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 Kearny Mesa / Clairemont to Encinitas / Del Mar and La Jolla. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Olala Crepes and Sweets
Little Italy / Middletown · $
An's Dry Cleaning
North Park · $
Lighthouse Ice Cream
Ocean Beach / Point Loma · $
Scoops La Jolla
La Jolla · $
JoJo's Creamery
Encinitas / Del Mar · $
Boba Bar and Desserts
Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $
Rockie's Frozen Yogurt
Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $
1022 Cafe & Gelateria
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $
Sugar and Scribe
La Jolla
Gelato Paradiso
Coronado · $
Froglanders Crepes & Yogurt
La Jolla · $
GelatoLove Carlsbad Village
Oceanside / Carlsbad · $
Versailles Cafe & Pastries
Encinitas / Del Mar
Iceskimo
Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $
Somisomi
Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $
Sweet Vibe
Kearny Mesa / Clairemont · $
Nado Gelato Cafe
Coronado · $
Gelato 101 Encinitas
Encinitas / Del Mar · $
Showing 25–42 of 42 spots
Good to know
- What's the best dessert spot in San Diego for a date?
- Our top pick is Olala Crepes and Sweets in Little Italy / Middletown. An's Dry Cleaning and Lighthouse Ice Cream round out the top 3.
- Which San Diego neighborhoods have the best dessert spots?
- Kearny Mesa / Clairemont (5), Encinitas / Del Mar (3) and La Jolla (3) have the most spots in the top 18.
- Are there affordable dessert spots in San Diego?
- Yes — Olala Crepes and Sweets, An's Dry Cleaning and Lighthouse 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.