Mariposa Ice Cream

Stopped by here one evening a few minutes after 9pm when they close. Saw they were still open so we popped in hoping to get some ice cream. The girl working was being very patient with an indecisive customer in front of us and then extended the same patience to help us next. I truly appreciated her willingness to serve us "after hours" technically speaking. You don't see that very often these days.

Now to the ice cream... they have a great mix of both unique and classic flavors. Something for everyone. The flavors are rich, but not overpowering. The portions are generous and the prices are fair. If you're a cone person. I'd highly recommend the waffle cone too.

We finally got to visit Mariposa ice cream. It's a bit hard to catch them open as they are closed for at least three days in a week, I believe.

Cute and quaint shop that I heard is family-ran so you get that warn vibe inside. They have simple and not gimmicky flavors and we ended up getting a scoop of their banana walnut & cookies in cream. Amazingly, the big cup was only $4.50! They didn't have the waffle cone that day which we would've opted for.

Ice cream was good but nothing too mindblowing? I'm curious if we could've gotten better flavors. It tasted very natural and homemade though.

5 stars for customer service and price-point worthiness, 3 for the ice cream itself.

We haven't been here in a while, only because it is far from our neighborhood. It's probably a good 15-20 minute drive. It is still one of our favorite ice cream joints though.

Mariposa has been around for 20+ years according to their website. I think we've been coming here on and off for close to 10 years.

We love the flavors they offer here. My favorites are Mexican Hot Chocolate, Peanut Butter Fudge, Rocky Road, Blueberry, and Strawberry. You can go with any of the serving options: sugar cone, cake cone, or cup.

They also offer sundaes, banana splits, malts, shakes, and more. We have tried their banana split in the past, and we enjoyed it. Haven't tried any of the shakes or malts, so can't really comment on those items, but if it's anywhere as good as the ice cream or banana split, those should be good as well.

Service is good. The owner and employees are always friendly. We always leave a tip.

They have some cool decor here. A lot of Beatles Memorabilia, other cool photos, and some cool jerseys (including a Tony Gwynn jersey). They have some photos of celebrities visiting the shop for ice cream as well.

The only negative is that the parking situation is not the greatest here in Normal Heights. There are only a couple of spots in front of the store. Usually we park around the corner and walk over.

5 / 5: Ice Cream
4 / 5: Service
4 / 5: Cleanliness
5 / 5: Decor

4.5 / 5: Overall

The best icecream in whole entire country. This place is a treasure. Anna, the owner, is so special. This shop is our favorite place in San Diego.

This mom and pop ice cream spot is incredible! It's unassuming on the outside but the warmth of the staff and the quality of ice cream blew me away. They make everything from scratch even the toppings. The sundae was delicious. For $10 you get 3 huge scoops and 3 toppings. It's honestly enough to share for 4 people.

The owner Anna came to greet us and thank us for visiting her shop. She was so nice and we loved our experience here!

This was my first time here and I had a great experience. The staff and the owner, Anna, were super warm and welcoming. They make all the ice cream and toppings in-house, and it really tastes like it.

We ended up getting a banana split with cappuccino almond fudge, Mexican chocolate, and the toffee, which were all great. The ice cream here isn't too sugary, which brings out the natural flavor. We were also able to pick our toppings, for which we got the homemade fudge, wet pecans and strawberry. The wet pecans were my favorite, but pretty sweet.

The shop had very old school and relaxing vibes, I would definitely recommend others to check this place out!

Small cute ice cream shop in normal heights, i was looking for a place like this, like small mom and pop shops, loved by locals. I loved the atmosphere, so warm and cozy like family. Very friendly service!
Ice cream was very creamy and rich in taste. Their waffle corn is the best waffle corn I've ever had. Waffle corn is usually kind of hard or chewy-ish if you know what I mean. But this waffle corn was so so flaky, got good snap, tasted so different from other stores, it was DELICIOUS!!!
I'm very much in love with this place, such a good people and high quality ice cream. I'm going to come here very often.

I've been coming here, on and off, for years, but for some reason, I've never taken the time to review it.

This is a family business that specializes in producing some of the highest quality ice cream, in the San Diego area.

Not an exaggeration.

Almost as important as the quality of the ice cream, is the quality of the experience.

Great customer service.
Great ice cream (the attention to detail, makes all the difference)
Comfortable, family-oriented, environment.
Fair prices.

What more could you want???

I found Mariposa during the pandemic and still think about their coconut ice cream. I went there over the weekend, so excited about having it again after all this time. When I went to the counter, I was disappointed to find out it wasn't on the menu anymore! I asked the staff at the counter if it was a seasonal flavor because I loved it so much and she told me they had some in the back and she would get it for me also to mention, they were closing in ten minutes. The staff was so sweet and didn't make me feel rushed. That place has the best coconut ice cream and the best staff! Love Mariposa's!

Best ice cream ever! This place has kind of ruined ice cream for me because I can't and don't want ice cream from any other place. They have the most amazing texture and flavors. I love the maple walnut, cookies and cream, and chocolate chip cookie dough. It doesn't feel too heavy when you eat it. I love this place!!