MadLab Kakigori

People may scream for ice cream, but I'm constantly screaming for bingsu. Where oh where is there bingsu around here?! Looking for a post-lunch dessert, kakigori came up. If you don't know the difference, bingsu is Korean, while kakigori is Japanese. MadLab is highly recommended for a cute dessert meet up with friends/a date. The shaved ice is refreshing and you can choose to pair it with or without ice cream. They have a prefix menu (kinda like ColdStone) or a choose your own adventure option. There are color changing spoons!Plenty of tables. It's attached to a cafe which serves food, coffee and wine. Bring all your "camera eats first" girlies.

4.5 STARSYou know when a fine dining alum and James Beard recognized chef and his wife opens the newest dessert shop in the city, the quality is going to be top-tier with options to be hella extra like adding flowers, 25k gold, or a cotton candy crown to your dessert.Sorry no caviar for the extra bougie. With the beautiful renovation of the iconic Transamerica Pyramid comes Madlab Kakigōri, one of the new businesses to open on the ground level (opened December 2024). They're located inside Café Sebastian, an all-day café (same owner). M E N UMilkshakes, gelato, sorbets, and kakigōri, Japanese shaved ice. Choose from their signature formulas or BYO kakigōri (shaved ice + gelato) with over 40 toppings; fruits, popcorn, tajín, mochi, cookies, basil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and much more. Prices: Starting at $4 (single shaved ice/single scoop gelato) to a triple scoop kakigōri for $15 (feeds 2-3 people). Toppings are $1 each with premium ones: $2-$5 each.We visited on MLK holiday at opening time and unfortunately, they were out of a lot of toppings + syrups from the weekend. D E S S E R T S* BYO Kakigōri w/ pistachio gelato, classic snow, dark cocoa syrup, 24k gold flakes (Single scoop- $7 + $2 gold flakes): https://tinyurl.com/3ef8nmvfI've been craving the dubai chocolate bar from Hanna's Chocolates so wanted to make a dubai chocolate inspired kakigōri. The pistachio gelato was rich, dense, and deliciously creamy with no air pockets. Not too sweet. It was the perfect complement to the pleasantly bittersweet dark cocoa syrup. They didn't have a crunchy topping similar to kataifi (toasted phyllo) but the crunch from the shaved ice did the job adding a satisfying textural contrast (I asked staff to put my kakigōri in the freezer while they were making the second one). As someone who struggles to finish a single scoop of gelato/ice cream because it gets too sweet, I nearly finished the entire kakigōri myself. * Signature Strawberry Shortcake Kakigōri ($12)A heaping double scoop of vanilla gelato topped with shaved snow, strawberry syrup, fresh + freeze dried strawberries, bars of cheesecake, whipped cream, and freshly spun cotton candy. Since they were out some of the ingredients, they had to sub the strawberry syrup, some fruits, and plain whipped cream. Not mine but they loved it and killed the entire thing!S E R V I C EFriendly lone staff. Since they share the same space and kitchen, management should train additional staff from Café Sebastian to assist when a line forms. Thank you to the kind hostess for opening the doors while I carried out the desserts. Suggestions: (1) BIGGER font for menus! There was only one menu on the counter and it was hard to read. (2) Update hours of operation. When I called to see if they were open, I was told they're open 12 pm - 3 pm (website says, 11 am - 6 pm). (3) Efficiency needs improvement. With no line (at the time), it took nearly 20 minutes to make two kakigōri. And, there wasn't room to wait without feeling like you're in the way of seated diners. Also, it doesn't make sense if you're dining at Cafe Sebastian to have to go up to the counter, order, and wait for your dessert. Hope they consider adding paper forms for ordering and give customers a buzzer.A M B I A N C ESophisticated café vibes with a large open kitchen. Seating for 60+ indoors and handful of tables outdoors (dog-friendly). Make sure to walk around Transamerica Pyramid's Redwood Park afterwards. Surrounded by redwood trees and statues, it's a serene oasis with water fountain features and comfy chairs for lounging. P A R K I N GOn weekdays, take public transit. On the weekends, fairly easy metered parking. Overall, while Madlab's operations needs some fine tuning, we really enjoyed our kakigōri and thought it was a good value for the size + quality ingredients. The ability to customize to your liking is an extra plus. GO WILD!

I was very excited to visit this dessert bar within Cafe Sebastian which I heard about on instagram. The video made it look fresh and new with many different choices of Kakigori and various Ice dessert treats. Overall, it was a pretty good experience. However there can a bit of a line which could get crowded being in the small part of the cafe. And unfortunately the something was wrong with the ice machine so almost all of their shave ice desserts such as the Kakigori were all unavailable which was quite unfortunate. However they have lots of ice cream flavors which you can get as scoops or even a milkshake. I got their Cookies and Cream Shake which was actually delicious and being someone who orders Oreo Milkshakes from everywhere I go, this was actually one that stood out. Primarily they have a hint of lemon zest in the shake whether it's in the cream or somewhere else it was quite surprising but in a good way. I also got to try their mango and lemon sherbet flavors which were really strong and sweet, not really my thing but I'm sure others would love them. So this place is definitely worth the try hopefully everything would be available. I also found it weird that there was only 1 dessert menu which was by the register so it was harder to pre-decide what you would want to order, this would have probably help the line move faster especially in a dessert place where you're encouraged to customize your own dessert. Another really cool design they had was spoons that changed color with the cold temperature of your dessert. It's a small feature but definitely adds more fun to your dining experience!

I work in the building so I don't want to be too harsh. If you want to try some interesting artisan desserts and don't mind waiting a long time for them, then I can suggest giving this place a shot. However, if you don't feel like waiting 10mins for your shaved ice with toppings or milkshake then maybe don't make the pilgrimage. On the plus side the ingredients are high quality and fresh. The ambiance is typical cafe style seating and the service is average. You can tell they are trying hard but it just isn't fully in gear yet.

This dessert made me giddy. I split one of the pre designed desserts with a friend. Pistachio gelato base, snow with cherry lychee syrup, and salted yuzu cream with sprinkles. Wow! So delicious. It was huge but the person who made it said it was the smallest of the redesigned ones they have.

Wow! I'm so glad this opened up here as a fun dessert spot. It's right next to the park and it makes it easy to turn a business coffee chat into a sweet treat run too.It's at the Cafe Sebastian, which already has a lovely interior and plenty of seating (not to mention the park again when the weather is nicer).The menu was small and hard to read, and there's so many options I was glad there's signature formulas to pick from.I got the OG and a friend of mine got a strawberry cheesecake. We were both delighted. I especially loved the creamy pistachio base of the OG, and the cotton candy on the strawberry cheesecake was a visual treat. They were both great sizes and you could probably split one with someone if you wanted to (but why would you)Service was fast and friendly. I'll have to come back to try more of the menu.(Update) They got bigger menus which you can hold up to your face and read!

Café Sebastian, I found you! But wait! There's MadLab Kakigori! That's two businesses in one! Why bother? I'm here for just desserts, after I left work.I have yet to try any fancy salad dishes of Café Sebastian. I'm only in a mood to customize my own Kakigori. Despite how expensive my bowl of shave snow was, it came out a beautiful beast. Surely, everyone in the kitchen must move faster than ever; that's the reason some of the contents fell from the bowl. Wouldn't mind waiting before they gather the finishing touches. Still, everything from top to bottom have excellent quality taste, including the pistachio ice cream. Next time I visit, I'll customize the milkshake similar to what I once did for my Kakigori, and you'll get to see what it'll look like based on my personality! ;⁠-⁠)

If you thought playing with your food was a faux pas, think again--MadLab Kakigori is here to rewrite the rules with a frosty flourish. Nestled within Cafe Sebastian, just steps from the iconic Transamerica Pyramid and its majestic redwoods, this spot invites you to unleash your inner mad scientist on a shaved ice masterpiece.From syrupy cascades to fresh cotton candy toppings galore, every spoonful is your canvas, every bite a revelation. I went the tropical route with mango and a whisper of yuzu. Go ahead, mix, match, and revel in the chaos. Because at MadLab Kakigori, rules don't apply--only delicious, melt-in-your-mouth creativity!

Inside Cafe Sebastian is this new spot from pastry chef Soraya Caraccioli-Kilgore. They have Japanese-style shave ice and gelato! Soft opening was this week, but the staff is very kind and space is very clean. Excited to have something so close!

Great shaved ice/gelato here for reasonable pricing. The scoops are big and ingredients fresh and flavorful as described. Presentation was cute and detailed. The service was pretty quick too. Interior is clean and minimal. You get a color changing spoon too.Would come back to try the other flavors