miharu ice cream opens in berkeley
we felt a particular sweetness diverting to the elmwood neighborhood to support small business and indulge in opening-day ice cream cones from miharu berkeley on this gorgeous no kings day.
opened first at 1951 telegraph avenue in oakland in 2023 (after operating for a spell from a cloud kitchen during the pandemic), miharu features ice cream from co-owner jessica mertens, who is a quarter japanese ('miharu' means beautiful spring in that language, and is also her middle name) and front-of-house management from second co-owner dipen pattni, whose heritage is from gujarat in india but who was raised in tanzania.
the young couple are two of the nicest, most unassuming yet hard-working business owners you could meet, and the small-batch ice cream just sparkles. not surprisingly, these particular concoctions also successfully include, embrace and balance flavors from all over the map.
opening day details at miharu berkeley. photo credit berkeley eats.
today we savored the addictive, just-sweet-enough cookie milk, but next visit will go for the banana split with lychee-rose-raspberry ice cream and bruleed banana. or maybe the shrikhand, a vegan miharu favorite, with flavors of coconut milk, saffron and cardamom, topped with almond and pistachio.
miharu berkeley is now open at 2965 college avenue in berkeley. miharu oakland is at 1951 telegraph avenue in oakland.
october 18, 2025