Guide to cultural ice cream shops

By Staff Writers Finn McCarthy, Joseph Miao, & Aarav Vashisht

Introduction

The Tri-City is a cultural melting pot, and with it comes diversity in the flavors of ice cream. From Indian to Taiwanese to Afghan, local ice cream parlours are blending their culture with ice cream, ensuring a perfect flavor out there for anyone looking to cool down during the summer.

Pints of Joy

As the name suggests, Pints of Joy not only serves pints of ice cream, but also pints of happiness. Located on Capitol Avenue in the Central District, the women-owned, self-proclaimed “best ice cream parlour in Fremont” serves scoops from classic vanilla to those inspired by Indian desserts. 

Inside the brightly lit Fremont location is handcrafted, small-batch, eggless ice cream with nostalgic flavors for everyone to enjoy. Their most popular include Alphonso mango and gulab jamun: one marking the spring season with a vibrant, creamy taste and the other a staple of South Asian festivals and celebrations. 

With flavors that hold deep significance for many Fremont residents, Pints of Joy aims to bring sentimental cultural flavors to customers. “We offer so many varieties, and that’s one of the reasons people come back,” Pints of Joy employee Dhrumini Patel said. “They have curiosity, and I think we have the answer for [their] curiosity.”

Meet Fresh

Meet Fresh is the dessert place where customers can meet fresh, Taiwanese flavors in hundreds of different ways. Tucked away in the corner of Pacific Commons Shopping Center, the chain dessert shop is renowned for its shaved ice series, which are flooded with red beans and caramel pudding before being topped with a generous scoop of ice cream. The store insists on preserving traditional flavor, offered through shaved ice signatures like Black Sugar Boba Milky and Q Mochi Milk. 

Meet Fresh aims to maintain authenticity, with goals for their flavors to make customers feel sentimental and reminiscent of their childhood. “It’s nice to have nostalgic memories of food we grew up eating, especially since my brother’s gone in college,” Junior Samantha Sheng said, who used to have a tradition of enjoying Meet Fresh with her older brother after dentist appointments.

Kabul Barfi

Often renowned as the hidden gem of ice cream spots across Fremont, Kabul Barfi offers a wide variety of traditional Afghan sweets. The shop opened in early March in 2024, and has grown popular for their Afghan fusion barfi sweets and traditional ice cream flavors. Specifically, their customer favorites include the Sheeryakh and Zhala, which each are staples that originate from Kabul, Afghanistan. Each flavor presented in the store is personally handcrafted, with a majority consisting of notes of saffron, cardamom, or pistachio. 

Customers commend the lively environment within the store itself as well as their ice cream’s culturally accurate taste. “Overall, I really like the setup inside and the flavors presented. It honestly reminds me of the times when I used to get Afghan ice cream with my family in my home country,” Junior Lara Abdin said.

Fruits and Ice Cream La Michoacana

Located on Newark Boulevard, Fruits and Ice Cream La Michoacana brings a lavish taste of authentic Mexican dessert culture to Newark. This shop serves homemade ice cream alongside paletas, sorbets, shakes, and other fruit-based frozen treats, making it a classic refreshment stop for locals. Most Michoacana-style creamery stores offer traditional classics such as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. However, Fruits and Ice Cream La Michoacana specializes in tropical flavors, offering popular fruits like mango and coconut. The shop also serves unique options such as piñon, mamey, and tamarind, which are often used in Mexican desserts to add a buttery or sweet flavor. 

For many customers, La Michoacana’s ice cream tastes authentic and fresh. “This place genuinely reminds me of Mexican fruit stands and fresh desserts,” Senior Adam Fahmy, an avid fan, said. “Their ice cream is one of the creamiest and most refreshing summer treats I’ve ever had.”