve and my husband got a milkshake

Yummmm! Yes, this treat was needed on a beautiful spring (is it spring? Summer? Who really knows anymore) day. It was definitely busy around Fruitvale for a Monday but most people were wearing their masks, especially to get service inside the small Flavor Brigade. You can walk right up and ask for what flavor you want and then wait outside if it is crowded. To make sure not too many people are stuck inside and touching everything, they've even put a table in between the entrance and the ice cream display. Customer service is fast, friendly and genuine! And they honor Yelp check-ins. I got an orange cream Italian ice and cookie dough ice cream. The Italian ice is so so fresh. And they definitely use the creamiest ice cream available, it tastes sweet, homemade and have you wanting more!

Very nice staff. Refreshing snack great for any day. My go to stop when I'm back in town.

Everything was closed for thanksgiving so decided to try this place out for the first time, and I'm VERY glad I did, walked in to meet a super nice guy (tall with long hair) and his home made custard ice creams and Italian ice were SMACKIN! Definitely coming back and reccomending too friends. I went with the 2nd street mix that comes with Italian ice and custard ice cream not blended together ( cool we have the option to blend as well) and I enjoyed every single flavor! Pretty cool they have rose ice cream too, I got Reese's pieces ice cream, cherry Italian ice and rocky road!

it was raining, it was windy, it was a cloudy day but when we found an ice cream spot near the coffee shop we went to study out we made sure it was our "pat on the back" for studying on a saturday and it did not disappoint. The area is nice, the spot matches the Oakland vibe specifically Dimond area where it's located and it looks like a mom n pop shop. David greeted us and was really helpful in giving us suggestions, he also let us sample even after the strawberry lemonade he recommended was truly the best. All of it was good, but we went with the strawberry lemonade and vanilla frozen custard and unlike Rita's, they put custard in the middle so you don't just get a cup of ice (even if it's good) after eating the yummy frozen custard swirl on top. We couldn't resist, we ate the first half inside because it was freezing outside and raining but so worth it! We asked David if it was really busy in the summer and he confirmed. Can't wait to be back, we hurried back to our car to finish the rest as a 'congrats you made it to your car through that rain and wind. Thanks David!

Wonderful flavors of Italian ice and ice cream! I was a little confused on how to order... and wished I got more guidance but this sweet treat definitely made up for that! I didn't know we could mix and match so many different ice creams, Italian ice and custard! I did mainly Italian ice because of the confusion lol. But my favorite was the passion fruit, orange and pink grapefruit Italian ice! The only ice cream flavor I got was rose due to the confusion but it was so silky smooth and yummy! I will definitely be back and try more flavors!!!

There's Italian Ice right here?!? I had no idea! I used to get one daily while visiting my sister in New Jersey and couldn't find the soft serve ice cream type custard mixed with shaved ice anywhere. So excited to have found this place. It's the real stuff! I wanted watermelon but they only had watermelon sour, which isn't quite the same. The person at the counter was very patient in allowing me to try flavors until I found the one I liked best and explaining the different types of Italian ice offered. I got the mango 2nd street, which is the same as what I've had in New Jersey. It was fantastic! I'll be back like all the time. But PLEASE offer regular watermelon shaved ice. Please please please!!

That was the BEST customer service I think I've had in Oakland. That server knew every single thing that I asked about what is Italian ice, and what is sorbet and what is gelato? This is so delicious that I immediately told all my roommates they should check it out. Wow!!!

Let me first start off by saying we LOVE Flavor Brigade. The italian ice is amazing. The reason for the low rating is because of their posted hours. Per Yelp and other sources, they close at 8pm on Fridays. We got there last night at 7:39pm and the door was locked! Sign on the door says they close 15 minutes prior to closing time so they can start cleaning their machines. It wasn't even 7:45pm yet! We knocked on the window but the gentlemen behind the counter was either ignoring us or didn't hear us. He was at the sink cleaning stuff. My kids and I walked away disappointed as we were craving their delicious italian ice. We ended up driving 18 mins to Rita's Italian Ice in Castro Valley to satisfy our cravings, and they're really good too. Solution: If they are going to close 15 minutes prior to the posted closing time, I feel they should update their closing time here on Yelp and other sources. It's so confusing to people who are unaware of this and show up thinking they're still open. Either that, or close at their posted closing time and start cleaning after.

Service is always friendly, treats always delicious and hit the spot no matter what you choose. Truly something for any age or preference- so much variety in flavors/combinations to choose from. It's nice to be able to bring friends and family of any age in to a single, high-quality shop for a yummy dessert even if they're non-dairy/vegan or are diabetic/on a low-sugar diet! Bonus points also for cute rainbow/tie-dye decor. Support this local gem!!

It's the best on hot days! My sisters and I have been coming here for years to get 1st Streets! The Italian ice flavors are way more unique than Rita's and the custard is the best I've had around. Nothing beats getting a cool treat from a trusted local and independent establishment. The line can get long on hot days but it's always worth the wait!

It's so good! I love the custard! And the service was amazing!! The whole place was so calm and enjoyable!!

Wanted to add stars due to a response I received from Flavor Brigade's owner, Braedon, the very same day I posted my review. He apologized for the experience my coworkers and I had and reassured me of FB's commitment to quality dessert and service. He also asked me if I could remember the employee so that he could address any issues with them directly. Lastly, he also offered us a gift card that would be waiting for us at the store. I'm really impressed with the prompt and courteous reply I received - thank you so much, Braedon and Flavor Brigade!

Love this small local Italian ice shop! They don't use preservatives, their prices are affordable and they give you a lot! There are many fruity Italian ice flavors to choose from as well as normal ice cream. My favorite flavor is sour watermelon. Since they didn't have it today, we had the passion fruit and sour green apple, which were very tasty! Their Italian custard is also rich, creamy and delicious! I highly recommend this shop!

WOAH!! This place brought me back to my childhood. Ok so does anyone remember back in the 90s the ice cream man cart had a orange dream popsicle. Not the one that was re made. It used to come in a clear wrap and the orange flavor on the outside was icy and the cream inside was so good. Well the custard here has the same flavor as the inside popsicle did. I got a small 2nd street with grapefruit. It does come with 3 scoops but I decided to just go with one flavor. I wish they had mango, but it was out of stock. I did mix it up a bit not sure if that's what your suppose to do but let me tell y'all it was BOMB! It was the perfect late snack. All I gotta say is you guys have to try this place out!

F yasss! My first time ever tasting Italian Ice, and dayyyyyymn I've been missing out. They were at an event at Lake Merritt and I fell in love there. Since then I've been hitting up Flavor Brigade all Summer long. They have a ton of flavor and I've never had a bad one. Italian Ice is hard to find in the Bay, I'm So glad Oakland has one. Also, pro tip they have their own parking lot so no need to look for street parking.