Angela N.
Yelp
o v e r a l l: 4/5
Sometimes, vegan ice creams can be very icy due to the lack of fat in non-dairy milk. I expected the ice creams here to be similar but was pleasantly surprised the textures were similar to non-vegan ice creams. If someone didn't tell me Frankie & Joe's was 100% vegan, I would have never guessed. On top of that, they have unique flavors as well as your more common flavors. Overall, a solid place for vegan ice cream!
m y r e c c o m m e n d a t i o n s
- California Cabin
w h a t d i d I t r y ?
- California Cabin in a waffle cone: 4.5/5
An ice cream with "black pepper cardamom shortbread cookie chunks smoked vanilla & pine infused into a creamy coconut and oat milk base." I really like floral and spiced ice creams so this was right up my alley. The cardamom flavor really shined through, but without being overpowering. It did, in my opinion, overpower the smoked vanilla and pine flavors. I didn't mind since I chose the flavor expecting it to taste predominately of cardamon. I am also huge on textures. The small shortbread cookie chunks were not a soggy mush. There was still a bite to them.
My only complaint would be I felt either the scoop was a little bit disproportionate to the waffle cone or the waffle cone was really drying. By the end of my cone, there was not enough ice cream and I felt all the moisture in my mouth was disappearing. I thought it was just me being dehydrated, but I had the same experience the second time I went.
- Mint Brownie: 3/5
An ice cream with "chewy gluten-free brownie gems and perfectly bitter organic cocoa nibs to a cooling peppermint, coconut, and oat milk base." This is basically the equivalent of mint chocolate chip. It's not a bad flavor, but I also wasn't wowed by it like I was by the California Cabin flavor. Do take this rating with a grain of salt. I typically rate more common flavors harsher than the more unique flavors.
- Chaga Chai (seasonal): 4/5
An ice cream with "chaga mushrooms, cinnamon, sunroot, ginger, and cardamom." I only sampled this flavor, but from the sample, it tastes exactly like an iced chai tea latte from Starbucks, but with a lot more flavor. Like California Cabin, the spice flavors (ie., chai and cinnamon) really shined through. I don't remember this flavor having any textural components though I wish it did. I typically love having something to chew in my ice cream.
p r i c e
I don't remember exactly the price, but I believe it was around $7 or $8 for 1 scoop with a waffle cone, which is comparable to the prices at other ice cream shops, such as Molly Moon and Salt & Straw.
s e r v i c e: 5/5
I've been here 3 times, and every time, the people working are so nice. Though I am not a regular, I always feel I am visiting a friend at work and effortlessly engaging in conversation. The most recent time I went, the person working there was very patient in my company and I sampling flavors, contemplating which flavors to try, and literally fighting for the payment. When it was time for payment, they stated that tipping was optional. I would have tipped regardless, but I appreciated the comment.
a t m o s p h e r e: 5/5
The place is small, but not tiny. The aesthetic and decorations are really cute so it makes a good picture! If we weren't in a pandemic and you wanted to eat your ice cream inside, there's nowhere to sit. There is a long table facing the window though.
r a t i n g b r e a k d o w n
1: never ever again...
2: not very good, but at least something went right
3: average.
4: yummy, but something was lacking
5: everything was perfect! I HAVE TO GO AGAIN