Convoy Scoops Up the OC’s Hottest Ice Cream

Cauldron Ice Cream, a social media sensation that draws large crowds to its flagship store in Santa Ana and its newest location in Artesia, CA, is coming to Kearny Mesa. The buzzy frozen treats brand will open its first San Diego shop on Convoy Street in the plaza that also houses Crab Hut and RakiRaki, combining two adjacent storefronts into a 1,650-square-foot space.

Specializing in made-to-order ice cream frozen using liquid nitrogen, hand-molded into highly-Instagrammable flower shapes, Cauldron is also known for its fresh-baked puffle cones which are a take on the Chinese egg waffle, a popular street snack. The shop rotates and adds to its array of ice cream flavors every month; the current October lineup includes earl grey-lavender, Vietnamese coffee, sea salted caramel crunch and strawberry shortcake.

James Ho, who is guiding the brand’s local expansion, tells Eater that the Convoy Street shop is estimated to open in Spring 2018, sharing, "As a San Diego resident for over a decade, I have always craved more diversity in quality dessert options here. We are beyond excited to bring an exciting ice cream concept unlike anything else in the area. I feel that consumers here can really appreciate ice cream consisting of the highest quality ingredients, freshly made to order in front of them.” Look for at least one more Cauldron to land here; Tina Le, Cauldron’s director of operations, says the company plans to open a second San Diego location in 2018.