A waffle taco is soft serve ice cream served in a fresh-pressed waffle that is folded like a taco instead of rolled into a cone. In San Diego, the waffle taco ice cream format is the signature move at Silver Hoof Creamery, a woman-owned soft serve parlor inside the Old Town Urban Market food hall at 2548 Congress St. Same custom 100% California dairy soft serve, same homemade waffle — just shaped so you can load it with toppings and eat it from the side. Here is where the format came from, how it is built, and how to order one.
What Exactly Is a Waffle Taco?
Picture a warm, just-pressed waffle while it is still soft. Instead of curling it into a cone, you fold it into a taco shell shape, then fill the fold with soft serve and toppings. You get the crisp-edged, slightly chewy waffle of a cone with the open top of a bowl, which means more room for the good stuff and a better ratio of topping to ice cream in every bite.
The format is part dessert, part photo prop. The open shape shows off the swirl, the gemstone-style toppings, and the flavor color in a way a cone hides. For anyone hunting unusual ice cream in Old Town San Diego, the waffle taco is the order that does not exist at the froyo counter down the block.
Where the Waffle Cone Actually Came From
The edible waffle that makes a waffle taco possible traces back to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. As the story goes, a Syrian concessionaire named Ernest Hamwi was selling zalabia — a crisp, waffle-like pastry — next to an ice cream vendor who ran out of dishes. Hamwi rolled a hot waffle into a cone, and the pairing took off, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.
The cone was not technically invented at the fair — Italo Marchiony patented an earlier version in 1903 — but the fair is what made it a national habit, as the Library of Congress notes. The waffle taco is the latest turn on that same idea: take a fresh waffle, shape it differently, and give ice cream a better vehicle.
Why Soft Serve Belongs in a Waffle Taco
Soft serve is the right ice cream for this shape, and it comes down to texture. Soft serve has more air churned into it and is served warmer and softer than hard-packed ice cream, which the International Dairy Foods Association distinguishes from standard ice cream’s denser, higher-milkfat profile. That softness lets it swirl cleanly into the taco fold and hold its shape without cracking the waffle.
It also means the quality of the dairy shows immediately. There is no heavy churning or hardening to hide behind, so a clean base tastes clean and a cheap mix tastes cheap. The soft serve in Old Town San Diego that holds up in a warm waffle taco has to be made from real dairy to begin with.
How Silver Hoof Builds Its Waffle Taco
Every Silver Hoof waffle is pressed in-house, not pulled from a bag. The soft serve comes from a custom recipe made with 100% California dairy sourced from a family farm that has run since 1913, with no artificial flavors or colors. You can read the story behind the creamery and the fairytale it is named for.
The build is simple and made to order. Pick your flavor, the staff presses and folds the waffle taco shell, swirls in the soft serve, and finishes it with the toppings you choose. The waffle taco is a one-dollar upgrade over a standard cup, which is a small price for the most shareable item on the menu.
Curious how it tastes? Visit us in Old Town San Diego and build your own waffle taco at the counter.
Best Flavors and Toppings for a Waffle Taco
The open shape rewards flavors with color and contrast. Matcha and the strawberry-matcha swirl pop against the golden waffle, and the non-dairy Ube brings a deep purple that photographs better than almost anything else on the board. Classic vanilla-chocolate swirl is the crowd-pleaser when you want the toppings to be the star.
Toppings are 75 cents each, so you can keep it simple or load it up. Because the taco holds more than a cone, this is the order to get a little ambitious with. The full menu lists every flavor, vessel, and topping if you want to plan the build before you arrive.
What a Waffle Taco Costs and How to Order
A soft serve in any vessel starts at $6.25, and the waffle taco adds one dollar, putting a loaded taco in the $7 to $8 range before toppings. That is on par with a standard waffle cone, so the only real decision is shape. If you want the photo and the topping room, the taco wins.
Ordering takes one sentence at the counter: name your flavor, ask for it as a waffle taco, and pick your toppings. It is made fresh while you watch, so plan for a short wait on busy weekend evenings. Compared with the rest of the ice cream Old Town San Diego serves, this is the order people remember.
Where to Try a Waffle Taco in San Diego
Silver Hoof is the spot to try waffle taco ice cream in San Diego, and it sits inside the Old Town Urban Market food hall at 2548 Congress St, Suite G — a short walk from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Hours run Sunday and Monday noon to 8, closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday noon to 8, and Friday and Saturday 11 to 9.
If you are mapping out a dessert run, pair this with our roundup of the best ice cream in Old Town San Diego. Directions and parking notes are on the location page — Old Town parking fills up, so give yourself a few extra minutes on weekends.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a waffle taco at an ice cream shop?
It is soft serve served in a fresh-pressed waffle folded into a taco shape instead of a cone, then filled with ice cream and toppings. It holds more toppings than a cone and is easier to photograph.
Where can I get waffle taco ice cream in San Diego?
Silver Hoof Creamery in Old Town San Diego, inside the Old Town Urban Market at 2548 Congress St, makes waffle tacos to order with its 100% California dairy soft serve.
How much does a waffle taco cost?
Soft serve starts at $6.25, and the waffle taco adds one dollar. Toppings are 75 cents each, so a loaded taco usually lands between $7 and $9.
Is the waffle taco available with dairy-free ice cream?
Yes. Silver Hoof’s non-dairy Ube and vanilla soft serve can be served in a waffle taco, so plant-based eaters get the same format.
Ready to Get Started?
The waffle taco is the most shareable thing on the menu and a one-dollar upgrade — come build yours in Old Town.
Visit us in Old Town San Diego or call us at 619-320-1464.