My girls have a sixth sense for when I'm about to say yes to dessert. One little "can we?" and I'm already reaching for my keys. Over the years we've built up a list of spots we come back to again and again. These are our go-tos, the places my kids love and that I love just as much.
And you don't need kids in tow to enjoy any of these. Treat yourself. Bring your grandkids. Round up a group of friends. Turn it into a date night. A little something sweet has a way of making an ordinary evening feel special.
Here's where we go.
SOMISOMI | UTC
If you've never had a fish-shaped ice cream cone, this is your chance. SomiSomi is a Korean dessert shop serving a goldfish-shaped waffle cone called Taiyaki, stuffed with your choice of filling, soft serve, and toppings. I get mine filled with Nutella in a cup with ube soft serve topped with Biscoff crumbles and a macaron. What does ube soft serve taste like? Think back to the sweet milk left at the bottom of the bowl after you finished your favorite cereal as a kid. That's ube. They rotate flavors weekly and the toppings are fun and unusual, like Fruity Pebbles and Matcha powder. There's so much variety that every visit feels like a different adventure. There's almost always a line out the door at their original Convoy location, but (lucky for us) they just opened up in UTC.
Other Locations: Convoy, Mira Mesa.
CAMPFIRE | CARLSBAD
People love coming to Campfire for the family-friendly ambiance and the food. I come for the DIY s'mores, and I've got my campfire s’mores technique down to a science. The s’mores ingredients are served alongside a small pile of red-hot coals for toasting fluffy house-made marshmallows.
I skip stacking everything together and taking one giant bite. It’s too big. We are not monsters. Instead, separate your two artisanal graham cracker cookies and split the thick piece of chocolate in half. It's very generous so you are not missing out. Place one piece of chocolate on each graham cookie. Here's the important part: scooch one chocolate + graham as close to the coals as you can so the chocolate starts to melt while you slowly roast half of your homemade marshmallow. Then build your s'more: graham cookie, semi-melted chocolate, roasted marshmallow. Eat that one, then make the second. Twice the treat out of one order. So so good!
BACIO DI LATTE | DEL MAR
Completely obsessed with the new Bacio di Latte at Flower Hill Mall in Del Mar. I’ve already been three times in the past week. It’s the closest I’ve found to authentic Italian gelato outside of Italy. I always order the medium cup so I can pick three flavors. I usually go with chocolate pistachio crunch and Belgian chocolate, then let whoever is working pick the third so I try something new each time.
Bacio di Latte was started by two brothers from Milan who traveled throughout Italy learning the best traditional gelato recipes. They make it every day in-house with fresh ingredients like Clover Sonoma milk and cream, pistachios from Italy, Piedmont hazelnuts, Belgian chocolate, and locally sourced fruit. I’ve been to their Newport Beach location several times, and there was always a line out the door. So happy to finally have it close to home.
The flavor selection includes classics like Sweet Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Tiramisù, and Coffee & Caramel, along with more unique combinations like Blueberry & Ricotta, Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate, and Buttercream Pretzel. They also offer vegan options, including sorbets and a dairy-free Belgian Chocolate. Beyond gelato, they have cookies and an affogato bar combining gelato and coffee.
See more from Bacio di Latte at Flower Hill in Del Mar. Watch the reel here.
Other San Diego Location: La Jolla.
BATCH & BOX BAKESHOP | DEL MAR
I love The Classic at Batch & Box, made with their signature dough and milk and dark chocolate. Their cookies are handcrafted in small batches and baked fresh daily, and I also like that the ingredient lists are pretty straightforward. Their recipes are made with familiar ingredients you'd find in your own home like flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, chocolate, oats, and cinnamon. Nothing overly complicated, just really good cookies with fun flavors.
The menu includes The Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk, The Blondie, The Brownie, The Dubai with pistachio cream and kataifi, The Gentleman with dark chocolate dough and dark chocolate, The Oaty Chip, The Snickerdoodle, The Sugar, plus a gluten friendly version of The Classic. Seasonal options have included The Pumpkin Maple Cakelet, The Celebration Cakelet, and The Ube.
They also rotate seasonal flavors each month, so there is usually something new to try. And it’s right next to Handel’s in Del Mar Highlands Town Center, another fav.
Other Locations: UTC/La Jolla, Snapdragon Stadium. San Marcos coming soon.
A BANANA SPLIT | AT HOME
Nothing feels like a throwback quite like an old-fashioned banana split. When I want to surprise my girls with something extra special at home, I Instacart my favorites: Hershey's fudge that I warm up, Neapolitan ice cream, cherries, peanuts, whipped cream, and bananas. It never fails to make everyone smile.
QUICK LOCAL BITES (WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME)
Pictured: Cookies Hope Royale from Harvest Ranch
Sometimes the sweet tooth hits and you need something fast. These three always do the trick:
Harvest Ranch Cookies. My favorite is called 'Cookies Hope Royale' and it has coconut, macadamia nuts, and chocolate chips. Zap one in the microwave for five seconds and it gets gooey and delicious.
Cappuccino Éclairs from Whole Foods Market. These are from the bakery case, and the cappuccino version is my favorite. The pastry is light, the filling is creamy, and the chocolate on top makes it one of my favorite easy desserts to grab.
See's Candies Chocolate Lollipops. Made with heavy cream, butter, and chocolate, they have a firm, dense texture that slowly softens as you eat them rather than the brittle consistency of a typical hard candy. I always keep these on hand.
MASTRO'S OCEAN CLUB | DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
Mastro's Signature Butter Cake has always been a huge favorite of mine. The buttery yellow cake is baked with a cream cheese mixture, topped with caramelized raw sugar, and served with vanilla bean ice cream, raspberry sauce, sliced strawberries, and orange supremes. It's rich, warm, and so good.
If you want something closer to North County, the Warm Butter Cake at Nick's Del Mar in Carmel Valley is a very close second. Their version has a crystallized sugar crust and comes with vanilla ice cream and fresh berry compote. Worth ordering.
Other Nick's Locations: Carlsbad, San Clemente, Laguna Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Pasadena.
THE MELTING POT | DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
My girls used to love coming to The Melting Pot when they were growing up. I now understand it was mostly for the chocolate fondue. We loved getting the classic milk chocolate. The fondue is kept warm at your table and comes with a whole spread to dip: pound cake bites, waffle bites, brownie and blondie bites, rice krispie bites, graham cracker coated marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, and pineapple. Half the fun is the dipping itself.
ISLAND PRIME | SAN DIEGO BAY
Every year for my birthday, my parents take me to Island Prime and I order a huge slice of their famous mud pie. It's a tradition we've kept going for years now, and the mud pie has become part of what makes the day feel like mine. It has mountains of coffee ice cream, chocolate ganache, homemade fudge, and almond brittle. After a great dinner, there's just nothing better.
JUICE TIME & PAPA KANAFA | EL CAJON
This one is definitely worth the drive and a secret I’m willing to share. I stumbled upon Juice Time & Papa Kanafa and have since included their Dubai chocolate in my client gifts and brought it home to share with family. When I have a craving, I can’t just get one. I have to get several to share. I always get the Large Dubai Chocolate Bar, filled with pistachio and roasted kunafa. And let me tell you, it is the best Dubai chocolate I’ve had and the closest I’ve tasted to the original.
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