Best Ice Cream: Manhattan Beach Creamery
Manhattan Beach Creamery boasts a wide selection of handmade ice cream flavors as well as candies and baked goods. Photo
Step into Manhattan Beach Creamery in downtown Manhattan Beach and you’ve arrived at the reigning champion for best ice cream in the South Bay. Since taking over the business in 2009, the Rothman family has gone the whole nine yards. The shop looks a posh Willy Wonka chocolate factory, complete with chocolate-dipped bananas, racks of novelty cupcakes and swirls of candies. The Creamery’s 28 ice cream flavors are lined to the right, gallons upon gallons freshly made on site every morning. With last year’s launch of its signature ice cream sandwich, the Creamwich, the shop is quickly expanding past its local reach. The Creamwiches and the Creamery’s signature pints — Maple Bacon Crunch, Strawberry Goat Cheese and Basil Blackberry, to name a few — are now carried in 140 stores across the LA County. Chef Jessica Jordan, the Creamery’s chief flavor-maker, says working for a family-owned business allows her to take creative liberties and invent unprecedented flavors. There are no immediate plans to open a second store, but the Manhattan Beach Creamery is staying ambitious. “We have big dreams with the little ice cream sandwich,” Jordan said. “We have a dream of becoming a national brand.” — EK
1120 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach. 310-372-1155. mbcreamery.com
Runner up: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt. 1882 S. PCH Hwy, Redondo Beach. 424-247-8861. handelsicecream.com