Summer in the Santa Clarita Valley can take many forms, whether it be midday water balloon fights at the park, long bike rides on the paseos or heading to a movie in the early evening hours on a weekday.
However, where do you go after these types of activities? How do you top off a great day outside enjoying the summer sun?
With a variety of selections from local ice cream and cold dessert establishments sprinkled throughout the local community, that’s how.
Whether going for the staple trademark of Thrifty’s ice cream, or cashing in on your summer birthday with a free scoop at Baskin & Robbins, there’s a smorgasbord of options available to people, and a variety of traditions that come along with families treating themselves.
But there are a number of new locations or hidden gems in the Santa Clarita Valley as well that have frozen themselves within the local treat lexicon. And they’re looking to help you and your family continue their hot summer day enjoyment.
Wafflecomb
If heading home to fast while driving down Soledad or fighting your way through rush-hour traffic on Bouquet, you might miss Wafflecomb, a small ice cream shop tucked away near the same intersection as bustling hotspots like Schoonerville, Schooners and a number of gas stations and fast-food establishments.
But the store takes pride in its namesake, so much so that the dessert which comes in a “bubble waffle” cone and originated on the streets of Hong Kong is their only product.
Established three years ago, and popularized on SCV Instagram due to their litany of interesting flavors and toppings (that come free with every cone), such as their Cookie Monster flavor — cookies ’n’ cream ice cream that’s colored blue.
According to Riley Delasalas, whose family opened their first store to serve their local community in the Canyon Country and Saugus area, the fascination with their product is the result of the colors and cone.
“We make fresh bubble waffles, which originated in Hong Kong, and is served with soft serve ice cream,” said Delasalas. “(A bubble waffle) is basically an ‘egg waffle’ where the main ingredient is egg and made with our special waffle makers, hence the name.”
She said she always hears is how sweet the waffle is, because, as she puts it, is it is far different than a Belgian waffle.
The Cookie Monster ice cream idea, a customer favorite Delasalas said, in addition to their numerous other flavors, was a “simple” invention by their family, but is a crowd-pleaser.
Wafflecomb is located at 26240 Bouquet Canyon Road.
D.W. Cookie
A treat for many families over the years, D.W. Cookie has given their customers the opportunity to take scoop of ice cream and smash it in between one of the approximate dozen different types of cookie flavors.
Owner Devar Ward says the cookie sandwich is a favorite among the guests who come, who can also get the ice cream and/or cookies separately.
“Usually, we have anywhere between nine and 13 different flavors of cookies,” said Ward. “And then for ice cream we have the basic chocolate, vanilla, and we do have a house strawberry cheesecake that’s a favorite.”
According to Ward, a number of people come into the business on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the $1 off the sandwich specials, whether through word of mouth or walking off the street.
In addition to the sandwiches, the shop also provides sundaes with one cookie, a scoop of ice cream and toppings.
D.W. Cookie is located at 18962 Soledad Canyon Road.
Cunchy’s Fruit
Made with fruit from the back or served alongside a separate order of homemade, in-house ice cream, people are said to flock to Cunchy’s Fruit in Canyon Country to try their raspados shaved ice desserts.
“We’re known for our raspados because, again, they’re made with 100% real fruit,” said Jackie Alanis, manager at Cunchy’s. “If you’re looking for something like passion fruit, it’s not powder or anything like some other places. We use the actual fruit.”
In addition to using seasonal fruits such as guava, pomegranate, raspberries, blueberries and grape during certain times of the year, the restaurant also boasts having pineapple, watermelon, mango and coconut that can be served with the shaved ice.
“If you’re looking for a great beverage, we can have that if it’s the right season,” said Alanis. “We also have honey-based options, dairy-based options, sugar-based options, depending on your preference.”
Cunchy’s also boasts having their homemade ice cream be so fresh, and made with fruit they chop themselves, that customers remark that it’s visible how good it looks.
“They make (the ice cream) in the back, and, for example, the strawberries are 100% actual strawberries, there’s no artificial flavorings or powder or anything,” said Alanis. “A lot of our customers, when they get the scoop of strawberries, are like, ‘Oh my god, you can see the little (seeds) in the ice cream’ because everything is made with actual fruit.”
“It is not a fast-food restaurant,” said Alanis. “So, we do take our time with our products .. and the quality of our products is always good.”
Cunchy’s is located at 27219 Camp Plenty Road.
