Cute lil shop In downtown. I got a large cone with bitter Carmel and dark chocolate with…read moremarshmallow fluff. Yummm very rich the Carmel was super good though still thinking about it ha. The fluff is worth it cause you know vacation! The service was fast and they were very kind. A must stop if in town yum Can't wait to go back I wish I got a picture sadly I didn't

Stopped by this spot for dessert and thought it was a cute, clean little ice cream shop. The space…read moreitself felt well kept and organized, and the menu was easy to look over. That said, the ice cream flavor options didn't really stand out to me and nothing that made me feel like I had to try it or come back for something specific. What did stand out though was the marshmallow puff on top!! it was honestly the best part. It had that toasted, slightly crispy outside with a soft inside that made it really enjoyable. Overall, it was a decent stop if you're in the area, especially if you want something sweet and a clean place to sit, but the ice cream itself didn't wow me.

Found Marianne's by accident. It reminded me of Bud's Ice Cream and Mitchell's Ice Cream in San…read moreFrancisco. Very crowded...packed parking lot...long line outside the door that moves very quickly. We grabbed a number and waited our turn...just a few minutes. Looked over the menu of flavors while we waited. So many flavors to choose from...the flavors we choose were very tasty. By the time we ordered, got, and paid for our ice cream, seats had opened up. Everything you want in an ice cream...rich, creamy, flavorful. We enjoyed every bit our scoops.

Love Marianne's from the grocery store, an even better experience is visiting their brick & mortar…read moreshop. My visit took place on a warm and sunny afternoon, lots of guests waiting to taste delicious ice cream. Lines moved fairly quickly. Remember to grab a number upon entering. Shoutout to Sophia (in training according to her name tag). She provided the best service I've had in a long time as she patiently explained their vast menu selection and exchanged genuine interactions. The double junior was the perfect size with 2 different flavors. I opted for the pistachio cardimon and the Oregon blackberry. I had a few bites of caramel/mocha flavors, which were slightly too sweet for me. Regardless, I feel you can't go wrong with any of their flavors and they provide samples. The inside is pretty cute with its retro flooring and wall decor. Plenty of tables to sit and enjoy. Small parking lot, but ample street parking around the shop. Looking forward to visiting Marianne's again next time I'm in Santa Cruz. #12/2026

Went here with my husband for walking in the neighborhood and had the ice cream was delicious! Good…read morecustomer service and even people in general are friendly here in Santa Cruz. We got peach flavor which had real peach pieces, wasn't too sweet and we had popcorn (A pick from my husband) I was reluctant to have it but it ended up being one of my favorites! Highly recommend. Very good quality ice cream, Good Prices and Good Customer service. Do it.

We were walking down the main street when a downpour came, we found this place to wait for the rain…read moreto let up and I was glad we did! I'm not a big sorbet fan, but the mango sorbet was very good. I had an americano to go and that blew a lot of the other coffee I had away. This is a great place to refuel!

My family and I have tried lots of cookies from all over the Monterey and South Bay Area…read more We happened to stumble upon this place yesterday and will never eat another cookie brand again. They are the best. Oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and the chocolate chip were outstanding Well with the trip and don't forget to look for the day old bags of 6 cookies for $7.50

I've come here multiple times to get ice cream, which is absolutely delicious. This time I decided…read moreto try the peanut butter chip cookie and was a little disappointed. The cookie was pretty dry and crumbly, which I think is their style, but I personally didn't really like it too much. It also didn't have too much peanut butter flavor. Good amount of chocolate chips though.

Stumbled upon this place on a pretty warm day in Santa Cruz, and wanted to give it a try. There…read morewere a few people in front of us, but it did not take too long for it to be our turn. I tried a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of their coconut flavor. It was very delicious and refreshing. They also have pizza on some days, but we were not able to try. I would definitely recommend and I am excited to go back and try more flavors!

Cute and locally-owned shop in downtown Santa Cruz. There are a number of Italian ice flavors and…read moresome coffee selections such as Affogato. Owner was helpful and shared the story of his father behind the name of his shop. We ordered a large that comes with up to 4 flavor scoops. The kids enjoyed the mango a d pineapple flavors. The affogato with a small scoop of salted caramel just didn't hit the mark with an underwhelming scoop of Italian ice that doesn't do the same as a scoop of traditional vanilla ice cream plus a disproportionate amount of bitter coffee. Prices are average. An okay spot if you need a cool treat and can't get to the local premium ice cream shop.

Why!!! Don't leave us! Damn I loved this place. Thanks for the amazing ice cream Nicos you will be…read moremissed.

On a hot summer day (they do exist in Santa Cruz), Yelp promoted Nico's to me -- likely because I'm…read morean ice cream fiend. (AI, y'all) A few weeks later we were in downtown SC and decided to try it out -- so glad we did. It's a small operation with brightly colored walls and a few stools to sit on. They make every serving by hand. This is fresh fruit whipped into a vanilla ice cream base which they claim it's healthier than traditional ice cream -- probably true. Ordering is simple: 1. Choose size base on the container 2. Chose one of four flavors 3. Add toppings or not We tried raspberry with coconut flakes and strawberry with rainbow sprinkles. Both were very good but the strawberry tasted fruitier and was a little sweeter so wins by a hair. On Thursdays they have tropical flavors -- I'm coming back for banana and mango. The attendant was helpful and friendly, and truly seemed to believe in their mission. One caveat: the ice cream is relatively expensive. I think it's worth it however.

I was craving ice cream and so glad The Penny Ice Creamery had a vegan flavor. I had the vegan dark…read morechocolate ice cream and it was delish! They have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Fantastic location and good vibes here! The dark choc dairy free option was SO good! My husband and…read moreI each had one scoop w the toasted almonds. Such a yummy treat on a chill Sunday eve spent strolling along the downtown streets!

This one was difficult. It was really closer to a 2.5 for me, but with all of the other ice cream…read moreplaces around town, Cruz Creamery just really misses the spot. Ultimately, we came here because the other one that we wanted to go to down the street had a line into the parking lot. In hindsight, we probably should have just waited. The ice cream here just didn't stand out. It melted too quickly-almost like it wasn't really kept cold cold. The flavors meshed together and didn't really pop and you know something is odd when after going through 4 flavors, the lady up front say, "that's the best", or "that's one of my favorites" to each and every one of them. Getting your order mixed up was also a deduction. I wanted a brownie sundae and because she was out of hot fudge, asked if that could be replaced with caramel. I said yes, but ended up just getting a caramel sundae without the brownies?! Unfortunately I didn't notice until after I sat down with my sundae to which point, I just didn't care enough to get it fixed. The place seemed dingy and confused. With ice cream, but froyo, it could be a bit confusing. Overall, it just didn't seem genuine. There are too many ice cream shops around and to call this one a local and community focused ice cream shop seems like a bit of a stretch to me.

Cool dessert shop offering lovely lounge seating, ample space, a froyo station with a variety of…read moretoppings in the yogurt bar, and plenty of ice cream flavors in the display case, including vegan and sorbet options. There were 4 types of chocolate available, but no dark chocolate. I opted for a double chocolate fudge brownie milkshake. They didn't have lowfat milk but the worker was friendly and offered to put less milk. Strangely, the shake ended up being on the watery side. It also wasn't quite filled to the top, and even got foamy at the surface. But it was delicious nonetheless.

This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

Pros: Service was friendly, the setting was very romantic…read more Cons: I don't mind paying for a nice dinner, but (and I really hate to say this) the food was quite disappointing. We ordered: - pasta pork bolognese: Large portion but it was just ok. - miso salmon fillet: my SO enjoyed this. Wasn't overcooked so still nice and buttery. Nice flavor. Might just be me but rather small portion for around $30? With sides come out to about $40. I may be unfair to the here given the outrageous rent they most likely pay here. - broccoli entree: regular broccoli, no char (streamed?) and sauce was meh and didn't come with the fried garlic topping as mentioned. Honestly came off as (some) sauce and frozen broccoli for $13. Again, maybe it's the rent driving the prices up but I truly think they could do at least a bit better. - chocolate orange tequila, glass of wine: admittedly we are out of our depth to comment on these. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and I don't regret going, but unfortunately most likely won't be returning. We've been so excited to go too :/