Convoy desserts – bingsoo
Bing Haus
Order: Bingsoo
While Bing Haus is best known for introducing Thai rolled ice cream to the city, the word “bing” comes from bingsoo, the Korean shaved ice dessert. Owner Nancy Chi’s recommendation is to start at the shaved ice and condensed milk top and dig your way to the sweet red bean and mochi melon center. Order the patbingsoo for a version starring other seasonal fruits and topped with misugaru.
4425 Convoy Street
Snoice
Order: Halo Halo
From the Tagalog word for “mix mix,” this popular Filipino dessert starts with a spoon and ends with a sip. The Original has crushed ice, sweet evaporated milk, spoonfuls of leche flan and jammy ube halaya (mashed purple sweet potato), banana, gelatin cubes, and toasted rice. Several add-ins are available, including ice cream, coconut jelly, and boba.
7420 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
Convoy desserts – Somi Somi
Kimberly Motos
Somi Somi
Order: Taiyaki and Ah-Boong
Get hooked on fish-shaped pastries at this grab-and-go bar that shares space with Sul & Beans. Two versions await: Taiyaki is a Japanese cake shaped like a close-mouthed tai (sea bream) filled with your choice of Nutella, red bean, taro, custard, or cheddar. Ah-boong is a Korean dessert bun shaped like an openmouthed carp filled with sweet paste (Nutella, custard, or red bean), a swirl of single- or dual-flavored soft serve, and topped with anything from sprinkles to macarons.
4620 Convoy Street
Convoy – Up2You
Up2You Cafe
Order: Brick Toast
Up2You starts prepping this signature dessert about six hours before service, when the café’s special blend of butter, sugar, and sea salt is spread on the day’s brioche pullman loaves. From there, they score the brick toast like a hashtag before oven-toasting the cuts and the exterior to golden brown. Get the honey toast for a hot take on the dessert’s flavors, or level up with a combo of toppings like Nutella, strawberries, and green tea ice cream.
7770 Vickers Street
Convoy – Mngo
Mngo Cafe
ORDER: Mango Sticky Rice
Owners Kan Sritong and Gail Paiboonvarakit use sweet rice imported from Thailand and high-quality coconut milk to make their khao niao mamuang (mango sticky rice). Try the OMG! served with fresh mango, mango pudding, and your choice of vanilla, coconut, or mango ice cream. There’s also the Brûlée & Rice with torched mango halves topped with coconut cream. Both desserts come with scoops of pale blue, pink, and green sticky rice and pandan used to color them.
4176 Convoy Street
Convoy desserts – iceskimo
Rob Andrew
Iceskimo
Order: Taiwanese Shaved Snow
Creamy ribbons of ice shavings are piled high in a bowl and dressed with your choice of toppings and condensed milk, caramel, or chocolate syrup. Owner Robert Yang makes the snow ice blocks in his “ice factory” near the Convoy store, continually expanding the menu of 16 flavors. For an Italian-inspired twist, try a snow affogato like the Mighty Matcha or Dirty Horchata.
4609 Convoy Street, Suite B
Gong Cha
Order: Brown sugar boba milkshake
Unlike typical Taiwanese bubble teas, this one is served with the boba on top, sitting on crushed ice that’s floating in a milky tea with a dark brown sugar syrup base. Shake well to prompt the chewy tapioca balls to slowly fall through the ice layer. This will also mix in the syrup, transforming the color and flavor to that of a blondie cookie bar.
4764 Convoy Street
Convoy – famous waffle
Famous Waffle Sandwich
Order: Waffle sandwiches
This snack bar owned and operated by Ed Paris is the first US storefront of the global Filipino chain Famous Belgian Waffles (the chain debuted under different ownership as a kiosk inside Westfield North County in Escondido). Each “waff-wich” is made to order by cooking a secret-recipe batter in a waffle iron. Once cooled to handle, one side of the waffle is covered with ingredients like cookie butter or Oreo cookies and cream and folded in half to serve.
4853 Convoy Street
