Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab, Central Coast, CA

I visited this amazing ice cream shop when I was traveling down to Ventura to explore the Channel Islands! (Side note - Channel Islands National Park is awesome and if you live anywhere near them, you should definitely check them out!) Doc Burnstein's has locations throughout Central California. I first went to their location in San Luis Obispo on our way down to Ventura, but then had to stop on the way back at their Arroyo Grande location, since the ice cream was so good!

As the name suggests, Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab is a science-themed ice cream experience. So off the bat this was already the perfect ice cream place for me (I have a PhD in chemistry and am a researcher in a lab). The shops have over-the-top science-themed decor, complete with a giant "Doc Burnstein" statue, as well as an ice cream science lab in their Arroyo Grande location. It's a cute and fun atmosphere that is very family friendly. It is incredibly kitschy, but that's part of the charm!

On to the ice cream...the overall style of the ice cream at Doc Burnstein's can be summarized as a "modern twist on classic flavors", as one of my travel buddies put it. They have the classics (Oreo, chocolate, mint chip, etc.), but they also have their own crazy variations on those flavors. There's a large selection at their ice cream shops, which I really appreciate. On my first visit, I opted for a split scoop of their Merlot Raspberry Chip and Cookies n' Cream ice creams. The Merlot Raspberry was inventive and tasty. The Merlot wine flavor wasn't overpowering but was able to come through and complement the raspberry nicely. The chocolate was in large dark chocolate chunks, which I really liked. The ice cream base was very light, which went well with the powerful flavor of the dark chocolate. The Cookies n' Cream ice cream was an exceptionally good classic flavor, with both big chunks of Oreo, as well as an ice cream base that had small Oreo crumbles mixed in, giving it a nice dark color. The ice creams were both very creamy and went well together.

On my second visit, I got a split scoop of Motor Oil (dark chocolate and Kahlua ice cream with fudge) and Java ice cream. The Motor Oil was very rich and creamy, with bold chocolate flavors. While the Kahlua did get lost in the ice cream, I didn't mind, since the chocolate and fudge were so good. The Java ice cream was a good coffee ice cream, but wasn't anything special.

A few weeks after my first experience with Doc Burnstein's, I stumbled upon a Doc Burnstein's shop in the Bravo Land roadside stop when I was on my way back to Bay after a weekend in Joshua Tree (another side note - visit JTree! It's awesome). I was so happy to see this ice cream shop that I couldn't pass up a chance to taste yet another of their amazing flavors! This time, I chose the Cookie D'Oh ice cream, which is a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. It was probably the best cookie dough ice cream I've ever had. Huge chunks of cookies mixed into a rich vanilla base and big pieces of dark chocolate chunks in the ice cream.

In case it wasn't obvious, Doc Burnstein's is one of my favorite ice cream places in California! They have exceptional flavors, a fun campy feel, and of course I can't help but feel personally attached to the science vibes. Definitely worth a visit (or three) if you find yourself anywhere nearby one of these excellent ice cream locations!