Magical Ice Cream

Turning ice cream into rolled confections like frozen Pepperidge Farms Pirouettes wasn’t a novelty that drew me in until I saw “Food Flirts”, a short-lived PBS series that featured two cute-as-button octogenarian sisters discovering food they never tried before. One episode focused on Thai rolled ice cream, and the staff on the show was very sweet and accommodating to the cherubic siblings. That wasn’t close to the experience I had here on my visit last week to this Chinatown ice cream shop. Now I can appreciate a shop willing to specialize in rolled ice cream. Judging from the number of families in here, the throngs of tourists were clearly drawn to it as well. When I was trying to decide what to order, I would describe the service as less than friendly. I couldn’t tell whether the staff was feeling overwhelmed by the abundance of tourists or being just indifferent. There was quite a menu to peruse, eighteen flavor combos I believe, and after a quick scan, I went with the $11.50 Lychee & Logan even though I didn't even know what Logan was. I was guessing it had something to do with berries but didn't really taste them in the mix. The lychee, however, was present and accounted for, and at the end of the cup, it didn't really matter. The result was unmemorable.

We got a funky monkey, without gummy bears. The flavor is a nice banana and Nutella mix. My wife loved it. We will likely try it again if we come back to the city.

Novel ice cream experience — half the fun is watching them freeze and roll your ice cream straight from the cream. Lots of flavors to choose from, though the strawberry-mango wasn’t particularly strong. The vibe is bright with loud k-pop playing (better as an intermediate stop during a walk rather than a destination to spend a lot of time at). The service was okay — the cashier did not seem happy to be there. It was honestly quite slow, but we weren’t in a rush so didn’t mind too much. I’d stop here again if I happen upon it, but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Do not buy tea here. Do not. Inauthentic beyond belief and tastes absolutely terrible. You’d be doing yourself a big favor going up the street instead. I genuinely want my money back

Very original and fun experience! Magic Ice Cream offers a really unique way of making ice cream right in front of you — it’s fun to watch and the presentation is beautiful. The flavor was great and everything felt fresh. It’s a little trickier to eat compared to traditional Italian gelato, but definitely worth trying if you’re exploring Chinatown. A cool and tasty stop!

Small little spot, but really amazing ice cream. While the rolled ice cream is a bit of a novelty, it's actually really tasty :) We got the Taro one and the Chocolate party. Both were really excellent! Wait time can be a little long depending on the day. I've been here twice, and the first visit, we waited 15 min for our two ice creams. The second visit, we waited about 7 minutes for three ice creams.

Waited 30 mins for a boba, it’s not even busy at the shop. But only one worker working. And she’s extremely slow. Only two people in front of me but waited for so long, the boba is sub tier as well and $9, quite expensive for what it is.

This was my first time trying rolled ice cream here. The ice cream has a very light texture and flavor, I don't think there were enough toppings for the amount of ice cream that you get. Most of the ice cream options were about $10, which is a little expensive for what you get. They have an ordering kiosk, so you don't interact with the staff much, but the service was a little slow in receiving the ice cream. Overall it was good, but a little overpriced.

Novel ice cream experience -- half the fun is watching them freeze and roll your ice cream straight from the cream. Lots of flavors to choose from, though the strawberry-mango wasn't particularly strong. The vibe is bright with loud k-pop playing (better as an intermediate stop during a walk rather than a destination to spend a lot of time at). The service was okay -- the cashier did not seem happy to be there. It was honestly quite slow, but we weren't in a rush so didn't mind too much. I'd stop here again if I happen upon it, but wouldn't go out of my way for it.

This place is MAGICAL! I can't believed there were no long lines outside (perhaps we were lucky coming on a Saturday late afternoon). We were introduced to this ice cream shop by our children's godparents who took us here after our dim sum lunch in SF Chinatown. There is limited seating inside (we were lucky to get the large table for all 7 of us). Watching them make the ice cream desserts was just as magical as eating these dessert creations. Staff were friendly and helpful in helping customers, and explaining the various selections (look at the photo with the menu...it can be overwhelming). If you're in SF Chinatown and looking for a fun ice cream dessert, our family recommends making a trip to MAGICAL ICE CREAM!

The service was great they were super nice to us.we loved the ice cream great for a snack or dessert over all i'ed recommended it to you! The interior was very welcoming with different plants and decor. If this found helpful to you plssssss rate me

Came to Magical Ice Cream around 8pm on a Monday. There were about 3 people ahead of us when we ordered at the touchscreen machine, and even as we were leaving. We got to watch the ice cream being made at the counter, and there are a few tables and chairs to sit at. The matcha ice cream we got was really good, would come back again to try the other flavors.

We waited for too long on one order and the boba tasted like straight up water with cheap powder. We ordered a black sugar milktea boba and it tasted nothing like it. we ended up throwing it away. If you guys want boba in china town i recommend going to taiwain fruit tea it's way better.

Easy walk from our hotel & good ice cream. Service was ok, no one looked very happy to be there or smiled.

I had to wait 15 minutes for my drink! The taste is okay. The price is not clear and I had to pay more than the labeled price.

We had the Boba Tea, and it was very nice. A wide range of flavors for both the teas and the boba. The ice cream is a cold plate frozen profmduct and looked very good, but we did not Tae tome for it this day so we will need to go back and try it.

Popped in this place on Sunday afternoon with my girlfriends, just after dim sum, and we loved it! Totally hit the spot and it was a nice place to just sit and catch up. Service was sweet and fast!

Rolled ice cream is always a fun treat, especially watching them make it. We got the strawberry mango flavor which was good overall. I really enjoy the thicker rolled ice cream texture, but the flavor itself didn't taste too strongly of strawberry or mango and I thought they could've added a lot more toppings. Overall it's still an enjoyable treat, but for the price I was a little let down I'd say 3.5 stars

Happened upon this place while meandering the streets of Chinatown on a quiet Sunday afternoon. My kids got a kick out of the made to order ice cream. We were the only one in the shop so service was quick. Final product was fun on the eyes and sweet to the tooth!

Great spot! Open late night! Delicious and made fresh! Took a bit to find parking, well worth it

SCORE 10 OF 10 Great place to go post-meal with friends. The video that they have playing of the ice cream making is fun to watch too.

Stopped by this place as we were wandering around Chinatown. Maybe I've been living under a rock but I've never seen rolled ice cream before so it was neat to watch them make it. All of the options looked super delish that my son had trouble deciding what to get, and settled on the passion fruit (not sure of the exact thing he ordered). I was hot and thirsty and ordered the lemon honey tea with boba, which was perfect and refreshing. The perfect balance of lemon and honey so it wasn't too sweet, and biting into the little pieces of lemon were tasty. The boba had a great consistency too!

A fun twist on a favorite dessert! Although it's not as creamy as traditional ice cream, it's really fun and loved the process and presentation. Great stop while hanging out in Chinatown. To note: Because of how it's made the line was a little lengthy but worth it.

This rolled ice cream shop in Chinatown was a nice little spot to hit up after exploring all day! I tried the Thai ice cream which came with whipped cream and mochi bits. I've had rolled ice cream before and this one was a little more frozen and less creamy than ones I've had in the past, but if you let it melt a little, it becomes more creamy. I love the mochi but I'd probably add more toppings in the future because they had so many good options. Also, it's always fun watching them create the ice cream rolls! Although it was close to closing time, they did not rush us which I really appreciated. Definitely a fun place to check out!

I'm not one to leave negative reviews, but we stopped by for a quick coffee and tea, and I think they full on forgot our order. It wasn't particularly busy and it took them 30 minutes to make a 2 lattes and a peach tea. And in fact they didn't even give us the right order (they gave us cappuccinos). I hate doing this, but it's a bit insane that they seemed to have forgotten our order and we had to remind them multiple times what we got.

What a find! We needed dessert and stumbled on this place in San Francisco. We tried the pina colada one and it was delicious with the flavors of the tropics all there including fresh coconut shavings and pineapple. They roll the ice cream right there. There's so many flavor choices! Definitely a highly recommended stop if you're craving something sweet and cold.

Magical Ice Cream is a small shop on the corner in Chinatown. It opens later than most of the boba shops in the area. I stopped by one night for a quick drink. I ordered the jasmine milk tea with boba, I did not see it on the menu, but the employee said they had it. I think the milk tea was decent - it was on the sweeter side, not bad though. They specialize more in their rolled ice cream than their boba, hence their name. Overall, it was okay.

It's kind of a fad, but it's still very cool to watch them freeze and roll ice cream to order. This place has a bunch of predesigned ice cream configurations, though be careful since at least one isn't rolled ice cream. They also have some fruit tea, but why bother with that when there's ice cream? Rainbow Mochi Bowl: So this was prominently placed on the top of the menu and looked very cool in the photo. I should have looked closer because this is like the only ice cream which isn't rolled. It's actually a bunch of mochi ice creams cut in half and placed in a waffle bowl. Then topped with fruit (mango and strawberry), whipped cream, sprinkles and pocky. It did indeed look cool and it tasted great. But I was a little disappointed it wasn't rolled. Tango Tango: This was the real deal with ice cream batter frozen and rolled to order. The mango ice cream was indeed creamy, not just fruit juice. Nice little bits of mango frozen into the roll too. And fresh mango chunks which I saw them slicing for me. Very refreshing on a warm day.

The boba was gross and hard and it took *forever* to not be that crowded and the actual drink was wayyyy too sweet even though I only got 75% (my friends with 100% was also barely sweet?) and they make it so you automatically tip 18% (while ordering from a kiosk, so there's no actual service) on top of already expensive $7 drinks. If you're looking for boba, go to boba guys or something. In Chinatown there's a million better options.

Walked into this empty ice cream place around 6:20 and there wasn't anyone inside. We looked at the menu, went to the bathroom and still nobody here to take our order. Walked out to see if there's another ice cream place but my 6 year old wanted to try their roll ice cream. After 10ish 15 mins of waiting, the lady who sat at the table outside finally walked in to take our order. We had the Oreo ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate syrup & chocolate chip. The ice cream was ok but I like how it's not too sweet. Sweetness was on point without the chocolate syrup tho.

This place is on Grant avenue ( the few avenues on this side of San Francisco) and it's good to see a ice cream spot have good Boba. I had the vanilla Nutella rolled ice cream which was yummy. I also had the peach ice tea which had good taste. Lots of choices for drinks and ice cream.

I was waiting right there after I paid. Just them and me in the room. But they just did jot start or care to prepare my order. I waited 10 mins patiently and asked them how long it was going to take. Only then did they even start to make it. Something makes me sure they waited on me wantedly. I tipped 18% as it was not a full restaurant service.

The wait is pretty long, it takes some time to make each rolled ice cream order. We were in a group of three, and waited for the previous party, another group of three. They only have I think two ice cream machines and we're really only operating on one, so we waited a good 15-20 min before ours had completed. And sadly, they got one of the orders wrong which made it then even longer. I ordered the taro. Menu indicated that it came with Mochi--they must have been out because mine came with mini colors marshmallows instead, which I wasn't notified of. The taste was ok. Really mild taro flavoring, it tasted mostly of cream. I finished less than half of it and ended up tossing the rest. Not a Chinatown recommendation for me.

Never think life is magical when entering Magical Ice Cream in the corner of Grant and Washington in Chinatown. This sweet frozen dessert café only used its name to charm us customers into seeing the handy work of making rolled ice cream. I'm glad to see Magical Ice Cream opened once again, so that I had to absolutely check in and buy either the rolled ice cream or iced bubble tea drinks. For the quick consumption, I chose Emerald Lemon Lime fruit tea. Didn't had second to spare to say "no ice". And I barely say "no sugar" when I chose a signature drink. Before Magical Ice Cream was the only one making it to Chinatown, that corner used to purchase very expensive massage chairs and other useful massage items. No additional comments for the customer service and its interior decor. Next time I like to visit, I would definitely go for rolled ice cream... that is if this parlor opens again. Another Asian owned business to absolutely support.

Was in the area getting my taxes done. Walked by this incredibly LARGE sign with stunning photo of the rolled ice cream. We ordered the Thai flavored one -- tasted more like condensed milk. Low key disappointed, the ice cream was DRY AF, and the plastic spoons didn't help either. Anyways, it may just be the Thai flavored ones, however, I don't know if I'd give it another try.

This was a great find in China Town after shopping around all night. We were the only people in the store so our ice cream came out right away. I think there could be a bit more cleaning done to wipe down some tables but overall great ice cream and service!

Was looking for a place to have some dessert. Walking by we seen this place and decided to try it. We got passion fruit drink , jasmine iced tea and special made mango icream with fresh mango fruit peaces on the ice cream, and chocolate ice cream. Everyone was satisfied with what they got. Drinks were good and ice creams were super delicious. Will try again next time we come to san francisco.

Have tried different ice cream with the kiddos, it's a little bit overpriced. The first time I ordered the drink but I canceled it right after the ice cream were made. I was asked if I need to add any topping like original boba. I said no and I would like to switch to grass jelly. There is no grass jelly. I didn't think too much and said it's okay. The picture for the brown sugar fresh milk has included boba inside. When I was waiting for the ice cream, I checked on the menu again. It seems no boba because there is no description for the drink . I confirmed it with the cashier and canceled my drink immediately. Brown sugar Fresh Milk is charged for $7.28 + Tax. Hm....He refunded me $7.28 by cash. What kind of brown sugar or fresh milk will be worth for $7.28 + tax? The receipt is uncompleted because there is no details for the price of the item. Hope there would be improvement for this.

Magical ice cream was quite a magical experience. We even got an extra topping of a frozen fly as a bonus with a touch of gaslighting just for a little extra charge! TDLR; things to be aware of: Prices they charge are NOT the same as the menu, we only found out after all the hassle. There are no itemized receipts, just the order number with what was ordered. Hygiene. To start, we ordered a durian roll and Thai tea roll. The "receipt" we were given has both, yet the staff's receipt of the order didn't have any Thai tea item on it. Even then, they snatched it back to put into their box and gave us back the staff receipt with only the durian ice cream when we said one Thai tea ice cream was missing. The Thai tea on the receipt ended up being actual Thai tea ($7.28 + tax by the way, not the $7 on the menu). So they said it's another $5 to make it an ice cream. Our dessert deprived selves agreed. At this point, $7.28 + $5 is NOT the $11.5 price of ice cream on the menu. They claimed that the $5 includes tax, however we were charged EXTRA tax or some other fee on top of that. Sounds pretty chaotic already doesn't it. But wait, there's more! The durian ice cream at least smelled great and looked nice, until a nice protein filled fly was almost ingested. That brought to our attention just how caked up their mixing station is with previous orders in a myriad of colors that has been sitting there before it was used again. So, we asked for a refund: durian with the lil bug, and to cancel the over charged Thai tea ice cream. Since there were no receipts, I literally had to resort to pulling up my pending bank statement just to prove what we paid for and the extra charges. Even with our order number seared into our minds, they still pulled up a different order number/receipt to show us the original charge without the $5+ultra tax. We got some cash back, however not the full amount with the extra charges with their extra tax. They said that the $0.10 extra we got back for the first charge was enough to cover the extra charges we got for the extra charge. I'm pretty sure I do basic math and the calculator backed me up. Anyways, at least we got some back and didn't want to stay there longer nor did we want to take any photos. Thankfully we were able to get most of it refunded (plus 1 just for this). The group still left $1 poorer, one hour behind, and with no desserts for the late evening emotional journey. Ambience and vibe: hectic, yet orders are very slow (understandable since these are pretty labor intensive ice creams). Tables could be nice but had sticky melted liquid blobs and dirtied napkins in corners. The heating lamps were great though!

Delicious and fun! We ordered the Pink Lady and the Perfect Lover. Both were delicious. The rolled ice cream tasted like regular ice cream, but was fun to eat. A little gimmicky. The fruit was really fresh and really added a lot to each. Not sure rolled ice cream is worth the extra price. Looks cool, but tastes the same.

After a nice lunch and walking around we were all craving something sweet and being a big fan of rolled ice cream we knew we had found the right place. The pace is in Chinatown SF and is on a corner street, is small not much seating and since COVID they don't have public restroom. They have a nice variety in their menu and portions are big enough for two people if you feel like sharing. We had the # 1 lychee and the #9 cookies and cream. They were made relatively quick and we were able to get a table and eat them indoors as it was a cold chilly day in SF. I loved the whole four lychees on my ice cream and the chopped pieces mixed in with my ice cream, the cookies and cream was a hit with my little girl and she barely shared LoL.

Small corner joint that has a pretty good variety of bubble tea and "magical" ice cream. This rolled ice cream is becoming a huge trend lately and the way it is prepared is probably the main reason why. I'm a huge fan of boba tea and this place is great for the "popping" tapioca. Some of the teas they make are pretty sweet, so please consider that when you are picking your drink. They also tend to be out of stock of a lot of their drinks, which can be very frustrating when I want to try something new. This is a good place to try when you have finished a good dinner at a local place in the neighborhood.

Everything we ordered was tasty. It was fun for the kids to watch the ice cream preparation. I witnessed one of the staff giving a free drink to another customer for missing an order while the other staff (speaking foreign) seemingly disagreeing as she tried to charge the customer. Place is clean and they observe safety measures but they don't limit the number of people in the store.

Chinatown is changing and it remains to be seen whether for the better. Grant Avenue started with gift stores that morphed into camera and electronics stores. Then came 'antique' and furniture shops became sit down tea shops and jewelry stores. The latest entry is this corner ice cream store with a modern and entertaining take on this dessert. The space is quite roomy and I highly recommend dining in as the ice is difficult to eat and walk. I came here with friends my first trip and tried the summer love (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=qiggjTcySKdCs7V4AC3VFw&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), a mix of strawberry and banana; the ice cream pairs well with the fresh fruits both texturally and flavor wise (tart and sweet contrast). Several months later, I joined my friend who introduced me to this place and tried the perfect lover(https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=AZOvypGCZvQc42rqyvnJ_Q&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q), a pairing of mango and strawberry; a sweeter and richer combination, this is a better sweet tooth craving solution . Walk to the center of the counter and place your order and pay. Then watch them do their magic. It is certainly more impressive and appealing than that chain ice cream place that whips flavors and toppings around. About seven minutes later, barring lines and multiple orders, you'll be called to pick up their creation. Pleasing to the eyes. Pleasing to your mouth. Pleasing to your camera. Sounds like my dream woman... sorry, it's just dessert but it still brings a smile to my face.

Amazing ice-cream! Friendly staff! Amazing/ wonderful ice cream flavor!! Great for the price!!

It's basically oriental Coldstones (that's an ice cream store). Tastes great and you get to watch them make your order.

Beware. False advertisement. So I ordered the Thai tea ice cream rolls with mochi, but...where is the mochi? They basically replaced my mochi with MARSHMALLOWS and tried to pass it off. Normally I don't leave reviews but this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I can forgive food that doesn't taste good because sometimes it happens. But at the very least, I expect to receive exactly what I paid for, which I didn't. I don't know whether I should be upset or humored because this is just so ridiculous that I paid almost $10 for marshmallows. I want a refund!!

It have been a while since I have some fried ice cream. Was around Chinatown and after having lunch, me and my friend decided to have some dessert. We walked around couple of blocks until we show this Magical Ice Cream around the corner. We went in there of course. We ordered a order of the taro flavor ice cream and a mango strawberry flavor. I always like the style making the ice cream, but for the taste it is just any original flavored ice cream lol. Overall, it was good, I like it. Only thing about it is that most of the other fried ice cream places. They offer unlimited topping or you can pick and choose from. That could be something to think about but it is up to them.

Magic can be anyone's! For just under $9. "Meet us at Magical Ice Cream," they said. Okay, what's the ice cream shop called? Magical Ice Cream. OH! Mid-day, Friday work break.... Flavors sampled: vanilla and matcha. Both tasted quite mild. They were pretty hard and took awhile to melt. The process is very cool! Reminds you of a spruced up Cold Stone. Process - cool. Taste - cool.

Chinatown is getting its first taste of the rolled ice cream action with the opening of Magical Ice Cream. Thai-style rolled ice cream is always somewhat magical in that it's made-to-order in front of you on a frozen plate. The draw of watching them make your order is what will be the highlight of your visit. So many good flavors and combos that you can mix and match to your heart's desire. Bad Monkey - banana and Nutella was delightful, Perfect Lover - the mango & strawberry & Hello Taro and Mango Ice Cream were my favorites. You can't really go wrong in the many toppings and flavors. It's close to my apartment so this is a perfect place to cool down and stroll around Chinatown. 5 stars for pretty desserts to look and eat!

Yes! This is some damn good ice cream. We walked by and saw the photos. I've never had rolled ice cream so you know I had to try it. Surprised at how creamy it was. I got the matcha ice cream with chocolate. Omg it was good. My husband got the chocolate one and my friend got the mango. Super good, great location if you are out shopping. The staff was so friendly. Will be here again.

Magical Ice Cream - I love the way you roll. Randomly came across this new dessert addition in Chinatown and had to give it a try. I guess it's pretty ~magical~ that liquid can turn into beautifully rolled ice cream within minutes on a frozen plate in front of your eyes. I got the Thai Tea, and the flavor was fantastic. Definitely worth stopping by, especially if you've never had Thai-styled rolled ice cream! PS: your menu is a little hard to read. Could use a larger font or different graphic design!

Quick Summary: - Wait time was around 10 minutes - Menu already has toppings, but you could add more - One bowl of ice cream is very filling We stumbled upon it as we were heading somewhere else. Rolled up ice cream has been on my mind since I saw it on tv, and when I saw it, I would enter without hesitation. We arrived at the cafe after dinner, so it was a good time to have some dessert. The climate was cold and windy outside, but the dinner we ate at was stuffy, so it balanced out in way. This is my first time to order this type of ice cream, so I wasn't sure what to expect. However, what I liked about this one was that each flavor had pre-selected toppings. If I wanted more toppings or add-ons, I could order it, but I went for the default. I ordered the one with chocolate, and it arrived within 10 minutes. It came with colorful plastic spoons; cute but they were hard to cut through the rolled ice cream. What stood out from this ice cream from a typical ice cream was the texture. The ice cream is packed tightly and is also frozen. It vaguely reminded me of Dip n Dots, but of course, the flavors here are natural and had no aftertaste of the artificial sweetness whatsoever. Also, I only purchased one, but it was perfect for the two of us.

That was my first time eating rolled icecream and it was not the kind of experience I'd like to have for my first time having rolled icecream. I was reading the other reviews and I don't know what rolled icecream texture is supposed to be like but I don't think its so hard and the Boba was disgusting no one there liked it

I really enjoyed this place ! Stumbled upon it after a ghost tour and figured why not. The workers are very polite and patient. There is so much they offer in terms of variety it is hard to make a decision. I ended up getting the rolled ice cream which had a ton a toppings. The boba was amazing too. I never had boba with a green apple to drink!

Tucked in one of the crossings in SF China town, this place dishes out really good ice cream rolls. Tried matcha rolls and mango rolls (probably named tango tango). Those were really good. Lots of flavors to choose from. The fruity ones come with real fruit which was definitely a plus for me. Also tried their bubble tea, that was not so good as there are other brands/stores which have better offerings.

A novel idea to get ice cream rolled up and into a cup. The ice cream is mixed with the flavors you want then chopped up and smeared into a frozen surface. Once the ice cream is smeared and almost cold, it is rolled up with a spatula and into a cup. Ingredients are fresh and tasty. I had the banana strawberry ice cream which was really good.