Mashti Malone’s

Currently operating three locations in Los Angeles, and none in Orange County, Mashti Malone’s is a small Persian-style ice cream chain that competes with Saffron & Rose. They’re distinguished from others by the use of ingredients that give their ice creams an elastic, doughy texture and distinctly Middle Eastern flavors, including saffron, cucumber, rosewater, date, lavender, pomegranate, and Turkish coffee; they also offer sorbets and noodle-laden faloodehs by the scoop.

Unlike Saffron & Rose, Mashti Malone’s offers baklava, rosewater pastry, and milkshake options for its ice creams, as well as a bunch of rollable toppings, rather than just bowls and crunchy wafers. While we prefer Saffron & Rose’s ice creams to Mashti Malone’s on both flavor and texture, these add-ins and alternatives differentiate the brands, providing good reasons to visit both.