Loard’s Ice Cream

People can say whatever they want about Loard’s because, quite frankly, yes– it is just another corner ice cream shop in the neighborhood. BUT, what this freshly-​shined-​up-​rusted-​penny of a creamery store has that others don’t… Ube ice cream. And coming from a prideful Filipina, it is authentic ish. The good good. For real. And they’re marble flavors are pretty delicious as well. Ube & butterscotch marble, hands down, for the win, 2 scoops, 1 spoon, no regret, you wanna go night night?! #supportlocalbizness

We stopped off here after a nice lunch and ordered Almond Praline ice cream on a cone and Ube ice cream in a cup. Of course they were both yummy. There is a place to sit so we sat and talked.

Super yummy ice cream and great price! try it! Not necessarily the best area. You wont get a «come in and stay vibe» but the ice cream is worth it! They also sell pints!

I like going to this ice cream store but my experience today was disappointing, I walked in the young lady was sitting behind the counter eating something, she said hi to me and continued eating so I thought she was going to call some one else from the back to help me well that didn’t happen she continued to eat then walked to the counter and asked could she help me, at no point did she wash her hands, I declined her service and went somewhere else. I will go back to this store there’s a young man that works there who has great customer service.

how disappointing, i was ready for a thick yummy cone; that didn’t melt right away.
asked if all their ice cream was so soft — yes!
i like it thick a little chewy and rich flavor. that’s good ice cream!
not Lourdes it’s wet and limp, lots of flavor, almost too much, in fact way too
much — like that is supposed to make up for the body and content.
my take was it was inferior ice cream, like made with water…
and the texture of it is repugnant — even the after taste.
maybe this is just the new Concord store that’s like this. i hope so! none of the
reviews are of this new store.

It was a warm day. I wanted ice cream. I live in East Oakland so it felt ridiculous to drive to North Oakland for Tara’s.
There was a Loard’s right by my (now defunct) high school in San Leandro and one just across the border into Oakland where another member of my badminton team worked. All that scooping probably helped her net play. And she always gave us BIG scoops.
So, I probably haven’t tasted Loard’s in at least 35 years. Reared on Baskin Robbins and the rectangular boxes of neopolitan from Safeway or Lucky’s and in between Double Rainbow, Hagen Das not to mention Bi-​Rite, Ici, Mitchell’s, Tara’s etc.
They were out of butterscotch marble so I got cashew caramel instead, along with black raspberry marble. I know they are in ice cream, but those were the soggiest, most unfortunate cashews I’ve EVER had. Perhaps they could have been toasted first because they also had very little flavor in the sea of sweet. The black raspberry was fine. The waffle cone was $ 1.25 more and oh did I pine for the ultra crisp, fresh and delicious homemade ones at Tara’s with sesame seeds on them. This was just a waffle cone wrapped in flag patterned paper that stuck to the cone.
Next time I’m waiting for Tara’s. All those lovely adult flavors, the richness and authentic taste, and it’s organic. Yeah, I know, I already wrote a review for Tara’s…

I have to admit that my preference for this Loard’s above all others is heavily influenced by the adorable husband and wife that run this location and the old school ice cream and candy shop vibe that it gives off. It sits in the same lot as Mill’s Hoagie Shop and the Valero gas station on the corner of Seminary and MacArthur, so I can always find a park right out front (politely ignoring the exclamations of «good googamamoogaga!» and «oooooh girl!» of drunks and passersby, of course… Somebody get ya uncle, please!)
In addition to the two cases of delicious flavors to choose from, you can grab a big ol’ tub to take home to your loved ones or just eat totally naked by thy lonesome while binge-​watching Orange Is The New Black when triple-​digit weather coupled with your own innate glutton strikes. (Def not speaking from personal experience here. Def have never felt the shame of a droplet of melted banana ice cream making it’s way to my exposed, protruding gut and having an internal battle between whether I should wipe it off and lick my finger or just wipe it off and waste even a drip.) And even better, if you don’t see a flavor you like in the take home tub section, mom and pop are glad to make one for ya!

I come from an ice cream background. Growing up in NYC, we were attuned to the sound of the ice cream trucks, Mr. Softee and Good Humor. As we grew up and learned to drive, we’d hit up the drive in at Carvel for soft serve cones. At the shore and Coney Island, it was all about the frozen custard.
When I moved to San Francisco I discovered It’s It’s and was completely captivated by them. When I moved to the Mission I discovered Mitchell’s and fell in love. We were there every single Sunday and tried about every flavor. I lived down the block from the St. Francis Ice Cream Parlor, but was never that enamored of their ice cream since the butterfat content isn’t high enough for me. Yep, I’m a complete butterfat snob.
Humphrey Slocombe? Bi-​Rite? Yep, like them and patronize them when convenient.
However, now that I live in Oakland I save all my ice cream calories for Loard’s. Sure, it’s in a funky area, but the flavors are fab, and the ice cream is nice and creamy and priced right. I’m still working on finishing up a quart of peppermint from the holidays, but I think we’ll stop by this weekend as I’ve got a hankering for butter brickle.
It’s all about the butterfat and Loard’s has it down right.

If you want good ice cream without the wait, come on down to Loard’s Ice Cream. They always have a variety of flavors including special ones such as Ube (Purple Yam). Whenever i’m not near Fentons, Loard’s is the place to be. Loard’s can be equivalent to Mitchell’s in SF, but they have their differences. I’ll always be a fan. My parents love their mango and banana ice cream. There’s always pieces of mango in the ice cream which is awesome. Lick your way to Loard’s and get some Ice Cream!

I had heard great things about Loard’s, so I went in to try it today… the single person behind the counter was serving a family when I came in, so I waited in line, a smile on my face… I was about to get ice cream afterall! The server never acknowledged my presence, took ten minutes to make one milkshake, and then just as I thought the ordeal over and ice cream was in sight, into the restaurant trots the father of this family, and then decides at the last minute that he would like a shake as well… so the server once again gears up to make a ten minute concoction with no word to me as far as «I’ll be right with you…» or, «sorry this is taking so long!» Nothing. I left at that point.
I am sure Loard’s ice cream is delicious… if you can get someone to serve you

I love Loard’s ice cream. I stop by this place every so often to grab a pint of Rocky Road ice cream (which was invented in Oakland, as a matter of fact), and I usually grab a cone of something seasonal (like pumpkin) or unusual (like ube*). It’s some of the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten.
The place looks a little run-​down, but don’t let that prevent you from dropping in. The staff are always friendly and the ice cream is fantastic.
*Ube is purple yam. The ice cream tastes like roasted coconut and is a bright purple color. Seriously, try the ube.

This spot is so nostalgic, a beacon at the end of MacArthur as the road crests. A friendly shy young lady helped us as we asked for samples.
I settled on a regular Mocha Fudge in a sugar cone. It was as big as my fist but much tastier.
Not exactly a hang out for the family as there are two tables and a few chairs.
Go for the rich and creamy ice cream not for the ambience.
Note: this ice cream has high fat content and needs a glass of water, otherwise you will experience flavor fatigue. Ya know, when you keep eating but can’t taste. Rinse and all is well.

This ice cream is amaze-​balls. I’ve been a fan of Fentons for a while and still am but after having Loards I realize Fentons makes huge sundaes in a family-​friendly part of town. Its not the taste.
Loard’s on the other hand tastes amazing!
Others reviews have raised concerns that the ice cream contains high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
My responses is «It tastes amazing!»
Their slogan is «Same recipe since the 1950s» so its possible that this ice cream contains asbestos. It doesnt matter. It tastes amazing!
We stop by for a pre-​packaged quart every once in a while. The vibe can be a little sketchy but i have never seen a problem there.

Firstly: In our environs, tattoo parlors are more common than ice cream parlors. Not exactly a disturbing trend, but it’s a trend. So I submit that you are probably not treating yourself to a nice, sit-​down ice cream treat often enough. So maybe ease up on drawing on yourself and eat more banana splits.
Also: Ice cream tastes better in an ice cream parlor, particularly an old fashioned one. That’s just science. There’s something extra cool and especially Oakland about choosing a parlor that anchors a blighted, half-​vacant strip mall. The world is not Disneyland, son!
And: Since Tom Hanks went to junior high across the street, he probably stopped in here for a cone or two. Wearing giant bell bottoms. Maybe that’s important to you, maybe it’s not.
But: If you really can’t handle the ice cream parlor, you can get pints at Farmer Joe’s. Not the same, but the ice cream will still be delicious.
Fa la la la la: They make Eggnog ice cream in December. Bring it to holiday parties and be worshipped as the awesome beast you know you are. (Plus, leftovers are super tasty in tomorrow’s coffee.)
Finally: As part of the wave of San Franciscans swarming across the Bay at a locust-​like rate, I appreciate the plight of the native Oaklander watching his city get hijacked by outsiders. In the spirit of respecting Oakland for what it is and not trying to make it somewhere else (AHEM, Friscans), I say exploring the old stuff is my duty as a newcomer. Part of that journey led me to Loard’s, and I’m so grateful for that. Hella tight, with a dollop of sweet history on top.

Loard’s got a makeover!
A couple weeks ago the roomie and I went for a walk and to our horror, we saw that Loard’s was closed. Because we’re nosy and like to know what’s going on in our neighborhood, we went next door to the liquor store and asked what happened. The clerk there told us some drunk dumbass ran right into the store!
So, turns out to be a good thing; the shop is NOW OPEN (woooohooooo!!!) and they redecorated. It’s updated, modern and cozy. Just in time for summer!!!

Super sad that they closed this spot! The only real ice cream store for quite awhiles away in the kinda ghetto part of Oakland.
But then again, who has time for ice cream when you in the ghetto part of Oakland?

My burgundy cherry and coffee (so it doesn’t match so well, whatever) was fanfreakintastic. Staff was warm and helpful — even the Loard’s next-​best-​server-​of-​the-​year in training. Come here and step back into the world of the 70s.
How could I possibly say a single negative thing about Loard’s?

So many friggin flavors (40+), this isn’t the place for indecisive people… ahem…such as myself… haha jk jk… I’ll be honest though… out of the group of friends that I went with, I took the longest to decide what flavors to get… I lost count after the fourth sample…
The guy working there was super nice… he let us take our time choosing the flavors (maybe because we were the only customers there at that time haha)…and even insisted that we could try as many samples as we wanted…
Some of my friends ordered the Almond Joy flavored ice cream — and that ish was on point! It was good, but I would not have selected this given that I’m not that much of an AJ fan…
I finally decided on the blueberry cheesecake initially, but when he asked me for how many scoops, I said two and he said I could order another flavor, so I got banana flavored ice cream… both were really good and did capture the flavors
May I add, I think the dude hella hooked us up with the ice cream haha… cuz when we looked at our cups, we were expecting two regular scoops of ice cream… uh uh… they were two BIG ASS scoops of ice cream… lol lol. thanks bro!
The overall appearance of the place is not appealing to the eye at all… it’s located in a janky area with a janky interior… tables are dirty, chairs are worn out, the display cases are empty, the only thing occupying that place were the different ice cream flavors themselves haha… but whatever… quality of the ice cream was great, and on top of that we received excellent customer service… thanks for fulfilling our heart’s desire Loard’s!

It’s a great little place to get some good ice cream. The staff are always nice and will to let you sample as many as you want. They have a lot of ice cream to chose from. Take your kids here for a nice cold treat. Vanilla Cheery Milk Shake. Need I say more?
The down side is that they are a little on the pricy side. I think up get what you pay for. Great stuff!

Loards Ice-​cream has been my one and favorite ice cream parlor ever since when I was little! Their ice cream is delicious and it doesn’t melt that quick, which is good so you don’t have to eat messy! The scoops are very generous and the workers always give a smile to every customer!
Recently I have found my newest favorite flavor, that I will love forever is Ube! It’s taro and coconut. The workers there know me as Ube girl now, since I go there twice a week.
It’s a bit pricey, but it’s worth each and every of your penny. I have tried their milkshake, sundae, and I’m hoping that they will do triple scoops. Love loards!