ShakeDown

Great ice cream flavors — love the strawberry Oreo and Jacker Crack ones in particular. The guy who runs it is super nice and wants you to sample all the flavors before you choose, which is awesome since I’m one of those annoying people anyway.
They also make their own waffle comes (gluten free). Really good as well.
Their price for how much ice cream you get is also generous. A single scoop is $ 4, but that really means TWO BIG scoops. Not a small little one.

This place is amazing. I walked in on a Sunday night after a long flight to town and was welcomed by all three guys working. They asked what I would like to try and I said I am not sure. I got the run down of a few and had more samples than I needed! A jack cracker milkshake was my finale choice.
They might not be in the best neighborhood in SF, but this place is worth checking out!

I came to ShakeDown to try something new, and it was a success! Though my friend may have been a bit uncomfortable in this neighborhood at 10 at night, once we got inside the shop it was cheerful and safe-​feeling. The three employees were a range of personalities, and one may have been the owner, given how much he had to say about each flavor and the choices they’d made regarding them. I overheard some really interesting chitchat between him and another customer. They were very nice and let us two sample almost every flavor, even though they seemed a little stressed about our indecision, too. They also let my friend pop into their restroom to change her clothes, even though they had an out-​of-​order sign up.
As for the actual ice cream EATING, my friend and I both got the Pennsyltucky, which BLEW MY MIND. I can’t drink alcohol because of medication I take so it was nice to get a touch of those delicious flavors in another form. You won’t find a flavor like this ANYwhere else, and I’m definitely coming back for it again. The texture with all the different bits and chunks swirled in was also a great compliment to the robust flavor.
Oh, and the guy who was probably the owner pulled out extra seats for us when all the rest of the counter space was full. Much appreciated!
PS — loving the graffiti’d interior and exterior of the shop, too.

Strawberry shortcake shake! If I can give it 10 stars I would. So good, creamy, price at 8 $ but quality ingredients for sure
Jacker Crack ice cream is the bomb. No more birite lines for me!
Go nowwwwww

Apparently, I’ve been on an unconscious tour of overpriced ice cream shops in SF recently. After a great dinner at Elephant Sushi, we went on Unilocal to look for dessert and ShakeDown was the nearest option.
It appears that prices have gone up by $ 0.50 from a month ago and it is pretty outrageously expensive now. The tinny tiny mini junior cup is the perfect size for my 30lb corgi and costs $ 3 for a scoop. The next size up, the single, was $ 4.
I was surprised that my friend actually got the junior cup but I figured it could be because she’s trying to stay skinny. I sampled a few flavors and wasn’t impressed with any of them but figured that I was still obligated to buy a scoop so I went with a single scoop of Jacker Crack. It was very sweet (too sweet for my liking) and all of the ice cream flavors taste particularly heavy and overly creamy. I know it’s a personal preference but the ice cream at ShakeDown is just too much for me.

Seriously? This place is filled with milked crack. It’s really too much to even explain with words. I love how simple the place is, too. They could take advantage with all the hype and really «do the place» up, but nope. It’s just a cozy, almost old-​skool classroomy, Woolworth’s feel (if ya’ll even know what that is) — odd description but makes sense to me. I will say that All in a Dreamsicle is pure sin: it’s creamsicle ice cream lovingly mixed with marshmallow fluff.
You really can’t go wrong, they have so many inventive flavors, things that you’re like, «Wow, of course that makes sense those two would go together» but could never do it yourself. I also think (one of) the owners is super cool. He was there serving when I was there last and we got to talking and that’s real nice: to engage with your customers. Gold stars.
Good job ShakeDown. Keep shaking. And I’ll keep downing.

Shake down, break down, take down
Everybody wants into the crowded light
Break down, take down, you’re busted!
This song has nothing to do with this Tenderloin ice cream parlor, but I do like a Bob Seger song every now and then to remember my adolescence. Besides I could imagine Eddie Murphy busting in here on a raid as Axel Foley. It’s the Tenderloin after all, which makes the sight of an artisan ice cream shop all the more anachronistic. But the name doesn’t come from «Beverly Hills Cop 2» but from a Grateful Dead song, «Shakedown Street». Presumably Deadheads, owners Jeffrey Mann and Paul Moore didn’t intend to serve ice cream as their primary product but rather juices and smoothies with ice cream on the side. Apparently people, however, really loved Moore’s ice cream so much they decided to switch gears.
I can see why as it’s intensely creamy, even more than Bi-Rite’s. I happened to be on Geary late on a Thursday afternoon because I just finished off a satisfying bowl at Mensho Ramen. Something sweet seemed right, and it was way too early for the clubsters to be packing the joint. Flavors had intriguing names like Pennsyl-​tucky and Paul’s Boutique and contain ingredients like whiskey and goat cheese. I decided to be a bit tame and ordered a $ 4 Double Scoop of Aussie Vanilla and Malted Coffee Stout (photo:
). It was almost too decadent for me, but I plowed through it like nobody’s business. I definitely want to come back for the Jacker Crack, which combines popcorn, dulce de leche, and crushed peanut brittle. Yummy.
ICE CREAM — 4 stars… decadently creamy with several adulats-​only flavors
AMBIANCE — 3.5 stars… tough veneer to match the surrounding ‘hood
SERVICE — 4 stars… very nice and calming on the inside
TOTAL — 4 stars… the ‘Loin ain’t lactose-​intolerant with this parlor around

This is an awesome place to check out when you’re in the area! Located in the Tenderloin, Shake Down offers tasteful and delicious ice cream suited for SF eats.
Prices were steep. For Junior-​sized cup, which literally looked like a sample size cup was $ 3. It was way too small. I opted for the Biggie, which was $ 5 for two scoops and added a waffle cone (DO IT!)
I chose Cracker Jack, which was so good. I can’t even describe how delicious and yummy it was. Just get it, or at least try a sample. This is probably their most popular flavor. Creamy, yummy and mixed with popcorn — this was just indescribably delightful.
For my second flavor, I ordered the Aussie Vanilla. Sweet, simple, but yet smooth. It was an excellent complement to my Cracker Jack scoop. I wouldn’t mind having it by itself either.
Overall, this was a great place to grab ice cream and I would definitely recommend you check it out.
I’m going back to try their shakes one day!

ShakeDown is my favorite ice cream shop in San Francisco. They create small batches of ice cream and rotate flavors often. I tried their version of Rocky Road called «All The Roads», and it was amazing — the perfect mix of sweet and savory. I also tried a flavor called «Bananas Cookies & Cream», which sounds a little weird but was completely awesome. There were some other flavors — some I tried, and many I did not — and all of them looked absolutely great. Toppings are also really interesting. I ended up going with derby pie chunks and brulee’d bananas. Yes, you read that right. Freaking derby pie chunks and brulee’d bananas — I can die happy. I heart Shakedown.

Every time I see someone compare any ice cream to Bi-​Rite, my thoughts are, «Pfft, yeah right. What could be possibly better than Bi-​Rite?» And then came along ShakeDown.
The ice cream here is bomb. We only intended on two scoops, but we couldn’t help ourselves to three after we sampled the flavors. Scoops so generous, I didn’t think we would make it, but we did it.
— Jacker Crack: popcorn infused with peanut brittle. SO GOOD. MUCH UNIQUE. MY FAV.
— Butter Brickle: butter toffee, noms
— French Roast Coffee: solid coffee flavor, Shawn C.‘s fav!
Plus a buckwheat cone on top. Flavor’s really unique — a must try!
I will gladly include ShakeDown in my regular ice cream rotation. No complaints about that!

Their buckwheat cone is awesome! Put a scoop of Butter Brickle in there & yum! ESP after a good burlesque show & a night of drinking!
My friend had the BIGGIE size (mind you the jr size is TINY like a sample cup & $ 3!!! Cray cray!!!) Mint Scout akin to Thin Mints & jacker crack (like Cracker Jack) with popcorn! She liked the Mint better as it had more flavor. I thought it was a bit overpowering in its minty flavor… but whatev!
Really like this spot but rated it 1 star lower as it is Pricey! $ 10 for our I. c’s. Whoa… where’s my massage?!?
I know, ColdStone is about the same but their servings are way bigger… but they ain’t got no buckwheat cones!

I love that this place closes at midnight. There’s just something about being slightly buzzed and eating ice cream that just makes me so happy.
I came here with a couple of friends, and my boyfriend and I ended up sharing a cone with two scoops: Butter Brickle (toffee ice cream with crushed butter toffee) and Jacker Crack (popcorn infused ice cream with swirls of dulce de leche and crushed peanut brittle). Really liked the Jacker Crack when I had it as a sample, but when I had it in the cone with the butter brickle, they ended up tasting too similar. Ice cream quality was good, but I think the cones are what make this place stand out. They were super crunchy, thin, and almost toffee-​like in flavor, something I’ve never tasted!

Stumbled upon Shakedown when taking my puppy out to do her business.
They were nice enough to let me bring my pup in while I ordered.
2 Flavor Scoop — $ 4 — Pistachio & Squatch Tracks — Pistachio was creamy and full of chopped nuts. Squatch Tracks had nice vanilla ice cream with chocolate and peanut butter, good combo.
3.5 stars, price was expensive for the amount of ice cream you get.

My friends and I had dinner a block away and decided to make a visit to ShakeDown. I love ice cream and was super excited because of their amazing reviews. First of all, the service was amazing. All 3 stuff on Friday night was super helpful and friendly. There isn’t much seating but its a creamery, what they have is enough.
I got to try almost all their flavors that day. But I end up getting the **Jacker Crack which is popcorn infused ice cream with swirls of dulce de leche and crushed peanut brittle (totally taste the popcorn). My favorite that night was their **LEMON SHORTBREAD made with lemon infused ice cream with buttery shortbread cookie pieces. It was really good but I didn’t fall in love. The ice cream was very creamy which I love. The flavor was unique and different. You can really taste the flavors of each ice cream. Made with real ingredients and not powders. I wanted to give it a 5 star but I didn’t find a flavor that I love. I actually was hoping they had Cinnamon Toast Crunch and S’more. One of the ice cream makers said come on Sunday for the Crunch because they make the bread for it on Sunday. I will make sure I come back on a SUNDAY!
The waffle cone was different. Crunchy and more toasty than any waffle cone I ever go. It’s thin and different but I like it. Recommended.

Located right next to a pizza place and Whiskey Thieves this ice cream hobbit would easily be missed. Don’t be fooled by their spray-​painted façade and step inside to some damn good ice cream.
Once in line you’ll notice a little jar with bite size samples of their waffle cones. The flavor packed into each crunchy little brittle-​esk bite is remarkable and a great start to initial experiences. Once you’ve hit the small but oh-​so-​mighty ice cream selection make sure to take your time and try out the unique flavors. The staff may not be the most welcoming but your every desire is at their fingertips so breathe through it. You’re in pretty good hands with every flavor, and while the cups are an easy container I would say always pick the cone. What’s waiting for you at the bottom of the cone is M A G I C A L and completely unexpected. You’ll have to find out more for yourself.
If you see a line — suck it up and wait through it. Just hold onto your belongings since the area is quite… colorful to say the least.

Top notch, highly creative ice cream without any lines or pretentiousness. This is one of very few places to grab dessert after eating anywhere in the area from Union Square to Nob Hill to Tenderloin.
The flavors are super creative — e.g., matcha + mint, coffee + beer, ginger + pumpkin. After sampling most of their flavors, I’ve concluded that they can make any flavor pairing delicious! You can really taste the quality of execution in the ice cream too — it’s creamy and dense but not overpowering, and the right sweetness level.
I’d recommend their matcha mint chip — unique and they use legit quality matcha. You should also try their coffee stout (the beer comes from Fieldwork Brewing Co.) — delicious and unlike anything I’ve tasted. If you like decadent flavors, go for their white chocolate peanut butter.
Service is great. They provide generous samples, welcome you to try everything, and don’t rush you at all!
Overall, I prefer ShakeDown to Bi-​Rite and Humphry Slocombe because the flavors are constantly changing and always amazing, and it has a relaxed environment.

Décor: ⁴⁄₅
–Limited window seating for roughly 6
Service: ⁵⁄₅
–They weren’t stingy with the samples
Food: ⁵⁄₅
–Go Biggie or go home, for $ 4.50
–French Roast Coffee & Butter Brickle were the flavors we decided on after sampling half their flavors. Made in-​house ice cream that’s organic, has thick consistency and is rich in flavor gets a solid 5 stars in my sweet tooth book
–S’Mores on French Toast was also a great combination however my taste buds loved the S’Mores as it had generous chunks of chocolate and marshmallow

Updating because my boyfriend and I have literally become weekend regulars here. I cannot sing their praises enough. Friendly and fast service, and some of the most delicious ice cream flavors around. They always have a few of their staples, but then throw in a few tubs of experimentation flavors. It’s not all ice cream too, sometimes they have sorbet flavors and they offer smoothies.
It’s the little things that make it so great though. They handmake their waffle cones. For Valentine’s Day they had a flavor that featured heart shaped peanut butter cups (so goooood). You can even now purchase a jar of your favorite flavor, and if you return the jar you get a dollar off your next jar of ice cream purchase.
Basically if you’re in the Tenderloin, you need to stop by here.

ShakeDown is shaking the SF ice cream scene so much, you can’t just Shake It Off:
Cause the foodies gonna Hum-​phry, phry, phry, phry, phry
And the hipsters gonna Haight, Haight, Haight, Haight, Haight
Baby, I’m just gonna Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake
I Shake it Down, I Shake it Down!
Seriously though, the backstory is quite interesting – ShakeDown is owned by a holistic nutritionist/​farmer and a chef, and the original plan was a juice/​smoothie place with ice cream on the side. They decided to shift focus after discovering their talent when experimenting with ice cream flavors. ShakeDown was born, specializing in small-​batch artisanal ice cream.
What is small-​batch artisanal ice cream??? I’m not sure whether small-​batch actually makes it better, or if we are regressing to the pre-​Industrial Revolution times by refusing to protesting the efficiency of mass production in ironic hipster spirit.
The prices most definitely reflect the resource-​intensive small-​batch business model:
— Prices per scoop are somewhat similar to craft ice cream places in SF ($ 2.50 junior /​$ 3.50 single /​$ 5.50 half-​pint), but…
— Junior scoop is tiny (like Costco sample size… not junior, more like neonatal)
— Shakes are $ 9! I guess this is not inexpensive if you are one of those people who thinks $ 10 juice is normal, but you can get a large bowl of phở for $ 8 and $ 4 for yummylicious bahn mi around the corner
We sampled their signature flavors of jacker crack (quite crack) and pennsyltucky (not as alcoholic as I would’ve liked, but good), as well as the buckwheat waffle cone (the grainy buckwheat was an excellent take; however it was way too sweet).
After some discussion with the lady – who was very helpful and patient with our undecisveness – we got the mocha frappé shake to share, and asked to substitute the chocolate ice cream or pennsyltucky. I’m usually not a huge frappucino/​milkshake person, but this was good! Creamy and fresh, robust with the blended coffee ice cubes, made complex with a hint of bourbon. It’s heavy and gets very sweet towards the end, so sharing and an appetite are highly recommended. I also suggest BYO boba straw, because their wide straws are paper, which gets soggy and has an odd taste (though the striped paper straws are nostalgic and reminiscent of classic ice cream parlors. And Ice Cream Bar doesn’t even have these vintage, albeit impractical, straws!)
The setting is rather nice, with sleek dark wooden bar stools, DIY chalkboard signs, and faux graffiti. I discovered these elements bit by bit, so here I was trying to get the perfect Instagram, but I kept finding better backgrounds, which compelled me to shamelessly take more pictures, while the boo was waiting for me as I (literally) took 5 different pictures of my milkshake.
SHAKEN, not stirred.

Tasting the ice cream at ShakeDown reminded me of my first time visiting Humphry Slocombe when they first opened. Mind Blown. Whoever is creating and executing the different ice cream flavors here truly has a gift. Flavors are well balanced and not overly sweet. All of the ingredients such as cookies, etc are made in house and the ice cream is churned in house as well. Texture is smooth and creamy.
We stopped by around 10PM on a Wednesday evening and were warmly greeted and encouraged to try as many flavors as we pleased, but were advised that it would only make our final decisions harder. So true. Matcha mint chip, chocolate fluff, Pennsyltucky, dreamsicle, Jacker Cracker… so many great options to choose from. I appreciated that the man helping us let us know which flavors were regulars and which flavors were making a guest appearance to help narrow the field down. We ultimately settled on some matcha mint chip, chocolate fluff and coffee.