Marble Slab Creamery

«I smell ice cream» — Chunk, in «The Goonies»
I’m not sure whether it’s humanly possible to actually «smell» ice cream, but if you don’t hear from me here on Unilocal for a long time, it’ll be because of my quest to augment my sense of smell so that I can gain the power to «smell» ice cream. This review will not give you the power to «smell» ice cream, but it might make you want to go out and get some. If you’re close enough to this spot, I’d suggest getting some here.
Whoa, what’s the deal with the 1 and 2-​star reviews for this place? Not to be harsh or anything, but are you guys ice cream elitists or something? Yeah, the ice cream here isn’t quite as good as Coldstone’s, but I still think it’s pretty good. The ice cream alone gets 3 stars, and the extra star is for the nice folks behind the counter who make me feel welcome whenever I drop by. And since I work nearby with my fellow Unilocaler Johnny W. on certain days between the months of April-​October, I tend to frequent Marble Slab Creamery around this time of the year… especially on HOT days like today.

I love this place. It’s largely a one-​man shop, so don’t be in a hurry.
The ice cream is excellent. It’s all made on-​premises and it tastes like it. There are about 20 mixins and 20 types of ice cream.
If you are nice to the guy, he’s nice to you. Apparently he’s from Taiwan, used to be a financial manager at a local bank, developed dangerously high blood pressure, and then bought an ice cream store because it was low stress. He’s really quite charming, but maybe that’s just the naïveté of him believing that it’s «low stress» to be a self-​employed business owner in a small luxury food establishment.
Be careful to indicate which ice-​cream and mixins you want. Sometimes there’s a bit of a language barrier. Also, be sure to specify whether you want coconut ice cream or coconut mixin.
I recommend the Rum ice cream with Coconut mixed in. The mint chocolate is good. Birthday Cake ice cream with Cookie Dough mixed in is good as well. Heck, even the Vanilla is good plain.
Either way, he’s fun to talk to, he makes good ice cream, and he’s strategically located (for those of us in this part of SOMA).

Sounds like I had an identical experience the Aloha a few reviews down.
Cardboard cones (stale) and deep frozen commercial grade icecream made this the first desert I’ve actually never finished, and I *love* desert.
Total for a rocky road cone and Snickerdoodle cone came to 15 bucks. $ 15!!! From 2^nd and Townsend, I could have a got a Taxi to the closest cold stone and dined like a king.
Most disappointed — shall not be returning which is a shame, as its 2 blocks away from my apartment.

I scream, you scream, we DON’T scream for this icecream…
Ok, that may be a bit harsh. It’s not BAD. Actually, this whole concept tastes 5-​star quality that other time I had it… oh wait, that was from COLDSTONE creamery. Damn. Too bad this place doesn’t do nearly as good a job.
I’ve been here twice; again, not bad, but the major issue I’ve had is the sweetness… tastes like they use Splenda or some fake sweetner with 1,000 times the potency of sugar… and yet the consistency is still somewhat grainy. My first flavor choice had been cake batter, so I thought maybe the too sweet issue could have been the flavor choice… alas, no… second time as sweet (not in a good way) as the first… Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet, but not when it tastes fake.
And what gives with the mix ins? The variety could be better. The second time I went, I asked for marshmallows– instead, the guy gave me caramel (?) — communication errors aside (hey, I like caramel too) — the FIRST time I went they were waaaaay too stingy on the oreos. Come on now, give a girl a cookie. And mix it in, why don’t ya? It was more a crumbly topping than a full mix.
Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be frequenting this place anymore. Too bad it’s not Coldstone. Actually, it’s probably better for my wallet. And bikini season is around the corner anyway, right?

Pitiful attempt at ice cream and a cone with the flavor and texture of thin cardboard, plus the insult-​to-​injury of a giant neon sign in the window that reads «homemade ice cream».
I didn’t think it was possible for franchise ice cream to actually taste of the desperation of a pyramid scheme franchise, but apparently it is.

In this age of chains & cookie-​cutter retail, this place is so refreshing as a «mom & pop» neighborhood place where the owner works 7 days a week and knows your name. The greatest upside is the ice cream itself is excellent. The base is creamy, fresh and flavorful. Many flavors to choose from and you can add mix-​ins to customize for your mood that day.
Granted the décor could be updated but let’s give him a break. Even at the fancy new fro-​yo joints, no one really «hangs out» at Red Mango or Ice Bee b/​c they love the teeny-​bop colors & sugary music. It’s for the dessert!
I’ve been to this place twice and expect to keep going!

First the ice cream: the optimum word is cream. Being an ice cream fanatic, I can tell you the mark of a good ice cream is in the cream. Ever wonder why some stuff taste better than others. This place is fantastic.
The place also sells frozen yogurt. It’s good, but not at the same level as the ice cream.
I still get a chuckle from the knock off name. I’m sure the Cold Stone people are happy about this.

I always thought that Coldstone Creamery was the original slab-​based ice cream joint, but apparently I was mistaken. This place is the original and really good. Rich and creamy and delicious. I had a combination of Swiss chocolate and Birthday cake and the guy gave me Way more than a normal portion. Apparently, Maggie Moo’s is the sister company, and you can tell as it definitely is similarly satisfying…

Great place! The service is friendly and the ice cream is delicious! The owner is very dedicated in running the store and I guarantee you he puts in his best effort to make his customers feel satisfied every possible way when they purchase something. People seem to complain about the price a lot but keep in mind that this is FRESH ice cream. It’s not some frozen thing in a bin with a bunch of preservatives enabling it to have a two year shelf life. This is fresh ice cream made by the owner with his own hands and time. Plus, milk and gas prices are rising so you can’t really expect a one dollar cone ANYWHERE, especially in one of the highest cost-​of-​living cities in the nation.
Great place! Ignore the negative reviews, if you’re craving ice cream, Marble Slab next to the Ballpark is the way to go. Great service, great price, and great ice cream! :)

As others have written, I thought Marble Slab was a Cold Stone knock-​off, but then I looked it up.
Marble Slab — founded 1983. Houston, TX.
Cold Stone — founded 1988. Tempe, AZ.
Regardless of who ripped off who, this stuff is alright, but I like Cold Stone’s ice cream better. .. and Mitchell’s even more. Their pumpkin ice cream served ala mode with ginger cake is a mouth orgasm, but I digress. ..

Sweet… Glorious… Cream… on a cone!!! Yep, I got the sweet cream in a baby cone. I’m not big on ice cream. Usually after 2 or 3 bites I’m done. I’m also not a ice cream cone type of person. I usually eat it from a cup, but I was craving ice cream in a cone yesterday so I stopped off here.
The older asian guy was friendly and assured me that the sweet cream was the mother of all sweet creams. Pure and delicious it was. I saw the cones on display and they were all a little too big for me (stop laughing you perv) so I asked the guy if he had any smaller cones. He started giggling and in a heavy chinese-​american accent he says «hehe. You want a smaller cone? Let me see. I have some baby cones. You want that?»
He picks up the «baby» cone and holds it up for me to see. Then he giggles again and says «hah. Cute, small cone. Cute and small… Kinda like you!»
Um… Thanks?
Friendly service, even with the jokes. Clean place. Good assortment of flavors.

Attention Class! You will have 3 minutes for the following quiz. Starting now!
1.) Marble Slab Creamery is to Cold Stone Creamery as McDowell’s is to:
a. Wendy’s
b. Burger King
c. McDonald’s
d. Hooters
EXTRA CREDIT: The above question was a reference to an Eddie Murphy film from the 80’s. In said movie, there was a fictional band with the best band name in the history of the world. If that band was on a train leaving Oregon going at the speed of light and the lead singer walked from the back of the train to the front moving at approx 3.5 mph, what color would his underwear be when he reached the third car!!!

This isn’t Cold Stone. Far from it. I actually don’t like the flavoring of their ice cream. I never thought there would be an ice cream I didn’t like. We actually tried this place twice, and both times I ended up not finishing it.
They have a fair variety to select from, and the girl behind the counter is nice — so the star goes to her. The ice cream itself is just not tasty.
I’d prefer to go across the street to Safeway and get a pint of Haagen Dazs for the same price as one of Marble Slab’s cones.

The reason it took me a few weeks of passing by the front door and quietly flirting as I walked past and never went in, was my memories of other places I have tried with the same basic idea…“pick a flavor and we’ll mix any crap you want into it and it still won’t be that good.”
Luckily, I went in, and just took a chance. Other places try to hide their less than tasty ice cream with a bunch of toppings, but this one is different. The ice cream is higher quality (not the best, but not near the bottom either) and they really do have just about anything you can think of to add in.
I brought my 125 pound puppy with me on my walk before I stopped in, and the girl inside was more than happy to let me come in with her while I ordered. The service was great and they are super friendly.
I was craving big chocolate chips and pieces of yellow cake in vanilla ice cream. No problem… It’s not the best ice cream in the city, but while you search around for Mr. «Right,» this place is the perfect «right now.»
Pros: Tasty ice cream, great choice of toppings, decently priced and very friendly service
Cons: the employees are not available 24 hours a day to mis my favorite flavors on my kitchen counter

Marble Slab: It feels good to be so bad.
I order the non-​fat chocolate frozen yogurt. Healthy, right?! Unfortunately, the health factor is negated by adding peanut butter cups and brownies to the delicious dish.
Ooh. I said «negate.»

Man, are they ever open? I call at 11 on a Tuesday and 2pm on Monday and no one answers. I stop by and no one is there! And it is super warm both days! …And are the only business I know that just lets the phone ring without any message saying it is closed for the day.
When they are actually open, the service is very attentive and the employees are so nice.
I need a cake ASAP!

The people that work there are nice enough, but the ice cream is just not very good. I ordered an astronomically priced Root Beer Float ($ 4.69) which was too creamy and didn’t make the ice cream do that crunchy thing root beer is supposed to make it do. It’s a shame, you get these 80 degree summer days in SF, you’re down by the ballpark and an ice cream sounds like such a delightful treat, then you end up with a mouth full of goo…
Hmm, reminds me of even hotter nights in the Mission.

Is this place ever open??? I tend to have my ice cream cravings at night, so I’ve walked there countless times before 9:00pm when Marble Slab Creamery is supposed to be open but it’s never open. Maybe it’s nature’s cruel way to keep me away from their ice cream but because they are never open at night, I’m now totally addicted to the Skinny Cow ice cream cones. Available at SAFEWAY! (Yeah, Marble Slab, that’s right across the street from you!) And when SAFEWAY is not open, I go to McDonald’s for their 99 cent sundae.
I know, I’m a little bitter about this place not being open when I want ice cream at night (the sign says it’s supposed to be open!)

Corporate-​funded ice cream and the cannibalization of mom-​and-​pop parlors seem like sure signs of the coming Armageddon. And this concept of «smushing» ice cream with its toppings on a marble slab sounds like a Food Network idea gone awry.
Yet, the dearth of any sweet treats in the Pac Bell Park/​Mission Bay area makes me feel more charitable toward this place. It certainly looks like any 31 Flavors you would see in a mall, but it’s always empty when I go… probably because the neighborhood feels more industrial trendy than residential at this stage. I’ve tried the ice cream before in their homemade waffle cones… creamy is right if a bit too thick for my taste.
I tried to be relatively healthy today and ordered their nonfat frozen yogurt in the same cone. Decent flavor, a hefty swirl of chocolate and vanilla, that melted almost as quickly as I was licking it. Much to my chagrin, I produced a puddle on the floor… not because I was excited but because the cone had a leak. Service was proficient though nothing down home about the ‘tude here.
ICE CREAM /​FROYO — 3.5 stars… hits the spot in an area that offers little in the way of sweets
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… a corporate parlor
SERVICE — 3 stars… they do the job but not feeling the love
TOTAL — 3 stars… smushed ice cream doesn’t leave you feeling smushy inside

OK, I just went here last night and I must beg to differ from the rest of the reviews. (And yes, GG you’re my idol, but all relationships has its bumps…)
I came here about an hour before it closed and there was a very pleasant girl working there. She was attentive yet gave my buddy and I no pressure with making up our minds. As we came up with our choice of dessert, she was very generous and gave a heaping scoop of mix-​ins. I like knowing when you’re in the need of a sugary fix, this place is open until 10!