The California Ice Cream Shop Anthony Bourdain Absolutely Loved

Anthony Bourdain was an adventurous eater who tried all types of food from around the world on his food travel TV shows. When it came to what the celebrity chef really enjoyed eating, however, the course Bourdain always wanted to skip was dessert — though that didn't stop him from loving the creamy treats he had at San Francisco's Polly Ann Ice Cream during an episode of his show, "A Cook's Tour."

Bourdain was filming in California, the U.S. state that eats the most ice cream, when he visited the local institution known for its distinctive flavors in 2001. He sampled pumpkin, red bean, taro, and lychee ice creams, noting the number of Asian-inspired offerings, and gave them all a thumbs-up. He wasn't as keen on a rose flavor called American Beauty that he said reminded him of "kissing my grandmother" (per Dailymotion). Searching for even more unique flavors, he spotted durian, a fruit with a famously off-putting smell. He eagerly dug into the durian ice cream and approvingly pronounced that it tasted like "smoky camembert" (a cheese that may be going extinct) and avocado.

Polly Ann's has more than 300 ice cream flavors, with 52 available every day. Some offerings include black sesame, bubble gum, blueberry shortbread, watermelon, honeydew, and jasmine tea. There's also Persian Princess, pistachio-almond ice cream with orange and apricot; Red Panda, a mix of strawberry and red berries with white chocolate cookies; and Brigadeiro, chocolate, condensed milk, and chocolate flakes inspired by the traditional Brazilian dessert.

Polly Ann's makes all its ice cream in-house and sells scoop sizes ranging from junior to a nearly $10 "monster" size with optional toppings. The shop also offers regular and brownie sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, to-go pints and quarts, and ice cream cakes.

The shop was first opened in 1955 by Joseph and Marie Sicocan. Another couple, Chuck and Bernice Lassiter, bought it just four years later, and it has had three other owners since. Exactly who Polly Ann was remains a mystery. The store closed in 2003 when its building was torn down, but reopened two years later in the new one that replaced it.

The San Francisco Small Business Commission recognized Polly Ann's as a Legacy Business in 2023. As part of its recommendation in favor of the recognition, the Historic Preservation Commission said that Polly Ann's should keep its trademark flavor wheel as a defining feature of the business. The large wheel has hung on the wall behind the counter for decades, with numbers that correspond to each of the day's flavors. Customers can leave their choice up to chance by asking the counterperson to spin the wheel, and whatever flavor it lands on is what they get.