Rori’s Artisanal Creamery has attracted many customers to their new location, after opening their ninth store at 270 Storke Road on April 3, 2026. Naturally, we had to try it out and see if it could meet our standards. We both have been to the Public Market location and the Montecito location before, where we felt the ice cream was better than it was at the new location. We feel that the lack of quality at the new shop could be due to the fact that it opened recently. We hope to return soon to see if they have improved.
As we walked in, we immediately noticed the high prices for their products. The Itty Bittys, their small-sized scoop, cost $7.50 each, while a standard single scoop cost $9.50 each. Breaking the bank for a small serving of ice cream seems really unnecessary, especially when someone could buy a whole meal for the same cost. For example, an order of medium fries and a sandwich from Chick-fil-A costs $9.98, only 50 cents more than one standard scoop of Rori’s ice cream.
We tried three different flavors of ice cream to properly gauge the wide variety of selections at Rori’s. They were salted caramel, NY Strawberry Cheesecake, and Nutella. We tested the salted caramel flavor first.
Leo: On my first bite of salted caramel, the saltiness completely overwhelmed my tastebuds, while the caramel flavor was quite subtle. The consistency was a bit airy and didn’t have enough creamy richness. Overall, the salted caramel didn’t live up to our standards. 2 out of 5 stars.
Cooper: The salted caramel tasted very airy and salty to me. The texture was very light and fluffy. The caramel taste was not strong, and it was underwhelming and could have been better. I would give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Afterwards, we tried the NY Strawberry Cheesecake flavor.
Leo: Upon eating the NY Strawberry Cheesecake, I instantly tasted the large chunks of graham cracker crust mixed into the ice cream. They had a slight saltiness and were perfect in texture. While the strawberry flavor was subtle, it was very pleasant and complemented the crunchy bits well. Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Cooper: I did not try the NY Cheesecake but I did try the Nutella flavor, which I thought was slightly uninspiring but very serviceable. It truly tasted like Nutella but did not provide anything special. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Because of Leo’s nut allergy, he couldn’t try the Nutella flavor. However, the staff members were quite accommodating and used fresh scoopers to serve his ice cream.
Leo: On the plus side, the service was thoughtful and sincere. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about their products. However, we noticed that the store was a bit understaffed, only employing two people at a time. This ended up slowing down the line significantly and keeping us waiting for about five minutes before we could place an order. These staffing shortages really affect a business’s efficiency, especially when they are busy on a hot afternoon. Additionally, the store wasn’t able to print receipts for customers.
Cooper: The service was very good and impressive considering they were understaffed. The inside was clean and so was the restroom. Overall the store was high in quality outside of the ice cream.
Overall, Rori’s Artisanal Creamery in Goleta was nothing out of the ordinary, and it’s safe to say that it didn’t live up to the pricepoint. While the atmosphere and staff were great, the quality of the ice cream left much to be desired, especially because of the high price. All in all, Rori’s deserves nothing other than 2.5 out of 5 stars.
