The hook for me was the drive through access and serving delicious fresh ice cream made in-house is a plus! This place is easy to find on this busy road. It is right next to the Trek bike store. Executive summary: Depth of flavors: 5/5 Quality: 5/5 Prices: 5/5 - bang for the buck Parking: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Outdoor seating only, there are a few tables outside. The service was quick and friendly. I had the cookies and cream small cup, it was fresh and the consistency was smooth and creamy. There is enough to for two adults in a small cup. My wife ordered the Graham Central Station was very flavorful and satisfies a sweet tooth craving. This place also has dairy free options in their menu, Sundas, Shakes, Waffle cones, and a few oat milk options. There is also a separate menu and pricing for children. I'll be back. Enjoy! read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Cookies and cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

I was super excited when I found out we had a local ice cream shop in La Mesa. The first few times we went it was good right when they opened. I got the Death by Chocolate in the past which is super good, Made with Hershey's Special Dark® Ice Cream, chocolate chunks, chocolate krispies and brownie bites. Today I ordered it and it is NOT what I got. I had asked for sprinkles to add on and I got regular chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, none of the toppings that normally come with it. I came back showed them, the staff was nice and had no issues exchanging it. BUT I got the SAME thing! I then look and realized someone must have made a terrible batch of it there is minuscule amounts of what looks to be a chocolate krisp and very tiny swirl of chocolate. Literally nothing like the Death by Chocolate. I literally wanted to go back to tell them but decided I would rather just not go back. Very disappointed. They should be checking there ice creams to make sure it's actually the right item being made - If anyone has ordered a Death by Chocolate today - they were likely just as disappointed as me. read more

Abby out here, emotionally healing people, one scoop at a time. Best banana splits I ever had and of course I got the waffle cone because a girl is extra thank you Abby. I really appreciate you and I hope you get a raise. -grateful read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Oh my goodness this is probably the most creamy and rich ice cream I've had. Absolutely amazing! Staff is super nice and friendly and allow you to try different flavors. I think for the quality price is definitely fair. Will def go again and can't recommend enough. We spoke to Terri the owner and he was so nice and explained the process. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

Their icecream flavors are all really good and everytime I come here I have such a hard time deciding what I want to choose! Love that we can also try the flavors as well. The workers were patient when I wanted to try a lot of the flavors and I always love a crowded icecream store. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Scoop - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

Didn't know there was one of these out here on the west coast. Was excited when I found it! The convenience of the drive through and cute sitting area out front. Ample parking to eat in your car if you'd like as well. Friendly and fast service, even though we went at like 12pm on a Friday lol. The area of La Mesa it's in also reminds me of the east coast. You feel like you're not quite in San Diego anymore. It's pleasant. The only thing that wasn't good was the dairy free vanilla and only because it was so frost bitten. I think a fresh scoop of it will be better but not sure. I ordered a pistachio and coffee chocolate chip scoop in a waffle bowl. I'm happy with my choices and will definitely be back read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - The dairy free vanilla was frostbitten, but everything else was good - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

Oh my!! SOOO excited to have had friends bring us here.. we literally live next to a true ice cream competitor... and this place blew me away. LOVE the ice cream, live the vibe, loved the owner!! I have only raving recommendations that you MUST come try this place out!! Everything we tried was super flavorful and quality. The line in the drive thru... (yes, drive thru grab your ice cream and go) it was constantly flowing. The wait wasn't long but consistent. This was the highlight of our night!! A must try!! And the owner... super amazing guy!! We will be back for sure!! read more

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Even with the long lines the staff are always very friendly. I've loved every flavor I've gotten, mostly banana pudding and the mango. Everyone waiting seems in good spirits also so somehow their energy overflows into the parking lot. Always ask for napkins at the drive thru because sometimes they over pack the ice cream and the lids drip. read more

Great place to grab a sweet treat! They have a large selection of flavors and will let you sample some at the window if you want to try any. I also like that the small size allows you get 2 scoops so you can try different flavors. I ended up getting the chocolate raspberry truffle and cookies and cream and it was everything I wanted, rich, sweet, creamy, but not too heavy! There's a couple of tables nearby if you want to sit and eat and a couple of parking spaces as well. The workers all seemed very nice and service was pretty quick! read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Ordering window - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

So excited they opened a Bruster's in San Diego! I was introduced to it up in LA. We got the banana pudding and the Grand Central station. I really wish they had the Grand canyon and pb crunch which I've had up on LA. I also tried the sorbet as a non-dairy option. This spot has a drive thru! How cool is that. There's a small parking lot. Outdoor seating only. Located in a somewhat interesting spot. No bathrooms that I could see. Service was quick and friendly. We even got a couple pints to go: mint chocolate chip and chocolate peanut butter buckeye. Delicious! read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Sorbet - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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I really like all the selection of their flavors. The first time I went here on January 30, 2026 I got two scoops and they were decent portion size for the price. I went back on February 6, 2026 around 2 o'clock and I was gonna ask young lady did she give me kiddy scoops? The ice cream on the bottom was nearly melted in a manner of minutes and it look like it was half a scoop. For the price of each scoop which my total is $7.04 for two scoops the amount of ice cream received wasn't justifiable. I didn't complain because I know it's hit or mess with the reviews, but it did not take away from the flavor of the banana puddin on the bottom was chocolate with some peanut butter cups, and the young lady gave me the wrong one which I wanted the peanut butter with the vanilla, but it doesn't matter cause I'm looking forward to try all of their flavors at some point in time! There's a lot more benches for people to sit and enjoy. The owner mentioned that they were going to be delivered and it's nice to see that this establishment is on the up and up. It gets crowded so you have to be strategic when you're heading over there! Don't forget to ask for samples! Overall, this will be my new stop for a sweet treat when I'm in the area and next time if I have questions about the portion size, I will say something. Otherwise, I'm just gonna start getting two scoops and they each can be in their separate cup read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - 1/30/26 portion size matched the price for 2 scopes. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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While San Diego has an impressive selection of ice cream locations, I'm thrilled for such a great option to open up in La Mesa. Notably they have a drive thru but I prefer ordering at the window in order to sample the flavors. Their small cup comes with two massive scoops. I haven't tried a single bad flavor and the mixes lean heavily towards the incorporated toppings. There isn't a cap on how many flavors can go into their milkshakes. The sweetness dilutes quite a bit so I would actually opt for the creamy option to retain the flavor. These were fragrant and mildly sweet options. *Matcha *Coffee No Sugar These were sweeter and very rich. *Salted Caramel And Toffee *White Chocolate And Raspberry *Cotton Candy *Birthday Cake Great dessert option and I find myself stopping by a couple times a week. read more

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Bruster's is an East Coast-based ice cream chain that set up its first location in the SD area at the Grossmont Trolley Center late last year. It was an interesting choice to place their shop in this part of La Mesa as the foot traffic was minimal. What's unique was they had a drive thru lane to order so you didn't have to leave your vehicle. I don't know of another local ice cream shop that has this feature. There were several spaces available to the south of the stand which was where I parked and then walked up to the service windows. I think there were only two tables and a bench for seating if you wanted to enjoy your treat on-site. A refrigerator to the left of the menu screen displayed ice cream cakes for sale. About 30 different flavors on rotation were available. Waffle cones & bowls, cake cones & cups, shakes, blasts, and sundaes were the categories. You could also purchase hand packed quantities (pint, quart, half gallon) to go. I picked the last two on the alphabetical list of premium flavors. They were the Sea Salt Caramel w/Toffee and Southern Banana Puddin. The creamy quality and price of their frozen product was on par with the other gourmet ice cream purveyors in town. What lowered my rating of Bruster's Real Ice Cream was the service. Perhaps they were short staffed on the evening I visited because it took over 20 minutes from the time I lined up to when I finally received a cup with my flavors. Only two sets of customers were ahead of me while a few vehicles did place orders in the drive thru. read more

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Glad Bruster's finally opened in La Mesa! I was watching the count down on their window as they prepared to open. We recently stopped by for their customer appreciation night. They have $4 scoops and $5 waffle cones. I got the waffle cone with a scoop of chocolate peanut butter buckeye and southern banana pudding. Both flavors paired really well together. The southern banana is okay for me, I like the taste of real banana. But nonetheless it is still good. The buckeye is the perfect ratio of chocolate ice cream and buckeye candy. Overall the service is good! They allowed me to try as many flavors as I'd like. If you do plan to sit and eat your ice cream, they only have outdoor seating. Shouldn't be a problem for us in sunny San Diego! read more

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I have tried Bruster's in LA.  That shop did not keep their ice cream cold enough.  This time I planned to buy quarts only if the ice cream was cold enough.  Bruster's was fairly busy when I visited on a Sunday evening.  You order at one window and a team of scoopers got the order out at a second window. Vanilla was rich and creamy with a delicious sweet vanilla flavor.  Great tasting vanilla ice cream. Dreamsicle had a mix of rich, creamy, and sweet vanilla plus a bold orange flavored sherbet.  Delicious flavor combination. Staff was nice and efficient.  Ice cream tasted great and was packed hard.  Bruster's reminds me of Handel's. Both had a very similar Dreamsicle flavor. read more

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Bruster's Ice Cream - La Mesa I'd heard all the rave reviews about Bruster's from the East Coast, so I was excited to check out the new La Mesa location. They've got so many options: ice creams, sorbets, shakes, floats ect I went with the Cold Brew Brownie and Orange Sorbet. Both were delicious, but the cold brew brownie was the star for me. Best of both worlds: coffee + brownies The sorbet was refreshing too The ice cream definitely tastes yummy and lives up to the hype. Just an FYI it's on the pricier side compared to some other spots, but worth it if you're in the mood to treat yourself. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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I've seen a lot of hype of this place and had to check it out. It's really nice that they had a drive thru. Makes it super convenient when you have a sleeping baby in the car. I tried an ice cream freeze with m&m and butterfinger. I was a little disappointed because the toppings weren't all mixed in. It was just placed on top. Maybe I'm comparing to Dairy Queen where it's all mixed together but for a large size I don't want just the toppings on top then having to eat plain ice cream throughout. Service was good and took about 10 mins in the drive thru. I'll have to go back and try actual ice cream scoops and other flavors. read more

Plenty of parking. Nice staff. Will likely have a long line since it's been so flipping hot in Sd lately. Good Ice cream! The banana chocolate chip is highly recommended. Oh, and make sure you ask for whip cream! read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Small (two scoop) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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I tried this new ice cream shop in La Mesa. I had a two scoop container with pistachio and a seasonal pumpkin ice cream. The ice cream was creamy but to sweet for taste. The pumpkin ice cream tasted like pumpkin, but the spice flavor was stronger than I would of liked. I was hoping for a more wholesome natural pumpkin flavor with not so many added ingredients. The pistachio ice cream tasted okay. I felt like the flavor and color were more artificial than natural. I am used to eating natural pistachio gelato made with a handful of ingredients. It was also overly sweet for a Pistachio ice cream, which is not surprising since they use corn syrup and sweet whey, in addition to natural sugar. The service was very good. The young lady at the counter was not only helpful but friendly as well. There's only outside seating available at this location. They do have a drive thru. read more

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The customer service from Bruster's is out of this world. The sweet gal helping us was very friendly, gave us recommendations based on what we liked, and was generous with taste tests. What I like about Bruster's is that it's not too far from home, they have a drive thru and walk up, have a couple of tables, and their ice cream is nice and creamy. I ordered the mixed berry cheesecake which was creamy, had hints of cheesecake, and tang from the berries. My husband had the butter pecan which was DELICIOUS, super buttery and rich, and something I'd order myself next time. He also got a scoop of the ultimate peanut butter with Oreo. If you're a peanut butter fan, then this is for you. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Menu 11/2025 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Decided to finally try this spot .. I live in the neighborhood maybe a minute away from this spot . WHY?? Was my ice cream melted that fast ? I won't be back coming back to this place . read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

It was a pre-spring and warm San Diego evening after dinner and we were all in the mood for a stand in line ice cream cone treat. It was a bit busy but the line kept moving. The window servers were patient and friendly. They even took the time to give us taste tests for the different flavors. We had the Death By Chocolate, Birthday Cake, Dragon fruit sorbet and classic vanilla and mint chocolate chip. Cone or cup, they can put two flavors into one container. All fresh and hand made on the premises. Take away available. Super high quality, creamy and the perfect signature to our neighbors out evening. People stood around and talked in their groups while enjoying cones, cups and Bruster's Blasts. You can't beat it and doesn't require an app. Check it out. It's really cool! Jace read more

A literal hidden gem found off Fletcher Parkway, Bruster's delivers! 1st time here and I can vouch that they provide some delicious high quality ice cream, it is super creamy and rich with flavor. Their customer service is great and they have a drive thru, not common!  I ordered ice cream in a  small ice cream cup with one scoop of cotton candy and another with pistachio. Super delicious, I paid close to $10 for 2 scoops and it was totally worth it :) read more

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Seen that the spot was fairly new and decided to try it. We opted for the drive-through since we were on a time crunch. Ended up ordering the strawberry cheese & sea salt caramel w/ toffee and that was the best flavor from the two in my opinion. My husband ordered the butter pecan,cookies & cream w/Oreo which was his favorite out the two. This place is convenient because it has a drive-through, but it's also is a walk up and it has outdoor seating in the front. Will be back when the weather gets warmer again to try more flavors. read more

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Welcome to East County!! We needed something good and new. Hands down the best Ice Cream in East County. Not even close!!! San Diego has great Ice Cream and you need something special to crack the top 5. Brusters is not quite in the top 5, but definitely elevated from your typical ice cream shops. Went on a Sunday night close to closing and there was a moderate line for both walk up and the drive thru. YES they have a drive thru!! Service was friendly and fast. They offer samples of their flavors. We ordered a few different flavors. The Black Cherry Chocolate Chunk was FILLED with chocolate chunks and had a couple of whole black cherries. This creamy sweet goodness was definitely better than any ice cream I have had in East County. Now to the Star of the Night- Banana Puddin ice cream. Creamy smooth, with fresh crisp Nilla Wafers (not soggy) and the banana flavor was exactly like the best Banana Pudding I have had from the South!! I was so excited because of the Banana Puddin being so good I inhaled my ice cream before taking a photo! Ha Although there are many flavors, I will return just for the Banana Puddin!! For anyone who likes banana, this flavor is a must try!!! The shop is located on the backside of the Trek Store across from Petco. It is walk up service or drive thru. There are a couple of tables and several benches outside. Brusters Special on Thursdays. Half price Banana Splits if you bring your own banana. Yep you heard me right!!! Bring your banana on Thursdays and get a half price Banana Split. Next visit will be a Thursday for a half price split with one of my scoops being Banana Puddin!!! Dogs are welcome and can get a free doggy Sunday!! If you are in the East County and tired of the name brand ice cream places or the places that serve ice cream no better than "Thriftys" at high prices, THEN you need to stop by Brusters and judge for your self!! Brusters is highly recommended! read more

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Very disgusting "ice cream" that's mostly artificial. For flavorings, most of their flavors use artificial flavors and colors (like caramel color and FD&C Red 40). They use stabilizers & emulsifiers to get a thick texture; their base mixes and add-ins frequently include standard commercial stabilizers like mono- and diglycerides, guar gum, locust bean gum, polysorbate 80, and carrageenan. read more

Came after dinner, it was busy but the gals behind the counter were very quick and efficient, little to no wait at all despite the line. I ordered a scoop of pumpkin pie and a scoop of salted caramel toffee ice cream in a waffle bowl. The ice cream itself was already pretty soft when I got it, and was quickly melting on the drive home, I had to eat it in the car if I wanted to taste it while it was still solid. Flavor wise each one was good, I just wish they had more of their respective mix ins. I barely tasted the graham cracker in the pumpkin pie and the toffee in salted caramel. I got a marshmallow drizzle on top and didn't get much flavor from that as well. The waffle bowl, however, was fabulous, very crisp and crunchy, definitely tasted fresh. Overall not a bad spot, but I would recommend eating it at the location if you want it while it's still solid. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Pumpkin pie ice cream, salted caramel toffee ice cream, in a waffle bowl with marshmallow drizzle - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

When we visit my parents in OC, we usually make a stop at the Bruster's there. Their flavor "Graham Central Station" is an epic win of unfathomable levels. Just for fun, I decided to see if there was a Brusters in San Diego, and lo and behold, here we are. The directions to get here are kind of odd as it directs you through this very long back way of a parking lot (my last PT place was actually right near here), and then a bunch of people (including us) turned into the wrong entrance beause it's a one way entrance. But the good part about the one way thing is that the reason is was there is because there is a drive-thru. And the better part of the drive thru is that while there must have been 15 customers in line, we went through the drive thru in about 2 minutes with two small graham central stations in hand (1 cone, 1 cup)! Note, a "small" here is two pretty large scoops. I'm a huge sweets guy and I can't imagine most people wouldnt be satisfied with a small. You can also get two different flavors for the small if you prefer. Usually I will get the graham central station with matcha, or any of their banana flavors. BB sometimes gets the butter pecan and its great too. You really can't go wrong here. read more

Bruster's has great ice cream and great customer service. my wife likes the Southern Banana Pudding Ice Cream while the kids like Cookies and Cream. We were there last night and i figured that id get something different so I got a shake. It was a Butter Pecan shake. it started out amazing until i was no longer able to get more shake through the straw. I just assumed that it was a thick shake, no it wasn't that. The individual that made it did not completely blend the shake and just blended the top. When we got home, i saw a ton of whole pecans at the bottom of my cup. I was upset to say the least. I'm hoping this is a one off but when you're spending $10 on a Medium shake, you would assume they would get it right. i didn't eat the pecans and tossed them. The pic shows the shame cup and all the pecans in my trash. I meant to go back and let them know but it ended up becoming a long day. FYI, just make sure they completely blend your shakes. Other than the shake, everyone else loved their ice creams. read more

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Amazing service, and people are really sweet! If you bring your own banana on a Thursday you get half off a banana split!!! read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Banana sundae deals - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Tried this place last minute bcuz I was wanting something sweet. New to La Mesa so I didn't tibie what to expect. Lots of folks out for the this deliciousness! They had a drive through which I wasn't expecting. The line went fast and the young lady taking my order was so patient with me as I decided or rather guessed at what I wanted. She made some suggestions that I did end up taking. I will preface that I am lactose sensitive (but still daring) and this ice cream did not upset my stomach so they get a plus in my book. Will definitely go back read more

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Some of the best ice cream I've had! They have a wide range of flavors. Drive thru is convenient and bench area has plenty of room and relaxing. Staff were very friendly as well! read more

So glad there's an ice cream shop in La Mesa with a drive through and fresh ice cream with many flavor options. The service was excellent and they let us sample as many flavors as we wanted, thank you scoopers! I really appreciated the cone holder to help with melting ice cream and spills. There's a few tables and benches outside for seating and they have a rewards program too for additional discounts. On Banana Thursdays you can bring a banana and get half off a banana split. Would definitely come back here, thank you Bruster's La Mesa! read more

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I kept seeing this place on social media and didn't realize I passed it every Thursday. The past Thursday I decided to give it a try with my friend that has been here multiple times. She gave me the run through with the flavors so I wasn't as overwhelmed with picking a flavor. We ended up doing a waffle bowl with Southern Banana Puddin and Graham Central Something. Great combination recommended by the worker and my friend! The worker also gave us some waffles to sample while she got us our sample flavors. This place is so cool! You can walk up and order your ice cream, milkshake, whateva you want OR you can drive-thru! Definitely gonna come back to try more flavors! read more

Five stars for boosters real ice cream shop. It's November 2025. And this is our new favorite place to get ice cream sundaes. I got black cherry scoops with real whole black cherries in them. And double chocolate chip and it was my favorite I've had in a long time. The service was sweet and precise. The ambience was clean and cool. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Banana split only $899 with the one dollar off any item coupon. Delicious delicious delicious 11-2025 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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Pretty good. Really creamy and the type you kinda want to eat right away since it tends to melt pretty fast. I tried the banana puddin since that my fav dessert and I would give it a 7/10- flavor was close but I would have expected chunks of nilla wafers and or bananas folded in. I would try other flavors if in the ice cream mood. Would recommend others try it. read more

I really enjoy this place. I like it better than Handels. Handels won't give you samples plus I think the "smallest" is 2 scoops over there. I like that theres a kid menu with one scoop option and adults can order from kids menu too. Giving away free "baby cones" to younger kids is great and the baby cones are actually a decent size and comes with sprinkles! Plus there's a drive thru option read more

I purposely pick the chargers at this location so I can walk over and get ice cream. They have so many different flavors to choose from and they change some of them out regularly. My personal favorite is the Creamsicle the orange sherbet and it is so good in the vanilla is so creamy and perfectly mixed together. I tried to try different ones, but that is my favorite today. I decided to try death by chocolate and caramel macchiato. There was so much gooey caramel in that it was amazing. I truly can't decide which one I liked better. I decided to try the sample of their seasonal one that was maple pancake sounds weird but holy cow it is so good. It has white cake in it and really feels like breakfast in your mouth. This is a great little ice cream shop that's fast and has all the classics plus some really cool creative flavors if you're in the area, I recommend it. The staff is always helpful and very good at being patient while you try a bunch of flavors. read more

The ice cream here is absolutely the BEST! So happy to see the franchise in San Diego! I was really impressed with the service and attentiveness of the staff. Super friendly and helpful! I think the name was Josiah. He was so kind and patient as we couldn't decide. We will def be back! read more

They need to figure out their freezer temperatures. This was nearly 100% liquid after driving home -- just a few blocks away. read more

Bruster's Real Ice Cream - Melted mess after my 3 minute drive home... late night snack and it's 55 degrees outside. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - La Mesa, California

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