As Summer Heats Up, Cool Down With a Sweet Frozen Treat
- Sharon Stello
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
In lead-up to National Ice Cream Day on July 19, here’s the scoop on some of the most unique varieties in Orange County.
Whether scooped in a bowl or piled high in a cone, there’s nothing like ice cream on a hot summer day. But this frosty sweet treat has evolved far beyond the basic chocolate, vanilla and strawberry scoops of yesteryear to include inventive flavors like honey lavender and goat cheese-marionberry-habanero as well as different textures and treatments, whether flat and rolled or flash frozen with liquid nitrogen.
A new take – at least on the West Coast – to the traditional scoop is The Original Rainbow Cone, which layers five rectangular slabs of different flavors. While a little unusual, this Chicago-based brand must be onto something as the business is marking its 100th anniversary of stacked slices.
“That’s the way it’s been done since the beginning,” said Anne Hsiung, owner of The Original Rainbow Cone shops in Cypress, which opened last year, and Laguna Beach, which opened in May. “When founder Joe Sapp, known to generations of customers as ‘Grandpa Joe,’ created the Rainbow Cone nearly 100 years ago, he wasn’t trying to showcase five separate flavors. He was creating one complete flavor experience. Instead of traditional scoops, he stacked thin slices of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio and orange sherbet so guests could enjoy multiple flavors in every bite. The combination feels unexpected at first, but somehow works perfectly together.”
This unique presentation is part of what makes the Rainbow Cone so special.
“The colorful layers make it instantly recognizable and give it an artistic quality that’s every bit as memorable as the flavor itself. It’s more than just five flavors on a cone. It’s an iconic Chicago original that has been delighting guests for nearly a century,” Hsiung said.
For those who were raised with Rainbow Cone, like Hsuing, it’s more than an ice cream shop. “It’s a tradition that has been woven into generations of family memories,” she said, recalling how her mom would buy a Rainbow Cone cake every year for her birthday.
“As someone who grew up with Rainbow Cone,” she said, “it’s incredibly meaningful to share this Chicago tradition with Orange County. My hope is that Rainbow Cone becomes part of people’s own family traditions here, creating the same joy and memories that it did for me growing up.”
While the stacked cone is the bestseller, Rainbow Cone also offers shakes, sundaes, banana splits, soda floats, ice cream cookie sandwiches, cakes, mini-doughnuts and a few hidden gems on its secret menu, with recipes that have been passed down and perfected over generations.
A Flavor Explosion
Over the last few decades, flavors have become even more inventive at ice cream shops in O.C. and across the country.
With shops in several O.C. cities, Handel’s offers mouthwatering ice cream flavors from pink lemonade to banana cream pie, blueberry cheesecake chunk, brownie dough, Butterscotch Ripple, Blue Moon, which is a blue raspberry flavor, and Blue Monster, featuring blue vanilla ice cream made with Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies.
Bruster’s is another brand with locations across O.C., boasting options like Cotton Candy Explosion, a cotton candy-flavored ice cream mixed with popping candy; Death by Chocolate, featuring chocolate ice cream with Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, chocolate chunks, chocolate Krispies and brownie bites; and Jamaican Me Crazy, which adds chopped almonds and fudge ribbons to a base of coconut ice cream. And, of course, Baskin-Robbins has expanded way beyond 31 flavors with choices from pink bubblegum to Oreo Monkey Business, Brookie Batter, and Beach Day, which is blue-colored salted vanilla ice cream with milk chocolate, caramel-filled sea turtles, frosting flecks and swirls of graham cracker “sand.”
In Costa Mesa, Stricklands spotlights special flavors each day, from peach to pandan, Cookie Monster, yuzu, honeydew, taro, Thai tea, lavender and more, while Stella Jean’s Ice Cream offers pints of flavors like mango sticky rice, s’mores, brown butter pecan, guava cream cheese, ube and pandesal toffee (pandesal is a sweet bread like a dinner roll), and banana turon crunch (turon is a Filipino fried snack with thin-sliced bananas in a spring roll wrapper), which incorporates banana puree, caramelized lumpia wrappers, jackfruit jam, sea salt and sweet cream.
Perhaps one of the most creative brands is Salt & Straw: Started by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek as an ice cream cart in Portland, Oregon, the business has expanded to feature more than 55 shops in cities nationwide including Newport Beach and Anaheim’s Downtown Disney.
Made with cream from fifth-generation, family-owned Scott Bros. Dairy – which raises grass-fed cows without hormones or antibiotics – Salt & Straw creates ice cream with a luxurious texture by maxing out the butterfat content. Flavors range from popular classics like sea salt with caramel ribbons and salted malted chocolate chip cookie dough to tantalizing culinary combinations such as strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper or pear and blue cheese. And customers will always find something new with rotating monthly options like strawberry pretzel salad or huckleberry oat crisp with foraged porcini for July.
From Salt & Straw. Left, Caramel and lavender ice cream on a cone. Right, the Tacolate, a collaboration with Taco Bell. Photos courtesy of Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw also presents the Cereal-sly Delicious Series, which reimagines childhood breakfast staples as ice cream; the berries series, highlighting the ripest seasonal fruit; and the Halloween series, a five-flavor lineup that gives a nod to the spooky holiday each fall. And the company collaborates with local farmers and makers to develop flavors that tell a city’s story. Some of these include Salty Donut Guava and Cheese in Miami as well as chocolate babka with hazelnut fudge in partnership with Breads Bakery in New York City.
Aside from pints and scoops in a cup or house-made waffle cone, other fun options include a four-scoop flight, for when you can’t decide which flavor to try, and the Tacolate, a highly sought-after ice cream taco developed in collaboration with Taco Bell. This sweet-and-spicy flavor bomb starts with cinnamon-ancho ice cream packed into a hand-pressed waffle cone taco shell before it’s dunked in dark chocolate and studded with crunchy puffed quinoa. For the truly adventurous, customers can amp up the experience by drizzling mango-jalapeno or Wildberry Cinnamon sauce on top.
And people aren’t the only ones who can satiate their taste buds here. Salt & Straw offers a non-dairy frozen dessert for dogs. The brand’s Pup Cup is made with human-grade ingredients in an apples & carrots with sweet potato ribbons flavor.
At Labanz. PHOTO 1: Labanz will be opening a location at the corner of Chapman and Lincoln in Fullerton, in the former location of DeLeon's Bakery. PHOTO 2: A falafelita, a dessert version of falafel, filled with pistachio ice cream and covered with Biscoff cookie crumbles and sesame seeds for decoration. PHOTO 3: Dubai chocolate flavored ice cream. Photos courtesy of Labanz
Cultural Creations
Ice cream lovers seeking unique flavors may want to try local shops serving chilly concoctions inspired by authentic treats from around the world.
Labanz, an Egyptian Arab dessert cafe with locations in five states including locally in Anaheim’s Little Arabia, which opened last year, followed by Fullerton. A menu of ice cream in culturally inspired flavors like baklava, taro, Dubai chocolate knafeh, and ashtota join traditional Middle Eastern desserts like ashtouta, a milk-soaked cake topped with cream; satalana, a four-layer dessert with a custard base, milk-soaked cake and creamy ashtouta, finished with crunchy knafeh on top; and kusharita, a rice pudding with knafeh and cream plus crispy goulash. Each of these come in flavors like Nutella, pistachio, mango and more. Crepes and waffles with different filling options and toppings round out the menu.
One Labanz item that’s become a hit is the falafelita, a dessert version of a giant falafel ball (typically made from chickpeas) that is filled with pistachio ice cream and covered with Biscoff cookie crumbles and sesame seeds for decoration, with a choice of sauces and other toppings.
Meanwhile, Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream in Irvine has captured attention with flavors like saffron pistachio, pink rose, white rose, cucumber, taro and ube, green tea, pistachio and more. In Aliso Viejo, Pampas Helados Argentinos captivates with flavors like flan, coffee with cognac, mascarpone with Patagonia berries, dulce de leche Pampas made with authentic Argentinian milk caramel, and Samboyan incorporating Argentinian port wine. Pampas Helados also serves a traditional Argentinian dessert called alfajores, which are two soft cookies filled with dulce de leche, fruit marmalade or peanut butter, then covered with dark or white chocolate or merengue.
All Rolled Up
Notably, not all ice cream comes in scoop form. On A Roll in Anaheim starts with a thin sheet of ice cream and rolls it up, creating a different texture for this favorite chilly treat. Cups of the rolls are served with a variety of toppings, from sauce to fruit or candy.
On A Roll owner Yusef Shahin wanted to provide a fun and unique dessert experience when he opened the shop in 2024.
“We loved the interactive aspect of rolled ice cream and felt it was something different from traditional ice cream shops,” Shahin said. “People enjoy the customization, the fresh ingredients and the fact that every order is made right in front of them. The presentation and experience make it memorable.”
Flavors range from bestsellers Cookies & Dream and cookie butter to varieties like Strawberry Bliss, Mango Delight and BanAnaheim, which is banana ice cream topped with caramel drizzle and cinnamon. Rainbow Pebbles incorporates Fruity Pebbles cereal in vanilla ice cream while Sour Surprise tops tangy vanilla ice cream with sour gummy candies and raspberry drizzle. Matcha Mochi starts with matcha ice cream and strawberry puree, garnished with five pieces of mochi. In addition to a core menu of customer favorites available year-round, On A Roll occasionally introduces limited-time seasonal flavors and specialty items. The ice cream is all prepared fresh in-house, using the brand’s own ingredients and recipes.
While the flavors are impressive, the magic comes from rolling the ice cream, which elicits oohs and aahs as it creates a crackling sound on the frozen plate.
“The rolling process creates a smooth, creamy texture while allowing ingredients to be mixed directly into the ice cream,” Shahin said. “It also adds an entertaining visual element that customers enjoy watching …. We pour the ice cream base onto a frozen pan, mix in the selected ingredients, spread it thin, and then carefully roll it into signature ice cream rolls.”
The rolls are served in a cup and eaten with a spoon, just like traditional ice cream. “The rolls are soft and creamy, making them easy to enjoy along with the toppings,” Shahin said.
In addition to rolled ice cream, the shop offers crepes, acai bowls, matcha and coffee drinks, and other specialty desserts.
Flash-Frozen Fun
In recent years, Orange County was home to several shops offering ice cream made with the help of liquid nitrogen. Visiting these shops always promised a mesmerizing show as the cream was flash-frozen before your very eyes, creating a smokelike effect and a chilly treat with an ultra-creamy texture.
However, most of these shops have closed. The nearest appears to be Creamistry in Cerritos, just over the OC border. But, there are still a few ways to enjoy ice cream that’s crafted using liquid nitrogen in Orange County. One option is to hire The Freezing Point catering company, which offers this (somewhat pricey) interactive dessert experience for private parties, large corporate events and galas. Started in Houston, the business has expanded to Orange County, using ghost kitchens in Fountain Valley. The Freezing Point has even been approached by a few Hollywood productions for upcoming events in Los Angeles.
Left, liquid nitrogen fuels preparation of the tableside ice cream dessert option at AnQi Bistro at South Coast Plaza. Right, the finished dessert dish at AnQi Bistro featuring ice cream made tableside. Photos courtesy of AnQi Bistro
For those who aren’t planning a big party, diners at AnQi Bistro at South Coast Plaza can also partake in a liquid nitrogen-fueled spectacle by ordering the tableside ice cream for dessert.
“We’ve been offering our tableside ice cream experience for many years,” said Elizabeth An, CEO of the House of An family of restaurants including AnQi Bistro. “It has become a signature touch that guests often remember long after the meal is over. We’ve always enjoyed finding ways to make dining interactive and memorable, and our tableside ice cream is a great example of that philosophy.
“For me, dessert should feel like the finale of a great performance. A finishing touch. We wanted to create something that delighted guests not only through flavor, but through a sense of ‘wow.’ Having dessert made tableside transforms it from a dessert to an experience.”
The elegant dish features rich Tahitian vanilla ice cream finished with seasonal garnishes such as fresh berries, crisp meringue, edible flowers or other accents depending on the time of year and the chef’s inspiration. Also drawing inspiration from the seasons, unique ice cream flavors are sometimes offered instead of vanilla; for example, lychee and basil have previously been offered.
“There’s a sense of anticipation that builds as it’s prepared tableside,” An said. “Guests are naturally curious, conversations begin, phones come out, and suddenly everyone at the table is sharing in the moment. It’s theatrical, but it’s also personal because it’s created right in front of you.”
An explained that the liquid nitrogen is simply one part of the process, allowing the ice cream to be made fresh before your eyes.
“While it certainly contributes to the texture and overall experience, what guests respond to most is the combination of freshness, craftsmanship and the visual element,” she said. “It's less about the technique itself and more about how it brings the dessert to life.”
An said that she and her team believe that dining should engage all of the senses.
“Whether it’s the design of the room, the energy of service or the final dessert at the table, every detail is intended to create an experience guests remember,” she said. “The tableside ice cream embodies that philosophy. It’s joyful, interactive and a reminder that sometimes the most memorable part of a meal is the sense of wonder it leaves behind.”
SWEET SAVINGS
These scoop shops will serve up discounts and freebies on July 19 for National Ice Cream Day, while some will keep the party going all week. Keep an eye on social media as other brands may still announce offers as the day approaches.
Baskin-Robbins, multiple OC locations: From July 19-25, rewards members receive $5 off an order of $20 or more, and a buy-one-get-one free scoop on July 26, also for members.
Bruster’s, multiple OC locations: Double points on every purchase for Sweets Rewards members from July 17-19, and a sweepstakes for 10 people to win free ice cream for a year (enter from July 1-31).
Climb Ice Cream in Costa Mesa: A 10% discount on all single and double scoops on July 19.
Crzookie in Huntington Beach: Surprise deals throughout the month of July for Crzookie Rewards members only.
Dairy Queen, multiple OC locations: From July 13-19, DQ Rewards members receive a free Dilly Bar with any purchase of $1 or more in the DQ app.
Handel’s, multiple OC locations: A free Hande’s hat to the first 250 guests, with purchase of an ice cream item, on July 19.
McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams in San Juan Capistrano: 15% off sitewide when ordering online (for shipping only, not in store) through July 19.
Perfect Pint in Orange: A 50% discount for those who say the secret phrase, “I Came to Party with the Pint!” on July 19.
Salt & Straw in Newport Beach and Anaheim’s Downtown Disney: From July 17-23, guests will be invited to craft a Build Your Own Pint Sundae, featuring three scoops of their choice served in a personalized pint, topped with fudge, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry for $15. The pint container, featuring the guest’s name handwritten by the shop team, may be further customized with themed, limited-edition stickers. Additionally, on July 19, members of the Salt & Straw Rewards program can earn double loyalty points.
Stricklands in Costa Mesa: One free topping with purchase of any size ice cream (except kids size) on July 19.
The Original Rainbow Cone in Cypress and Laguna Beach: Free Rainbow Cone merchandise for the first 100 customers who visit the Laguna Beach location on July 19. Plus, in honor of Rainbow Cone’s 100th birthday on Aug. 9, Rewards members nationwide can enjoy a buy-on-get-one Rainbow Cone offer that’s redeemable once from Aug. 3-9 at participating locations.
*For the dogs: Free doggie “ice cream” at Petco, with multiple OC locations, on July 19.
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