Put the box of convenience-store chocolates down. We had a funny feeling you’d want to treat your honey (or yourself) to some sugar this Valentine’s Day, so we went fearlessly forth, procuring pastries and consuming cakes to find some of the best sweet things San Diego has to offer. Here’s what we fell in love with, from a pistachio devotee’s soulmate to a danish that tastes as good as it looks.
North Park Creamery
Churro & Mexican Hot Chocolate Twist
I felt like a fairy godmother hauling an out-of-town friend to North Park Creamery the moment she expressed an idle desire for that elusive treat that is dairy-free soft serve. While she swooned over the sheer number of vegan options (at least five, including coconut ube; Dole whip; and Mexican hot chocolate, which also comes in a dairy version), I flaunted my ability to eat cow’s milk (didn’t say I was a good witch) with a hot cocoa and churro swirl. I got it chocolate-coated, but next time, it’ll be all about those three little words: peanut butter dip. – Amelia Rodriguez
MC’s Kitchen
PJ Cornbread
Yes, your average cornbread does not belong on this list. But this is not your average cornbread. This is a honey butter–topped, sweet corn–studded, golden gift from above. Or, technically speaking, from farmers market vendor MC’s Kitchen. I passed MC’s at a craft fair and treated myself to a hefty square of the PJ–Plain Jane–cornbread. (Could’ve gone with jalapeño pepper jack or rosemary cornbread, or topped it with chili or sausage gravy, but I am a plain Jane myself.) One bite and I beelined it back to the booth for two more. I schlepped them around the fair, then cradled them carefully in the car. Precious cargo. – Emily Heft
Buona Forchetta
Cannoli
Buona Forchetta is now selling pizzas on Mars, it seems. A true San Diego success story. I revisited the corner sliver in South Park where the wood-fired, pizza-and-good-olive-oil mania first started and was reminded why. For starters, you could stabilize the moods of entire civilizations with the garlic-rosemary flatbread with prosciutto and burrata.
For dessert, the tiramisu is a no-brainer—imported Savoiardi ladyfingers soaked in Italian espresso for a brief second, then topped with cream and mascarpone and stored cold overnight to settle. My other rec requires context: I struggle with cannolis, honestly. I’ve always felt they needed more acid, a bright note to offset the gut-thud of ricotta and fried shells. That’s why Buona Forchetta’s strawberry cannoli is fantastic—bright but heavy, like America’s future on a good day. – Troy Johnson
Hinar Dessert Bar & Café
Basque Cheesecake
This charming, lime-washed East Village Kurdish café’s internet virality and subsequent block-conquering queues are most attributable to its leaf-green matcha lattes that are (delightfully) about 40 percent Biscoff cookie cold foam, but Hinar calls itself a dessert bar for a reason. Its bakery case resembles a pre-heist Louvre jewel gallery: delicate, sculptural little multi-tiered cakes (try the black sesame), crowned in carnations; crisp, colorful macarons; New York–style cheesecake with plump raspberry rubies; and the crustless Basque version of the latter, with a creamy interior and bronzed, rippling exterior on just the right side of near-burnt. If every table inside is taken (likely), steal away with your treasures to the airy back patio, where you might just nab a seat. – Amelia Rodriguez
Desserts by Clement
The Pistachio
Pistachio is clearly having a moment, its iconically green mellow sweetness lending charisma to everything from espresso martinis to croissant fillings. (Consider also the Dubai-chocolate-ification of the universe.) If you’re a true pistachio fan, you’ll be delighted by this tromp l’œil of sorts, a pistachio-goes-meta treat from Desserts by Clement in Pacific Beach. You’ll find layers of pistachio crunch, pistachio praline, and pistachio whipped ganache, all wrapped up in a giant, pistachio-shaped, green-and-red-airbrushed white chocolate shell. Is it cake? No, it’s pistachio. – Samantha Lacy
Relic Bakery & Kitchen
Blackberry Opal Basil Danish
When Relic (our 2025 Readers’ Pick for Best Bakery) opened an East Village outpost, we walked over to give its wheaty wares a try. I have to admit that the goods’ beauty set off a slight flicker of dessert-catfish PTSD (I’ve been seduced by a pretty pastry before, only to find it was fondant in cake’s clothing). This stunner from Relic, however, was not peacocking with its blackberry swirls and flecks of basil. It had the flavor payoff to match: complex, herby, jammy, lightly sweet. The Relic lineup changes often, so just order something eye-catching. Worked for us. – Emily Heft
Figaro Dessert Cafe
Trilogy
In Latin American cultures, pan dulce (sweet breads) and galletas (cookies) are perfectly acceptable as breakfast items alongside your cup of coffee in the morning. This gluten-free dessert by Figaro (with locations in Hillcrest, North Park, and Pacific Beach) is 100 percent not one such treat, but I’d highly recommend enjoying it with your 8 a.m. TikTok scroll nonetheless. Made with a semi-sweet dark chocolate, fudge-like topping; chocolate cake base; and chocolate and white-chocolate mousse center, it’s rich but airy, decadent but subtle. It’s the kind of treat I can see my abuelita and I sharing in our pajamas as she fills me in on the latest church gossip. – Nicolle Monico
Bar Ella
Zeppole
When Bub’s at the Beach wrapped its 25-year legacy in Pacific Beach, its owners handed the keys to an industry vet eager to start a legacy of her own: Krista Barrella, former Tavern at the Beach general manager and longtime Verant Group (Barleymash, Spill The Beans, several others) employee. Now, at Bar Ella, she serves a seasonal menu from La Jolla Country Club alum chef Brendan Nugent and a very solid $6 espresso martini—a modern trend with a retro price tag. Obviously, you’re going to order one, so if that’s not dessert enough, pair with the zeppole, dippable, deep-fried Italian donuts. Lightly dusted in sugar, they’re the ideal post-meal shareable for folks who say everything is too sweet, but if you and your friends are of a more saccharine persuasion (guilty), opt for chocolate sauce on top. – Amelia Rodriguez
Christophe Rull Patisserie
Chocolate Croissant
Flaky, buttery, chocolately, toasty—a great chocolate croissant can elicit the kinds of OMG sounds typically reserved for bedroom settings. Those searching for a little romance this February (wink, wink) should head to Michelin-trained chocolate master and French-born pastry chef Christophe Rull’s San Marcos patisserie. Rull started his apprenticeship at age 15 and cut his teeth at various Michelin-starred kitchens and École Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (the prestigious pastry academy that Alain Ducasse founded) post–culinary school, but the SD spot is his first venture of his own. “I like to stay really fundamental and to the classics, such as a good butter croissant or almond croissant,” he tells SDM. Mission accomplished, chef. –Nicolle Monico
PARTNER CONTENT
Extraordinary Banana Pudding
Cheesecake Banana Bread Pudding
Banana-centric sweets are not for everyone—but they are certainly for me. So, when I learned of a San Diego shop dedicated entirely to banana pudding, I booked it to La Mesa. Extraordinary Banana Pudding is a tiny treasure trove in a strip mall; in the fridge, there’s plenty of classic BP—the owner’s family recipe—plus a dozen other riffs, from lemon to pistachio to chocolate peanut butter. I left with more pints than I’d like to admit, but the banana bread cheesecake pudding disappeared first. It’s not as rich as you’d expect from the name; just layers upon layers of fluffy, dreamy, banana goodness. – Emily Heft
