Eat your ice cream and stay fit too! Bike ride through five top-rated San Francisco ice cream shops

July 10, 10:11 PMSan Jose Dessert ExaminerJoy Valerie Cronn

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 Gelato in San Francisco (Flickr Commons/yan-san)

This weekend's Ice Cream Sunday Bicycle Ride is the perfect way to celebrate National Ice Cream Month, take a "staycation" in The City and stay fit too!

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will guide you through the leisurely 6-mile tour around the city and make five stops at top-rated creameries.

Rest and socialize at each ice cream stop: Humphry Slocombe, Mitchell's Ice Cream, Bombay Ice Cream, Three Twins Ice Cream and Gelato Classico Italian.

At Humphry Slocombe, you'll find 10-12 different daily flavors from a rotating menu of more than 50. They use high-quality ingredients like Valrhona chocolate and unbelievable flavors like fois gras (yes, goose liver), prociutto or olive oil.  You'll get a metal tasting spoon when you ask for a sample!  And those who love British comedy will get the inside joke: "Are You Being Served?"  That's how owner Jake Godby picked the name.

A classic award-winning ice cream shop since 1953, Mitchell's Ice Cream will offer you traditional, tropical and seasonal flavors too.  The Mitchell family owned and operated a dairy farm in San Francisco since the late 1800s, so they know their creams and dairy products, and start their recipes with a rich 16 percent butterfat base.  Look for Kahlua Mocha Cream, Rum Raisin, Thai Tea, Macapuno (sweet coconut), Ube (purple yam) or cassis and fig sorbets.

Bombay Ice Cream is almost a misnomer since they are also a fast-food restaurant, and for the last 25 years they have also been selling Indian groceries in their bazaar, and four years ago opened another section of the store for saris, clothes and jewelry.  For their ice creams, you'll find everything from Cookies 'N' Cream to exotic Indian flavors like Bedam Kesar Pista (Almond saffron pistachio), cardamon, rose, chai or ginger.  Also look for lassis (yogurt-based drinks) and faloodas (vanilla ice cream drink with rose syrup, Indian noodles and basil seeds).  If you're interested in Indian goods, you'll need to visit again for a one-stop shopping and eating extravaganza, as they are one of the biggest and most well-known Indian stores in the Bay Area.

Three Twins Ice Cream claims to offer more certified organic ice cream flavors than any other ice cream company in the world.  Their flavors change daily and seasonally, with names like the Cookie Jar (vanilla and three types of cookies), Strawberry Je Ne Sais Quoi (strawberry with balsamic vinegar), PBC3 ("peanut butter cookie confetti crunch"), and The Chocolate Project (chocolate with flecks of dark chocolate).  All three owners are twins, hence the name.  You can find their ice cream at various restaurants and grocery stores throughout the Bay Area and at the Berkeley farmer's market.

Gelato Classico Italian Ice Cream is in North Beach, at 576 Union St. between Stockton St. and Via Ferlinghetti, where several generations of children and parents have come through their doors.  As of this writing they do not have a website.  It's a tiny shop that offers all the traditional gelato flavors with some more exotic options, too.  They are famous for their Coppa Mista, an Italian gelateria tradition, composed of chocolate, vanilla, pistachio and almond gelato.  Also look for their Lemoncello Poppyseed, Coppa Decadenza Sundae, Creme Brulé Gelato and, in the fall only, Pumpkin Gelato.  If you plan on going back, be sure to ask for their frequent visitor card: It's buy 10, get one free. It is still a cash-only gelateria, so don't plan on using a card. They do things the good, old-fashioned way here.  They also sell colorful candies and giant lollipops, and coffees and espressos. There is no seating, but since it overlooks Washington Square Park, it's easy to find a pleasant eating spot.

The bicycle ride is open to everyone; free to bicycle coalition members and $5 for the public.  Get all the details at SFBC's Chain of Events calendar page, including recommendations for children.

• Humphy Slocombe: 2790 Harrison St., S.F.
• Mitchell's Ice Cream: 688 San Jose Ave., S.F.
• Bombay Ice Cream: 552 Valencia Ave., S.F.
• Three Twins Ice Cream: 254 Fillmore St., S.F.
• Gelato Classico Italian: 576 Union St., S.F. (415) 391-6667 (no website as of this writing)
• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
• More on fitness from the San Jose Fitness Examiner
• More on local activities from the Bay Area Getaways Examiner

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