Handel’s Ice Cream, a growing ice cream chain known for its homemade flavors made fresh in-store, is getting ready to open a new location in San Diego at 4227 Genesee Ave.
The company’s new location is set to open in a former Starbucks space within the Genesee Plaza Shopping Center in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood, according to documents recently submitted to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality. Franchise owner Josh Barton tells What Now San Diego that he expects to open the store in Spring 2027. Barton says the company has targeted Clairemont for years because of its central location and strong demographics, viewing the neighborhood as an important part of its long-term growth plans throughout San Diego. Customers can expect a wide variety of homemade ice cream flavors, sundaes, shakes, cones, and frozen treats.
Handel’s traces its roots back to 1945, when founder Alice Handel began making ice cream using recipes developed with fresh fruit from her backyard garden in Youngstown, Ohio. The original shop quickly became a local favorite and remained under her ownership for four decades. The brand later expanded under new ownership and now operates more than 150 locations across 15 states. Since its founding, Handel’s has continued making its ice cream fresh in store every day in small batches, a tradition that remains one of the company’s defining characteristics.
The company continues to make its ice cream fresh at each store using many of the methods that helped establish the brand more than 80 years ago. According to Handel’s, each location serves a rotating selection of flavors from more than 100 recipes. Popular offerings include Birthday Cake, Black Raspberry Chunk, Graham Central Station, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie. Barton is joined by business partner Sam Nord, who grew up in Northeast Ohio, where Handel’s was founded, and spent more than a decade with the brand before helping expand it in San Diego.
Beyond traditional scoops, the menu features sundaes, Hurricanes, milkshakes, banana splits, ice cream sandwiches, dipped cones, and pints and quarts for take-home. Customers can also find sorbets, sherbets, and dairy-free options, including Chocolate Almond Milk and Coconut Milk flavors. The company regularly rotates selections, giving customers new choices throughout the year. Handel’s also supports local schools and nonprofit organizations through fundraising programs and has partnered with SDSU Athletics to serve fans at Snapdragon Stadium and Viejas Arena.
This will be an excellent landing space for Handel’s Ice Cream, given the shopping center’s established customer base and its location in one of San Diego’s most densely populated neighborhoods. The Clairemont Mesa location will further expand the brand’s footprint in the region while continuing the company’s long-standing focus on serving local communities through both its stores and community partnerships.
Ice cream from Handel’s Ice Cream
