I’m pretty sure that no daycation to Avalon on Catalina Island is complete without a stop at Scoops Ice Cream. At least that’s what I told myself as we walked into this cute little ice cream shop right on Crescent Avenue’s main drag overlooking the bay.

This popular frozen treatery may not be organic, but they get major points for not using synthetic flavors, dyes, or pre-made mixes in any of their ice creams or gelatos. Every flavor they serve is made by hand from scratch in small batches, using local and seasonal ingredients when possible. They also avoid a laundry list of emulsifiers and stabilizers. And that emphasis on real ingredients and handmade process over commercial processing really shines through in the quality.

 

The Location

 

Scoops Handmade Ice Cream could not possibly be better situated. You can see the shop as your boat approaches the dock, and most tourists walking around town for sightseeing will end up passing Scoops at some point in their Avalon adventure. We passed by it twice before actually going inside (though to be fair, it was in our plan all along so we didn’t need that much convincing).

Depending on what time you go, there may be a line out the door. We happened to show up in the afternoon and only had a couple people in front. By the time we had paid, there were at least a dozen people snaking out the door behind us. Trust me though, the wait is worth it!

 

The Shop

 

The inside of the shop is pretty compact but modern and cheerful. There’s a pretty sea-colored sign and menu screens hanging from the walls, as well as printed menus to look at while you wait.

 

 

Did I mention that the ice cream is all handmade and hand scooped? The store lives up to its namesake as workers here moved quickly to get our orders scooped from the containers on display. We saw them bringing in fresh tubs from the back to replace the quickly disappearing supplies. A plate glass window to the back of the store shows you where all the frozen magic happens.

 

 

The Menu

Between the ice cream and the gelato options, there were so many interesting flavors to chose from. Thankfully since it wasn’t super crowded when we showed up, we were able to ask for a couple samples without worrying about holding up the line behind us. I sampled the Kahlua Espresso while my husband sampled the Toasted Almond Coconut, both gelato flavors. Our son, however, knew exactly what he wanted: chocolate. ALWAYS CHOCOLATE.

Scoops had so many delicious-sounding flavors, in addition the standard favorites. I could’ve tried a few more like MarionBerry and Nutella Hazelnut, but didn’t want to waste any more of the plastic sample spoons they were served on.

 

 

Though Scoops had a wide variety of serving options including crepes (yum!), we stuck with straightforward cones and cups. There’s no tables inside or out to sit at, though there are lots of benches lining Crescent Avenue just outside. These benches are great for people watching, and have a relaxing view of the harbor as well. So we were perfectly happy to park ourselves there while we had our ice creams.

 

 

The Experience

I ended up getting Coffee Chip in a sugar cone (which is pretty much what I always end up getting anywhere I go). Hubs split a cup of Rose Petal Raspberry and Toasted Almond Coconut gelato with our toddler. And my son and father who are exceedingly predictable ice cream eaters like myself got sugar cones with their usuals: Chocolate and Strawberry, respectively.

 

Everyone thought their flavor was the most delicious. I tried a bite of the Rose Petal Raspberry and Toasted Almond Coconut and was slightly jealous of that combo. The raspberry flavor was especially vivid and bright, and yet at the same time I could also taste the rose petal. It was like an everlasting gobstopper, with one of the most raspberry of raspberry flavors I’ve ever had, if that makes sense. This being said, my Coffee Chip was really really good so I was still quite happy with my choice.

Two other things to note about Scoops – they serve Starbucks coffee in case you’re jonesing for liquid caffeine. Also, they have a fresh-squeezed frozen lemonade that would probably be SUPER refreshing on a hot summer day. This is made fresh in their kitchen with no additives or preservatives, and the presentation reminded me of the classic frozen lemonades you can still find on a New Jersey Boardwalk.

This post will be part of a larger trip report on our daycation to Catalina Island. When that post goes live, I’ll link it here. If you’d like to receive a notification once it’s ready, please sign up for the weekly Eco Friendly Mama newsletter on the sidebar! (Or, if you’re viewing this from a mobile device, keep scrolling down.)

• Avalon
• Catalina Island
• Daycation
• Gelato
• Scoops Ice Cream