The Bay Area certainly boasts its fair share of good ice cream cities, with both San Francisco and Oakland coming to mind immediately with their abundance of offerings.
On a per capita basis, however, it’s really hard to beat Aptos.
Indeed, with a population of just over 6,000 lucky locals, Aptos is our pick as the top ice cream town in all of Northern California.
Most towns its size would be fortunate to have one really good local spot for double-dips/sundaes – and we’re not talking about mega-chain places like Coldstone and Baskin-Robbins.
This beachside community has four such local gems – which is a result, at least in part, of it being located just south of the ice cream hotspot of Santa Cruz.
And, best of all, each of the four scratch different itches for discerning ice cream fans.
All of this makes Aptos a true destination for those in search of a good cone. The fact that this Santa Cruz County town can list so many other enticing reasons to visit – from the beaches and redwoods to the restaurants and shops – certainly doesn’t hurt matters.
Here are the Aptos spots to add to your ice cream bucket list:
Marianne’s Ice Cream
Marianne’s nothing short of an institution in Santa Cruz County, one that has been treating ice cream lovers in the area since 1947. It boasts an old-school ice cream parlor vibe and atmosphere – probably not all that different from when founders Lenore and Tom Becker first started dishing out scoops — where you cozy up to the counter, take a number and pick your flavor.
And you want choices? Marianne’s offers up a staggering 105 different flavors – so, yeah, we’d say that there’s something on the menu for pretty much everyone in the family. The most popular flavors include 1020 (caramel ice cream with chocolate swirl and bits of cookies) and Heaven (vanilla ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter swirls and chunks of brownies).
To put it bluntly, Heaven might just be the best ice cream we’ve ever tasted.
Details: Marianne’s is at 218 State Park Drive in Aptos (Seacliff area) and is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. It also has two locations in Santa Cruz; mariannesicecream.com.
A big double scoop is waiting for you at the Penny Ice Creamery in Aptos. (Jim Harrington/Bay Area News Group).
The Penny Ice Creamery
This upscale foodie-friendly spot specializes in small-batch artisan ice cream that uses fresh, local ingredients.
It’s clearly not for everyone – especially not for those folks just looking for a routine rocky road scoop that recalls what you might get from a big chain store.
Instead, it seems best suited for those with adventurous palettes who crave bold flavors and out-of-the-ordinary taste combinations.
The Penny changes up its offerings on a regular basis, but look for such made-from-scratch favorites as candied Meyer lemon mascarpone and blood orange sorbet.
And, as you can probably tell from the names of those selections, The Penny seems targeted more at pleasing adults than kids.
Details: The Penny is located at 141 Aptos Village Way in Aptos and is open noon-9 p.m. daily. It also has locations in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Los Altos and Palo Alto; thepennyicecreamery.com.
An ice cream that smiles back at you? You’ll find that and so much more at Bruster’s Ice Cream in Aptos. (Jim Harrington/Bay Area News Group)
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
Somewhere between the foodie flare of The Penny and the old-school parlor charm of Marianne’s sits Bruster’s, an upscale ice creamery with sweet treats that should appeal to the entire family.
The ice cream is made in-house, just steps away from where your friendly Bruster’s employee serves it up to you, using a slow-kettle process that helps ensure a thick, creamy and fresh tasting product.
The scoops are also pretty huge, so we recommend erring on the conservative side here. Also, if you so desire, your scoop specialist will dish up your ice cream with a cute little smiley face on it. It’s a nice little signature touch that goes a long way to bringing us back to Bruster’s.
Bruster’s got its start in Pennsylvania in 1989 and, now with over 200 locations in 22 states, definitely counts as a chain operation. Yet, we still happily include it in this roundup because there are currently only two locations in Northern California. And, thankfully, one is in Aptos.
Details: Bruster’s is at 150 Rancho Del Mar in Aptos and opens daily at 11 a.m. There is also a location in Fremont; brusters.com.
Soft serve ice creams fans should visit the Sno-White Drive-In in the Seacliff area of Aptos (Jim Harrington/Bay Area News Group).
Sno-White Drive-In
There are times when nothing but a soft serve will do. And, in our experience, those times actually happen quite often.
When they do, thankfully, we have Sno-White, a classic American-style drive-in that serves up some of the best soft-serve ice cream in the region.
They serve all of the flavors, which, as any soft-serve aficionado will tell you, consists solely of chocolate, vanilla and chocolate-vanilla swirl.
You can keep any other “flavor.”
The Aptos spot is one of the last few locations left in the former Sno-White empire that reportedly launched in Stockton in the 1950s.
And ice cream lovers are very fortunate this place – a vital piece of drive-in restaurant history – is still around.
Eating here is like stepping back in time, back to the day when soft-serve ice cream ruled the world.
Details: Sno-White Drive-In is at 223 State Park Drive in Aptos (Seacliff area) and is open daily 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m. No website, but the phone is 831-688-4747.
Dining and Cooking