Cute little ice cream spot in Pasadena with an artsy, feminine vibe. The rose petal ice cream was the standout. Delicate, floral, and actually tasted like real rose without becoming perfume-like or overly sweet. The interior is just as charming, with a playful, girly aesthetic that makes it a fun place to stop in for dessert. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Rose Petal Ice Cream (Seasonal) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

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TL;DR: Creamy, high-quality craft ice cream with unique flavors, friendly service, and generous samples. On the pricier end, but comparable to places like Salt & Straw and Wanderlust but Carmela for sure gives larger servings. Came by on a Friday night around 8:30 PM, and the shop had a steady flow of customers with 5-6 groups coming in during the 15 minutes we were there. Despite being busy, the workers were consistently friendly and helpful. They let us sample as many flavors as we wanted without making us feel rushed or judged. We went with the double scoop, which lets you choose up to 4 flavors. We tried the matcha, earl grey, and strawberry milk. The ice cream was incredibly creamy with a clean, balanced taste. Each flavor is made with just 5 ingredients, and you can really taste the quality. My partner said the matcha was one of the best she's had in a while. I'd definitely come back to try the brown sugar vanilla next time. The shop has a small indoor seating area with a few tables plus two outdoor benches. Prices are on the higher side, but they're comparable to other craft ice cream spots around the area. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Double scoop with Strawberry, Earl Grey, Matcha - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

Local neighborhood ice cream shop with the freshest flavors!!! I love the floral flavors such as rose and lavender and earl grey. Everyone is so nice and helpful letting you sample. I like how they also serve it as a seasonal flights so you can have all the new flavors in one go. Pints are $15 or 2 for $15. They also posted new ice cream making classes in the summer! Fave Flavors: - Fresh Mint Cacao Nibs - the best! - Earl Grey Tea - Lavender Honey - Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Fresh Mint Cacao Nibs, Earl Grey Tea, Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean (June '26) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

We are blessed to have quite a few ice cream shoppes nearby, including Carmela's. There's also Mother Moo, Handel's, Afters, even Baskin Robbins. Like Handel's and Afters, Carmela doesn't have indoor seating (although their service area is indoors), and only a single bench outside. Their ice cream is high quality, perhaps made on the premises, but their flavours are limited and some are seasonal. I like fruit flavours; Carmela had 3 seasonal ones available--strawberry buttermilk, passionfruit and raspberry rose sorbet. You can get up to 2 flavours per scoop, so I got a double scoop with 4 flavours, the above 3 fruit ones plus brown sugar vanilla bean. Three of the ice creams were white, but their tastes were clear and easily identified, all delish. The raspberry rose was also good, luckily not too floral. I'm not a fan of mixing floral, herbal or even salty tastes in with my ice cream, which Carmela likes to do. I prefer straight up sweet and fruity! Cute place, a bit pricey. Street parking only. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

Holy Toledo - I've never had ice cream like theirs. It was so special and unique. It was my first visit with my darling boyfriend; we were on the hunt for ice cream and an adventure. I tried the mint and orange vanilla. My mind was blown. I expected the mint to be like any other mint flavor but this was very different. It was actual mint. Imagine drinking a cup of Moroccan mint tea. The flavor was so true to the herb. It didn't taste artificial or weird. It was very, very fresh. Not too sweet, not bitter. Perfect, really. The vanilla orange was incredible too. It was so interesting because I could taste fresh orange and taste fresh vanilla bean individually. I think this ice cream was a little magical. My boyfriend had the candied pecan - also incredible. The flavors of each ice cream truly are pronounced and expertly crafted. He also tried the pear champagne which I'll admit since I didn't like the champagne flavor - which is not a negative because I don't like champagne. So, really it's a compliment because they did that ice cream true to the flavor to the point I didn't like it lol. read more

Still one of the best OG ice cream offerings in Los Angeles. Seasonal flavors plus homemade waffle cones. All natural quality ingredients. Always friendly staff. read more

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Good ice cream. Interesting flavors. A bit hit or miss for our kids. They like standard plain flavors. Fine for the parents. Good quality ice cream. Clean location. Friendly service. Fair price read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Menu from August 2025 - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

I looooove their ice cream and the service is always friendly. This review is to ask to please have your staff use gloves when serving cones! I usually order a cup but this time I was really craving a cone; I had to cancel it because the person serving me touched it with her bare hands after handling the POS machine and then put it in a napkin. Please please use gloves when serving cones! read more

Ice cream of my dreams...honey lavender and cucumber sorbet are my favorites, but everything is good. The service is polite and helpful. One day I hope to take an ice cream making class from them. read more

Don't let the scoop size fool you, they may look small but the flavors definitely make it up and feel like you had a big serving. Their lavender honey flavor was refreshing. Staff were nice. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

We got the seasonal flight today cuz it's just been far too long and I needed to remind myself of what we've been missing all this time! Strawberry Buttermilk-where have you been all my life!?? This has to be the THE Best strawberry ice cream I've ever tried!!! Salted caramel was another favorite, tasted exactly like Werther's caramel candy to me. Just go and support a small local business and try all the flavors for yourself! Totally worth it! 2 x 1hr parking zone right in front of the store or side parking available read more

Carmela Ice Cream - They have fully reopened! - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Carmela's is above and beyond any other ice cream spot around. The staff is always lovely, they're patient and friendly, and always polite. The ice cream is made in-house and they always have a good selection of ice cream, offering both regular and dairy-free options. I do wish they'd offer new flavors of sorbets- they're the best around, using clean ingredients, but sometimes we wish for a new flavor to try. Overall, though, even with few dairy-free options, we will always keep coming back! read more

Summer is hot. Brutal. Luckily for all of us, Carmela has some outstanding ice cream to tantalize our tastebuds and keep us cool, calm and relaxed (brain freeze optional). A very small shop located on Washington Ave., Carmela Ice Cream is the latest five star homemade ice cream shop (also check out my review on Bloomfield Creamery a mile west) that serves up some outstanding small batches using fresh, premium and authentic ingredients and flavor combinations. Upon entering, you'll be greeted by some wonderfully friendly faces and some strong, freshly-made waffle cone perfume. This woman-owned business has amazing seasonal classics, traditional staples, as well as some unique takes utilizing local California produce for some award-winning flavor combinations. After studying the daily chalkboard menu, I decided to go with some classics: Honey Lavender and Cookies & Cream. A single scoop ($6.95) can be split two ways to satisfy my taste buds. The flavors of each are rich, balanced and incredibly tasty. The Honey Lavender is so damn good, I could eat a whole pint. Luckily for me, there is a grab and go freezer out front for you to do just that. The Cookie chunks are large, chocolatey and perfect with the sweet vanilla cream. The only downside is that there is no seating inside, and only a small bench out front to take pictures of your creamy treasures for social media before they melt away. Take advantage of summer, winter, or any day you have a craving by stopping into Carmela's. You won't be disappointed. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Grab and Go Containers. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

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What We Ordered: -Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream (Child Size) $4.95 -Dark Chocolate Cookie Fresh Mint w/Cacao Nibs $7.95 -Chocolate Taco $7.95 Established 2007. Carmela Ice Cream is an artisan Ice Cream maker that specializes in small batches made with real and fresh ingredients. Carmela is one of the OG's in farm-to-table cream. They are known for incorporating fresh and local produce. I've been craving a Choco Taco for a minute now. I came back from living abroad to find out that the Choco Taco was discontinued in 2022. I was really living under a rock it seems like. I searched online for an ice cream shop that does something similar. I came across a link that lists all the places in the greater Los Angeles area where you can find Chocolate Tacos. I came across Carmelas and heard some really great things about their artisan ice cream and other creations. I came in craving Mint Cacao Nibs and a Chocolate Taco. Unfortunately for me, the chocolate taco doesn't come with mint ice cream. However, they can customize an ice cream sandwich to your liking. The staff recommends that you get a pre-made ice sandwich from freezer as the made-to-order one with be too soft and it will fall apart. Luckily, they have pre-made Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches with the Mint Cacao. It was very good. The Dark Chocolate Cookie is covered in fresh sea salt and provides a nice salty taste to the cookie. The Fresh Mint Ice Cream w/Cacao Nibs has a very distinct taste like no other Mint Ice Cream you've ever had before. It was described to me by the staff as having the taste of fresh mint leaves. There's no better description than that. I tried the Lavender Honey flavor and it was also very good as well. So I came in wanting a Chocolate Taco, but my wife got wind of this and decided she wanted one. I decided to get the Dark Chocolate Cookie Fresh Mint w/Cacao Nibs instead and it was the right decision as it was equally delicious. The wife and I ended up shared both of them. The Chocolate Taco was great and brought back a rush of childhood nostalgia. You always remember those first time your parents let you pick out what you wanted from the ice cream truck. This memory stood out in particular as my parents were quite strict and frugal. It wasn't everyday that I could get a Choco Taco or anything from the ice cream truck. Carmela's is one of the best farm-to-table ice cream shops out there. I highly recommend that you give them a try. read more

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I went to Carmela with my friend's family a few weeks ago. This was my first time. I got the matcha green tea ice cream and brown sugar vanilla bean ice cream. The service was fast. Matcha ice cream was a bit bitter and the vanilla ice cream was very tasty. There is a tiny bench outside. it was enough space for a family of 5. I wish there were more seats inside. read more

Cute ice cream spot. About 12 flavors and a few toppings sauces. Ice cream was good enough! read more

I'm sorry but this ice cream was not for me. I didn't like the texture, it was so dense and icy not creamy. The flavors were just weird tasting to me. Not for my palette. I get it they make it their own way but it was my first time trying it knowing the flavors weren't going to be common, It just wasn't for me. Cute place though. read more

I had high hopes for this place, but it's a one and done for me. It was sadly the worst tasting ice cream I've ever had. I was confused as to why it was so icy and and way too sugary, flavors were awful, not to mention way too pricey for what you get. $30 for four ice cream singles. I'd rather go to Round 1 where they sell great tasting single scoop ice cream for $99. read more

Still a superior ice cream! Their flavors have remained consistently yummy over the many years. Nice to see the newly expanded sitting area. Happy to continue to support a local, woman-owned small business in recovering Pasadena/Altadena. read more

This place was just weird and overpriced. It's for Karen's that take their grandkids out for "healthy" ice cream. It just want for me or my wife. We'd rather just take our son somewhere else and I'm not the type to leave a bad review. Sorry guys.. read more

Not sure if this place is still open. When it was open, they had the best salt caramel ice cream I had ever tasted. A little pricy with a more upper scale approach to flavors and ingredients read more

The famous Carmela Ice Cream Co is off the beaten path of Pasadena, and luckily for me my boyfriend doesn't mind driving off on a detour for a little adventure, so we came here for dessert after browsing the Pacific Asia Museum. They were once the big ice cream boss in town, before all of the other ice cream businesses moved in, but they still have the love from their locals. They business is located off a busy street with limited street parking. No seating indoors. One small bench outside. But in general not the spot to hang out at to actually enjoy your ice cream, which I do not like. I enjoyed smelled fresh waffle scent upon entertain. Service was transactional, but not friendly or welcoming. They have a chalk board of prices and flavors, and they sell some cookies and ice cream toppings to take home if you'd like. When I saw their chalk board I was a little disappointed I didn't see any unique flavors or anything I HAD to have. I tried the brown butter sage and I wasn't really into it, so I went with something safe. My boyfriend and I shared the 1 scoop ($6.95) and we were able to split the scoop. He picked the Fresh Mint with Cocoa Nibs and I went with the Earl Grey. I liked it. It was good but nothing innovative or mind blowing for me to trek out here. Since they did not have a seating friendly spot, we decided to drive to a nearby park. The nearby park had no parking, so we went to park in a shaded residential area to eat the ice cream before it melted. It was really inconvenient. I just want to sit down and enjoy my ice cream real fast and this business makes it difficult to enjoy. I'll go back if my boyfriend wants to, but I'm not feeling particularly inspired. Definitely more of a spot for locals. read more

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The ice cream was delicious and I enjoyed my scoops! It's all street parking so keep that in mind while coming here. The store is small and there's not a lot of waiting space. While the staff wasn't rude or mean, they weren't very affable. Would likely only return if I'm in the area. read more

Something about this place awakens my inner princess and makes me want to quit my job so I can spend the rest of my days living in the Alps making organic icecream with berries that I harvested from the forest behind my house. So fancy. So yummy. They offer seasonal icecream classes that are super fun - a great family/friend/date activity. 100% recommend. read more

Great ice cream. Great service. You should give it a try. I will keep going back for more

I went to Carmela for the first time a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed the matcha green tea ice cream and the brown sugar vanilla ice cream.

Super rich in flavor, very strong flavors! not a usual milky type of ice cream if that's your thing!

The ice cream is one of a kind. It's so good. The service is always great. They always great you with a smile. The ambiance it's an ice cream shop, it looks like one and my god it is one! My wife and I used to go to the one located in Woodland Hills while we were dating. It was our go to ice cream spot after a hike. Now whenever we are in the area we try to stop and get a scoop! read more

My favorite ice cream shop!!!!! I was so sad when they closed their Grove location and I hope they one day open up another one closer to that area! But it's so so good I have made the trek a few times to the Pasadena one (typically my fam will take me for my bday or graduation because they know I love it so much!) Their ice creams can be a bit too sweet at times so I hope they reduce the sugar a bit in the future as well! Thank you for your incredible ice cream!!!! read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Unique flavors, high quality ice cream and gelato. A beautiful shop with a little beach outside where one can enjoy your treat.

Had the mint and the strawberry. Both tasted really fresh and had real fruit in them. You can tell they put a lot of care in it. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

Carmela Ice Cream Co. is a tiny homemade ice-cream shop. Pros: - nice customer service - ice cream tastes good Cons: - parking is limited - highly expensive - limited seating (a tiny bench outside) - ice cream was good, not great I wanted to try this place out based on its ratings and reviews, but to me, it's not worth going back to. I really couldn't enjoy my ice cream since it was 100* outside and it was melting so quickly. I understand that's not the shop's fault, but you can't hang around the area since there's is no room to; only outside on the sidewalk. I guess my rating is based on the entire experience and not just the ice cream alone. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Stumbled upon this small ice cream shop after a tea tasting at Callisto! Couple of my friends and I were craving something cold in the heat and decided to try this place. The waitress was super sweet and let us sample a lot of the flavors. They had so many unique flavors to choose from but I eventually settled with the lavender honey child scoop. This was so refreshing on a hot day but there isn't much seating which is unfortunate. As such, my friends and I were outside and my ice cream melted really quickly. Ice cream these days are so expensive for a scoop but this was really creamy and delicious so worth it at the time! Loved the home craft ice cream and the selections read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Lavender Honey - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

I have been coming to this shop for at least at decade. We love their rich ice creams; specifically their seasonal flavors! It is pricey but ice cream is an indulgence so the price point comes with it. Nevertheless, yummy! read more

This is such a SoCal hidden gem! I would never have known this was here if it wasn't for one of my besties who often takes me to The Huntington Gardens to see the beautiful roses- what an ice cream thrill to be able to eat ice cream made with Organic Pasadena Roses!!!! (Carmela's 1st flavor created) This artisan Ice Cream Shop was really one of its kind when it began- homemade ice cream from local seasonal farmer's market produce. I have absolutely loved all of their very unique flavors, it's so impressive the choices & recipes they create to get these one-of-a-kind fresh flavors! I love their storefront, it's charming, clean & their service is great- very knowledgeable on flavors in stock, flavors to come & what you may like based off your preferences. If you haven't been here before, Carmela Ice Cream is a must & a really good excuse to go explore the Pasadena area & all it has to offer- this is definitely one of my favorites! **Other flavors I've tried- Matcha Green Tea, Intelligentsia Espresso, Lavender Honey (another FAV), Rosemary with Toasted Pine Nuts, & their Sorbets!!! So yummy! read more

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I haven't been to Carmela in years, but it has been one of my top ice cream spots in LA. I decided to come back again for their buy one get one offer for national ice cream day. I tried the familiar fresh mint cacao nib flavor as well as a newer one, the strawberry vanilla bean sorbet. I am reminded yet again of how Carmela does ice cream so right in every way that Salt & Straw doesn't (in my opinion). S&S is overly sweet and creamy. Meanwhile Carmela is subtle, with just enough sweetness to complement the natural flavor. The mint ice cream tasted so light that I almost forgot I was eating ice cream. The portion is perfect too. A light dessert rather than practically a second meal as it is with some shops. (For context, I have never finished more than half of a salt and straw scoop). Additionally the store decor adds to the craftsmanship vibe with the handwritten chalkboard menu and dark wood fixtures with an old fashioned feel, unlike the corporate bright white sanitized environment common these days. I would recommend this without hesitation over any of the other popular chains around LA (including Wanderlust). read more

I love Carmela for their innovative flavors. I'm obsessed with earl grey and I flock here when they have it. You can honestly tell they use natural ingredients, for instance the mint cacao nib ice cream isn't filled with food coloring. It tastes so fresh and natural. Some of my other favorites are lavender honey and espresso. Small portions but good enough for sure. My husband loves the affogato! Small hole in the wall with street parking out front and a bench for 2 outside. No inside seating area. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Mint with cacao nibs - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

First time here and I will definitely be coming back. This place is a great example of less is more. They are not a place of 31 flavors but the handful of flavors they do have are spot on and are rich in flavor. We got a the brown sugar vanilla bean and cookies and cream. Both flavors had great flavor profiles, they were not overly sugary, and had great texture. The person working the counter was very nice and allowed us to sample the flavors before purchasing. The overall decor gives you that old school ice cream shop feel and I liked it. Can't wait to come again to check out more flavors! read more

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Carmela's was my first introduction to salted caramel ice cream almost 10 years ago and I have loved the flavor ever since. I haven't been back in years, but decided to stop by because I was in the area to see if it was as good as I remembered and it is! The ice cream itself is so creamy and rich and the flavor is 10/10. It's a little bit on the pricey end but you can really taste the quality in the ice cream which I feel like justifies the cost. I definitely recommend coming here to treat yourself on a warm day! It is a small store located on a main street. One thing to note is that parking can be tough here as there is no parking lot, however, we got lucky and found a spot right in front of the store. Service was also good and the workers were friendly. read more

Carmela Ice Cream - Salted caramel ice cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Pasadena, California

Over $9 bucks for a strawberry ice cream sandwich??? Brah. Come on guys this is just too much. read more