CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device
Whether you’re a San Jose rolled-ice cream fan or a Berkeley gelato devotee, there’s no question that the Bay Area’s ice cream scene is super hot. But which one is the Perfect Scoop?
Last week, we asked readers to be judge, jury and eater — and help us choose the best of the Bay Area’s ice cream shops, bracket-style. We offered up 32 tasty ice cream options, nominated by readers, from the organic goodness of Sonoma’s Sweet Scoops to Ici, Mr. Dewie’s Cashew Creamery and Smitten Ice Cream.
Now the votes are in — and the Sweet 16 include some surprises.
San Francisco’s Coletta beat out Livermore’s Amorino, while San Jose’s Treat Ice Cream won in a dairy duel against Tin Pot Creamery by one percent point. Uji Time pulled a massive upset when it bested Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos. And the Penny Ice Creamery went spoon-to-spoon against Icicles, before emerging triumphant with 65 percent of the votes.
And in the ultimate tete-a-tete of gourmet, local and organic, San Francisco’s Bi-Rite Creamery beat out Lottie’s Creamery, which has locations in Walnut Creek and Palo Alto, by 57 percent.
So what happens next? That’s up to you, ice cream fans. We’re down to 16 yummy contenders. Cast your votes in the brackets below using Firefox or Safari as your browser — Chrome can be problematic and try to hog all the ice cream for itself — and be sure to click the “done” button when you’re finished to submit your votes.
Voting is open from now until 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 10. We’ll unveil the Elite Eight at 4 p.m. that day.
