McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams

You must stop by and try this place if you’re looking for excellent ice cream! A single gives you two scoops of yumminess! I got the olive oil & salted almond and whisky with pecan pralines! Sooo good! I wish they had a location in Orange County!

Amazing ice cream! It’s so fresh and creamy and they have tons of unique flavors. My favorites here are the chocolate almond brittle and the strawberry. I also love this store because it has room to sit upstairs and downstairs.
I only wish that they would make a pistachio :)

This place has my favorite ice cream on the planet. I go here LITERALLY every time I am in Santa Barbara, which 1 – 2 times a month. There might be a long line but it is more than worth it. Their chocolate-​covered strawberries ice cream is to die for.

Oh my goodness! McConnell’s is heaven in a dessert! I love love love their ice cream. I always stop by when I’m in town. Even though they sell their ice cream in cartons at the grocery store, I feel like the experience is really different in store. The décor is fun, and they have SO many flavors. They have the usual chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, mint chip etc. but what I appreciate is the gourmet touch they add to the flavors. Instead of just strawberry ice cream they also have «chocolate covered strawberry» flavored ice cream. This past trip, I ventured out of my usual mint chip and coffee combination and tried the cardamom ginger snap ice cream with Turkish coffee ice cream. Wow! The cardamom ginger snap ice cream was SO good. The spices really came through and the ginger snaps were chewy. The Turkish coffee ice cream has bits of grounded up coffee, so you know you are getting the real deal and not just an extract. This place is definitely worth stopping by if you’re in Santa Barbara!

Came here on Saturday afternoon the line was out the door. Waited about 25 minutes to get served. They have a variety of flavors the girl let me try many samples I wasnt blown away but it’s hard to sample when you have a bunch of people behind you and you don’t really want to hold up the line. I ended up getting the waffle cone with cookies and cream and their santa barbara strawberry. Both were good but I loved the cookies and cream the best. I also got some baked goods to go the chocolate brownie and the salted caramel cookie. I definitely will pass on the baked goods the cookie was too to toooo sweet for my liking I had one bite and couldn’t eat anymore.
All in all good ice cream! Nice spot. They have seating inside and out. Come on weekends expect a wait for sure!

Expensive, and not especially impressive.
I’ve been to a few fine ice cream shops in various cities, so I wanted to try one of Santa Barbara’s ice cream stops. There was a good crowd, so it seemed like a good stop.
I sampled the Olive Oil and Almond, the Sea Salt and Cookies, and the Bosenberry Milk Jam. The Olive Oil was a bit lubricated feeling, and bland tasting. The Bosenberry was overwhelming. The Sea Salt and Cookies were good, but not the best I’ve had.
We settled on Elvis’s Shake. It had peanut butter, chocolate, and banana. We added a scoop of malt, as well. There were good chunks of banana in it. We wished for a thick boba straw, because the banana kept getting stuck in the flimsy straw. I recommend getting spoons, to scoop it up. It was pricey at nearly $ 10 for a cup the size of a grande. I think my local ice cream shop does shakes better. Also, we said no whipped cream, but she forgot, and gave us whipped cream.

so yummy and creamy! the inside reminded me of salt and straw in portland.
they have unique flavors, using as much santa barbara produce as possible.
I am always super indecisive when it comes to ice cream flavors, but they were very nice about my sampling and deciding. They had so many great flavors, i did not know what to pick. luckily a small can have up to 2 flavors!
whiskey praline or santa barbara strawberries and chocolate or olive oil almond or salted caramel chip… the choices!!!
they make waffle cones in house, which is always a plus too.

My favorite ice cream, hands down. It’s a little on the pricey side, but when you consider you get two scoops for the price of one at Salt and Straw or any of the other premium ice cream places, I thinks it’s a reasonable price to pay for a delicious treat.
Their flavors are innovative and consistently good, even across locations. The meyer lemon and marionberry is always one of my top faves, but the churros con leche, salted cream and cookies, sweet cream and cookies, and double peanut butter chip are also in my rotations. There’s a lot of choices for cold treats on State Street, but when in SB, you must get McConnell’s.

Wow this ice cream place truly surpassed all my expectations! My boyfriend took me here for Valentine’s Day and the line was out the door but people seemed super happy so we stuck out the wait. The flavors struck me as really unique and interesting, and the workers were very kind about letting people try as many flavors as they wanted.
I tried too many to count: sea salt cream and cookies, double peanut butter chip, English toffee, etc., but finally decided on a scoop (you get two really generous scoops!) of lemon and marionberries and blueberries n’ cream in a freshly made waffle cone. Boyfriend got Brazilian coffee (I think) and chocolate covered strawberry in a waffle cone.
The ice cream was thick and creamy and fluffy but definitely didn’t taste heavy. The price came out to around $ 13 for the both of us, so definitely more on the pricy side for ice cream, but it was so delicious I would definitely come again – or at least visit the one in LA in Grand Central Market.
So happy we decided to try McConnells. Great ambiance, super delicious flavors, nice customer service. The only pitfall is the line, but it’s there for a reason!

DELICIOUS ICE CREAM with tons of options, I am so glad they opened locations in LA after I tried this Santa Barbara location! It’s definitely popular around town so expect a long line
All the ice creams are a good amount of rich and packed with flavor! We shared the flight (3 scoops) so we could try more flavors
—black coffee chip: my favorite. Mmm I like how it’s more coffee concentrated than creamy tasting
—milk chocolate raspberry: not bad
—English toffee: good creamy balance to the chocolate and coffee ice creams
Love you McConnell’s!

This place has a lot of unique and interesting flavors, and the ice cream texture is really good — very smooth and creamy. The portions are quite big too, a single is actually two scoops (and you can get two flavors), and a double is four scoops. We split a single and it was more than enough. The flavors we ended up getting after trying a few were the coconut almond chip and the whiskey and praline. Both were very good! They actually ended up complementing each other, with the sweetness of the coconut and the saltiness of the whiskey praline.
The line is long but it moves fast, and there’s self serve water at the entrance, which is nice. There’s seating both upstairs and downstairs. I’ll definitely come back next time I’m in Santa Barbara.

Prior to coming to the State St location, I’d had McConnell’s lots of times, from the grocery store and other locations, but I didn’t fully appreciate it til I came here.
Maybe because it’s made just a few streets over, maybe because I hadn’t realized they use only milk and cream from grass-​fed cows, maybe because I took the opportunity to try quite a few flavors and they were all just so darn delicious.
After careful consideration, I found my new favorite flavor: toasted coconut almond chip – vanilla ice cream with toasted shredded coconut, crunchy salted almonds, and Guittard bittersweet chocolate, which is melted before being added, so instead of getting big chunks, there are delicious crunchy little bits of it in every bite.
Throw in a freshly-​made waffle cone, and what more could you want?

Love love love McConnell’s! Got to try this location recently with the recently.
There was quite a bit of line but it moved pretty quickly. I was able to try couple flavors and I’m sure they’re ok with you sampling a few more. Single scoop will get you up to 2 flavors. With over a dozen of flavors and several rotating ones, for sure you will find something up your alley. Also, don’t forget to upgrade to the waffle cone for an extra dollar — it sure is worth it!
McConnell’s you definitely have a piece of my heart!

As fresh as it gets. I much prefer McConnell’s in Santa Barbara than what we get in Los Angeles.
I did a tasting and loved every flavor. The ice cream is made nearby at their original location on Milipitas. The ice cream tasted more fresh and creamier than their location at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles. I even asked the friendly employee if I was going crazy thinking their ice cream is much better up in Santa Barbara. He told me that it’s quite possibly the freshness.
I ordered the flight. Three small scoops of the egg nog, pumpkin pie, and Brazilian coffee ice creams.
I absolutely loved all their ice creams and friendly service!

This is such a cool location on State St. It has an updated, old school vibe with ice cream and treats laid out in front of you.
I went with a couple scoops of ice cream with hot fudge. The chocolate and peanut butter ice creams were so creamy. We sat at a bar facing State Street and people watched as we ate like little piggies.
I plan to come back and make an ice cream sandwich or some such other treat in the future. Support this local business if you come to town and need a sweet treat.

Yum! This place is great. We stopped in here after lunch on a Friday as we were making our way back from the beach. There was a long line because the place is popular, but the line is set up so that you can peruse the flavors in the glass case while you wait (plus the flavors are also listed on the wall).
They have some great unique flavors, some fun seasonal flavors, and of course all of the classics. I’m pretty traditional when it comes to ice cream, so I got the cookies n’ cream and the peanut butter cup. Both were excellent. Served in a cute little cup, I do have to say that it seemed small for the price ($ 4.25) but it was just the right amount of ice cream.
My boyfriend got the best flavor: Eureka Lemon & Marionberries. That flavor just sings on your tongue. I tasted his and immediately regretted not ordering it (and I am a chocolate gal, through and through). Get that if you go, you’ll love it.

As you enter, it’s your typical ice cream shop plus an indoor patio/​balcony seating area further inside. McConnell’s is located on State Street; it fits in with the other local shops here. They have another location on Mission Street. Parking is tough here: it reminds me of Old Town Pasadena where you park in a random small street somewhere then walk to the main street for the shops and eateries. The difference is Pasadena has meters; I didn’t see many here. The first 75 minutes are free.
McConnell’s has great ice cream and great flavors. I loved the eureka lemon & barionberries! Their two newest flavors were burnt caramel apple and whiskey & pecan. I tried both, but neither were my thing. Interesting flavors, but I’d rather have something else. Another popular flavor here (and my second favorite) is the sea salt cream and cookies. It’s like a twist on cookies and cream. I like that you don’t feel gross after eating so much sugar/​sweet.
Another plus: for the small size, you can get two flavors! I love it — it’s great for sharing the calories… I mean, the wealth :)

Located on the main through fair in Santa Barbara this was my first experience at any McConnell’s ice cream.
My first time visiting any McConnell ice cream palor. Samples are graciously offered. Within tasting just a few samples I ordered the strawberry and chocalate coffee ice cream in a cup. There’s three tables out front, pet friendly and they have a large bowl of water for anyone’s fur ball. The two flavors of ice cream were delicious.
This patio is a great place to people watch and take in the sights of main street.
I enjoyed the ice cream here and looking forward to visiting their Los Angeles or Redondo Beach locations soon

The sorbets were good but it didn’t blow me away. They had three sorbet flavors on the day that we were there and the Pineapple and Toasted Coconut sounded most appealing. I liked the flakes of coconut in there but the overall flavor was was a bit too sweet for my tastebuds. So I ended up with a scoop of Peach Sorbet which was the right amount of sweetness for me.
I wanted to taste the Pink Lemonade sorbet but the off-​putting vibe I got from the guy scooping our ice cream sorta discouraged me from further bothering him.
Nothing truly attracting me to come back but I also wouldn’t protest checking it out again if I was in the area. Take my opinion with a grain of salt. Lots of 4 and 5 star reviews here. Maybe I just happened to find the two flavors I felt mediocre about and had the one employee that would rather be anywhere else but here.

I went to the location in Grand Central Market in DTLA, and thought it was so-​so. However, I have not been to the older location on State Street just North of Ortega in DT Santa Barbara in a while. So on a recent trip, I made sure I hit this place.
There are so many unique flavors including sorbets, its hard to make up your mind. I suggest the flight, 3 flavors for $ 5.50. I chose sea salt cream & cookies | salted caramel chip | churros con leche).
My three cousins from Hawai’i had never been here, so they ordered flights too. Their feedback was the ice cream brok da mout (tasted very good)! In addition, one said the mac nut was better compared to Lapperts.
Regarding the ambiance, it is supah nice. There is a case where you can see the ice cream, and baked goods. In addition, if you wait in line for the restroom, you can smell the bakery in the back making all the concoctions. Lastly, there is an upstairs area to relax and enjoy your ice cream: 5 Stars. Likewise, the service was excellent. The staff is really friendly, and efficient: 5 Stars.
Its hard to beat the original, so I can see why State St was better compared to DTLA. However, when you are in the area, McConnell’s is a must visit. There is also a second location on Mission in SB that we went to!