Trendy Rolled Ice Cream, Boba Drinks Await At SoMa's New 'Steep Creamery' [Video]

Trendy Rolled Ice Cream, Boba Drinks Await At SoMa's New 'Steep Creamery' [Video]Rolled ice cream. | Photo: Steep Creamery and Tea/Facebook 
Elaine Gavin
Published on March 23, 2017

Heads up, dessert lovers: Steep Creamery and Tea is now dishing out boba tea drinks—and one of the hottest new dessert trends, rolled ice cream—in SoMa.

Located in a new building at 270 Brannan St. (at 2nd St.), the petite, counter-service creamery, a spinoff of nearby coffee shop Steep Coffee and Tea, softly opened on Monday. It's already drawing lines nearly out the door.

Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

Inside, patrons can find hot green, black, and herbal tea ($4-5) and chilled milk and matcha teas ($3.50-5), with boba, mini-boba, jelly and pudding add-ons.

But the real lure will likely be the trendy Thai-style rolled ice cream ($6), which is poured in thin layers and frozen to order in metal pans. (Another spot specializing in the quirky dessert, Let's Roll Ice Cream, recently opened in the Sunset.)

Workers make rolled ice cream. | Photo: Albertino M.

The flavors include traditional selections like Cookie Crush (made with cookies and chocolate ice cream) and variations that highlight tea flavors, such as Thai iced tea-flavored ice cream rolls topped with boba and housemade coconut pudding. There are also matcha and oolong options.

The batches of ice cream take 24 hours to make, and "when we run out, that's it for the day," says an employee.

Menu at Steep Creamery and Tea. | Photo: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

Steep is owned by Angela Luc and her anonymous business partner, who also own Steep Coffee and Tea at 240 Ritch St., just a couple of blocks away. The cafe, which opened in 2016, also offers boba drinks, along with coffee, smoothies, and açai bowls.

Steep's owners are also behind Homeplate Boba, a boba tea spot that serves customers at nearby AT&T Park during baseball season. It's become so popular with fans that a second location will debut in the ballpark when baseball returns next month.

“Business has increased steadily, as folks get more familiar with bubble tea,” the anonymous co-owner told us.

Boba drinks at Steep's original cafe. | Photo: Steep Coffee & Tea/Facebook

“Locals and workers alike have always been very receptive and supportive of our first brick-and-mortar business," says the co-owner, so in mid-2016, he and Luc decided to take on another location for Steep.

The space in the 270 Brannan building was originally intended for a retail outlet, but the pair had it rezoned as a cafe. In all, the process took about five months. 

“We chose South Beach/SoMa because it's a rather underserved community,” says the co-owner. “We feel like it gives us the best chance to make ourselves known, organically.”  

Hours for Steep Creamery are currently 11am-7pm daily, and may expand, depending on demand.

See how Steep Creamery and Tea makes its rolled ice cream in this Hoodline video:

Video: Parker Crane/Hoodline

Thanks to tipster Albertino M. for the heads-up. See something interesting and want us to investigate? Text Hoodline at (415) 200-3233.