The interior is akin to a retro ice cream parlor and the scent of warm chocolate permeates the air.My custom quake shake was delectable. Peppermint bark, white chocolate caramel, and almond sea salt chocolate blended with vanilla ice cream to a thick frothy goodness.My sweet tooth - and inner child- was satisfied.

Truly an experience of stepping back in time when getting an ice cream treat meant enjoying the entire process -- bring spoilt with choices, ordering from a professional staff wearing an uniform, having your order prepared by the dedicated experts...An amazing selection of both ice creams, and a great chocolate selection for purchase. (Interestingly, Ghirardelli is one of the few rare companies that still prepare their own chocolate all the way from the beans!)The building also has some cool local history, having been initially the first double doored theater. Definitely a must do if visiting San Diego gas lamp district.The only to improve pointer that I have to share is that it may not be for the first time visitor immediately clear where to place an order. -- Just go to the cashier at the back, you order and pay for the ice cream at the same place where you would pay for the chocolate purchases. 👍

Its Ghirardelli! Not much to say but that it is one of the finer chocolate and ice cream stores. It is in downtown part of San Diego and so parking can be a challenge, but otherwise easy to get to. On the day I visited it wasnt too packed but I can see it getting crowded. Some sitting available inside and outside. A good place to check out if in San Diego visiting. Not the same as the one in San Francisco, but comes close.

My absolute favorite!!!! Incredible chocolate and ice cream! The employees were so kind!

The place smells awesome but the cookie dough ice cream doesn’t really taste like cookie dough.

There’s a lot to choose from on their menu. Great place for dessert.

Had the best experience here eating ice cream and nuts and chocolate 🍫. It smells great in this place and the treats were awesome.

Staff was really nice! My husband got World famous Hot fudge sundae and he really loved it! Inside is really nice clean and big!

They a ere sold out of cookies and brownies but they sell snow caps by weight which was a delicious treat!

Amaaaaazing sundaes! Definitely worth the stop

My favorite place to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. Like their other major city stores, this place has closed their inside dining area, offering take out orders only.After our dinner at Rustic Root, we walked over to this shop to buy a cup of hot cocoa. As always, I just can’t get enough of the hot cocoa. The hot drink was just perfect for the evening weather. The cocoa was chocolate rich and creamy with the right sweetness. Even with covid 19 that affected the store traffic, I still enjoy coming here.

First time ever! Visiting from Arizona and I loved it! Frozen hot chocolate and the Marina sundae

Great location and has the neon outdoor sign. A real soda shop.

Always such a delicious treat.

No kidding, I got a rush of chocolate happy feelings entering that place. It was like coming home, people were offering me free chocolate. So cool, so good. I loved the entire atmosphere. Menu prices are reasonable, bring a friend to share with though. Servings are huge. Comfortable seating, bar like and tables, cozy vs group available. Wheel chair accessible too. Closing is at 12 so enough time to check it out after walking the quarter. Ill do it again!

Really busy store! Manager was super nice to customize a couple of orders- but seating is limited. If you come at a busy time, expect to stand or walk with your ice cream! Favorite item- brownie sundae! With extra hot fudge!!

If you are lover of Ghirardelli chocolates and ice cream, sundaes, and shakes, then this is a must visit. The space is a nice blend of classic ice cream parlor feel with contemporary touches. There is a great selection of Ghirardelli chocolates and ice cream, sundaes, shakes, and drinks. The service is prompt and efficient. Highly recommended if you love chocolates and ice cream!

Great chocolate, ice-cream, and beverages are served here.My rating is 4.5; not 4 and not 5. There is always room for improvement.I visited this place 2 times already and ordered ice-creams and was wishing to find the service to be consistent but it wasn’t. The fist time I had the ice-cream coming on a cup and added a waffle cone to it, so the order was amazing and the scopes were really nice as I wished them to be.The second time I ordered the 2 scopes to be with a cone and requested that they come in a cup with a cone on top, but unfortunately they came on a cone alone and the quantity was really as half as my order 2 days ago. I guess I should have replicated the same order to avoid this inconsistency.Otherwise, the place is really nice, clean and beautiful. The prices and quality are Good.The place is located in a busy area, if you try to visit it during the evening, most likely you’ll find it very busy and might wait to get a vacant seat/table.Check the pictures I uploaded, including their current menus as of mid of June 2019.

If you want to splurge on your calorie intake and get a sugar rush and a brain freeze all at the same time, this is the place to do it. Sundaes are amazing. The chocolate is a little too creamy but fine.The only problem is the coffee. It tasted horrific. As if the machine hasnt been cleaned for centuries.But other than that, tasty.

Delicious ice cream but they need more seating outside. The homeless person right next to the building needs to be moved to a better location.

Huge ice cream way bigger than what I thought yet it was the best 👌

I had a craving for a banana split, and their Golden Gate was awesome!! Their ice cream with all of the other components did not make it overly sweet, and if I wasnt sharing with my wife I couldve finished it myself. All of the flavors were incredibly well balanced. Of course the chocolate ice cream is what youd expect from Ghirardelli!!

4.5 Obviously its Ghirardelli so it was delicious. However, its a little pricey for what you get. My husband and I ordered the banana caramel milkshake and a quake shake ($18). Very filling. Staff wasnt overly helpful but answered questions if you asked.

Adelina was not polite. She got mad at me for eating a few cashews I was buying. Then charged me $10 for a small amount of cashews. Asked for a receipt, and she gave me one that wouldn’t show the weight. It’s impossible for the cost to be exactly $10 if paying by weight. 8/26/21 ~10:30pm bathroom was okay. Chocolate was good, but probably won’t be going back with that kind of service and lies about prices.

The great customer service & ice cream 🍦 was really great w/chocolate 🍫 Waffle cone!

One of the best ice cream weve ever had.The gold rush is one of the best deserts!!

My favorite ice cream shopHad the Sundae with both hot fudge snd caramel Delicious. Expensive but worth the splurge

It is very hard to choose something here because it’s all so good!!!! We had a shake and chocolate brownie that was perfectly heated. Intense and delicious flavors all around. Always busy but friendly and reasonably priced.

It was Delli Licious!Staff was quiet and reserved but our group of 10 left very happy and full. Nice portion sizes. Pricey but so worth it.

Great place for dessert if dining in the area. The lines were not to bad for a Saturday night but seating was almost an issue. We got lucky and got a street view counter. The Icecream was good and the servings were large. I think the ladies in the group had to force theirs down. Would definitely return. Hopefully on a hot day.

I come in on a Monday night after a Padres’ game with five minutes to go till closing time and I was greeted by a yell (what looks like the manger sitting at the front register) saying, “We’re closed!” so loudly, not once but twice. I was stunned. I told him its five minutes till closing time and he didn’t want to hear anything I was saying. So I respectfully left. I won’t be coming back any more. I guess he wanted to go home early and didn’t want to make any more money for the company. I wanted to come in and get an ice cream for my long 50 mile trip home. That didn’t happen. One perturbed customer

Best ice cream you can get I believe, black cherry vanilla is great and the raspberry sorbet was so good I recommend trying different flavors dont waste your time trying single flavored ice creams like the basic chocolate or vanilla

If you dont go to Ghiradelli while youre in San Diego you are missing out! I had to split this with someone

They were out of a regular flavor of ice cream, my sister had to get something she didnt want and had no alternative choices for coffee cream.

Loved it, 10/10. Customer service was great. And plus offered free chocolate every time we came in. Also for vegans it is a great place to get some ice cream, as I did and dis not regret the decision. It was delicious Dark Chocolate, with a high percentage of cocoa.

Need I say more :-) this place is five star and lives up to its reputation.

Overrated. I got a salted caramel sundae and was very disappointed. Cold stone has better ice cream. Definitely not worth the money.

Cant really go wrong. Everyone was nice and the desserts and chocolates were amazing.

Great place but very limited on ice cream flavors. Very pricey but thats because of name. Very elegant inside. Weekends are crazy busy downtown here but a weekday afternoon is perfect for no crowds and no line.

Best ice I had n a long time

All about sugar, chocolate, ice cream and more sugar. Ice cream is around 10 dollars and they have plenty of chocolate mini and full size bars. You can customize your ice cream and add whatever you like including toppings and fudge.

Tasty ice cream cones! Very popular you may need to wait outside after you order but the desserts are great after a nice meal in the gasoline district

Good ice cream, fast service. Small issue of freezer burn on some of the chocolate ice cream. Not worth the higher money, but still a great spot for decadent desserts.

Really love this place such an amazing classic iconic ice cream bar. Even with a huge line up they were able to service us really quick. Took our order and had us seated at a table. They brought it out very quickly and even gave us a few chocolates for the road. Would highly recommend checking this spot out!

What bad can be said about chocolate? I havent been here since quarantine so seeing the shop without booths and tables looked bare. Anyway, they have a setup where you can grab paper menus and stand in the center aisle. Gives you the views of the whole store while waiting your turn to order. For whatever reason people were hovering over the menu stands as if they didnt realize that the menus are double sided and paper. Maybe the store can put up a sign to take one? People were waiting behind others, creating a fake line. Im glad I got there before this particular crowd or I would have been irked realizing that people arent paying attention.We ordered shakes and the salted caramel brownie sundae. Ooh I wished we couldve eaten it right then. We took it to go and they were kind enough to pack the brownies and hot fudge separately so they would travel well. Ice cream with whip cream and the chocolate/caramel drizzle in its own container too. A bit pricey but def very good.

Lion Master Stamp of Approval! This by far is the best chocolate on the west coast. They have perfected their treats. I always have to get a hot chocolate. They are delicious! This time we had a butterscotch sundae. It was so fulfilling. Our taste buds were drunk with happiness. You always have to get a bag of treats too. If you havent tried these chocolates before, then you better try them now. They are delicously worth it!

Delicious ice creams and chocolates! We stop by here every time we make it to San Diego. We went mind day on a Saturday, and the place was empty. We enjoyed a Chrisy Field and it was great.

Went to Ghirardellis after dinner for dessert. Ive always liked going to this place in the past. While the quality of the food is still good, I was very disappointed to see that the ice cream portions have become so small and the prices have become so expensive. Additionally, the sundaes are served in a clear plastic 12 oz water cup. Needless to say, between the portions, presentation and price, I wont be going back.

Just so good!!! Classic ice cream favorites that you love. This place gets very crowded but staff does a great job with service speed.

Great place to visit. I can call it as the chocolate heaven.The staff were amazing and friendly. It is one of the things you must do when you visit san Diego. Try their sundae.We even asked for samples of free chocolate and they gave us a bunch. I really love this place and will always do.

My first time at this Ghirardelli outlet... during the pandemic and when San Diego has closed of several city blocks in order to encourage outdoor dining. Great fun and great desserts. Store traffic flowed well and our order came to us waiting outside with little delay. A nice experience and a great way to cap off dinner from elsewhere.

When I come to San Diego, I stay way out in Kearny Mesa, but I always drive into town, pay for parking and walk to Ghirardelli. It is just that good! Tonight we had their World famous hot fudge sundae, their Cookies and cream sundae and their Salted cramel sundae Id put those the up against any three ice cream dishes anywhere...

Great location in an old movie theater entrance. Delicious choices of just their ice cream or sundies and shakes. Friendly staff. A little pricey but thats expected with this name.Update October 2018: since I 1st visited here they have totally renovated this store. It is awesome, with lots of new lighting and new counters full of their chocolates. I had one of the painted ladies as they are called; the one with mint ice cream and hot fudge coating the tall glass it was in. I love the new look!

Chocolates are amazing, as always! But their ice cream... meh.

A great deal of variety. Pleasant service. A good price. The best thing was the white chocolate. The quality is also delicious and delicious and the quantity is in equilibrium with the volume.

They need to move their menus to the entrance so you have more time to figure out what you want. Chocolate milkshake was delicious.

The chocolate dipped cone was soooo messy and hard to eat. $15 ice-cream, be ready.

Great place. well organized. great treats! Love taking my kids here

Great waffle cones! Chocolate chip ice cream was also delicious.

Such a variety of chocolate candies. It is a good and slightly more expensive place, but the ice cream and the shakes look good too. Mine and my moms was a bit too sweet, but overall, I recommend.

Everything is delicious. Unfortunately the homeless in the city come around if you choose to eat outside.

Fun iconic stop for ice cream and chocolate. Generally fast service. Portions of all specialty desserts are sufficient for sharing.

For are 1st time omg it was so good highly recommend guy was kinda rude but desserts were amazing

Came here around 8-9pm on Sunday night before, Memorial Day. Line was very long, but it moved fast. Staff attentive and personable. Brownie was a small sliver in my cup of ice cream and I ended up dropping it bc if how it was sat atop my ice cream

Superb ice creams and shakes. Must go !!! Super service

Ghiradelli is always fantastic, and always a stop on our trips to SD.

Great place to visit. Awesome drinks, treats, and ice cream. Chocolate lover paradise. Great selection of chocolates..and love the holiday decor. A must see and do. Grab a delicious hit chocolate this winter! They even give u free little chocolate with your drink and treats purchases..love the cookies too!

Desert is definitely a must!! 😛😛😛

The cookie bits sundae is legendary. Great spot to enjoy after a Padres game. My mouth is still salivating just dreaming about that sundae a few days back...yummmmm

Very busy, although delicious and quick service.

They had excellent raspberry sorbet. Located in the gaslamp quarter.

Nice spot and the ice cream was so good.

Delicious and they hand out Ghirardelli chocolate samples!! I got the Ghirardelli® Chocolate Brownie à la Mode and it was awesome!

Good, only downside is they have a different meaning of what a chocolate dipped cone is.

Love the building, love the old age feel of the service. And the ice cream is wonderful!!

Mesmerizing in its own way. I tried the brownie with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Its was one of its kind

Very tasty and creatively simple chocolate options. I love how it feels you step back into another era in terms of interior design and the uniforms of the employees. The exterior of the building feels like an old movie house. For me, the experience was better than the treat.

Great place with awesome chocolate and Ice Cream. A must go in San Diego!!!!

Like it. I dont have enough 💰 for it. A I love to have a hotfudge sundae with extra hotfudge!!!

Their frozen hot chocolate is the best! We often find ourselves coming here for chocolate, desserts, etc! So fast and friendly!

They got the best ice cream in town .I will be caming back .

The ice cream is awesome! Very filling. It is very pricey. One down fall, no where to sit. Not even outside.

We got the World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae which was perfect for the hot day. It was good and rich. Its hard to go wrong with a Hot Fudge Sundae!!

They reopened for take-out!Pretty easy process. You walk in up to the registers and then follow the arrows to the pickup section outside in front of the store.They will walk your order out to you.

Get the drinking chocolate. It’s sooo thick and rich. I also liked the peppermint hot cocoa (pictured). They give you a free little chocolate, and there’s some outdoor seating.

Open till midnight went for husbands b day treat.

Best brownie sunday I had. Warm moist brownie. Now I have to workout to burn 960 calories. 😝

My chocolate reverie was this good...

Great chocolates, shakes and the best ice cream... superb service

Same as all Ghirardelli shops. Menu is varied, they have a variety of chocolates and souvenirs. Service is fast and friendly. The venue is ok, nothing exciting. Located in downtown San Diego. Love their milkshakes.

I had an excellent vanilla milkshake at this location. It left me filled and very joyous!

Great ice cream and chocolate. Unfortunately, we had to eat standing up outside even though other restaurants had seating.

Took the family Saturday night didnt realize it was a huge party area drunk belligerent people everywhere! We ordered and were told to wait outside waited for over 30 minutes to find they gave out ice cream to someones else. Kids had to go to the bathroom and they refused to let them use it (eventhough we spent over $80) So we had to walk with our melting ice cream a few blocks away to find an open grocery store in a foreign town. They refunded part of our purchase but the experience was terrible and we wont be back again.

Great place for a late night family treat! Everything we ordered was super chocolatety just like expected.

Was absolutely wonderful! A chocolate lovers dream! So many choices and will come back again!

Great place for a $13 Sunday with two scoops! OR you could buy 4 delicious tubs of Ben and Jerrys for the same price. Thats one per week every Friday night for a month. Its your choice.

Great desert, great service, cleanest bathrooms EVER!

I love Ghirardelli, thats why I was surprised that they do not provide outdoor seating like their neighboring venues. Nothing like standing in the sun, trying to eat a sundae.Not returning until this is changed. SF and Vegas have no issue with outdoor seating right now.

Love their chocolates and ice cream . Great place people are very friendly and great customer service. I asked the manager for a sample and he kindly gave me a spoon full of ice cream !! Loves how I was greeted with a chocolate upon entering the store.

Amazing taste and ample of options! Try their chocolate ice cream!!