La Copa Loca, Vegan Ice Cream in the Mission (San Francisco)

[Guest guest]

It can be hard to find good vegan ice cream (other than fruit sorbets) in the

Mission.

 

For example: I have gone by Xanath at 951 Valencia St (20th/21st) a few times

over the few months, and I have tried the " soy ice cream " that they keep trying

to make. They're apparently still experimenting. Unfortunately, the vegan ice

cream they make has the consistency of paint chips! It's a little bit moister

than astronaut ice cream. I have actually ordered it and eaten a whole serving

of it, once, out of principle (supporting their idea to have a vegan flavor),

but since then, I just go by every chance I get, to sample their vegan flavor of

the day, to see if they have started making " normal " vegan ice cream yet. So

far, no luck. I've told the people behind the counter that this is not how

vegan ice cream is supposed to be, have they heard of Maggie Mudd in Bernal

Heights? They just shrug their shoulders; they don't have a concept of vegan

ice cream. Seems they figure this is just how it is. It breaks my heart because

lots of people have never been exposed to delicious vegan ice cream before, and

if they go into Xanath, they're going to see that terrible ice cream and go,

" WOW. That's what vegans have to eat? Gross, I'm never going vegan. " It's

really sad. I hope Xanath will either figure out how to make vegan ice cream or

stop offering something that makes veganism seems like a bad idea.

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/xanath-ice-cream-san-francisco

 

Anyway ... people need to know that, only a 6-minute walk away (according to

google maps), ice-cream-hungry vegans will find LA COPA LOCA! At 3150 22nd St,

between Mission and Capp.

 

Walking directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d & source=s_d & saddr=3150+22nd+st,+san+francisco+ca & \

daddr=951+Valencia+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94110 & hl=en & geocode=FeoaQAIdvgy0-CkTlL7\

WOH6PgDE4nOenwtPV5w%3BFRkjQAIdXgG0-ClzhB8sPH6PgDEjWb-y9Ad1cA & mra=ls & dirflg=w & sll\

=37.756505,-122.41958 & sspn=0.004156,0.006899 & ie=UTF8 & z=17

 

This is an Italian gelato place in the heart of the Mission. They have

out-of-this-world soy chocolate gelato, and they usually have either hazelnut or

vanilla soy gelato as well. Literally half their flavors are vegan because the

entire first row of flavors is dairy-free (most are sorbets, but even the

sorbets are tempting exotic flavors with a light and airy texture that I

adore!). For the first time since I was child, I got motivated to get a

triple-scoop ice cream cone at La Copa Loca ... I got the soy chocolate, blood

orange sorbet, and vanilla soy flavors. I know it's self-indulgent ... I guess

I was just really hungry that day, but I can't believe how easy it was to eat IT

ALL, and something about the whole experience of eating that much ice cream from

a cone, while walking around in the Mission, made me so happy.

 

La Copa Loca also has very good soy milkshakes, which are perfect for picking up

and sipping on during the walk home. They have a huge menu of creative,

artistic sundaes with faces on them, etc, for kids (or the young at heart),

although I they still don't have vegan whipped cream yet. They advertise that

they make dairy-free and egg-free cakes for birthdays, special occasions

(heart-shaped, special designs), but I haven't tried them yet.

 

La Copa Loca also has a menu of crepes, sandwiches, etc, which I have not yet

tried. Some of the sandwiches have meat, so, unlike Maggie Mudd, La Copa Loca

cannot be classified as a vegetarian restaurant. But, due to its vegan ice

cream offerings, La Copa Loca is a wonderful find for vegans in the Mission.

 

If you're a fan of La Copa Loca, like me, you can post a review for them at the

Ultimate Guide.

 

http://www.bayareaveg.org/ug/display.htm?id=942

 

Another great thing about La Copa Loca is that they stay open 10 p.m. weekdays

(except Monday) and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Perfect for a vegan treat in

between dinner and bar-hopping in the Valencia corridor.

 

So to make a list, the options for vegan ice cream in the Mission (that I know

of) are:

 

1) Humphry Slocombe (on Harrison at 23rd/24th), which I don't recommend, in

part, because they normally have either 1 vegan flavor (chocolate fudgsicle) or

zero vegan flavors (when they run out of fudgsicle). The vegan fudgsicle is

fine, but I prefer the chocolate gelato at La Copa Loca. The other part of why

I don't recommend them is that Humphry Slocome appeals to the " cruelty is hip "

foodie movement with " edgy " flavors like prosciutto, foie gras (!), or duck fat

pecan pie. UGH! No, I don't recommend those guys.

 

2) Order Maggie Mudd ice cream as a dessert at Herbivore (21st & Mission).

 

3) Get Maggie Mudd or other vegan ice cream brands by the pint at Valencia Whole

Foods (Valencia at 21st), 26th & Guerrero Market, or Rainbow Grocery (Folsom at

15th).

 

4) Order one of the desserts with vegan ice cream at Gracias Madre (Mission at

18th/19th)

 

5) Order the nut-milk ice cream at Cafe Gratitude (Harrison at 20th)

 

6) Xanath (Valencia at 20th/21st) ... NOT GOOD, until they get the kinks ironed

out.

 

7) LA COPA LOCA! My favorite.

 

Feel free to add to the list if you know of more options.

 

Take care,

Rachel D.

San Francisco, CA