The newest success story to Cole Valley is the one of a kind, Ice Cream Bar. Owner, Juliet Pries decided to open a 1930's style ice cream bar due to her love of baking and ice cream! Though she did not realize how long the process would take. From city zoning and planning committee meetings, it took Pries practically 2 years to finally open her shop. Like in any city, there is always a lot of bureaucracy and formalities in order to get a restaurant approved. This might explain the storefronts that are vacant for months on end. 

Luckily during this process, Pries decide to devout her time to finding items and pieces to make her shop unique. That back wall cabinet you see in the main picture (the soda fountain bar), that piece was found on eBay. The purchase included the 'Ice Cream Bar' sign. "Let's call it that," Pries said when she decided to keep it simple and keep the old school name. From then on Pries was motivated to have the 1930s style aesthetic. From old ceiling lamps to the vintage cash register and soda carbonating machine, the shop slowly came alive. Even the menu itself was influenced by the 1930s prohibition soda fountains.

Pries wanted to, "try to do it the way they did it," in the 1930s. She decided to bring on board, famous mixologist, Russell Davis, who together with Pries, created the soda fountain menu, full of tinctures and lactarts. "Everything is from scratch, and everything is made in house." The ice cream selection offers a wide variety of unique flavors. There's even some fantastic vegan options (see photo in slideshow). Pries is super excited about the summer season because that means lots of different fruit options to choose from. They just announced their blueberry ice cream. She's also thinking of incorporating peaches and other summer fruits this season. 

As with every ColeValleySF Spotlight, we always want to know, "What do you like best about Cole Valley?" For Pries, who was previously a Cole Valley resident, she loves how diverse and friendly the neighborhood is. As a new store to the area, she stated that all the other merchants were very welcoming and excited for the new addition to our quaint little neighborhood. 

The Ice Cream bar is a great addition to the neighborhood. It's a place where all different types of people are welcome. Those not interested in the bar scene in the Haight, can enjoy a unique nightlife experience while drinking  sodas infused in tobacco! There are even folks that come into the restaurant that remember the soda fountain era. They reminisce and tell stories about various soda jerks and tinctures that were their favorites. While the older generations are telling stories, there are young children running around, giddy from their ice cream sugar highs. It's even a place where Pries has seen many first dates and, "they were definitely first dates!" 

The Ice Cream Bar is definitely a unique spot in San Francisco. A place to go back in time and experience a period of American history that many of us were never alive to experience. So come on by and get yourself a scoop!