The South Korean bakery-café chain has quickly expanded across the U.S., touting itself as the “neighborhood bakery.” It’s the place to head for consistent cakes with a subtle sweetness ubiquitous with Asian-style desserts. The strawberry soft-cream cake and blueberry chiffon cakes are must-tries.

Sweet dessert soup is a traditional way to end a meal in a few Asian locales, like Taiwan. This authentic Taiwanese dessert place showcases “QQ” ingredients like sweet taro balls and boba. Beans cooked in brown sugar are also popular in many traditional desserts. In the San Diego locations, there are also plenty of Asian desserts that are becoming more familiar here, like egg waffles and shaved ice with mangoes or strawberries.

The cozy cafe located off the pedestrian walkway in the Village at Mira Mesa recently changed ownership, replacing Snowy Village. Snowbowls (Korean shaved milk ice) can be ordered with fresh strawberries or tropical mango. The restaurant recently expanded to morning hours, offering bubble waffles and taiyaki with sweet or savory versions.

If you’re looking for specialty cream puffs from Japan, this bakery group has found an abode on Girard Avenue in La Jolla after opening in San Diego for the second time. Started as a tiny shop in Osaka, Japan by Yuji Hirota (known around town for his recognizable fluffy white beard), there are now 400 stores in 15 countries. Their dessert is made of a double layer of choux pastry crowned with a sprinkling of crispy pie crust, with fillings made of ice cream or the original version, a mix of whipped cream and vanilla custard. 

The first San Diego outpost of this acclaimed Asian dessert chain based in Los Angeles offers all its best-selling sweets including fresh green tea mochi with a black sesame filling, Hong Kong egg waffles, passionfruit panna cotta, mango sticky rice, and treats showcasing premium Thai monthong durian including durian ice cream and mochi durian rolls.

Refreshingly not-too-sweet, this already-popular new dessert shop, which does brisk business in custom cakes features a menu that includes fluffy chiffon cakes flavored with matcha and salted caramel, tender-skinned snowball mochi filled with fruit and cream, and a can’t-miss taro mochi cake that has a delightful texture.

The owners of Yakitori Yakyudori are behind this adjacent dessert shop specializing in Japanese-style kakigori, or shaved ice. Frozen blocks of Japanese spring water are shaved into a fluffy flurry and topped with homemade syrups and fresh fruit for creations such as an adorable bear-shaped kakigori with strawberries, milk syrup, vanilla ice cream, and strawberry cream. The shop also sells sweet Japanese sandos filled with fruit and cream.

The popular dessert chain specializes in a Korean dessert called ah-boong, fish-shaped waffle cones packed with soft-serve ice cream and fillings like Nutella and red bean. Soft-serve ice cream flavors rotate but popular ones, like chocolate and milk, are mainstays. There are now cafes in the Convoy District, Mira Mesa, and UTC.

The mochi doughnut craze has found firm footing in San Diego with several locations of this shop that combines mochi with an American-style doughnut, the result is a hybrid pastry that’s both pleasantly chewy and airy. Flavors rotate every Monday and Friday with favorites including the blue Cookie Monster, churro, and funnel cake that comes with a choice of chocolate, strawberry, or caramel drizzle. 

The famous Japanese bakery is doing bustling trade in its souffle-like cheesecakes since first opening on Convoy Street. The global chain that started in Japan nearly 40 years ago is known for its popular cheesecake flavors like original, purple ube, and pandan coconut. Burnt Basque cheesecakes have arrived, while Hokkaido-style cheese tarts and crispy cheesecake biscotti are on the horizon. 

This stylish dessert shop in the Convoy District is one of the few places that can whip up Thai hand-rolled ice cream, packing the frozen swirls in a cup and accessorizing with various toppings. with toppings of your choice. The popular bingsoo (Korean shaved ice) comes with fresh fruits like watermelon and they also do mochi doughnuts.

This friendly crepe and coffee establishment captures the atmosphere and feel of a French Vietnamese café. For a sweet crepe, try the Nutella and mixed fruits option or the Liege waffle made with sugar-studded batter paired with red bean paste and whipped cream. Add a scoop of black sesame or taro gelato for an indulgent flair. 

The French-Japanese patisserie in the Convoy District focuses on delicate, light cakes for a sit-down treat or whole cakes to take home. Be sure to order ahead of time. Items regularly sell out so get there early if you want to try a popular favorite like the Elby, composed of white chocolate and dark chocolate cream. The raspberry ganache and tiramisu are also delightfully decadent. 

This adorable little Korean dessert cafe in Hillcrest serves dalgona, a smoky caramel toffee sponge candy that comes in small squares, which is added to coffee drinks to sweeten the taste. Made with sugar and bicarbonate of soda and made super famous by “Squid Game”, it’s a popular street snack in Korea. Gelabong also makes its own mochi donuts, taiyaki, and gelato.

This homegrown dessert café specializes in halo-halo, a Filipino dessert that consists of milk, crushed ice, toppings, and ice cream on top. Another bestseller is the stunning Purple Drink, an ube-taro blend with brown sugar boba with ube whipped cream and ube drizzle. 

The popular Taiwanese bakery has four locations in the area, serving house-baked breads and light, airy desserts like honey cream cake. Don’t be shy about pouncing on a fresh batch of sweets that the chefs announce and bring out on trays throughout the day. Try the red bean and custard buns.