Heads-up to info on CHAINS board - Yes there’s CARVEL ... right here in the city of Berkeley ... with a capital C A R V E L ... and that spells GREAT !

[rworange]

... and this post specifically compares Carvels to other local places. The Carvel-specific, general stuff is on the Chains board. Sorry if this post wasn't clear about that before.

If you have kids or want to be a kid again ... get over to the Berkeley store ... To me this beats every ice cream place in the Bay Area including Gelato Milano and Naia down the street. And it REALLY outclasses that organic Straus soft-serve at Picco.

I don’t have to think about and evaluate my ice cream ... just enjoy its flavor and deliciousness.

I personally don’t care WHAT is in Carvel or where the ingredients originate or if it is seasonal. It TASTES good ... and the shop is no-nonsense, pure delight without being cutesy kidsy. All it takes for an ice cream wonderland is good ice cream, colorful cones, interesting novelties and lots of sprinkles and toppings.

Here are the details on the chains board.

Carvel Ice Cream - better than plastic surgery
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/314519

Carvel’s California
http://www.carvelbrentwood.com

Carvel’s Berkeley
2516 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, Ca

510 – 665-8300

It’s a half a block up from Telegraph on Bancroft ... almost across the street from the Desi hot dog truck.

[The Chowhound Team]

A reminder: Please move to the "Chains" board for any followup discussion on Carvel. Please do feel free to discuss local competitors here on this thread.

[hhc]

thanks for the posts. I'll have to try it one day since I have no Carvel history. I want a Fudgie The Whale cake!

http://www.carvelbrentwood.com/cakes.htm

[Robert Lauriston]

Compared with Milano or Sketch, Carvel's insipid and way too sweet.

Of course, that's slightly apples and oranges. The direct local comparisons are Yogurt Park (local, independent) and Foster Freeze (ancient Northern California chain).