One of San Francisco’s favorite ice cream shops is opening a second location. Polly Ann Ice Cream — the Outer Sunset shop known for untraditional flavors, including durian, merlot, and pineapple hibiscus — will open in the coming weeks at 160 Pine St. in the Financial District.
Though the new shop will launch as a pop-up, owner Alex Viafara hopes to make it permanent when the three-month lease expires. “I’m not in the pop-up mindset,” he says. “I want it to be for good, so I’m establishing it to be a full Polly Ann Ice Cream, with at least 48 or 50 flavors available.”
The original location of the cheery, unassuming shop, on Noriega near 39th Avenue, has been open since 1955 under various owners. Viafara purchased the business in 2021, though he’d been making ice cream since he was in his 20s, when he’d whip up batches at home on a KitchenAid standmixer with his mother. “I always loved ice cream, and I always wanted to open my own ice cream store,” he says.
When he bought the business during the pandemic, the menu of flavors had shrunk considerably. But he has spent the past five years working with longtime employees to ramp back up to full strength. Today, you can choose from dozens of flavors, ranging from the usual suspects to original creations such as brigadeiro, a blend of chocolate, condensed milk, and chocolate flakes inspired by the Brazilian dessert of the same name.
Polly Ann’s expansion came about thanks to Vacant to Vibrant, the economic development program led by SF New Deal and the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Since launching in 2023, the program has helped more than two dozen small businesses secure leases for vacant storefronts, primarily in Union Square and the Financial District. Viafara had been interested in opening a second location when he heard about the program and decided to apply. “They said they would have maybe two locations for me to look at,” he says. “But when I saw the first, I said, ‘Oh, this one is great. Even the colors match.’”
Simon Bertrang, executive director of SF New Deal, says bringing long-standing companies like Polly Ann, which earned legacy business status in 2024, to the downtown area is exactly why the program was created. “Small businesses like Polly Ann are cultural cornerstones that reflect the stories, traditions, and communities that make San Francisco what it is,” he says. “From durian to dulce de leche, their globally inspired flavors tell a story of the city’s diversity.”
Fans, some of whom have been frequenting Polly Ann for generations, also love the shop’s wheel of flavors, which you can spin if the options get overwhelming. For Viafara, the don’t-miss flavors include brie with blackberries and walnuts; matcha; and merlot — though he admits it’s tough even for him to choose. “I always have fun doing quality control,” he says.
Opening hoursOpening in two to three weeks