San Diego’s Best Desserts? Here’s 11 Places To Take A Date With A Sweet Tooth

We’ve scoured the city for the best places to take a date for dessert in San Diego – whether you’re looking for trendy and swanky, or simply to pick up an ice cream cone and go for a stroll – we’ve got you covered!

These are our picks for San Diego’s best dessert options – any of which will score you brownie points with your hot date! 😉

Salt & Straw

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Salt & Straw’s ice cream is just so damn good…which is why you should expect a line out the door. Don’t worry, it’s worth it.

Soda & Swine 

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Soda & Swine has two locations, Liberty Station and North Park. Although from their name you wouldn’t guess, they have some over-the-top desserts that will definitely sweeten up your date, from over-indulgent milkshakes to good ol’ fashioned apple pie a la mode.

The Cravory

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The Cravory specializes in amazingly sweet and unique cookies. They have two shops in San Diego, one in Point Loma and the other in Carlsbad but they also sell at local farmer’s markets. Just some of their cookie flavors include “Pancakes and Bacon,” “Rosemary Balsamic” and “Chocolate Truffle.” Get some to-go for the perfect take-home dessert and enjoy with your date along with some warm, liquored-up coffee or a White Russian for a sweet night cap.

Sidecar Donuts

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Ok, Sidecar isn’t exactly a dessert place, but trust us – it will satisfy your sweet tooth! It’s hard to explain how good Sidecar Doughnuts are…you just have to try one. And then you’ll try three more! They are made right in front of you at their Del Mar location, so they are hot and fresh!

Betty’s Pie Whole

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Betty’s Pie Whole, located in Encinitas inside Sunshine Gardens under the red roof building, is one of those hidden gems off the beaten path. They have both savory and sweet pies and it’s a great little place for a casual day date. Definitely try Betty’s Lemon Pucker Pie or the Chocolate Cookie Dough Pie!

Extraordinary Desserts 

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Given the name it might seem like an obvious choice for this list but for good reason! Extraordinary Desserts has every dessert imaginable from cakes to candy bars to cobblers to ice cream. Extraordinary Desserts also has a lunch and dinner menu with cheese plates, paninis, sandwiches and more! There are two San Diego locations: Balboa Park and Little Italy.

Patisserie Melanie

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hef Melanie Dunn trained in Paris where she received the Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu. She strives to be an ambassador for French pastry and joie de vivre. Each item on the Pâtisserie Melanie menu is handmade in very small batches in the chef’s home kitchen located above the boutique.

Enough said.

Juniper and Ivy 

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Juniper and Ivy boasts a modern American kitchen and while their dinner and drink menu is on point, it’s their desserts that take the cake! From their “Yodel” (devil’s cake, white chocolate, hazelnut brittle and hot chocolate) to their “Milk & Honey” (grilled fig, honey ice cream, vanilla panna cotta and poppy seed tuille), they put a swanky, upscale spin on their sweet dishes. Any of their desserts would go very nicely with their “Barreled Cocktail #4” (Scotch, Amaretto, Sweet Vermouth and coffee liqueur).

Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop

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If you are in the downtown area, Ghirardelli is a perfect spot for a romantic date that takes you back in time to the days of the ice cream fountain of the ’50s. The ice cream, chocolates and milkshakes are all out of this world.

The Chuao Chocolatier Factory

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Chuao Chocolatier offers guided tours of their new factory in Carlsbad. These are a hot ticket, so you’ll have to plan in advance. But that kind of thoughtfulness will score you big brownie points with your sweet-toothed date! Be sure to follow them on Facebook and subscribe to their newsletter for tour dates.

Eclipse Chocolate Bar & Bistro

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This South Park gem is the perfect place to go whether you and your date just want dessert, or you’d like to have your sweets accompanied by an amazing brunch or dinner. Eclipse Chocolate Bar & Bistro serves nearly 100 different handcrafted confections, and has regular events like Build-a-Bar Nights, Game Nights, and Supper Clubs – perfect for a hot date!

Something for everyone!

San Diego knows sweets! Pick any one of San Diego’s best places for dessert for that next date night – you can’t go wrong!

See you there!