FoCo Joe At Home: Bi-Rite Creamery
I’ll get right to it this week – I am sure many of you San Franciscans are wondering why I waited until week four of FoCo Joe At Home to write about Bi-Rite Creamery, home to some of the world’s best ice cream. I kid you not, Bi-Rite has that kind of reputation. Located just across from Mission Dolores Park — arguably the social and cultural backbone of San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood — Bi-Rite is a long-time San Francisco staple. I have been there many a time in my upbringing and have always enjoyed the ice cream’s high quality. The flavors really do ring through in a Morano-esque way — every spoonful is worth it. It is Bi Rite’s long-held dedication to quality and taste that dissuaded me from writing about it earlier — there is no need for another article out there praising the place, everyone knows that.
Bi-Rite is so well-known and well-liked amongst both locals and tourists that the line is always a good 25 people deep — and I mean always. I was in the area for over two hours this past weekend, and I’m not lying when I say the length of the line never dipped below 25. During primetime, from 2:00-5:00 p.m., the line only got longer. The wait for a simple scoop or two was a good 15 to 20 minutes — which is not long, all things considered, for Bi-Rite ice cream! But you have to really want ice cream to wait in this line. And I mean really. The line awkwardly snakes through the sidewalk and is constructed from red cloth lines like the ones airports use to control crowds of anxious travelers. I hate to say it, but Bi-Rite is not so different from SF International airport – delays are all too common. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, people are overeager to get some of this ice cream, and quite frankly, that in itself can be a drag. But let it be clear, those who make the wait are paid with full satisfaction — and then some. The location and the ice cream both cannot be beat.
I am confident that I will return for some more of Bi-Rite’s yummy goodness, which, by the way, comes in famously alternative flavors like Balsamic Strawberry, Honey Lavender and Malted Vanilla (one of my favorites). But next time I will probably be stopping by Bi-Rite’s less-crowded location on Divisadero Street instead.