Serving Since

San Francisco

Serving since

1953

73 years in San Francisco

Mitchell's Ice Cream

Mission District · Sweets

Go here for
Mango · Ube · Macapuno
Why go
Mango, ube and macapuno ice cream, made in the shop by the family that opened it in 1953.
Good to know
Lines can wrap around the block; customers take a numbered ticket.
Directions Official website

Opened June 6, 1953, per NBC Bay Area. The official history says Larry and Jack Mitchell decided to start the business in 1952.

Why it matters

The Mitchell family built the building at 29th Street and San Jose Avenue in 1913. In 1947 the city widened San Jose Avenue, and rather than lose the building the family had it lifted and turned sideways. The storefront sat empty for several years.

Brothers Larry Mitchell, a firefighter, and Jack Mitchell, a plumber, opened an ice cream parlor there on June 6, 1953. In the 1960s a partnership with a Philippine fruit importer brought tropical flavors such as mango and ube. Jack retired in 1982. Linda Mitchell and her brother Brian, Larry's children, run it with longtime managers Marlon and Wanda Payumo. It joined San Francisco's Legacy Business Registry in 2023.

The story

  1. 1913Mitchell family builds the corner building2
  2. 1947Building lifted and turned for the widening of San Jose Avenue2
  3. 1953Larry and Jack Mitchell open the shop (June 6)3
  4. 1982Jack Mitchell retires2
  5. 2023Added to San Francisco's Legacy Business Registry4
  6. TodayStill serving San Francisco

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Notes on the record

  • Sources differ on the year: NBC Bay Area and the Glen Park Association say it opened in June 1953; the SF Standard says 1952, the year the official history says the brothers decided to open.

Details

Address
688 San Jose Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood
Mission District
Ownership
Family-owned
Status
Open · verified Sep 2026

OldScore

A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.

Age20/ 35
Continuity20/ 20
Local significance10/ 20
Local food culture10/ 15
Independence10/ 10
OldScore70/ 100

More like this

Sources

  1. Mitchell's Ice Cream (official site) Address, Current status
  2. Mitchell's Ice Cream, Mitchell's History (official) Founding year, Ownership, History
  3. NBC Bay Area, 'Flavor of the day: San Francisco's Mitchell's Ice Cream turns 70' (2023) Founding year, Ownership, History, What to order
  4. The San Francisco Standard, 'This San Francisco Institution Has Been Serving Ice Cream for 7 Decades' (Sep 8, 2023) Founding year, Ownership, What to order, History
  5. Glen Park Association, 'Mitchell's ice cream celebrates 65 delicious years' Founding year, Ownership, What to order, Address