Monday munchies: Ice cream sandwich

By Amy Granite

March 30, 2015 5:46 PM PT

Cultish foodies freaked at the news that Berkeley-based ice-cream sandwich shop, CREAM, would be expanding their empire to include locations in San Diego, the first opening a stone’s throw from the dorms at SDSU. In an unprecedented twist of fate, CREAM wound up with Bruxie as a neighbor, the waffle sandwich joint that caused similar hysteria when it opened back in 2014.

Predictably, this caused the Monday Munchies radar to overload and break, leaving us no choice but to follow the trail of tears to the college area, where merely pulling into this junk food complex indicates that you have an eating disorder.

The frenzied scene is 85 percent college freshman girls in their pajamas, with the rest of us looking a bit strange. Wear a fuzzy bathrobe if you want to fit in. Hip-hop blaring overhead adds to the ambiance on the patio, where crazed chicks spill out of the packed shop with their fresh baked cookie ice cream sandwiches (also available in gluten free and vegan), sundaes, shakes, tacos (!?) and more.

For $2.99, a giant scoop of ice cream - 20-something flavors that include the likes of tasty Royal Caramel Swirl or Peanut Butter Twist - pairs with your choice of 11 kinds of cookies, ranging from Snicker Doodle to Red Velvet, and yes, mixing and matching is allowed.

But the best thing about CREAM, and why you’ll be back for more, is that it stays open until midnight. Stop in the next time your late night munchies strike, with the pleasant side effect being a few laughs at the expense of some teenyboppers.

5157 College Ave., San Diego.