If you want to feel healthy by eating ice cream, head over to Rori’s Artisanal Creamery. This Santa Barbara area company, which recently opened their latest location in the Westfield Century City mall, uses organic ingredients to create small batches of their high quality ice cream – milk from the superlative Straus Family Creamery, organic sugar and ingredients sourced from organic farms. With all this fantastic raw material going into their ice cream, how could it not be good for you?

Rori’s stall in the food court is oddly oversized and rather awkwardly shaped. Because the ice cream is placed behind another counter away from where orders are taken, the line moves rather slowly, especially when people are sampling different flavors. Depending on when you visit, there might only be one person working behind the counter, frantically doling out samples, doing his or her best to move through that line.

While you patiently wait, you can make good use of that time deciding which of the over 20 flavors to choose. For those not partaking in dairy, there are a few vegan options available, using coconut milk. A single scoop starts at $4.90, but Rori’s also offers the itty bitty scoop at $1.90 – perfect for little kids or grown-ups who want to give themselves a tiny treat.

I went opening week and got an itty bitty scoop of the uniquely-named John Martin (coconut ice cream – half cream/half coconut milk, toasted coconut and dark chocolate). It was so good, I returned a few days later to try another flavor – this time the Fresh Mint Patty. The ice cream is steeped in mint for two days, with mint patties dipped in Belgian dark chocolate, resulting in a wonderfully minty fresh cream, without any of that horrible green food coloring. If you like root beer floats, Rori’s ice cream version tastes exactly like the real thing, with birch beer and sassafras extracts.

With several ice cream vendors in the mall (Bacio di Latte, GROM, Yogurtland and the soon-to-open Smitten), Rori’s Artisanal Creamery faces stiff competition for your ice cream dollar. I’m throwing my support towards Rori’s, as it’s a locally-owned business relying on local vendors for the ingredients of their high quality ice cream. With an array of rotating flavors and tasty cones (plus that itty bitty cone option), they’ve made me a fan.

Location –  Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 90067. Additional locations in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Montecito, Carpenteria and Santa Barbara.
Website – http://www.rorisartisanalcreamery.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes

Editor’s note: This location of Rori’s is closed.