626 Ice Cream

For years, 626 Ice Cream has made traditional ice cream in retail pints available at gourmet grocery destinations like Helms Bakery and El Sereno Green Grocer, but what I really loved were the half-dozen flavors of soft-serve at the company’s brick-and-mortar. First opened in late 2023 by Amber Tan and the late Waldo Yan, the pair decided to offer a different style of ice cream in Arcadia to pay homage to the previous occupant, Ace Yogurt. At any given moment, a half-dozen flavors are available at 626 Ice Cream, plus toppings like bubu arare (micro-sized Japanese rice crackers), mochi bites and chamoy-flavored gummies. On my visit, I loved the honey misugaru and (now discontinued) ube vanilla. The texture and consistency of every flavor, however, is top notch, which explains the lines that stretch into the parking lot on weekend evenings. Fortunately, the line normally moves quickly, even with the generous sampling offered at the counter.