Ice Cream
Wynston's Ice Cream Co.
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Little Fox Cups and Cones
San Marcos, Del Mar | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
I found my new all-time favorite ice cream shop: Wynston’s in San Marcos. The ice cream’s texture was immaculate; it was thick, creamy, and even stretchy! I loved all of the flavors we tried (That Cookie Dough, Cookies in Cream, Perfect PBC, Van Halen) and it was so hard to pick my favorite. I’ll be raving about Wynston’s for a long time and trying all of their flavors. Highly, highly recommend!
Little Fox Cups and Cones
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Little Fox Cups and Cones
Oceanside | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
This was very high quality, artisanal ice cream! All the flavors I sampled were so creamy. The Things + Stuff flavor came with salted pretzel cream, a peanut butter swirl, chocolate bits, and pretzel pieces. All the components came together so well and I’d definitely get this again. I sampled the S’more the Merrier flavor and it was magical. Highly, highly recommend!
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Vista, San Marcos, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Del Mar | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
This North County staple is my favorite ice cream shop of all-time. They have a wide variety of flavors and their ice cream is high quality. My favorite flavors are Graham Central Station and Buckeye. Plus, their 4 Scoop Sampler is an incredible deal and perfect for sharing.
The Baked Bear
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Encinitas | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
My new favorite ice cream sandwich! I loved the chewiness of the cookies and huge chocolate chunks. Their ice cream was nice and creamy, too.
Jojo's Creamery
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Encinitas | Website
Food Rating: 9/10
Their ice cream is always served with a mini chocolate chip cookie. Sold! Seriously, all ice cream shops need.to take notes. In addition to delicious, complimentary cookies, they have great quality, creamy ice cream.
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Matcha Cafe Maiko
Escondido | Website
Food Rating: 9/10
I’ve had Matcha Cafe Maiko in San Francisco and was so happy that there’s also location in Escondido. Their Matcha Soft Serve is an amazing dessert; it’s creamy and has a nice flavor. I just wished they had a Matcha and Vanilla Swirl when I visited!
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Encinitas | Website
Food Rating: 9/10
Cali Cream is a great ice cream spot in Encinitas! It’s very similar to Handel’s as they have lots of the same flavors and the 4 scoop sampler, which we ordered! My favorite by far was the Graham Central Station. I wasn’t too thrilled about the other ones we ordered (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Birthday Cake, and Faddy Daddy), but I’ll be back to try more because the quality of their ice cream is amazing.
Fugu Ice Cream and Taiyaki
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Oceanside
Food Rating: 9/10
Fugu Rolled Ice Cream & Taiyaki is a great dessert spot in Oceanside! This was my first time trying rolled ice cream, and I really enjoyed it! I loved its unique texture and the Cookie Monster flavor was a great call. I’ll be back to try their other flavors and Taiyaki!
Pepper Tree Frosty
Cali Cream Homemade Ice Cream
Pepper Tree Frosty
Vista
Food Rating: 8/10
Their dipped cones are a great treat! Loved the texture of the soft serve and you must get it dipped in chocolate.
Iceskimo
Iceskimo
Pepper Tree Frosty
Del Mar
Food Rating: 8/10
This was a simple and standard vanilla soft serve, very comparable to the one at IKEA.
Donuts
Peterson's Donut Corner
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Peterson's Donut Corner
Escondido | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
These are the best donuts we’ve had in the greater SD area and one of my all-time favorites. I loved their Maple Bacon Bar and Chocolate Ganache Pillow.
Parlor Doughnuts
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Peterson's Donut Corner
Oceanside, San Diego | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
I found one of my new favorite donut spots in North County! They make such delicious donuts that are fried to perfection. You must try them if you’re in Downtown Oceanside, especially because they have vegan options, too! My favorites are the French Toast, Cookies n Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, and Sandy Beach.
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Vista
Food Rating: 9/10
I absolutely love Pam's donuts. They're doughy perfection and the glaze is spot on. My favorite so far is the Maple Bacon.
VG Donut & Bakery
Broad Street Dough Co.
Pam's Donuts and Frozen Yogurt
Encinitas | Website
Food Rating: 9/10
VG is a beautiful bakery by the beach that has a huge selection of high-quality donuts and desserts.
Broad Street Dough Co.
Broad Street Dough Co.
Broad Street Dough Co.
Encinitas | Website
Food Rating: 8/10
This is the spot for specialty, made-to-order donuts. Each bite was warm, fluffy goodness. I recommend getting more than 1 because they’re quite small.
Encinitas Donut House
Broad Street Dough Co.
Broad Street Dough Co.
Encinitas
Food Rating: 8/10
A pretty good donut shop in Encinitas! Can’t go wrong here if you’re looking for some classic donuts.
Danny's Donuts
Mini Donut Company
Mini Donut Company
Vista
Food Rating: 7/10
Danny’s is a cute donut spot in downtown Vista! The regular bars didn't knock my socks off, but I’m excited to try all their specialty donuts.
Mini Donut Company
Mini Donut Company
Mini Donut Company
Carlsbad | Website
Food Rating: 7/10
The Mini Donut Company recently opened up at the Carlsbad Windmill Food Hall! My favorites were the Cinnamon & Sugar and Maple.
Cupcakes
Little Cakes Cupcake Kitchen
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
Vista | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
This cupcake shop means so much to me and my husband. We love to go there on Tuesdays for their "buy 3, get 1 free" deal and they catered our wedding dessert! These are truly the highest caliber of cupcakes though. They won twice on Cupcake Wars! My favorite classic flavors are Tres Leches and Red Velvet.
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
Vista | Website
Food Rating: 9/10
Delicious vanilla on vanilla cupcake at the Vista Farmer’s Market! My favorite part was the dollop of dulce de leche inside the cupcake.
SugarBears Sweet Provisions
Magenta Gourmet Cupcakes & Sweets
SugarBears Sweet Provisions
Encinitas
Food Rating: 9/10
SugarBears Sweet Provisions is a great dessert spot in Encinitas! I liked their red velvet cupcake; the cake was moist and the cream cheese frosting had a nice texture. The chocolate was great, too. I’ll be back to try their other flavors and desserts!
Cookies
Batch & Box
Maya's Cookies
Maya's Cookies
Del Mar, La Jolla | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
Batch & Box serves up some of the best cookies in La Jolla and Del Mar. Their Chocolate Chip Cookie is a masterpiece. What sets it apart is the combination of milk and dark chocolate chips. I’m not the biggest milk chocolate fan yet having a mix of the two elevated the cookie significantly. It was chocolatey and gooey heaven and I often crave this cookie. I also love their Cocoa PB cookie, which has peanut butter morsels. I can’t get enough and highly, highly recommend!
Maya's Cookies
Maya's Cookies
Maya's Cookies
San Marcos | Website
Food Rating: 10/10
I’m a HUGE fan of Maya’s Cookies. They make some of the best cookies I’ve ever had, and they’re all vegan! I got their $2 Chocolate Chip Happy Hour deal, which is every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4-5pm. My favorite cookies have been the Marble Fudge and S’mores. I highly, highly recommend! One of my all time favorite dessert spots!