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The Pop Nation

4.5 (45 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Aileen M.

My daughter and I tried Pop Nation while shopping at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire. All of the popsicle flavors sounded interesting: Orange vanilla cream, sea salted dark chocolate, watermelon mint, bourbon peach, coconut, and Bangkok night market. We decided on the bourbon peach (delicate peach flavor with a hint of bourbon) and Bangkok night market (coconut milk with ginger and turmeric). Both were refreshing and delicious. Since we shared, I'm happy to report the two flavors go well with each other too!

Sea Salt Dark Chocolate
Carl F.

I'm a simple guy. There's really only a few things to know about me and one of them is that I'm ALWAYS in the mood for popsicles. I can't turn 'em down. Unless they're that awful double-wide/double stick kind because I don't care who you are, that's just too much girth for one mouth. Anyway, I found The Pop Nation at the Alameda Antiques Fair and you know I couldn't pass it up. My friends were really interested in making our way through the market but I demanded a pop break to give us the strength and energy to power through the day. They didn't have a ton of flavors in their little cart but they had a good a decent selection of basic and creative flavors that ensured something for everyone. I was between the spicy Bangkok Night Market and the Sea Salted Dark Chocolate, but ultimately went with the chocolate because sometimes ovulation calls the shots. It tasted like a less chemical-y Fudgesicle (my fave) and I guess that makes sense since The Pop Nation uses all natural ingredients. My only regret is not just going for it and getting both flavors but the heat and melting effects for sure factored into my one pop stop decision, and also, they're $3 each and I'm pretty sure they only take cash and I only had $4, soooo...

Tom M.

The air conditioning broke down in our building. My boss asked me, the meeting planner, if I could arrange for popsicles to be delivered. Of course I could, but I didn't want to have just ANY popsicle. I always treat myself to a popsicle at the Pop Nation stand at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and I have often hoped I could get them down for an event at work. Now I had an opportunity. I got 10 flavors and it was a big hit!! Plus all their flavors are gluten-free and vegan. And DELICIOUS!

Pops delivered in a disposable cooler
J F.

We hired Pop Nation to supply my children's birthday party with some tasty desserts. To save some money we chose to go with just a delivery of the pops instead of having a worker distribute it from a fancy cooler. Unfortunately, they weren't able to deliver to the actual site of the party due to schedule conflicts. Instead they delivered the cooler of pops to my residence and I just brought it to the site. We were given an option to pick 6 flavors. I probably should've went with 4. The guests enjoyed the dark chocolate and strawberries n creme. Creamy ube was a little disappointing. The pops went for around $2.90 each. It was a bit pricey, but overall the pops were a success.

Kevin Y.

Pop Nation makes awesome ice pops! I tired the Banana Puddin' and it was pretty damn tasty! My girlfriend had the Sea Salted Dark Chocolate and she enjoyed hers as well! We stumbled upon the Pop Nation cart on Valencia Street during Sunday Streets and those frozen pops really hit the spot on that warm, sunny day in the Mission. Friendly service and good value overall. I look forward to the next time I come across Pop Nation so I can try more of their unique and imaginative flavors! =)

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Delicious popsicles. Interesting flavors. Pleasant vendor.

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Lucky to have run into Pop Nation at Maker Faire 2018 again! So good!

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Ask the Community - The Pop Nation

Review Highlights - The Pop Nation

“I'm confident that there are few things better on an 80+ degree day in the Mission than a popsicle.”

Mentioned in 12 reviews

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A Buttercup Dessert House - We will open in September

A Buttercup Dessert House

4.3(248 reviews)
4.1 km•Mission
•$$

Although they don't serve variations of buttercups, A Buttercup is one of the few dessert houses…read moreoffering Taiwanese-style treats like Bingsoo, Milk Bread Toast, and other Asian fusion creations. I'm always hunting for spots like this because I have a weakness for those over-the-top, Instagram-worthy desserts that look like diabetes in a dish. Like most places in this genre, A Buttercup is small, modern, and minimalist with limited seating. If you plan to go, aim for off-hours unless you enjoy waiting in line for sugar. The decor is cute and trendy, perfect for photos if that's part of your dessert ritual. As they say, "you eat with your eyes first," and when it comes to presentation, this place definitely gets an A+. The desserts look stunning and set high expectations. Unfortunately, that's where things started to crumble. It's like going to see your favorite artist live. You've watched the videos, memorized the songs, and paid for the experience. But instead of the electric performance you imagined, you get someone lip-syncing and barely connecting with the crowd. That was this place in dessert form. We ordered the Mango Bingsoo on our first visit, and when it arrived, we were surprised by how small the portion was. The guy next to us even looked over and said, "Whatever that is, I'm getting that next time." He shouldn't have. The Bingsoo looked great but was bland, and the "snow" was more chunky ice than soft shave. The Thai Tea Roti was also not what I expected. It came with Thai tea ice cream and sauce alongside a roti that was fried to a crunch. Interesting idea, just not the best execution. The sauce and ice cream needed a stronger Thai tea flavor to balance the crispy roti, and the flavors never quite came together. Overall, A Buttercup nails the aesthetics but misses the flavor. If you're here for the photos, you'll be happy. If you're here for the taste, you'll leave with a full camera roll and an unsatisfied sweet tooth.

We got the pandan roti, which was fantastic! The roti itself was super flaky and crispy, and I…read moreloved the combo of the roti + spoonful of ice cream with a bit of the pandan drizzle. The coconut strips were also the perfect addition. Super decadent and overall the perfect sweet treat I agree with the other reviews that portions + presentation are a bit disappointing, but it was still undeniably tasty food

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A Buttercup Dessert House
A Buttercup Dessert House - Menu 1 of 2

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Milkbomb Ice Cream - ube & banana rocky road ice cream in ube pandesal

Milkbomb Ice Cream

4.7(927 reviews)
4.1 km•Potrero Hill
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The place had a variety of flavors, especially asian flavors. The bread selection was cool too,…read morewith ube pandesal, glazed/sugar/cinnamon, concha, and brioche. Service: The owner is nice; he's operating by himself, so please be patient when a line occurs. There are no free samples to minimize line wait times, and more. Ambiance: Located in a courtyard with outdoor ordering. Ordered slightly after 6 pm on a Saturday, and quite a line developed behind me. Milkbomb sandwich $15 (5/5): Ordered with ube and hojicha in ube pandesal. This was delicious! Can choose up to 2 flavors to be put into bread of choice, and it's pressed together, then cut in half. They're pretty big, so you can share with someone. It's pricey, but I think it's worth splitting it.

I really enjoyed the sandwich. The textures work very well together, the ube flavor was delicious…read more The ice cream was very sweet but didn't feel coy like an overly sweet Boba. The service was good, and I went at night when there wasn't a long line. There are a couple of tables outside to sit. However, it does feel a bit pricey and I hear the line is super long at times. And the matcha ice cream barely tasted like matcha. There isn't much decor to speak of, it's a store front only and no interior. And the sign for "reasons we don't give samples" is funny but feels excessive. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though and will likely come again.

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Milkbomb Ice Cream - Thai tea+ube in an ube pandesal and matchavocado+ube in a glazed donut

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NaYa Dessert Cafe

NaYa Dessert Cafe

4.1(821 reviews)
6.3 km•Hayes Valley
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Vegetarian friendly
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Been wanting to try this FOREVER and finally got a chance to. I heard lots about the mango tango…read moreand honestly thought the mango would be the main part of the dish that I'd like but WOW that ice was top tier did not know it can be so good. Also did not expect to like the sticky rice but that too was a hit. They said they were out of the big size so they gave us the smaller one which is good for two people. Definitely coming back and honestly will try other stuff here too next time.

Super cute spot with good vibes, long wait even on a Tuesday night but we were able to be seated…read moreimmediately outside since we were willing to brave the SF chill. Ordered the Thai Tea brick toast which was pretty good and the toast structure held up well under the thai tea glaze, but I thought it honestly could've used a little more of the thai tea drizzle on it. The ice cream was a little more bitter than I expected but provided a nice contrast in texture and temperature. The Mango Sticky Rice shaved ice was very beautiful in concept but the presentation of the mango being sliced made it difficult to enjoy on top of the shaved ice, and someone (me) had to manually cut the pieces off and put them on top of the shaved ice. The sticky rice itself was quite good and the warm chewiness was a good complement to the rest of the dish.

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Dandelion Chocolate - Iced Chocolate Chai and Chocolate Milk

Dandelion Chocolate

4.4(1.9k reviews)
4.7 km•Mission
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On a recent visit, a close friend introduced me to Dandelion Chocolate for the special reasons this…read moreplace holds for them. It ended up being one of my favorite stops in the city, and I really look forward to coming back soon. It's an easy one to get to on a walk in the area. It feels like a cafe or coffee roaster, so modern and clean, but with a clear love of everything chocolate. I'm told on the weekends it gets super busy thanks to their menu of chocolate infused everything including coffees and teas. On the left to the inside is their full range of bars, which includes a placard with the location of the cacao and tasting notes. There are also free samples of everything, and the servers can help you with questions. They even have little tasting sheets for notes if you want to get serious and remember for future visits. They have a few tables and bar seating at the front, with more bar seating along the back right leading to the clean restrooms. Here you'll also find educational displays about chocolate and viewing windows to the roasting and processing rooms. Even though it was afternoon, it was so much fun to order things with caffeine just for the sheer joy of it. We had the chocolate milk, I had a chocolate infused black tea, we shared a special new bar, and were given their signature tiny cookies. Prices are reasonable for the quality, both the drinks and the bar. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, they clearly love the place as much as we do.

Dandelion has been around since '10, and they offer various bars, toffee, baked goods, and even…read moregift boxes of various collections! I ordered several Bars, Bonbons, & Butter Toffee Collection from a recently work trip while out in SF, and they were such a hit! Each box is beautifully packaged and wrapped, and you just need to pop it in to a nice gift bag with some tissue paper, and you're all set! Each gift box contains sing-original chocolate bars, NeoCocoa, sea salt caramels, and Christopher Elbow chocolates (which are macadeamia and hazelnut praline bonbons). Definitely worth checking them out if you're looking for a gift for one that has a sweet tooth! +gift boxes +beautifully packaged

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Maruwu Seicha - mango matcha latte (10/2024)

Maruwu Seicha

4.3(762 reviews)
7.3 km•Japantown, Lower Pacific Heights
•$$
Women-owned & operated
Certified professionals

inside japan town, right when you walk in…read more self order on ipad available. fast and straight forward sometimes the line could be long. for ice cream you can usually taste the quality milk / cream or not. this spot definitely use the quality milk/ cream. ice cream is very smooth, not too sweet, balanced well when mixed with matcha, and some powder on top.

A near 5- start experience!! I just wanted a traditional matcha latte and they delivered! The…read morematcha flavors were strong and well mixed into the milk at an appropriate ratio. I typically don't add any sweeteners but was surprised at how their high quality milk had a little bit of sweetness (perhaps from the lactose?) that balanced the matcha nicely. The matcha americano with matcha snow top was also impressive. The americano was nicely mixed to begin with and paired well with the creamy, slightly sweet and slightly salty matcha cream without compromising the matcha bitterness. There were two lines - one for the kiosk and the other for staff. Since the latter line was shorter I thought I could get my order in early but the lady was *struggling* to get my orders straight and I had to repeat multiple times + she ultimately had to ask her co-workers how to edit. If it wasn't for this, I would have probably given them a 5. Drinks came out at a reasonable time but wish they cleaned the extra cream off the side. Despite the logistical hiccups I enjoyed my matcha drinks and would come back if I was craving matcha and in the area again.

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Maruwu Seicha - Hōjicha Latte Cheese Foam, 1/2 sweet ($6.30)

Hōjicha Latte Cheese Foam, 1/2 sweet ($6.30)

Maruwu Seicha - Matcha + Hokkaido Milk Swirl Soft Serve and Matcha Tea with Snow Top

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Golden Gate Bakery - Happiness is a fresh, warm dan tat from Golden Gate bakery

Golden Gate Bakery

4.3(3.7k reviews)
7.6 km•Chinatown
•$$

Heard about this place and I'm so glad it was open today! Usually there's only one item for sale…read moreon any given day, and the menu item for today was Moon Cake. I hadn't had a traditional one yet this year, so that was a plus for me. Normally I'm not crazy about the nut moon cakes, but this one was terrific! It was the best moon cake I've had in a while - regular lotus seed with yolk and nuts. The lady at the bakery reminded me of an "auntie" and she was super friendly! Even though today was moon cake, I took a chance and asked if she had any wife cake (Low Po Behng). Unfortunately she didn't, but we had a nice little conversation in Cantonese and it brought me back to childhood and Chinatown in L.A. back in the day. Some people might not like that it's closed (I think that's when she runs out or isn't baking that day) but that's just how it goes. It's nothing personal if someone drives a long way and it's closed. It sounds like sometimes the lines can be long (There was no line for us today - score!) but it's everyone's choice if they're willing to wait or not. It's a little place and you order through the door. To me, that just adds to the quirky adventure of it all. Next time I hope she has Low Po Behng!

FINALLY able to try the egg tarts from Golden Gate Bakery after numerous attempts. The hours are so…read moreunpredictable, and we honestly wouldn't have realized it was open if there wasn't a line on the sidewalk because the gates were still drawn. Took about 15-20 minutes to get through several people. We tried both the egg tarts ($3.50/ea) and the white lotus paste double egg yolk mooncake ($13). They don't use lard, so if you're vegetarian, snack away! Egg tart shell was super flaky and thin; custard was *very* egg-y. It was a little more like egg souffle than egg custard, and not as silky as I personally like. Still delicious though, 8/10. Mooncake was pretty solid and the filling had some surprise macadamia nuts in there, which added a nice texture. The skin wasn't my favorite, but I think that's just personal preference. Not too sweet. 7/10. Would come back to grab an egg tart if I ever happen to catch this place open again.

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Golden Gate Bakery - Egg tart!!

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The Pop Nation - streetvendors - Updated October 2026

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