Yerba Buena Ice Skating Center is really 4.5 stars, but I've rounded down to 4. Our kids have been taking lessons here, both basic ice skating and hockey, for a couple years and have progressed nicely. The location is convenient: we ride the kids to classes via Folsom/Howard on our cargo bicycle or take Muni and so this is convenient for both. We also like to go to the adjacent playground and carousel as well as walk over the pedestrian bridge to all the good stuff at Yerba Buena gardens. So great location. The keep their bathrooms pretty clean which, with kids, is really key. The main thing is that this is a good place to learn to skate and play hockey and lots of public skate. So even though I'm going to write a lot more about the negatives, that's only because I want to see it even better. Overall, it's 4.5 stars and that's the key takeaway. My suggestions for improvement are: - Promote and prioritize the hockey lessons/program more. Hockey definitely is second fiddle here, and as the only hockey rink in SF, that's an utter shame. We've been in hockey classes were 15 kids were squeezed into a tiny area (basically the area between the goal red line and the walls, plus a little bit, while the simultaneous figure skating classes had tons of room). The skating school is all run by figure skaters and the one hockey coach (and his assistant, at least that was the situation pre-COVID) are excellent, but they need more support. - The public skate program is great but way too expensive. For a single adult with two kids over 5 and all three needing skate rentals, public skate will set you back just under $60! The mission of this ice center should be to do everything possible to promote skating in a city where winter sports like skating and hockey are at a huge disadvantage, but these kinds of prices won't do that. Also, they don't allow you to take pictures/videos while on the ice. Come on. I get that there are safety concerns, but at least allow people to do if they are standing still along the walls. - Need much bigger lockers. They won't allow backpacks on the ice for public skate, so what are people supposed to do with all their bags with shoe-sized lockers? Most people just leave their stuff around the benches and mercifully I haven't heard of theft being a problem, but it seems inevitable with the lack of large bag-sized lockers. - The skate rentals are pretty awful. I rented a pair once that were so dull and rusted that, even as a former hockey player, I stepped on the ice and immediately fell because they stuck like glue. Most are ragged with half-broken and mismatched laces. I get that the skate itself will get worn, but there's no reason not to keep them sharpened and stay on top of lace maintenance. - The skating school really only has classes on Saturdays and Mondays. Part of this is linked to lack of demand on SF for ice sports, but again, the school does very little promotion to change this. They need to get way more aggressive with advertising and promotion so they can offer classes at least on both weekend days. - On that note, they used to (pre-COVID) have a little snack bar, but it was awful processed food like hot dogs and soda. And then they have vending machines. But why not partner with Peets or something and offer legit coffee/tea and snacks? They have the perfect audience of adults watching/waiting while their kids are in class who will literally eat this up. And during public skate, people would love to take a break and have a drink. Just an incredible wasted opportunity. - The glass is usually fogged up. I've been skating and going to hockey rinks for 40 years and this does happen from time to time at any rink, but usually only when there is a maintenance issue or crazy humid weather. SF is normally very dry so that's not an excuse. They just need their ice maintenance team to get on top of this.

I love the setting and all the windows. This rink is very open. Price is good for it being in the city and the sessions are long. They do clean the ice half way through session which I think is nice. The ice is same level as floor which was unusual for me since I’m used to a step down into rink. Everyone is super nice at this rink the staff was super friendly. They also allow your small pet as long as you clean after it “if it should make a mess” lol. The cons- hard as heck to find parking and you have to pay for parking. This place doesn’t have a parking garage. There is parking garage down the street so it means walk. For city people this isn’t a issue. For us suburb people well I felt a bit uneasy with all the people on the streets screaming and talking to themselves. But my mini handled it like a champ and proved she can hold her own at such a young age. I heard no to park on mission due to lots of break ins. Prob best to park in San Mateo if in the peninsula or alameda for east bay and Uber in. We did have two homeless stare us down like they wanted to grab and go out bags. Just stare back let people know your aware. My car was fine coming back I didn’t leave anything in car. Another thing is the ice gets soft due to light and windows. Meaning ice has lots of holes, gashes and plain beat up. It isn’t as bad as the rink in foster city but for a beginner I was fine. My daughter who does jumps she wasn’t liking it. For intermediate skaters they seem to be okay. My thing is if u can skate in any ice then your on your way. Military discount is listed but it’s the same price as general so that was like what? No love for our military. I would come back to have fun maybe bring visitors that come stay with me. It’s a great tourist attraction that’s fun and safe inside. We left our stuff out and no one touched it. It was fun and we met a new friend and saw a friend we met at another rink so that was awesome! Maybe give a military discount that would be nice!

We have signed up for this quite expensive summer camp and it ended up being horrible experience. STAY AWAY! Right before the first day, we received lots of requirements and obligations for attending camp. Felt like a part-time job to follow every step. Well, I thought it's for good. Just few days in, my son started to complain about the sore through and being sick. We had to take him to the hospital and he was diagnosed with Covid. He was interviewed at hospital, and he shared that there was a known fact among kids that there are other campers who were reported sick on the first couple of days at the camp. Nobody every notified the families, although we were required to personally meet with caregivers at least twice a day and keep constant communication about our timing when picking up and dropping off our kids. Even worse, apparently caregivers recommended *kids* to stay away from other kids who've had close contacts with the sick kids (so they knew!) but decided to hide the fact from the parents, and ignored basic city and state requirements. We've made multiple attempts to contact camp, via email and phone, but nobody responded. Nobody contacted us even when my son didn't show up for multiple days in a row. The camp director is Bonnie Legg, she Is Yerba Buena Ice Skating & Bowling Center Skate Bowl Camp Director, who is proactively in telling you what to do, but never bothers to reply on emails when it's *her responsibility*. She's absolutely dysfunctional, dishonest and careless person. Do you care about your kids health? Do yourself a favor, and don't put yourself in our position, find a better place. I am afraid to think what would happen if anything else, like an allergy or asthma attack would happen, and they would just ignore you.

If you are looking for skating lessons do not waste your time here. The instructors are incompetent, the classes are incredibly crowded, and there is little to no time to practice. Not to mention the outrageous prices. In my personal experience the 45 minute class consisted of over 100 other students all racing around the rink for 10 minutes expected to do preform things they hadn’t even been taught before splitting into groups for each class. Each group had a very small space to learn and they often overlapped. The instructors were not helpful with struggling students as the classes were overcrowded so they simply demonstrated a skill and expected the students to mimic it. After 7 weeks none of the students in the class passed. Overall this was a waste of around $200 that I highly regret. However I’m sure that some instructors are better than others but that only resolves one of many issues. This is by far the worst experience I have ever had with skating lessons. Unfortunately there are no other lessons offered within the Bay Area so my advice would be to try to find a private instructor and work during a public skating session. This experience caused us to put up our skates for the time being but hopefully this isn’t the case for everyone.

I was not impressed with the staff and rules at this center. It was not practical or feasible for my 10 year old youth to learn how to skate here. We brought a group of youths, most of whom knew how to skate. One of our 10 year olds didn't know how, and he wanted to use one of the upside down buckets that some of the ice skaters were using, which would allow him to skate with his friends while having stability and learning to balance. So I told one of his friends to bring him one of these buckets that were out. The skate "patrol", a blonde smallish person came up to the friend and said "If you want help, just ask" and when the friend said he was helping a friend, she just took it from him without any response. This was a grown person taking it from a small child, with no explanation. I then requested a bucket, and they told me only people who are under a certain height requirement can use them, and that he could learn by holding onto the sides of the rink, which separates him from his friends, isn't super mobile, and isn't much fun at all. They were also not nice about it. Especially Mx. Skate Patrol. I do not think that this staff made it accessible to my youth.

A beautifully maintained local ice rink, frequented by Olympic skiers. Seriously, Brian Boitano coaches a team here and Kristi Yamaguchi likes to practice here. Hey, even for Olympian’s, owning an ice rink is a big ask, right? Rental skates are sharpened regularly (not common at many places) and are so high quality that people taking lessons can use them till they hit gamma level. Lessons are available as group sessions for adults and kids (Monday nights are big) and you “level” up every 10 weeks or so by taking a test. They give out ribbons… including participation ones when you fail. Wah wah… prices are about standard for the area (think $15 range for adults) so not cheap but doable, and if you take lessons you normally get a free skate pass once a week. I wish they had more public skating open hours (deduct a star for that) and pre covid they had fun Friday and Saturday night late skates, plus quirky things like drag queen skating, so hoping that comes back!

I hate to leave a negative review, as I'm sure it's fine normally. I skated the only public session on a Sunday and it was so crowded you could barely get on the ice, let alone skate. I'm only saying anything so that maybe management considers limiting the number of tickets they sell for a given session. I understand the need to make money and accommodate everyone who wants to skate but I genuinely think it's unsafe to have that many people on the ice at once. My point is illustrated by the fact that someone was carried off by EMTs and we all watched the staff clean blood off the ice. Again, I have nothing against the management and this is the only time I've been here so I can't speak to other sessions which I'm sure are less busy. My only concern is safety and I think they need to limit the amount of tickets they sell.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
10–30 min

I live on Folsom Street directly behind Yerba Buena gardens. I can walk outside my door walk half a block down the street take the crosswalk across the street and then I am at Yerba Buena Gardens. The ice rink is nice very well-maintained. The bowling alley is the same although a little bit small it has become an intimate setting for bowlers. I go there every night after work to unwind, and it doesn’t cost a cent to walk around. They have six chess tables that you can go play chess at, but bring your own pieces. If you walk across the bridges from Yerba Buena to the Moscone Center, you can end up two streets down the views are fantastic and all of the plants, flowers, trees, and sculptures are great. It really is a fantastic place to take in mother nature and just people watch I highly recommend that you visit there.

I love coming to skate here. Street Parking is a little iffy but there's a lot of parking garages in the area. There's 3, 2-hour time slots, but I've been told it's better to go in the first time slot because the ice hasn't been skated on yet (they don't Zamboni the ice again as far as I know) there's a large bathroom, lockers that you can rent, and you can also rent figure skating or hockey skates. I personally prefer hockey skates because they don't have the notches in the front of the skates like the figure skating ones do which catch onto the ice. I wish there was more space/benches to change into your skates and that the people that work here were a little bit more polite/friendly and that the bathrooms were checked /cleaned more often but overall it's a pleasant experience.

A huge rink for hockey and figure skating very nice people there 12.00 to skate not bad at all parking is hard to find but not bad on saturdays always bring change!!! For the meters trust me u dont want to Get a ticket in the city. Kids of all ages have room in the center of the rink to practise figure skating they also have lessons for all ages and teams they can join not to familiar on that subject they have skating on saturday 1230 till 2pm and then again from 330 till 5pm and then again at 9pm till 11pm wow huh its really a great experiance. They also have bowling next door drinks for adults and a snack bar

It is really a great ice skating rink! They even have a special section that they will mark off for children to use who are learning how to skate. They even provide stacks of buckets for children to push to help them learn how to skate. The music is nice and not too loud. There are snack machines and drink machines. The Faculty that work there are very nice. We had all around great experience over there and we'll go back if we're ever in the area. I definitely recommend this place for couples or families or anyone who wants to ice skate. They even had a late night session from 9 to 11 p.m.

I love ice skating as much as the next person, but I feel like this center has too loose of regulations going on. What do I mean by that? Every other ice rink I have been too makes soloist or people skating against the traffic go in the middle to practice. This one, however does not, so you end up nearly running into many different people on the sides who are working on their form, skating backwards, not really paying attention for the entire time you're skating. Other than that, it was an enjoyable experience. If you are not good on skates though, watch out or go to another rink.

Prior to visiting from out of town I spoke to a rep via email and checked the website for the weekly schedule. The schedule read Monday and Tuesday reservations and the rest of the week were normal hours. I showed up today at 1210pm to a sign that says no lanes. I inquired with a staffer and was told they had a reservation. I informed her of the website content and suggested it should be updated. Her (female with the glasses) response ok. Due to the lack of an apology and her nonchalant attitude a one star is it. If I could give zero stars for a lack of business etiquette I would.

The Yerba Buena Ice Skating rink is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. The place is huge, seating for parents, ice skating rentals of course, and a crowd that's respectful of everyone's skill level. There's plenty of parking over at the Moscone garage, and from there it's a very short walk. Do check ahead of time for free skate hours, you just can't show up and expect to jump on the ice. With regards to the numerous complaints about the price, consider your options, and if you've ever paid $6 for a slice of toast in the Mission. How long did that memory last ya?

Spend a good portion of our lives here going to hockey lessons. Always enjoy the public skate and love to see people skating. It's a great place to take the kids for skating in the hockey program is excellent we love spending time here. The San Francisco Youth Hockey Association is also a great way to get your kid introduced to hockey and we recommend involving some time with them. I took some pictures of the back door and back elevator which are great entry points for the rink.

The ice skating rink looks like a lot of fun to go in! They have reserved times for hockey games. Call and ask about open skate times for her public. Everyone looks like they are having fun, and they are!! I love the entire Yerba Buena Gardens experience folks. So much so that I generally go out each Sunday for 3 hours and pick up trash and litter, we can make a difference. HELP KEEP SAN FRANCISCO AS CLEAN AS THE GARDEN OF EDEN THAT IT IS.

I like going to this rink on Mondays, because there is five hours of public skate. It makes the price of $14 easier to live with. It's too bad though because with those prices + rentals if you need them makes the price prohibitive for a lot of people. They only zamboni the ice once in those five hours so the condition of the ice gets pretty bad. For $14 it would be nice if they zambonied it 2.5 hours in or something. That being said the 5 hours is pretty awesome.

Get your skate on! Do as I did and you'll have a fun time with a group of friends and colleagues. This is ideal for group outings, but not a bad idea for a date (just saying!). The price is reasonable and the staff are nice. If you go during the week, the afternoon and evening could be timed right so that you avoid the kids' lessons that limit the space on the ice. The Bowling Center is a fun destination too. Though, there aren't many lanes, so plan accordingly.

We visited on a Sat night. Prices were high, it was cosmic bowling. The area where you stand and release the ball should have been a little slippery so you can slide. It was super dry and almost made my friend fall. We bowl in a league and, I felt that over all, it could have been maintained better. Specially if they're charging that much. The place is really small, they do have a small bar. We still had a great time.

Atmosphere was great. But skates they had to rent were so off center (a lot of them, or most, maybe). We was not able to skate really. More suffered instead. For some reason I can not upload photos or videos. But it looked like a lot of people had the same issue, just some didn't know something is wrong with the skates they were given. Also changing direction of skating - I didn't like it at all.

Fun place for a mellow hang out when a game isn't on and pretty much the place in the area to be when a game IS on. The food here is pretty good I've only had small issues here n there but those instances were very far apart and they weren't deal breakers (can't even remember). Staff seems to be getting better and better through the years. Burgers, ribs, chicken, apps all that good stuff.

They have very limited Public skating hours. But they charge full price without warning you that you can only skate for limited amount of time. For example on Saturday it is 2 to 4 PM. We arrived at 3 PM, they charged us full price without telling us it was only for one hour. Of course we should have checked but they could have warned us. They don’t care and that’s bad service

The ice is not properly leveraged. The only consistent hockey pickup is Friday at noon, sorry I have a 9-5 job. There isn't always someone available to sharpen skates because they're understaffed, but the guy who is always there is amazing. Showers and locker rooms are pretty terrible as well, ice is nice though and hockey leagues are fun if you can ever get on a team

I have money in my account and have emailed them 3 times. I tried to go skating today and the manager working was trying to impress his co worker I guess by acting like a jerk and insisting I had to pay out of pocket even though they have my money already and the problem is on there end. Too bad they are so rude, I’ll have to drive to another city to skate now

I play pickup ice hockey here on Fridays. Great and friendly staff. I've also been here a few times for public skate. The ice is decent but it can get a bit warm in there. If you're looking for a good time to skate around I would come check this place out. They offer a lot when it comes to public skate, ice hockey and figure skating. Check their website.

Children. Children everywhere... all hugging the wall and shuffling like little ice zombies. Wouldn't recommend for a random public skate because I've never seen the ice uncrowded, but the pro shop seems good enough for skate sharpenings and buying that $250 carbon fiber composite stick because you think you have a shot at the NHL.

Bowling here is a lot of fun. I don't come here often, but whenever I do, I always have a good time. There are a small number of lanes, so it's more intimate, not as loud as a larger alley. I've also skated & played hockey at the skating rink. It can truly be said that it's the best place to play ice hockey in San Francisco!

I've only ever been to YBBC for group events, but we always had a good time. The food was pretty tasty and the lanes were clean and well lit. I've heard that parking can be a bit tough, but I never owned a car when living in San Francisco and getting there by public transit was a breeze.

There's a lot going on here in this park. There's a carousel at the corner, then the art center, a park with a playground, ice skate rink, bowling alley and restaurant. This is a great place to bring young children. Keep your eye out for special events that sometimes offered here.

Great place to learn to skate. Instructors are super professional. Great community vibe. Very clean rink. Great views of park. Edwin has good music selection
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No
Price for adult entry
$16–20

Always a joy to be here. My only wish is that it's open to the public more often. It's fairly safe to learn here and also entertaining to watch the professionals do their thing. It was fun watching a live hockey game from the exterior just before it was open to the public.

The facility is alright, but the ice doesn’t get zamboni before public skating AND while public skating they keep the center for private figure skating practice, so not cool to block off basically half the rink. If I am going back is only because of lack of alternatives

Lots of traffic surrounding the rink, as Moscone Center and Metreon Theater are just blocks away. The ice rink was surprisingly balmy inside, but the ice held up nicely and the electric (only in San Fran) Zamboni cut a beautiful sheet for the hockey players to skate on.

Very neat and efficient staff. Really good Second visit and I have to change it cause the row was defected. Balls got stuck more than once and the pins fell by they self few times. It’s fun but if you are playing with a competitive buddy well not god

Indoor ice skating year round. Always a friendly staff and crowd. Can get lessons, and lots of teams seem to play here. The Metreon is adjacent, so you can get food or catch a movie too. In nice weather there's a big outdoor playground next to it.

First time bowling and it was a fun experience! There was a promotion for Memorial Day so shoes were free. Booked an hour and the time flew by. Many lanes full but definitely more than enough space for everyone. Good for families, kids, friends.

Not a bad bowling alley, only a couple of lanes, hours are too short, prices are a little too high for the quality and even if you have your ID, no outside alcohol which wouldn't be bad except there is almost never anyone on that counter.

I like going ice skating during the winter. I especially like going when they play xmas music. It's a good size rink and the price per hour is reasonable. The location is great and close to lots of eateries and tons of shopping.

The bowling lanes were decent, they have a pretty good selection of bowling balls, and our group had a great time when we visited. I didn't try any of the food, but others in my group said it was good (for bowling alley food).

I visited here with a group of friends while I was in San Francisco. It was the perfect rainy day activity! It was definitely a little crowded, but there are plenty of places to practice no matter what level you are.

There was a staff member by the name of Gordon who saw my toddler and I struggling on the ice. He was so kind, patient and helpful. He made ice skating fun instead of scary for my daughter. We can't wait to go back!

I love this place! They keep the ice smooth and sleek. Great customer service and the price isn't bad at all. :) Will probably come here everytime I come to the area. It's all year round, so that's extra special!

I love it. I take classes here and it's amazing how attentive the coaches are with their students. Everyone here is so kind and it's a beautiful place to go with friends, family and your significant other.

Fairly priced. Nicer skates than they use to have. I just wish they had better food and drink options. Although there is a food bar its never open when I go there and I have to use the vending machines.

Poor service. We did pay to play the game then after 15 mins they just kicked us out of the lane because it was booked for somebody else. No refund. Party ruined. Good job, Yerba buena bowling!

The bowling alley is nice. Clean and the machines and score computers seem to work without issues. The alley is on the smaller side and seems more suitable for after work outings with coworkers

Skates are pretty dull. Ice is usually fairly smooth and not too busy. Also, bring your own snacks. They have six+ vending machines but the only functional machine had hockey tape. …

My daughter's first time competing at this rink. The parking was a challenge since it is all pay-for-parking. In addition, it was confusing figuring out where the entrance was at.

It’s good ice skating there, and also bowling. Different public session both week and weekends. Adult beginners classes are fun and learnable. The instructors are very attentive.

Great place, good for family fun. Reasonably priced ice skating and well maintained facilities. I would go back again. Also it is open during the Moscone construction.

A great hidden gem in the city. A popular option for work parties but they do a good job. It's a little cramped at time but good service and a lot of fun options.

Super duper fun! My kids enjoyed it! My first time, felt like a fool on the rail, like a flamingo freshly hatched out of my egg adult size trying to walk!

Really enjoyed our bowling event. Decent lanes, clean shoes and good beer. 2 complaints though; the bowling balls weren't great and I only got 3 strikes.

Public skating is just 16 dollars including rentals, though it gets quite busy since it's the only hockey rink in the city. Great fun for large groups.

Very nice place for activities for the kids from different ages.
Visited on
Weekday
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
No

Good place to skate, although if you're just coming for a few hours, it isn't cheap. Rental skates are nice though and rink is, full size, I think.

Had a wonderful time ice skating and bowling wasn't that bad either. Both were moderate with the cost. You really get the bang from your buck here!

Nice place to visit with friends or family. Was there for a privately booked staff end of year bowling. We all loved it nice staff and good food.

Fun, cheap (before 5pm), and easy to get a lane as a walk up group of 8. The kitchen and bar seem to be closed on Mondays, unfortunately.

If my son or daughter loved ice hockey ID sure tell them about this magnificent rink right in the middle of the new downtown rebuild.

Very nice rink, good ice and relatively new rental skates if you need them. Was not crowded when I visited last for the public skate.

Rink was fairly empty, a little foggy inside, and the ice needed to be resurfaced, but overall a really good rink to go for a skate

The bowling alley has delicious boneless chicken bites. Their Malbec and rose is terrific too. The waffle fries were yummmyyyy

Pretty expensive, the food court closes earlier than the bowling section is open. Good music, nice glow-in the dark effects

It was fun. I havent been to an ice skating rink for years. It was fun watching the kids having fun out there on the ice

Awesome! Lot of space for parents to sit or walk, clean environment, good choice of vending machines and friendly staff

Really fun! Most of the vending machines are broken but the ice rink is amazing! The ice cleaner is fun to watch.

Awesome place for fun.
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Not sure

Best rink in SF. Highs are great location and it’s pretty. Lows are the ice is soft and they don’t serve beer:/

Do not bring young children here. The bathrooms have peep holes, very suspicious characters lingering about.

Good rink, and the only one in the city. There used to be some issues with fog but those are resolved now

Bowling alley was decent. no big complaints. everything worked but was bit outdated. nice staff.

We went on a weekday and it was not too crowded. The prices are reasonable and my kids loved it.

It’s cool
Visited on
Weekend
Wait time
No wait
Reservation recommended
Yes

I highly recommend you make this a stop on a trip to sf especially if you have your own skates

Great lil bowling area. Not cheap for an hour but okay if split. Fun lights and hip-hop music.

We had a blast! It's so much fun to bring your kids to do something you always did as a kid!

I've been an avid bowler. It's good to know that this place exists so I don't get rusty.

It's a nice please if your child wants to learn ice-skating ⛸ or hockey …

We had a good time. But the customer service was not all that good

Ice and people are wonderful. The rental skates are not the best

Nice place, clean restrooms, well run skating establishment

Beautiful park, amazing views and a fun place to hang out.

It is fun to bowl here, and the waffle fries are good.

Pretty long wait but the bowling alley is nice.

Very nice price and it’s not that crowded

Good clean big space. Great for skating.

Love the bowling alley. Just needs tvs

Nice staff and great place to skate!!

very fun