Famous Oasis Ice Cream Parlor — Restaurant in San Diego

One of our family's favorite ice cream shops!

This place has been serving hand made ice creams and paletas to an enthusiastic home grown crowd for decades. Prices are super reasonable and flavor selection is stellar. That said, this place is about as unfussy as you're going to get. If you're looking for the newest gastronomic salted, charcoal-vanilla, truffle-olive oil gelato, this is NOT your place. But if you're wanting a straight forward strawberry-vanilla, rocky road, walnut, or coffee cream-based scoop, or a cantaloupe, watermelon, or pineapple fruit-based scoop, this is your place.

Tips:

1. Bring cash, they don't take cards
2. Be prepared to either eat at one of the few slightly sticky plastic tables or on the curb, not a lot of seating
3. Yes, it's in a strip mall, you're in the right place
4. Don't sleep on walnut, that's the quiet MVP right there. Scoop of that and another of banana and you're...

My wife and I recently visited Oasis Ice Cream Parlor, hoping to relive the great experiences we had years ago, but unfortunately, we left disappointed.

First off, the customer service was lacking. The staff didn’t seem very welcoming or attentive, which really put a damper on the visit. The quality of the ice cream wasn’t what I remembered either — it tasted a bit off, as if the ingredients weren’t as fresh, and it lacked the rich flavor that used to set them apart. To top it off, the prices have gotten quite expensive, which doesn’t match the level of service, quantity or quality we received.

Sadly, I won’t be returning. It’s a shame to see a place that used to be so enjoyable...

I've been coming to Oasis since I was a little kid and have so many good memories here, like the time Mr. Lee treated all the band kids to ice cream, or the extra sample the owner would scoop on top of your cone. I will always remember the first time I tried the arroz con leche (rice pudding) flavor: those chunks of rice and the little pieces of cinnamon bark that add that sweet zing!

Other epic flavors: coconut paleta, banana, coffee, walnut, pepino con chile paleta, watermelon...

NEW! Mini bars for $1, the new Halloween "Trick-or-Treat" (chocolate ice cream with chunks of KitKat, Reese's, and peanut butter M&Ms), and a paleta cart you can rent...