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Take an Ice Cream Tour of Manhattan Beach

Aug 09, 2024 02:04PM ● By Jeanne Fratello

Pictured: Cones from Manhattan Beach Creamery

Summer may be winding down, but you can enjoy ice cream anytime in Manhattan Beach. As a service to you (oh, the sacrifice!), we've carefully sampled multiple ice cream flavors from across town and curated an ice cream tour of Manhattan Beach. This self-guided tour takes you from the east end of town, in Manhattan Village, to the westernmost end, ending at the Manhattan Beach Pier. 

Handels (in Manhattan Village)

Handels ice cream, made fresh in-store, gives you a taste of old-fashioned goodness that founder Alice Handel created in 1945. On our most recent visit, at the recommendation of our scooper, we tried out the most popular flavor (Graham Central Station) (pictured on the bottom of this double cone) and it had everyone in our group swooning. Note: For first-timers, the Handels Manhattan Beach store may be hard to find. It's just west of the plaza, next to Silverlake Ramen and across from Reborn Coffee.

Most popular flavor: Graham Central Station (graham ice cream with graham cracker ripple and graham crunchies)

Special flavor of the summer: Peach

Handels Ice Cream, 3360 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Phone: 310-546-2022. Open daily, 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Baskin-Robbins

The Manhattan Beach Baskin-Robbins is part of the famous Baskin-Robbins brand, but each store is locally owned and operated. While Baskin-Robbins is famous for their "31 flavors," they've actually created more than 1300 flavors since the company began nearly 75 years ago. The Manhattan Beach Baskin-Robbins is known for its bright pink exterior and Manhattan Beach mural. For our photo, we sampled the new Beach Day flavor (the pale blue one on top) and it was a giant hit with the kids.

Most popular flavor in Manhattan Beach: Oreo Cookies n' Cream (compared to the most popular flavor company-wide, which is vanilla).

Special flavor of the summer: Beach Day (salted vanilla ice cream with milk chocolate caramel-filled sea turtles, frosting flecks, and swirls of graham cracker "sand.")

Baskin-Robbins Manhattan Beach, 925 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Phone: 310-372-9366. Open daily, 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Gelato & Angels

Gelato & Angels makes their Italian-style gelato fresh daily in their Manhattan Beach store, using fresh and imported ingredients from Italy. (Yes, we know gelato is different from ice cream but for these purposes we're looking at places that have creamy frozen treats that someone scoops out for you behind a counter.) Gelato & Angels, which has been family owned and operated since 2012, also caters special events. For this photo, we sampled Mango (left) and Nutella (right) flavors.

Most popular flavor: Stracciatella

Noteworthy: The store carries 16 different vegan flavors every day (made with either water, coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk). They also make gelato cakes to order.

Gelato & Angels, 308 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Phone: 310-489-3976. Open daily, noon to 10:00 p.m.

Salt & Straw

Salt & Straw uses ice cream as a "blank slate for storytelling." They start with cream from a 5th-generation family-owned dairy, then create each month's special flavors that highlight local artisans and special causes. (Remember the Upcycled Food Series menu?) For this photo, we did a "dinner-to-dessert" theme, with Cinnamon Honey Fried Chicken on bottom (No joke! It has crispy bits of "fried chicken croissant." There's no actual chicken in the ice cream but "chicken fat" is on the list of ingredients, giving it a rich and savory taste) and Pink Rose/Watermelon Sorbet on top.

Most popular flavors: It's a tie for the "top five": Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons; Chocolate Gooey Brownie; Salted, Malted Chocolate Cookie Dough; Double Fold Vanilla; and Freckled Mint Chocolate Chip.

Special flavors of the month: This month's set of featured flavors is called the "Summer Picnic Series," including Pink Rose and Watermelon Sorbet, Grilled Peach White Chocolate Custard, Smoked Mac & Cheese, Cinnamon & Honey Fried Chicken, and Sour Cherry Pie.

Salt & Straw, 209 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Phone: 424-390-1486. Open daily, 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Manhattan Beach Creamery

Manhattan Beach Creamery hand-makes all of its ice cream in small batches, with 28 flavors daily. The shop also debuted a new ice cream cake this year, available in six flavors and served in cute and colorful boxes. However, the wildly popular Cream'wich is still the shop's signature item, using artisan cookies with your choice of ice cream. True story: We have an American friend who lives in Singapore who - every time he has a layover at LAX - heads to Manhattan Beach for a Cream'wich.

Most popular flavor in Manhattan Beach: Salted Oreo Cookie (pictured, at left)

Newest flavor: Candy Cane Crunch

Manhattan Beach Creamery, 1120 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. Phone: 310-372-1155. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.


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