4 CA Ice Cream Shops Named Among Best Creameries In U.S.: Report

CALIFORNIA — California residents looking for some sweet relief from the summer heat should make it a point to check out a few creameries that were ranked among the best ice cream shops in the nation, according to a new report.

Thrillist named the 40 best ice cream shops in the U.S. in an era where ice cream has been renewed as an artistry as new wave creameries crop up around the country.

The list includes plant-based creameries, shops where cones have been spiked with booze and complex flavors you can bet you've never heard of.

In California, four creameries were named in the Golden State.

An's Dry Cleaning - San Diego

The name of San Diego's best creamery may confuse some customers, but An's Dry Cleaning is undoubtedly one of the best places to score some of the smoothest gelato around.

But why is it called An's Dry Cleaning? During their search for the perfect location, the owners found it in a historic building built in 1934 on Adams Ave. but felt it would be wrong to change the name of a long standing establishment.

"We immediately fell in love with the location, the community, and the people. But changing the name of an old establishment, in an even older building, didn’t feel right," the owners wrote on their website.

The shop offers a weekly rotating menu and a roster of quirky names such as leather and lingerie. Find their current menu here.

The shop is open daily from noon to 11 p.m.

Awan - Los Angeles

West Hollywood's Awan, which means "cloud" in Bahasa, specializes in non-dairy ice cream using Indonesian roots. Indonesian-Australian chef Zen Ong uses a combination of Indonesian coconut cream and coconut water to produce a rich, creamy gelato-like texture.

His ice cream is made with specially imported Balinese vanilla beans, aromatic lemongrass, unrefined sugar that made with the sap of a coconut palm tree and more.

Awan is located on 866 Huntley Drive and is open Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 10 p.m. Learn more about the shop here.

Bi-Rite Creamery - San Francisco

San Francisco's Bi-Rite Creamery is known for stacking a line of folks outside — no matter the weather. The shop is known for its salted caramel and balsamic strawberry scoops.

The shop also offers dairy-free options and pre-ordered pints, popicles, bars, sandwiches and ice cream cakes. The creamery, located in the Bi-Rite Market, also offers seasonal ice cream flavors such as Pumpkin Cheesecake as well as cookies, brownies and pies.

The secret? Their soft serve is made with Double 8 Dairy buffalo milk. The shop uses the higher butter fat from just one of only two water buffalo dairies in California.

Bi-Rite creamery is open from noon to 9 p.m. every day.

Wanderlust Creamery - Los Angeles

Wanderlust Creamery, which has locations in Atwater Village, Fairfax, Pasadena, Tarzana, Venice and downtown Los Angles, has flavors that are also inspired by faraway places.

Flavors are inspired by a combination of desserts from Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and France.

Owners and husband-and-wife duo Jon-Patrick Lopez and Adrienne Borlongan say they've created flavors inspired by their own feelings of wanderlust: "every flavor is made from memories, the flavors remind us of our childhoods, the places we've been and the places we want to go." Learn more about the shop here.

Read the full report from Thrillist: The 40 Best Ice Cream Shops in the U.S.