The Penny Ice Creamery | Scotts Valley

Fantastic ice cream. Not inexpensive. Best ingredients go into 100% hand-made treat. My daughter got strawberry made from locally sourced fruit. She loved it. We paid $20+ for the two of us, and they expected to be tipped for giving us 2 scoops of ice cream. It is amazing to me how every credit card terminal makes you add a tip or opt out while a shark employee hovers over you with a judging look. I would give 5 stars if the credit card terminal didn't ask for a tip. For $20 ice cream, I feel like the place should be able to pay a living wage.

Tasty ice cream and good service. Me and the boys needed a sweet treat after a hard days work. I got the double scoop in a waffle cone, apple crisp and vanilla. Two scoops was too much though, I should've stuck to one. Waffle cone was tasty as well!

This is the first visit to this location. It's a great newer location with both indoor and outdoor seating, can accomodate a lot of clients unlike their original Santa Cruz downtown outfit. Enjoyed the Peach Cobler in a cone sitting outdoor on a hot day enjoying the cool evening breeze. Love their ice creams and their unique flavors. They have few vegan options as well. Our group tried few others including Verve Coffee (another local), Mint, Shorbet etc. Always enjoy their rich fresh ice creams ... everything is local!

Indoor seating and outdoor seating are both nice. It’s a great spot after spending time on beach. Their roasted marshmallow topping is a must try. We tried coffee and strawberry ice cream. Flavors are limited but good. Taste wise nothing special but ambience and toppings makes it worth a visit.

This is some real ice cream. First time I had a penny ice cream was at the felton farmers market. Once I saw the verve coffee flavor I knew that's gonna be my new favorite flavor. This Scott's Valley location was recently opened and the place looks great. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their waffle cones are also as fresh as their ice cream because they make them there. Also last time I tried the toasted marshmallow topping and it was fun. A little too sweet for my taste but bet kids would love it. Service was great and very friendly. Will definitely come back again. Highly recommended

I love this place! Independent locally owned shop. Makes all of their own ice creams from locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Quality ice cream and sorbets with certain staples (Tahitian Vanilla and Dark Chocolate Sorbet) and other flavors that change regularly. We had the Lime Cardamom Cherry Crisp and the Verve Coffee Chocolate Almond Praline with toasted marshmallow fluff topping this time. 😋 So good! Always spotless, indoor and outdoor seating with a fire pit in the outdoor area. Staff are always friendly. Parking can be tricky because of shared lot with Starbuck's, but there is additional parking behind the building.

Must visit ace in Felton. It's the best ice cream place I have ever tried. They are preparing ice cream with unique flavors. I tried Basil ice cream and its yummy.

A few vegan / dairy free options. Home made marshmallow fluff they toast on your cone. This place is legit. Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed

So I went there last week with a friend, in fact had gone the year before to the one in Los Altos, Ca. The Ice Cream here is great, the coffee ice cream was the best, in my opinion. When you have these specialized flavors, its a good idea to sample just a couple that look to your liking and then go with one of those..or all of them!! Now you may ask, what was I doing having an ice cream on a frickin cold night in the Scotts Valley area,? Um who the heck knows? !Perhaps in my mind, having something real cold will warm you up when you go outside? Perhaps I had a brain freeze? Perhaps, I was smoking some bark from a tree? ;-) JK Seriously, if you want a nice treat that is perhaps a bit more than your average ice cream parlor joint, then this is the place. But I need to tell you now, it is not going to cost you pennies, so get that out of your brain due to the name. :-) If you are ever in Scotts Valley..give this place a shout!!

Horrible service from short, red-haired employee who claimed he was the store manager. Tiny portions of Ice cream were very over-priced and melted way too fast. Taste was nothing special. I recommend avoiding this place. Don't waste your $$! We ordered a double-scoop in a cone plus an additional cup. The Harry Potter look-alike charged us $9.50 for a double scoop in a cup (not a cone). He also gave us an extra cup. His digital register requested payment without itemizing so I had no idea what I was being charged for. He did NOT want to give me a receipt, even though I asked multiple times. When I politely reminded him I'd requested a receipt there times, he finally gave me one. I noticed he charged me an extra $1 for a hand-made cone. I asked him for my dollar back, or the cone I paid for. He told me no, saying he charged for the extra cup. I said he failed to inform us the cup would be $1 extra, and the price of the extra cup was not posted, plus we had asked for a cone. I then politely suggested he transfer my scoop into a cone. He refused saying I had already used my cup. I asked for the managers name. He said he was the manager and would not tell me his name. Had I known all this, I would have gone across the street for a cone at fast-food restaurant burger golden arches. A lot of reviews are mentioning the same issues.

The staff was super friendly and helpful. The ice cream was delicious and the freshly made cones were too.

Even on a rainy day, The Penny Ice Creamery was amazing. I got the hazelnut mascarpone with toasted marshmallow fluff, and it was so good--creamy, rich, and perfectly balanced. The flavors here are always unique and made in-house, which makes it even better. Definitely a must-try spot in Santa Cruz!

I've been wanting to go here for years because of their delicious-looking toasted marshmallow topping and we finally made it happen! Happy to say that Penny lived up to the hype! It was quiet for a Friday night because it was raining. Service was really nice. He let us try the flavors first. I was surprised by how gourmet the flavors were. I got the Banana Toffee and it tasted like those sweet, Asian baby bananas I used to eat as a kid. I liked the large toffee chunks. The flame-broiled marshmallow fluff was amazeballs. I think it all worked because Penny ice cream tasted less sweet in general.

Really rude guy working tonight selling miniscule scoops of ice cream for $6 a scoop. He upcharged us without telling us and didn't even give us a cone like we asked for the privilege of being screwed. He had no customers and very few options for ice-cream or seating. I'll never go again.

Am visiting from So Cal and stopped by the Mount Hermon location to try the famous Penny Ice Creamery, arrived almost at closing time and was assisted by "Jai" (i hope i spelt his name correctly). He was super helpful in recommending flavors (chocolate chip mint & butterscotch?) and his customer service was superb. The location is super clean and excellently maintained, I will recommend to others from So Cal to stop by when in the Santa Cruz area and hope management/owners know what an awesome employee they have!

The ice cream was too watery, not very creamy. We tried the peppermint chip with toasted marshmallow topping. The marshmallow topping was tasty but too thick and a bit of a sugar overload. They do offer samples so that's a plus. Also, the $5 mini cone is a good deal if you just want a small serving. Enjoy!

I enjoyed the mint chip and vegan chocolate ice cream here. I'm not usually a huge fan of vegan substitutes but the chocolate ice cream was just like a rich dairy free gelato, which I can appreciate. The mint chip had a glorious amount of chips. I couldn't taste the mint due to having lost my taste three years ago but it was still great contrast to the rich chocolate. The waffle cones are included and I love waffle cones so I was happy about that. It's about the same price as Salt & Straw and for unique ice cream and I really loved the vibe of the place and the fun flavors. Service was friendly and quick too. Would come back for sure.

Great fresh flavors with a local ambience! Definitely a great place to visit if you are in the area.

Really tasty unique flavors. I was SHOCKED by how good the vegan dark chocolate sorbet was! I've never seen such a description but it was a really creamy rich dark chocolate taste without an overpowering coconut flavor which I often notice in vegan chocolate things. The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was the service was quite curt. But ice cream wise would absolutely come again!

Best ice cream ever. Flavors are unique and I love how they use local ingredients. Will be back for sure

I just don't get it. They are trying really hard to be a unique experience and yet, that had to be the most bland tasting ice cream I have ever had, and few options. Very small portion in a glorified dixi-cup all for a premium price. And of course, tip shaming included. Honestly, I could have gone over to Nob Hill next door and purchased a full pint for the same price and had some much tastier ice cream. Even Rite Aid's ice cream is better than this. Maybe my taste buds were just having an off day. Who can say. To each their own. Better choices and value out there IMO.

It's not great, but it's not bad. Some previous reviews mentioned terrible service, but I don't think most of these shops with kids working are going to be that stellar. The employees were courteous enough, though. The ice cream isn't creamy, but most of their flavors are delicious. Mint was our favorite. This is good for a quick stop; don't expect much.

Adorable little parlor in Scotts Valley. They have different flavors all the time and toppings to add if you'd like. Friendly service too. My daughter and I absolutely loved ours

I saw a sign that said: I scream! You scream! We all scream! The cops come! And it's awkward. Def gave me Santa Cruz vibes and would be hilarious if this sign was outside this place-- not like it needs anything more for people to visit. I'm so happy a second location opened bc the other location seemed to have a line almost every time I came to visit. And when I got here on a weekend, mind you, there was no line. Maybe bc not many people are aware? Or it's just away from the main downtown area that people aren't walking around to stumble upon it... whatever it is, I'm all for less waiting and more sampling lols I ordered single scoops of a strawberry sorbet and a blueberry earl grey. I love earl grey btw so this was already a winner from the get go. I could've done without the blueberries tbh but the extra antioxidants didn't hurt esp as a trade off for its high sugar content. Overall, I love this location and I hope it stays less crowded for as long as possible, but ofc this review doesn't help lolol

Love the flavors. Very creative and well executed, probably my favorite in the county. Don't love the texture. It's regularly been some of the grainiest ice cream I've had, and for me a rich and creamy texture is a huge part of the ice cream experience.

If there's a line out the door, don't be discouraged. I promise it's worth the wait! All Ice cream made from scratch in house. Flavors change with the seasons. The ice cream is rich and creamy. Their signature topping is the toasted marshmallow. They started offering free samples again. They weren't doing samples during Covid/pandemic. Thumbs up on the root beer float too! They have indoor and outdoor seating.

I tried the raspberry coffee cake icecream with the toasted marshmallow. It was bomb. Employees were nice and chill. $6 for one scoop +$1 for topping. Worth it. Cool place. Some outdoor seating.

Seems clean and great ice cream but the short darker hair woman on Wednesday evening is not the best staff. Not welcoming and seems disturbed when the kids wanted to tried some flavors. You are in the service industry. We got 5 mini scoops

So glad they opened one in Scotts valley, now I don't have to drive as far to get to Santa Cruz for my Marshmallow Fluff ice cream fix. The flavors at the Scotts Valley location offer less flavors than the location in Santa Cruz. Make sure to ask to try all the flavors before picking one. Tried 4 unique flavors that I've never seen before and only liked the Cardonana Blackberry? Added Marshmallow fluff and it was very tasty and sweet. Would not recommend their Fresh Mint Chip or Honey Jam. The fresh mint was very strong and their honey jam just tasted like jam.

Some friends brought me to this place from out Monterey/Santa Cruz trip. They wanted the ice cream, especially the marshmallow topping. They take a torch and roast the marshmallow topping. This was cool. I really like that they make the ice cream in-house and not somewhere else. The ingredients they use are real products. I has the mint chocolate chip. Since it is natural, the ice cream was not green. The flavor was amazing. It seemed like they chopped up the mint leaves during the process. This was a great ice cream shop. This was the one in Scotts Valley versus Santa Cruz, as the Santa Cruz shop is very busy.

Super service and homemade ice cream and Sorbet. Unique flavors like Quince and Pumpkin Caramel. I had Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip. Luv the pieces of dark chocolate chip. I love that they offer small waffle cones, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I am obsessed with the toasted marshmallow fluff. Truly the star of the show. The mini scoop option was the perfect amount for me. More ice cream places should start offering this. I got 1 mini scoop of mint chip and 1 mini scoop of vanilla bean. Both were delicious. I definitely plan to go back to another penny ice creamery location in the future.

Cute shop, open feel. Great outdoor space as well. Employee behind the counter was patient and nice. We got 2 flavours. The verve coffee and dark almond praline in a cup - tasted like coffee ground to me but he said it was ok just no pralines really. Also got the Tahitian vanilla bean with waffle cone, the vanilla flavour didn't hit for me and the waffle cone fell flat for us. Roasted marshmallow was ok too. Maybe we'll try the chain in Santa Cruz but we'll skip this location for now.

Whatever ice cream flavor you get, add the toast marshmallow as the topping! It's so good!

Five stars alone for the lady pictured - she had a line outside the door but I saw her let people try samples and when it was my turn, she was not rushing, she was nice, and extremely patient about my daughter trying to figure out what she wanted and gave honest options. Truly a sweet hard working lady! Now for the store itself, super clean, spotless, and not one drop of toppings behind the counter as well. Outside seating is so pretty, simple but really cute decorated all throughout. If you like light filling ice cream not on the sweet side and some good toppings, come on down! Sorbets and doesn't make you completely full, then Pennys is a good place. Not hella sweet unless added toppings ~ We got the coffee verve ice cream with a good amount of dark chocolate crumbs, my bf said it tasted like coffee grounds? I got the verve ice cream as well with hot fudge 10/10 My daughter got the chocolate sorbet, she said it was bitter and made her mouth dry. Personally, I liked it in here. I loved my ice cream. Pricey for what it is but still worth it. Plenty of choices but definitely different from your usual textured, creamy, ice creams at other known ice cream shops.

I was really impressed with how clean this place was kept and how nice the staff were. It seems like a nice stop to make with a rotating variety of flavors to choose from. It was our first time walking through the doors of this creamery and what a pleasant surprise! The staff asked us if we wanted to sample since they confirmed we were total newb's. You could smell the fresh smell of cones in the air. The sample spoons were not disposable but washable which was the first time I have seen that, I guess I need to get out more. Great way to save our environment! The flavors we tried were bitter caramel which was ok. The flavor that was the best voted was cardamom pistachio mixed with verve coffee topped with toasted marshmallow fluff. Don't worry the marshmallow fluff contains no gelatin. If you are into vanilla they have some Tahitian kind. The cones tasted just as fresh as they smelled. Soft and crispy releasing waves of flavors to the tongue laced with this ice creamery's delicate yet subtle notes. The restrooms were clean and verified lol. If you didn't come for ice cream they have coffee and other drinks. Something to try for everyone and it seemed everyone was stopping by to try. Outdoor seating is available as well as some indoor but with the beautiful weather why not bask in the sun?

Penny Ice coming in hot to fill the ice cream void in SV. There had been nowhere to get ice cream and it's nice a local spot that makes quality ice cream came in. Located in that new little strip mall by Sky Park. The space is nice and larger than their downtown spot. It's sleek but still welcoming and there's some seating inside. Long lines already during soft opening. They didn't have as much variety or as exciting flavors as I seem to remember they used to, but maybe I'm making that up. In any case, it was delicious, though a bit spendy as usual. As always, the marshmallow fluff is an absolute must.

I just ordered straight up strawberry and it is the worst tasting strawberry I've cream I have ever tasted. I've been eating strawberry I've cream since I was 3 years old and I'm 75 now. I thought I didn't need to taste it first, what could anyone do to strawberry ice cream to make it taste bad? There was a weird off taste to it, no chunks of strawberry, and a weird color! Pinkish grey. I'm not asking for my money back as I had to wait 10 minutes in line. I am so disappointed! I'll stick to Marianne's in Santa Cruz, even though it's not organic. Big echoey room, not cozy at all!

I love The Penny Ice Creamery! And the fact that they opened a location in Scotts Valley. I usually get a cone at the Felton Farmer's Market and try to resist during the winter. But if you are a SC Warriors Fan, they give free cones after the game if they reach 100 points, which they did last night! My go to flavor is the Dark Chocolate Sorbet which is healthy for you too, right?! Their cones that are made fresh in house are delicious. And the Toasted Marshmallow topping is ok Altho most folks love it! SV location is clean, staff is great. There are now lines but move pretty quickly.

Two stars only for service. The ice cream is not good. I've been to this location several times over the last six months as I've really wanted a great ice cream place e in town. I'm not sure why I keep going back and finally I'm over it. The flavors are not good. They are trying soooooo hard to be creative but this energy should first be put into making good ice cream. The ice cream is usually quite grainy and Icy. Flavors are rarely balance. Texture is almost always off. I'm not sure if it's a storage or transportation issue but it's really not good. Recently I had the mint ice cream and complained that it tasted liked lawn clippings. The employee was sweet but said it's because they use all natural ingredients....ok....natural lawn clippings? I call BS. Mission Hill uses natural ingredients. Aldeens also uses natural ingredients. They both make a mint chip that is stellar. Creativity is great but just being different doesn't make it good.

This is some real ice cream. First time I had a penny ice cream was at the felton farmers market. Once I saw the verve coffee flavor I knew that's gonna be my new favorite flavor. This Scott's Valley location was recently opened and the place looks great. They have both indoor and outdoor seating. Their waffle cones are also as fresh as their ice cream because they make them there. Also last time I tried the toasted marshmallow topping and it was fun. A little too sweet for my taste but bet kids would love it. Service was great and very friendly. Will definitely come back again. Highly recommended

To be fair. If this review were about the ice cream alone I would have given it 5 stars. However, the employee working the closing shift on 06/20/24 at about 9:34pm was prepping a mop bucket (with out gloves) opening the trash bins( also with out gloves), taking the bags out (also with out gloves) and then proceeded to serve a customer immediately without washing his hands after throwing the trash bags outside. His terrible attitude was the least of my concerns compared to his lack of empathy towards safely serving customers . I immediately threw away my family's ice cream after seeing that. I would hope the owners / management would resolve this situation that way no one will get sick. My daughter and I are frequent customers here and support you guys at the farmers market. Now I'll think twice about ordering again and will leave if I see that employee working.

It is exciting to see the "town center" of Scotts Valley take shape with the new Hangar building. The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz always has a line out the door, so having one open in The Hangar added to the excitement. I have been concerned about stopping at the new Hangar building because from Mt Hermon Road the parking looks limited and the Starbucks is always busy. When we decided to brave it one afternoon, mid-week, there were spots available. It was also clearer once we were in the lot that it connects to the larger parking lot by Chubby's Diner, so it is possible to park in the larger lot and walk over if needed. That was good news! As we walked into The Penny Ice Creamery it wasn't a cute or inviting space. The seating and tables look uncomfortable. Overall it is stark. The person working was scowling the entire time and didn't greet us or thank us for coming. But, we are there for the ice cream, not the ambiance or social niceties. I admit I was shocked by the prices: $5.50 for one scoop, $7.50 for two scoops, $10 for a pint. I know they are 100% organic and made in-house, but I can buy a good-quality pint of ice cream at the grocery store for the price of a scoop. This ice cream needs to be "the best" to justify this splurge. That is really the bottom line--the flavor of the ice cream we got was just okay. My husband and I both ordered the salted butter toffee ganache. The name sounds epic, but the flavor was very subtle. There was a hint of salt. I didn't detect toffee. There were bits of chewy ganache throughout. It wasn't bad; it was just mellow and didn't have a lot going on. The texture was excellent, though--very creamy. I suspect that one's experience varies by the flavor of ice cream ordered and you have to try The Penny Ice Creamery a few times to find your favorites. We will go back at some point to try something else, but I don't have a feeling of "I can't wait to go back." Right now, I am motivated more by wanting businesses in Scotts Valley to succeed than I am by the experience or ice cream. Hopefully I will find a better flavor in time and that will change. p.s. I find the owner's comment, below, regarding costs/pricing completely fair and think all in our community benefit from understanding this larger picture. I wish them nothing but success and look forward to tweaks to service and flavors that will make stopping in at The Penny Ice Creamery a pure pleasure.

Been there about for times in the last six months. The last, few visits featured the world's smallest single scoops I've ever had, in any ice cream shop, including Penny's Santa Cruz location. What is going on here!?! It's really disappointing to feel like I'm waiting in a line just to get ripped-off with a substandard scoop. Y'all need to fix this, or lose a customer, or two, or three...

Perfectly fine and close to Henry cowell state park. I actually prefer this store to the others in Santa Cruz because this one is less populated so you can easily find parking and there's little to no line. We were able to try their featured flavors before deciding. We ended up ordering with a scoop of ice cream on a waffle cone and topped with marshmallow fluff. I'd always recommend both of these customizations.

OK 4stars because the quality is really good but when you walk in on a Friday night and it's packed and there's one person behind the counter that's a problem people !!let's get some help .,come on I know it's not quite summer meaning it's not that hot but it's gonna get busier so boost up your staff oh and get rid of that nasty spray you spray your waffle irons with come on let's do some healthy stuff like a pump for coconut oil but the girl working here is super nice so I'm not complaining or mad I'm just saying

Their ice cream is great and they always have unique flavors. Today I had the basil which was so shockingly good. But these two kid sized scoops totaled $10.50 ... and they weren't much bigger than gold balls. Maybe I'm out of touch with how much things cost these days, but that seemed oddly pricey for a teeny tiny single scoop.

I like the marshmallow fluff! Super tasty. Friendly workers too. Will be back with some friends for a treat in the future.

The girl working in this place is so rude and has so much attitude. She should not be working serving customers if she can't smile and be nice. Makes you not want to go back. Too bad because the ice cream is very good. Hopefully they can improve their staff and hire people who enjoy working there.

YAY!! We finally have a nice, clean, updated place in town! The choices are phenomenal, unique and local ingredients and very reasonable price compared to nearby competitors. Friendly and patient girls (with my picky toddlers!). Stoked this is here and highly recommend to SV locals :)

so delish!! pls never ever ever ever take away the banana toffee it is the best ice cream i have ever eaten in my whole life p.s. all the ppl who work there are nice & don't even judge when you ask for samples

Always awesome ice cream with awesome service! Only issue is the line can get a little long on summer days.

Best ice cream I've ever had and it's not even close. I'm not really sure what else to say because it speaks for itself. We have a family home in Scotts Valley and since they've opened we go there almost daily when we're down visiting. Their flavors change pretty consistently and they have a couple non-dairy options as well that is always a plus. Highly recommend giving them a try, whether in Scotts Valley or down in the city. Absolutely delicious!

The only reason I'm not giving the spot a five star is because a) they are not allowing samples (and a $5-10 ice cream purchase is a lot to commit to without being able to at least sample the flavor first) and b) the location was a little dirty with sticky ice cream drippings and toppings scattered on the check out counter. Im pretty sure it's because they were understaffed as there was a long/steady line out the door (they were hustling to get us in and out) and only two people working. Not staffs fault but maybe management needs to have more people working to keep the place clean and the flow moving more fluidly?! Maybe it was an odd day and someone called out sick? Other than those two little things that can be improved I tried the bees knees and LOVED it. I got a waffle cone and one scope which I kinda wished I had gotten two it was that good, I was sad when it was finished, but I think I may go back and grab a cone for lunch today! Why not?! I'm on vacay right?! They do have a little outside patio spot that was slightly smothered by those of us waiting in line to get our ice cream. I didn't linger, I got mine to go. Ice cream was bomb Service was good Cleanliness could improve and give the people samples!

We went to Penny tonight, at 8:30pm. Before we even ordered the person behind the counter asked us to step outside for 10 minutes so she could take a break. Really? Holy cow

Not enough butterfat; too much overrun (air). Definitely isn't premium or super premium.

A lot of people talk up The Penny Ice Creamery so I was looking forward to experiencing it. I've been there 3 times. At least at this location, they have been out of a couple flavors at a time. One time I ordered a cookie sandwich and the cookies were def not fresh. Twice I've been 45 mins or an hour before closing and they already have a bunch of chairs and tables out up for the night - which I understand food service is very difficult, but it felt a little premature. The ice cream is ok, but not very memorable. I love ice cream, but I have not really enjoyed this location, at least. The vibe of the store is really cute though and the staff were welcoming.