This California Ice Cream Shop That Anthony Bourdain Visited In San Francisco Serves 300+ Flavors

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When you walk into an ice cream shop, you probably expect to find a decent array of flavors, including the classics like vanilla and chocolate alongside a few more unique ice cream flavors for a good variety. What you probably aren't expecting is hundreds of flavors, which is what Polly Ann Ice Cream is offering. The classic Californian ice cream shop, which opened in 1955, has over 300 flavors of handmade ice cream, and considering Anthony Bourdain once popped in for a visit, this quality ice cream brand is certainly worth your time. 

When Bourdain dropped by Polly Ann's, he tucked into many flavors, including durian, lychee, red bean, pumpkin, taro, and American beauty (a rose flavor). While he wasn't a fan of the American beauty, saying "it reminds me of kissing my grandmother," he described the lychee as "great" and the durian as "smoky Camembert avocado flavor ... there's nothing like it" (via YouTube). Some of those flavors are still available today, alongside plenty of others. Not every flavor is offered every day, however — the shop only carries around 50 flavors daily (as if 50 isn't still a ton!).

Polly Ann's is still receiving positive reviews, with one Tripadvisor reviewer proclaiming, "This was one of the best ice creams ever tasted." Others on Yelp agree, as one taster wrote, "The ice cream was soooo good!" and another said, "[T]he flavors we had were delicious, and the experience always brings happy smiles. We'll definitely be back again."

With more than 300 flavors on Polly Ann's roster, there really, really is something for everyone. There are classic options like milk chocolate, cookies and cream, and vanilla, plus a plethora of unique flavors. If you're looking for something fruity, the shop has everything from the aforementioned durian to honeydew and watermelon. There are also a number of ice creams inspired by desserts — like brigadeiro and blueberry shortbread — and drinks including Thai tea and matcha green tea. Sherbets and sorbets are available too. If you can't decide what to pick, you can spin Polly Ann's flavor wheel and try a flavor decided by fate.

You can grab Polly Ann's ice creams in a few forms, including the classic scoop, sundaes or a banana split, milkshakes, take-home tubs (pint and quart), and even an ice cream cake. The ice cream shop also has plenty of toppings — including sprinkles, cereal crumbles, and sauces — as well as other treats like giant cookies in multiple flavors including triple chocolate chips and toffee nut crunch, and large brownies.

If the sound of all of those delicious flavors has put Polly Ann's on your must-try list, you can find them in San Francisco's Outer Sunset neighborhood and the Financial District, which just opened in 2026. They're open most days from noon to 9 p.m. On the weekends, they open at 11 a.m. (ice cream for brunch, anyone?), on Fridays they open at 11:30 a.m., and on Saturdays they close at 9:30 p.m.