I was just reminded on a Facebook post that Humphry Slocombe is celebrating their 17th anniversary. Time definitely flies because I remember when I treated myself to a scoop of their Secret Breakfast more than a handful of times in their early days. Over the intervening years, I've visited on an irregular basis branching out to other tempting flavors. I've never had a bad flavor among the dozens they offer at any one time. Honestly it's all great. I have to admit I had an unintentional moratorium since their original location on Harrison in the Mission sadly closed more than a year ago, so I was pleased to patronize their tiny Elmwood location. The $6.25 single cup of Pumpkin Galette was a nice, creamy treat on a brisk winter evening (Photo 6). On a subsequent visit, I went for one of my favorite guilty pleasures, Vietnamese Coffee (Photo 5). Seventeen years and still going strong. ICE CREAM - 5 stars...always the right consistency and sweetness AMBIANCE - 4 stars...pretty compact space SERVICE - 4.5 stars...the right attitude TOTAL - 5 stars...they'll be around for years, I hope RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://yelp.to/EZ3mpHckP3 read more

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Every month we drive to the Elmwood section of Berkeley and get a haircut, then go for maguro and unagi donburi bowls then drive home. This time we passed by an ice cream shop called Humphreys Slocombe. These were names of our favorite characters (Mr Humphreys and Mrs Slocombe) from one of our British comedies,"Are You Being Served". ) How could we not stop by. The shop was opened so we decided to try their ice cream. We sampled several of their flavors and wanted the Strawberry Matcha with White Chocolate pieces, Vietnamese Coffee and the Chocolate Toffee Kahlua ice creams . Each scoop was expensive, but the ice cream was delicious!! We are going back next month to try their new flavors. read more

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I love earl grey ice cream so I will always rate it highly. The flavor was pretty strong, but not too strong. Also the ice cream was nice and creamy and not too hard so it was easy to eat read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - SF Fog (earl grey) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Friend treated us to yummy ice cream. One taste of the echo and knew that's what I was gonna order. The mint was very minty and ice cream was creamy. Loved the blue color too. Hot chocolate flavor was meh and vanilla was ok. read more

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My friend recommended Humphry to me recently when I was in the neighborhood. Located in Elmwood, Humphry is a great place to try when you're in town. The interior was clean and inviting, and the flavors were innovative. They also offer milkshakes, affogatos, and more. We ordered a single scoop of coffee ice cream and a single scoop of peanut butter fudge ripple ice cream. Both were very flavorful and complimented each other well. If I had gotten a double scoop, I would've definitely paired these two flavors together. The coffee was strong but not overwhelming, and the peanut butter was sweet and salty. The person scooping the ice cream was respectful and encouraged sampling the flavors. Great service! I would absolutely recommend this place and look forward to returning soon. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple Ice Creampeanut - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Highly recommend their lavender crumble! It was weird how the color was more blue than... lavender but the flavors said otherwise. Pretty sure there were little bits of actual lavenders too because we had these random intense bursts of flavors. One thing that is hard to overlook is the price tag. You're going to pay $7 for a single scoop of ice cream after tax. It's not a big scoop mind you.. happy stomach, sad wallet. read more

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After eating dinner downtown, my friends and I didn't want to call it a night until we got ice cream. Even though we were cutting it close with timing, we were surprised to see there was still a line out the door at Humphry Slocombe about 30 minutes before the shop closed. The line moved quickly, though, and I found myself at the front of the line in a couple of minutes. The shop had run out of sample spoons and several flavors, so I had to trust my gut and go with the black sesame ice cream (my go-to). The generous scoop of black sesame ice cream hit the spot, and I was so happy to find a shop that reliably offers black sesame (rather than it being a seasonal or specialty flavor). There were many other flavors that looked tempting (Secret Breakfast or Matchadoodle, for example), so I'm sure I'll be back soon to sample those. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Black Sesame Ice Cream small scoop (left) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Their ice cream flavors are pretty good. So far ive tried the matcha, secret breakfast, and graham. Id give 4 stars but minus a star because I ordered an ice cream cake from here recently, and the ice cream does not taste good at all neither did the cake part. It just tastes like it has been sitting in the freezer a long time. Not worth $45 and actually kind of embarrassing because I bought it for someone's birthday thinking the quality would be as good as the ice cream served in store. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Walked out disappointed because there weren't a lot of options to choose from (at least the flavors that I enjoyed). Also, I felt rushed when placing my order, could be a busy day. On the flip side, the brownie tasted better than I thought. read more

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i love the variety of ice cream flavors offered here! luckily they allow you to try samples here, so you can try some if you can't decide. it's a relatively small shop with little space to sit, but it's perfect for grabbing a sweet treat and window shopping on college ave. i went with the salted caramel cocoa nib, and it was creamy and sweet! my friend got vanilla, and she found the ice cream a tad too sweet! read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Cocoa Nib Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

For $7.50 got one scoop of the earl grey tea with cake ice cream on a fancy waffle cone. I love earl grey tea but this ice cream did not taste good and the pieces of cake were like the mass produced ice cream bits. Moreover, the waffle cone was rock hard inedible. I had to throw out the entire cone!! I sure miss Botts ice cream that used to be on College Avenue years ago. I would have returned the ice cream but the store closed after we bought for a break I guess for the one person working there. read more

Having first tasted Humphry Slocombe in 2009 while visiting San Francisco it was exciting to learn the brand has since expanded to the East Bay. Owned by Jake Godby and Sean Vahey, the plain-Jane appearance of their Mission flagship transported to Berkeley with equal nonchalance, it was in perusing twelve flavors with tastes of five that decisions became easy - a single scoop of Cinnamon Roll nearly as good as Jeni's while Secret Breakfast in Espresso with Bourbon Caramel still sees caramelized Cereal shine through with a yeasty linger. read more

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Service was great! They have interesting flavors (e.g. "Secret Breakfast" and "Hong Kong Milk Tea"), and they give student discounts. Overall, great spot! The ice cream is pretty good, too :P read more

Good ice cream, friendly staff! Most flavors are more basic but they have some interesting ones too, strwbry oreo, chai biscoff, and sesame.

Friend recommended this place after dinner and decided to try it out! A cute little shop with creative flavors. Pleasantly surprised they let us have samples and the staff running the shop was super accommodating. Ended up getting the Rosé All Day flavor which was unique and tasty (not too strong, but you could definitely tell it was rosé flavored). My friend ended up getting their corn flake cereal flavor and happy with her decision. Not too big of a shop, but the atmosphere is nice and casual. A little on the pricier end, but the trade off is a decent sized scoop and non-traditional flavors to try. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Menu - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Even if it is cold, Good ice cream is a must. Ate at a restaurant down the street, but had to come here for dessert. We had: honey graham, Pretty Woman (champagne and strawberry). read more

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Very unique I feel. We went after having some dinner and this seemed to be the recommended in the zone. It was actually quiet cold but the inside was at a right temperature to enjoy our cold treat. I went with my brother and both opted for the Frozen flavour. It has a nice fresh citrusy taste to it and the waffle cone was nice and warm. The service was very direct, nothing too special but was offered services with a smile and good fortune. My only downside is the place is limited in the interior seating which would be nice to enjoy but it's an odd feeling knowing you're the only one there. Overall I felt it was affordable and nice for what inexperienced. 51B, 79 AC transit buses pass by and nearest BART station is Rockridge. read more

The ice cream is great. This 1 star is for the woman working the shop alone on 12/30 at 3 PM. She gets zero stars for customer service. We went with our two kids and grandma. The shop had no other customers during our entire ordering and service interaction. We entered the store and she went on living her life. No hello, no let me know if you have questions, not a word. I asked if they do samples purely to nudge her into engaging with us - we live in the neighborhood and come all the time, I know they do samples. Her reply was "you can have two." I have never known them to have or enforce a limit, especially with no other customers in sight, but okay sure - maybe she's just enforcing policy. Still a bit of a rude reply, but alas. We sample a few things, and try to order the peppermint brownie Sunday, a holiday special. Our bored friend tells us "I'm out of the brownie soooooo..." okay, just ice cream then. We order a scoop and ask for marshmallow fluff on it. She's also out of fluff. Still bored, still annoyed by our very existence in the store. My 6yo is disappointed but is okay with fudge instead, so we switch to that. Now she's super annoyed, and with a theatrical sigh tells me that she is going to have to put the fudge in a separate cup because I've already touched my ice cream cup. Okay! Sure. Humphry's ice cream still slaps. Too bad this person doesn't seem to want to work there. read more

The 1st time I walked by it had a back in 25 minute sign. It was a nice brisk afternoon and I needed a Secret Breakfast scoop to kick off my Weekend that warm Friday afternoon. I had walked around and waited that additional 25 minutes to grab my scoop. It was only closed briefly because the gal was on a break. I loved ample scoop the gal had given and definitely will be back for more of their flavors. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Must be out to lunch - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Bad and bizarre service. Was sitting inside with a friend talking quietly around 9PM on Friday, well before the closing time on the sign. Confusingly, an employee told us that they were closing and had to leave, but we didn't question her and went outside to sit. She closed the door behind us and flipped the sign. Less than ten minutes later several people walked up to the entrance and she came out and served them. From then on she left the door open as well. We have no idea why we told to leave when the store was clearly NOT closing and it has honestly never happened to us before. We were not being disruptive in the least, and as the only customers inside at the time, it wasn't as though we were taking up space during a crowded time. From the looks of other negative reviews, the service here has had persistent issues and management has done nothing about it. We will not be back. read more

I love their ice cream and all their employees so far have been super nice. The prices hurt me as a poor student haha but they have a stamp card and good promos for buying pints sometimes. My favorites are peanut butter fudge ripple, tahitian vanilla, and matchadoodle. I am usually not the hugest vanilla person but theirs is very strong and natural with slightly salty notes that's addicting. The neighborhood is also super cute and peaceful for Berkeley. read more

A convenient local spot for all of us folks in Elmwood. The shop is small but very adorable. Easy to get in and out. They always have a long list of flavors and I can walk out happier than when I came in. Pints are always easy to grab too, especially when only a scoop won't do the trick. HS is a great Bay Area brand and I'm glad there's one just steps away from us! read more

Such a cute ice cream shop located in Elmwood! The inside is small and has a large variety of flavors to try from. They're all super unique and I tried the Secret Breakfast which is what they're known for. It kind of tastes like an oatmeal cookie + caramel as an ice cream flavor!! Definitely come here if you want to experiment w ice cream flavors. You can tell it's really high quality and just an overall great scoop of ice cream . read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Secret Breakfast Ice Cream - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Really cute ice cream shop! I got honey graham with graham crackers. Right now, it's my favorite ice cream flavor. The texture is great and flavors are so unique. I can't wait to try more flavors! read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Honey Graham (with graham crackers) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

The ice cream I tried was delicious. And the service was great. I don't happen to care for a lot of "stuff" or bread-like items in my ice cream, so that knocked out quite a few of their featured flavors. However, as I said, the ice cream was delicious, so I would recommend it. read more

Shoutout to Harper!! The girl working here was amazing :D I came into the store and I know for other locations they limit the sample size. When I asked though she said I was welcome to try any which was so sweet!! I tried 2 flavors which she told me were new seasonal specials for Valentines Day coming up. Try the Red Velvet flavor and Nutella! They're so tasty AND apparently there's student discounts? I didn't even know that existed here. Harper was so friendly and we were vibing so well! She took great care of my friend who came with me too. 100/10 service from her! Give her a raise and extra tips cause I've never felt more welcomed at an ice cream place :D read more

Fave ice cream in the east bay, and I don't think it's close. Came around 9pm on a weekday and it wasn't busy. They let you try lots of samples. Service is good. Got 2 pints(and you get 3 small servings of strawberry white choc chip for free 5/5) - cornflake crunch (4/5) and something that was a mix of 2 things including tumeric 5/5. I was in the mood for cornflakes and it didn't disappoint. However, I wasn't a big fan of the syrup. Just got too hard to eat really quick. Otherwise, their ice cream is on point. read more

For a double scoop and a waffle cone that was 9 dollars, I would expect the ice cream to not be freezer burnt. The waffle cone was thick and dense, difficult to chew, and stale. The flavors themselves were good, especially the matcha n cookies, and so was our service. read more

Nothing embodies a warm summer like ice cream. Definitely couldn't pass up a chance for a scoop even during COVID times. My new favorite flavor: cookies + graham. Who knew olive oil would pair so well with cookies? The olive oil was light-bodied, owing to its subtle flavor. I think the cookie chunks dominated the overall flavor, but added to the variation in texture quite nicely. The creaminess of the ice cream rivaled that of Salt + Straw, the purveyor of some of the finest and creamiest ice cream I've ever had. I was a huge fan of cookies + graham, which surprised me since I never really cared for many Humphrey Slocombe flavors to begin with (they always seemed too outlandish for me; case in point, secret breakfast). Since this flavor is probably offered for a limited time, I know when I'm back it may no longer be there, so I hope that there's another flavor that'll impress me as much as this one did. No pressure, but the next flavor definitely has a tough act to follow. **fyi no samples are given at this time read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Cookies + graham :) - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Even though it was very busy, they allowed our group of 6 to try as many flavors as we liked. 5 of us got ice cream of which 3 ordered the honey graham and 2 the malted milk chocolate and both were very good! Highly recommend both flavors and to definitely try out all their unique flavors. This was our first time here and they have a lot for sale, lots of to go items, lots of ice cream and sundae options, etc. Our staff member was very patient and took her time with each group so we had great service in my opinion. Cost was average for the area. I don't believe they have a restroom for customers. They also sell coffee, cookies, and drinks here, not just ice cream. Location is on the main street and it has street parking and a nearby lot is available too. read more

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The cutest ice cream shop! Love how friendly the workers are, most of them are working students. Humphry Slocombe has unique flavors like the toasted marshmallow and matcha-doodle that aren't as sweet as normal ice cream but still very delicious. They have a good student discount and it's a great business to support. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Matcha & Coffee - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Time was running out. My partner wanted to get me some good ice cream before they closed in 10 minutes. The person behind the counter said if we had proof of vaccination for Covid we could each get a pint of their black label--we both scored!!! We each got a carton of their Corn Flake Crunch. Then I got 2 HUGE scoops in a Waffle cone: Peanut Butter Fudge Ripple (they even make the fudge there), and yummy Salted Caramel Cocoa Nibs. They make their delicious ice cream there in small batches. read more

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Yum! I giggled as I walked away with my stacked waffle cone. The scoops are tasty boulders of sweet cold goodness. There were two vegan options and pints to go as well. The flavors are interesting. What ever scoops you decide on, you'll walk away feeling like a big kid :) read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Double scoop in a waffle cone. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Although I was sad that this location no longer belonged to Ici, I'm glad another innovative ice cream shop popped up in its place. I first tried Humphrey Slocombe in SF so was excited to see this new location pop up in the Berkeley area. Known for their "secret breakfast" flavor (mix of all good things), they also have flavors such as Vietnamese Ice Coffee and my go-to which is the "Cookies and Graham" I ended up trying their new banana mochi flavor in collaboration with Third Culture (if you don't know them yet, look them up ASAP). It's a nice combo of a banana bread pudding taste with chunks of mochi muffin. The caramel added some additional sweetness that paired well. I can't say it'll be my new favorite scoop but it was worth trying since they paired with an awesome bakery that is popping up at your favorite boba and coffee shops. Prices do range on higher side of the scale for ~$5 a scoop but I think it's comparable to the other ice cream shops like Smitten, Milkbomb, and what Ici used to be. I'm generally good with a single scoop and they're pretty generous based on the times I've visited. Overall I thought this was a clean space, service was friendly, and flavors are outside the norm so worth a visit if you haven't been here already. read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Banana Mochi - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Server seemed a little annoyed, but the ice cream was really great, unique and creative flavors! Reasonably priced! read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Matchadoodle Ice Cream & Chocolate Dipped Strawberry - NEW - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

I feel sorry for a bad review but what a disappointing quality for a premium pricing: - over sweet ice cream; it's way sweeter than any other artisanal ice cream round - no split flavours - it's the first for me - terrible waffle cone - hard as a rock Disappointing experience and definitely going to zoom trough a few blocks over to Tara's next time and think of good all days when Icee was there. read more

Stopped by here with my friends and I absolutely loved it! I had the vietnamese iced coffee single scoop (paid $5.25 for it) and it was so good! The ice cream was creamy and the ice cream actually tasted more on the caramel side. I honestly liked it though because viet iced coffee can get pretty strong and bitter at times. Even though the price for one scoop was on the high end, I personally think it was worth every penny for this. Another thing was that I was scared my lactose intolerance would attack me after ingesting this but looks like it didn't! Extra points for not making my stomach hurt read more

Humphry Slocombe - Berkeley - Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - Berkeley, California

Sadly no samples at the moment, but I tried the Secret Breakfast (bourbon + cornflakes) flavor, and it was good. It was a little strange at first but grew on me, and I ended up really liking it. The cornflakes were surprisingly a little savory but in a good way. 1 scoop is $5 and 2 scoops are $7. There isn't much of a seating area except for 1 or 2 small benches outside. read more

I'm getting better at not letting the nostalgic in me prevent me from loving new places. Although nothing (maybe) can replace my favorite rose orange cardamom flavor from Ici, I think Humphry Slocombe is doing a great job of filling the void left after their abrupt closure! I actually think I might find new favorite flavors. The price is comparable (~$5 for a split single), the employees were friendly, and there currently aren't long lines going down the block deterring me from getting a scoop! I loved the flavors we sampled and my favorite so far is Secret Breakfast. I feel they've got a variety of flavors for every craving - chocolatey, fruity, somewhat less sweet, dairy-free, etc. For those not familiar with the Elmwood area, street parking can be somewhat difficult in this area but there are lots of residential streets with free 2-hour parking if you don't mind walking a few blocks. This place is too small to have a bathroom and there's no seating so be prepared for that! It's like getting a new pet after your last one ran away- you still feel some love for the old one and you were kinda hoping it would come back, but THEY left YOU so you have to give yourself a chance to move on. Humphry Slocombe is letting us do just that! I'll be back. read more

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The woman working alone on 1/11 at 9:20pm had a line of 3 groups. The line was not moving and by the time she ended up helping the next group it was 9:27 (they close at 9:30) and she told everyone that that was her last transaction of the night and she would not be helping anyone else who had been waiting. She was extremely passive aggressive and wouldn't give her name to the group in front of us who asked and were annoyed, as they'd been waiting longer. Normal businesses just close the door at closing to avoid letting new customers in. There are easy ways to handle closing without coming across so poorly and upsetting people. She wasted our time, but I am so glad she didn't have us waste hers! I hope she had a stupendous last few minutes of her shift. read more