Ice cream was not very good - not creamy at all, ice crystals and some unknown gummy bits. I was expecting something as good or better than Tinpot, but it was less appealing that most supermarket brands.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Jaehyuk Lee
Nice town ice cream shop
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Lynh N.
Penny's Ice Creamery is based from Santa Cruz and is made from scratch and made with love. It is connected to the State Street Market Food Hall and also in its own small room (away from the restaurants and bakeries and beverages); it has two entrances. It is open Sun-Thu 12-9pm and Fri&Sat 12-10pm. Worker is quick, attentive, and friendly. As of February 2024... The flavors for the ice cream are: Hazelnut Praline, Lime Shortbread, Dark Chocolate (vegan), Verve Coffee w/ chocolate almond praline, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Penny / Fruit Pops, Bitter Caramel, Lime Sorbet, Salted Butter Toffee, Fresh Mint Chip (Sea to Sky Form?) Scoops Single ($7.25), Double ($9.50), Triple ($10.50), Mini ($6.25), Mini Double ($7.25). Toppings are $1 and include: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, toasted almonds, whipped cream, toasted marshmallow fluff, dark chocolate cookie crumb, and sprinkles (50 cents). Take Me Home Pints ($12.25), Sundae Kit for Four ($25), Ice Cream Cakes ($75) Their specials are Penny Pop: Verve Coffee, Fruit Pop: Lime, BonBons: Dulce de leche, Shake: Orange Curd, Fruit Reserve: Orange Curd, Float: Hot Chocolate They also have traditional sundaes, affogatos, hot & cold beverages, and Verve Coffee drinks! Refer to my pictures that I attached to this review for menu details :p My loved one absolutely loves Penny's ice cream from Santa Cruz. He got Dark Chocolate (Vegan) flavor. The flavor is pretty cocoa-y. Seems like the quality of the ice cream is consistent. So glad to have Penny's in the South Bay!
Alexander “Alex” Shen
This place is subpar at best. The location is good but the ice cream is some sort of vegan dairy-free (not sure on that) and the flavors are exotic such as rhubarb. Their prices are exorbitant as they charge $8 per SCOOP not per cup. I recommend to stay away from this scmy business.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Catherine R
It’s very disappointing to come here to write a review and see photos of cones with toasted marshmallow on top, something we didn’t know was a specialty. This lets me know that while the service was friendly it could have been more helpful, asking ‘have you been here before’ or ‘would you like to hear about our specialties’, etc.The waffle cones were fresh and crisp.We got mini double scoops- dark chocolate and bitter caramel.The dark chocolate was rich, creamy and vegan! the bitter caramel had a perfectly burnt finish but it was soft. It was our first time so not sure if that is the general consistency of their ice cream.Agree with some other posters that it’s pricey. Given the location, that’s not surprising.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Mini Double Scoop
Eren Goknar
Some of the restaurants aren’t open on Mondays.
Ashley V.
Okay been to this place a few times and honestly the ice cream is so good. I usually don't like ice cream too much, except for one flavor that is hard to find, so when I come here I just get vanilla. I realize that it sounds boring but it is the freshest, creamiest, and most flavorful vanilla. The workers are always friendly and fast! It's not very large but there are some tables inside and outside. Pro tip: get a draft root beer from State of the Mind and a vanilla from here for the BEST root beer float.
Gaby K.
Definitely my favorite ice cream place. Everything is so high quality and delicious -- you can't go wrong with any of their flavors. Despite the long line, the service is remarkably fast. Located inside the State Street Market it is always so lively and a fun location to visit.
Jessica G.
Don't skip out on the toasted marshmallow fluff y'all. It's truly the *perfect* topping. After trying this Penny Ice Creamery for the first time during a Yelp event, I knew I had to return when I was in the area again. The shop is located in the state street market so there's plenty of parking and it's very walkable if you're in downtown Los Altos. The shop is small but there's plenty of seating on the patio or on in the market itself. You'll know where it is - just follow the waffle cone smell. Service has always been excellent as well - no complaints. Love the patience of the staff as we tried many different flavors in order to decide our scoop. I LOVE the bitter caramel flavor - talk about the perfect balance! It's not your ordinary caramel and the bitterness really gives the flavor that extra "umph" to take it to the next level. A part of me is like "why doesn't everyone have a flavor like this?" But tbh, flavors like that are what make an ice cream shop stand out and I'll make the trip back to penny ice creamery just for that. Now, you will be looking at paying ~$6+ for your ice cream, add more for cones and toppings. But it's a nice reason to splurge (on $$ and calories lol) every once in awhile. Can't wait to try more on the menu. Plus they have rotating flavors so there's always something new!
Katharine Y.
Must try place!!! They have variety of flavors, organic and lactose intolerant people friendly. The service is fast, unique and different approach to service.. This location is cute, very homie and amazing for family with kids.
I visited this location early evening on a Saturday. There are parking lots behind this street, but considering it was dinner time, the lots were pretty much all full. This location is inside a food hall so it's more like a little ice cream counter compared to the full store in Santa Cruz. I think there might be fewer flavors here? Given the time I visited, there was a line. The line doesn't take too long and is mainly held up with sampling and indecisiveness, as per usual at a ice cream store lol. The service itself is really quick. The staff was friendly and patient with the whole flavor selection process. Penny Ice Creamery does offer seasonal flavors. I tried the pear coffee cake that day and just happen to not get much pear coffee cake in my scoop. Of note, the waffle cone is free (unlike most other ice cream shops)! The pear coffee cake was just ok and was basically expensive vanilla ice cream. I think some other berry flavors I've had in the past were better . Overall, the scoops are pretty small for the price, even relative to other ice cream stores. I personally haven't encountered flavors I love yet, so will leave it at 3 stars. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit like I did this time, but if I were to visit Santa Cruz, I would probably drop by.
Vicki H.
Located inside State Street Market, The Penny offers classic and unique ice cream flavors. They use fresh, local, and organic ingredients and is based in Santa Cruz. I got the bourbon persimmon and it was very unique. I didn't think they would mesh well together, but I was wrong. Definitely get the toasted marshmallow fluff on top of your ice cream. Game changer for sure. It just ties everything together. Reminds me of a Baked Alaska.
Larry C.
Just stopped by during the Yelp event here at State Street Market, and got this little cone of heaven! Awee waffle cone with a mini scoop of ice cream ( I chose fresh mint chip) and then this marshmallow fluff that goes on top and gets brûléed!!?!?? It was worth the wait in line, and I'll definitely be back under normal conditions to have another, you know, for research purposes.
John Y.
I ordered a scoop of ice cream and got half a scoop. The server stood there and swirled the ice cream in the bin around but never put it in my cup! For $8.50 this is completely overpriced. The flavors are also weird and sticky and overly sweet.
Ice cream was not very good - not creamy at all, ice crystals and some unknown gummy bits. I was expecting something as good or better than Tinpot, but it was less appealing that most supermarket brands.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Nice town ice cream shop
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Penny's Ice Creamery is based from Santa Cruz and is made from scratch and made with love. It is connected to the State Street Market Food Hall and also in its own small room (away from the restaurants and bakeries and beverages); it has two entrances. It is open Sun-Thu 12-9pm and Fri&Sat 12-10pm. Worker is quick, attentive, and friendly. As of February 2024... The flavors for the ice cream are: Hazelnut Praline, Lime Shortbread, Dark Chocolate (vegan), Verve Coffee w/ chocolate almond praline, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Penny / Fruit Pops, Bitter Caramel, Lime Sorbet, Salted Butter Toffee, Fresh Mint Chip (Sea to Sky Form?) Scoops Single ($7.25), Double ($9.50), Triple ($10.50), Mini ($6.25), Mini Double ($7.25). Toppings are $1 and include: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, toasted almonds, whipped cream, toasted marshmallow fluff, dark chocolate cookie crumb, and sprinkles (50 cents). Take Me Home Pints ($12.25), Sundae Kit for Four ($25), Ice Cream Cakes ($75) Their specials are Penny Pop: Verve Coffee, Fruit Pop: Lime, BonBons: Dulce de leche, Shake: Orange Curd, Fruit Reserve: Orange Curd, Float: Hot Chocolate They also have traditional sundaes, affogatos, hot & cold beverages, and Verve Coffee drinks! Refer to my pictures that I attached to this review for menu details :p My loved one absolutely loves Penny's ice cream from Santa Cruz. He got Dark Chocolate (Vegan) flavor. The flavor is pretty cocoa-y. Seems like the quality of the ice cream is consistent. So glad to have Penny's in the South Bay!
This place is subpar at best. The location is good but the ice cream is some sort of vegan dairy-free (not sure on that) and the flavors are exotic such as rhubarb. Their prices are exorbitant as they charge $8 per SCOOP not per cup. I recommend to stay away from this scmy business.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
It’s very disappointing to come here to write a review and see photos of cones with toasted marshmallow on top, something we didn’t know was a specialty. This lets me know that while the service was friendly it could have been more helpful, asking ‘have you been here before’ or ‘would you like to hear about our specialties’, etc.The waffle cones were fresh and crisp.We got mini double scoops- dark chocolate and bitter caramel.The dark chocolate was rich, creamy and vegan! the bitter caramel had a perfectly burnt finish but it was soft. It was our first time so not sure if that is the general consistency of their ice cream.Agree with some other posters that it’s pricey. Given the location, that’s not surprising.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Mini Double Scoop
Some of the restaurants aren’t open on Mondays.
Okay been to this place a few times and honestly the ice cream is so good. I usually don't like ice cream too much, except for one flavor that is hard to find, so when I come here I just get vanilla. I realize that it sounds boring but it is the freshest, creamiest, and most flavorful vanilla. The workers are always friendly and fast! It's not very large but there are some tables inside and outside. Pro tip: get a draft root beer from State of the Mind and a vanilla from here for the BEST root beer float.
Definitely my favorite ice cream place. Everything is so high quality and delicious -- you can't go wrong with any of their flavors. Despite the long line, the service is remarkably fast. Located inside the State Street Market it is always so lively and a fun location to visit.
Don't skip out on the toasted marshmallow fluff y'all. It's truly the *perfect* topping. After trying this Penny Ice Creamery for the first time during a Yelp event, I knew I had to return when I was in the area again. The shop is located in the state street market so there's plenty of parking and it's very walkable if you're in downtown Los Altos. The shop is small but there's plenty of seating on the patio or on in the market itself. You'll know where it is - just follow the waffle cone smell. Service has always been excellent as well - no complaints. Love the patience of the staff as we tried many different flavors in order to decide our scoop. I LOVE the bitter caramel flavor - talk about the perfect balance! It's not your ordinary caramel and the bitterness really gives the flavor that extra "umph" to take it to the next level. A part of me is like "why doesn't everyone have a flavor like this?" But tbh, flavors like that are what make an ice cream shop stand out and I'll make the trip back to penny ice creamery just for that. Now, you will be looking at paying ~$6+ for your ice cream, add more for cones and toppings. But it's a nice reason to splurge (on $$ and calories lol) every once in awhile. Can't wait to try more on the menu. Plus they have rotating flavors so there's always something new!
Must try place!!! They have variety of flavors, organic and lactose intolerant people friendly. The service is fast, unique and different approach to service.. This location is cute, very homie and amazing for family with kids.
Restaurantji Recommends
Ice cream for ants
I visited this location early evening on a Saturday. There are parking lots behind this street, but considering it was dinner time, the lots were pretty much all full. This location is inside a food hall so it's more like a little ice cream counter compared to the full store in Santa Cruz. I think there might be fewer flavors here? Given the time I visited, there was a line. The line doesn't take too long and is mainly held up with sampling and indecisiveness, as per usual at a ice cream store lol. The service itself is really quick. The staff was friendly and patient with the whole flavor selection process. Penny Ice Creamery does offer seasonal flavors. I tried the pear coffee cake that day and just happen to not get much pear coffee cake in my scoop. Of note, the waffle cone is free (unlike most other ice cream shops)! The pear coffee cake was just ok and was basically expensive vanilla ice cream. I think some other berry flavors I've had in the past were better . Overall, the scoops are pretty small for the price, even relative to other ice cream stores. I personally haven't encountered flavors I love yet, so will leave it at 3 stars. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit like I did this time, but if I were to visit Santa Cruz, I would probably drop by.
Located inside State Street Market, The Penny offers classic and unique ice cream flavors. They use fresh, local, and organic ingredients and is based in Santa Cruz. I got the bourbon persimmon and it was very unique. I didn't think they would mesh well together, but I was wrong. Definitely get the toasted marshmallow fluff on top of your ice cream. Game changer for sure. It just ties everything together. Reminds me of a Baked Alaska.
Just stopped by during the Yelp event here at State Street Market, and got this little cone of heaven! Awee waffle cone with a mini scoop of ice cream ( I chose fresh mint chip) and then this marshmallow fluff that goes on top and gets brûléed!!?!?? It was worth the wait in line, and I'll definitely be back under normal conditions to have another, you know, for research purposes.
I ordered a scoop of ice cream and got half a scoop. The server stood there and swirled the ice cream in the bin around but never put it in my cup! For $8.50 this is completely overpriced. The flavors are also weird and sticky and overly sweet.