A sweet night in La Jolla →
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMDessert
← San DiegoDate night guide · San Diego
Best dessert spots for a date in San Diego
Dinner nearby, then the good part.
42 spots · Jump to the list
Dessert is the best second stop on a date: it's short, it's inexpensive, and it gives you a reason to walk somewhere after dinner. These are places that exist for dessert — gelato, pastry, chocolate, late-night sweets — rather than restaurants with a good dessert menu.
This guide ranks 42 dessert spots in San Diego, from Little Italy / Middletown to La Jolla and Coronado. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights couples planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A sweet night in Pacific Beach / Mission Beach
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.2 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMDessert
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating · the top 24 of 42.
BakeryWayfarer Bread & Pastry
5.0(26)La Jolla · $
Gelato ShopBobboi Natural Gelato
4.8(21)La Jolla
Dessert SpotGelato 101
4.8(19)Del Mar / Solana Beach · $
Dessert SpotHandel’s Ice Cream
4.8(13)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $
BakerySchmackary's
4.8(12)La Jolla Shores / Torrey Pines · $
BakeryJulian Pie Company
4.7(25)$
Dessert SpotMom’s Pie House
4.7(25)
Dessert SpotJulian Pie Co.
4.7(24)$
BakeryGelato Vero Caffe
4.7(20)Little Italy / Middletown · $
Dessert SpotThe Baked Bear
4.7(18)Pacific Beach / Mission Beach · $
Ice Cream ShopCalicream Ice Cream
4.7(11)Encinitas / Del Mar · $
BakeryIzola Bakery
4.7(9)East Village / Barrio Logan · $
CafeTrilogy Sanctuary
4.6(23)La Jolla
Bakery & CafeClayton’s Bakery & Bistro
4.6(17)Coronado · $$
CafeBread & Cie
4.6(8)Hillcrest / Bankers Hill · $
BakeryPrager Brothers Artisan Breads
4.5(19)Encinitas / Del Mar · $
RestaurantNomad Donuts
4.5(16)North Park · $
Food & drinkMoo Time Creamery
4.5(14)Coronado · $
Ice Cream ShopMutual Friend Ice Cream
4.5(4)South Park / Golden Hill · $
BakeryMichi Michi
4.4(21)Little Italy / Middletown · $
CafeMaya Moon Collective
4.4(15)North Park · $
Bakery & CafeVilla Nueva Bakery
4.3(23)La Jolla Shores / Torrey Pines · $
Dessert ShopChocolate Cafe
Little Italy / Middletown · $
Dessert ShopFrost Me Cafe and Bakery
Little Italy / Middletown · $$
Good to know
- What's the best dessert spot in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Wayfarer Bread & Pastry in La Jolla, rated 5.0 out of 5. Bobboi Natural Gelato and Gelato 101 round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best dessert spots?
- Little Italy / Middletown (4), La Jolla (3) and Coronado (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable dessert spots in San Diego?
- Yes — Wayfarer Bread & Pastry, Gelato 101 and Handel’s Ice Cream are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a sweet night: dinner, then dessert. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.