Karma Cream

I cannot emphasize enough what a little oasis Karma Cream has been during my years as a student at UF. Whether a night of studying, a quick date, or a peaceful place to catch up with friends, Karma Cream cannot be beat. First of all, the food, drinks, and ice cream are amazing and perfect for more health-​conscious individuals. I love the breadth of available teas (all $ 2 a cup, which is a total steal) and the always changing but forever creative baked good selections (always with amazing organic, vegan, and gluten free options). The ice cream (available with and without dairy) is absolutely delicious (the lemon cookie being my personal favorite). Plus, the sandwiches are great too!
The atmosphere itself is quirky but inviting; small but with two levels and usually plenty of seating. Parking can be an issue, but the meters are usually available on weekdays, and community parking is lifted after four and on weekends (plus, if you’re a student, you can probably walk from campus depending on where you are)
But, MOST IMPORTANTLY, customer service is some of the best I’ve seen in Gainesville. The baristas are always so friendly and patient, and not only willing, but excited to help you make a decision! Interacting with them is always a breath of fresh air especially since every other (major) coffee shop in Gainesville is notorious for poor or subpar service.
This place will always be so special to me and I would recommend it to literally everyone

A great little ice cream shop for University Avenue, though I don’t go much as the prices are prohibitively expensive. My roommate does tell me that the coffee is worth its relatively cheap price.

I don’t make it up to Gainesville often, as it is 90 minutes away from me, but whenever I do I stop at Karma Cream. They have a cherry amaretto vegan ice cream that is fantastic. Unfortunately on my last visit they did not have it and nothing else there is even in the ballpark of it. The coffee selection is also good here. My only complaint is that the tables are too close together and you constantly hit the people behind you with any maneuver.

It’s been years since I last went to Karma Cream (not for any particular reason), but I decided to stop in for some ice cream after having lunch at Mother’s the other day. I got the vegan mixed berry ice cream. It was so creamy and tasty, and the texture was perfect. I could easily tell from the taste that it was made with coconut milk, but the coconut taste wasn’t overpowering, and it was sweet without being too sugary. I even tried some non-​vegan ice cream options before ordering, and I actually preferred the vegan ice cream to the dairy.
Upon noticing their lunch offerings, I decided to go back 2 days later to try some of their vegan sandwiches.
I ordered the Tofurkey club (made with tempeh bacon that had the taste and texture of real bacon). It was a huge sandwich stacked with lettuce and tomato and veganaise. It was so delicious and filling; I was pleasantly surprised. My husband got the vegan reuban, which was also incredible. Both sandwiches imitated their meat counterparts perfectly. We both felt this was some of the best vegan food we’ve had ever, if not just in Gainesville.
Of course, after our lunch, we had to try another dessert. We shared a cookie sandwich: you choose two of any of their cookies plus any flavor of ice cream to put between them. We both really wanted to try the Earl gray/​lavender cookies, and we got some vegan mint-​chocolate-​chip ice cream to go in between. It didn’t really work as a sandwich (for that, you should really choose the softer cookies, like chocolate chip), but we ended up eating one cookie, then the ice cream, then the other cookie, and all of it was so delicious. Those Early gray/​lavender cookies might be my new favorite cookie. What a surprise.
This is a great option for vegans/​vegetarians, but the food is accessible even for meat eaters. I can’t speak to their coffee options, but everything we’ve had there over the past week was so delicious that they’ve definitely earned our business. Plus, the store is quaint and comfortable, with local art on the walls and a very open, airy feeling. Great place to meet for a chat or to study.

The dairy ice cream was delicious! I tried both the green tea and pumpkin ice cream. Unfortunately the vegan flavors, which was the original reason for my visit, are only made with coconut milk. I was really hoping some would be made with either almond milk or soy milk since I don’t like coconut. I thought they would have more dessert here too but there was only a small case of a handful of options. I was also disappointed that the server, who took my order and handed me the ice cream, checked out the customer who came in after me before she completed mine.

I love love love this place. I am not vegan or vegetarian but this ice cream is amazing. I’ve been a couple times and have tried many of the flavors and they’re all delicious. The black cherry amaretto was incredible. They had green tea ice cream and the lemon cookie was great too.
They also have good desserts, beers, teas and sandwiches. They are always friendly and let you sample the ice creams. I love the atmosphere, the walls are decorated with local artwork and there’s a cute upstairs area. Don’t miss this one if you’re in Gainesville!

I love this place. Been back like 3 times in one month! The ice cream and all the baked goods are amazing! Staff is pleasant, and a descent place to study. I do have a couple issues though, if you are going to study you need to be okay with low lighting. Second I wish the food options had non-​vegan. Don’t get me wrong my first vegan sandwich, I was impressed, but it’s still not the same.
Not to mention the vegan food price is cheaper.
Bottom line: you can see me there again!

If I can’t think of anywhere else to go for dessert, Karma Cream is my go to. Quick, easy to get to right on University, and always have organic new flavors every once in awhile.
Staff here is friendly most of the time and the atmosphere always has students coming in to study along with getting a nice cup of coffee or ice cream.

Gave this place another try even tho the icecream is not made on site and staff has been less than friendly all but one time. Still felt like a fool for paying so much for organic vegan ice-​cream that is the Coconut Bliss brand. Ward’s, Lucky’s, Earth Origins, Earthfare, & now even Publix sell THE SAME ICE-​CREAM for MUCH less. Have not tried the vegan desserts or sat in the loft with all the teens and early 20-​somethings, so perhaps that’s why some customers rave about this establishment. There’s some interesting art on the walls, & it IS a plus that if u want delicious Coconut Bliss brand vegan ice-​cream after the stores close (the only time I go), this place is open. (I really should open a shop, give it an ice-​cream name, & sell Publix brand ice-​cream at a marked up price. Lol.)

I think that Karma Cream is a nice place to relax and enjoy some organic/​vegan ice cream. However, the employees are very rude and are not friendly at all. They give you dirty looks if you don’t buy something right away and don’t allow people to sit at their tables if they haven’t bought something. I understand that they are a business and have limited seating. However, kicking people out just because they haven’t bought something as soon as they walked through the door is not fair. At least be courteous and ask if they intend to buy something rather than just kicking them out. Because of my experience, I will not be coming back.

I love this place! Very relaxed ambiance and delicious sweets! I’m a non-​vegan but I personally think all of their vegan offerings taste delicious. I love the make your own sundae options, as well as the vegan milkshakes. The employees are always very nice, and they now have little punch cards to get free desserts when you purchase a certain amount which is nice. Pricing is steep for desserts, but at the same time you are paying for gourmet vegan food, which is usually expensive. The parking situation isn’t great, so be sure to ride your bike!

So many memories! A loyal customer of this place since 2011. Many many flavours of ice creams to try for and they keep adding new/​seasonal flavours from time to time. Noise level is never too high so it also makes it a good place just to read a book or maybe grade exams. But they have limited space so if you are a big group (more than 6), it might not be possible to find a place to sit together.
I am personally fan of the authentic indian chai with real spices. They offer free coffee or ice cream after 10 purchases (equivalent to 10% off for loyal customers) I have lost count of how many free ones I had so far.
I might be biased for this place because this where I met an amazing girl for our first date. I married her two and half years later.:)

I’ve been going to Karma Cream since about 2012. It’s seen me on visits from Tallahassee for Def Talent Jam, GoFest, a relationship with a Gator, and a break-​up from that same guy.
It has never let down. From Liz Lemon to Mexican Chocolate to those baked goods I see on Facebook all the way from Tallahassee, Karma Cream always been good to me. (I even risk my lactose-​intolerance here, sometimes. Oops.)
If I’m in Gainesville, you can bet your butt I’ll be here at least once. The ice cream flavors are unique, their baked goods are super yummy, their iced coffee comes with coffee cubes (which all iced coffee should have), and the employees have always been sweet and cool to have a little chat with.
More than anything, I wish we had one in Tallahassee. Stay cool, Karma Cream. Hope I see you soon.

The deserts are made by an talented expert baker. They first surprise you, they then melt in your mouth, they make you want to savor the experience and leave you craving another bite. The latte always better than Starbucks (creamy less bitter) & unlike the later they have almond milk! Feel good food so worth it!

On my once in a while trips to Gainesville with my boyfriend for his Army weekends, we’ve been meaning to stop by and try Karma Cream. He had an extra long lunch one day so we figured, «why not!?»
Let me just say, I regret not coming here sooner!
When we walked in, we started talking with the girl working behind the counter. She was really nice and super informative. She told us that the vegan ice cream has a coconut milk base, but most of the flavors make you think you’re eating actual dairy ice cream!
As someone who has issues ingesting dairy, it was really nice to see a HUGE variety of vegan desserts. I tried a couple varieties of the ice cream and finally decided on the vegan cappuccino ice cream… SO GOOD! They also have other vegan options including sandwiches and baked goods. They also serve coffee, which is reasonably priced and looked pretty darn good.
Another plus is that it’s a pretty decent sized space with a lot of art on the walls that are not only cool to look at, but you can also purchase if you want!
Even if you aren’t vegan, stop in and try what Karma Cream has to offer. If the idea of vegan ice cream weirds you out, they have plenty of dairy ice cream options as well.

On my second visit I got a small coffee ice cream topped with coconut whipped cream and it was so so GOOD!
Their ice cream always taste freshly made and is never too sweet.
The coffee had a strong flavor which I loved but also meant I struggle to finish a small serving. On other visits I’ve had their coconut ice cream and a friend swears by their earl grey ice cream.
Overall great ice cream, great service and great ambience.

I would kill to figure out how to get this place down to St Pete to my hood. Was in Gaineslville with some friends last night and someone suggested ice cream — which as a vegan, you know I am already groaning over. No, no, no they said, they have VEGAN ice cream. Which, by the way, usually means two flavors of bad soy ice cream. However I am a team player so I agreed to go.
OH. EM. GEE.
I walked in to the tiny shop on University and was presented with an ice cream case that was half filled with Vegan ice creams. More flavors than i knew what to do with. Honestly. Then I saw milk shakes… WTF??? With your choice of milk — including soy, almond and coconut.
After hemming and hawing about what to do with so many choices I finally settled on vegan salted caramel and chocolate ice cream with coconut milk to make a milk shake and of course they had coconut whipped cream to top it off. Best vegan milkshake I’ve ever had… even tops the ones at the Chicago Diner which is saying something.
One word of caution, don’t go with 20 people… not enough seats ;-)
Other than that, if you are vegan and looking for «ice cream», I literally have never been anywhere better

Vegan ice cream. Vegan Ice cream sandwiches. Vegan milkshakes. Vegan sandwiches.
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Great study location. Their iced coffee comes with cubes of frozen coffee. This is a great feature for Gainesville summers, drink your coffee down while walking home, cubes melt by the time you arrive, drink more coffee.
They often have great art on the walls. I like that they are open quite late. Their proximity to UF makes them a great hangout for students. I am really glad that they exist, and that they represent the vegan options so well. Walkable from downtown as well. Super cute date location.
You can find their delicious baked goods at the Co-​Op, Radical Press, and other places in town. They are also right next to Caribbean spice, making for the perfect hangover cure of Jamaican spinach patty, a serving of ice cream, and an iced coffee.

Love Karma Cream! If I wasn’t trying to avoid eating myself into a sugar coma on the daily, I would probably just try to move in to this place. So far (over ~4 visits) I have tried two different sandwiches and two different cupcakes, and I’ve loved everything.
The vegan grilled cheese with tomato and tempeh bacon was yummy in a comforting and satisfying kind of way. Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of fake meat products, and most fake cheese products kinda make me want to cry — but this sandwich was good, and there were no weird textures or aftertastes. I also tried the vegan reuben, which I also enjoyed — however it is a bit on the tangy side, so if you aren’t into that kind of bite then it might not be the sandwich for you. But again, no weird textures or tastes from the fake meat/​cheese.
I also tried a vanilla & bourbon flavored cupcake which was just what I was craving at that time — light, tasty, and not too sweet. And I had a chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake another time which was so good I thought I might just keel over and die. My mouth is watering now just typing about it! Mmmm…
The place is on the small side, and depending on what time you go it seems to fill up quickly. I think out of the times I’ve been there, there have been available seats about half of the time. They have stamp cards for frequent customer (you get stamps for drinks/​cupcakes and ice creams).
I haven’t tried any of the ice cream yet, but I hope to soon, and will update my review once I do.

My family loves Karma Cream! Great selection of both vegan and dairy ice cream flavors. Their baked goods are great too. I could eat my weight in the carrot cake cookie sandwiches and raspberry croissants! Employees are friendly and the prices are fair for delicious organic treats.