The Spicy Summer out bingsu felt like we were biting into the summer day with every single crunch…read moreof lychee my friend and I chewed. It felt alive. Almost like an amoeba in the best way possible. I had the organic matcha lava cake and that cake was perfect for someone having a bad week. I felt suddenly calm biting into the warm matcha inside with the cold matcha ice cream mixed together. They both were paired well for a hot day, The ambiance was good; the sound was perfect and the service was incredibly fast and welcoming.

Want to grab a bunch of picturesque-worthy desserts to enjoy and share with friends? Check out U:…read moreDessert Story. Their salted egg yolk toast is hella good and their mango bingsu with sticky rice very refreshing. Wasn't quite sure how to incorporate the sticky rice: do you eat it on its own or are you supposed to top the bingsu with it? Who knows? This seems to have become our go to dessert place when we are dining in the area.

Although they don't serve variations of buttercups, A Buttercup is one of the few dessert houses…read moreoffering Taiwanese-style treats like Bingsoo, Milk Bread Toast, and other Asian fusion creations. I'm always hunting for spots like this because I have a weakness for those over-the-top, Instagram-worthy desserts that look like diabetes in a dish. Like most places in this genre, A Buttercup is small, modern, and minimalist with limited seating. If you plan to go, aim for off-hours unless you enjoy waiting in line for sugar. The decor is cute and trendy, perfect for photos if that's part of your dessert ritual. As they say, "you eat with your eyes first," and when it comes to presentation, this place definitely gets an A+. The desserts look stunning and set high expectations. Unfortunately, that's where things started to crumble. It's like going to see your favorite artist live. You've watched the videos, memorized the songs, and paid for the experience. But instead of the electric performance you imagined, you get someone lip-syncing and barely connecting with the crowd. That was this place in dessert form. We ordered the Mango Bingsoo on our first visit, and when it arrived, we were surprised by how small the portion was. The guy next to us even looked over and said, "Whatever that is, I'm getting that next time." He shouldn't have. The Bingsoo looked great but was bland, and the "snow" was more chunky ice than soft shave. The Thai Tea Roti was also not what I expected. It came with Thai tea ice cream and sauce alongside a roti that was fried to a crunch. Interesting idea, just not the best execution. The sauce and ice cream needed a stronger Thai tea flavor to balance the crispy roti, and the flavors never quite came together. Overall, A Buttercup nails the aesthetics but misses the flavor. If you're here for the photos, you'll be happy. If you're here for the taste, you'll leave with a full camera roll and an unsatisfied sweet tooth.

We got the pandan roti, which was fantastic! The roti itself was super flaky and crispy, and I…read moreloved the combo of the roti + spoonful of ice cream with a bit of the pandan drizzle. The coconut strips were also the perfect addition. Super decadent and overall the perfect sweet treat I agree with the other reviews that portions + presentation are a bit disappointing, but it was still undeniably tasty food

The place had a variety of flavors, especially asian flavors. The bread selection was cool too,…read morewith ube pandesal, glazed/sugar/cinnamon, concha, and brioche. Service: The owner is nice; he's operating by himself, so please be patient when a line occurs. There are no free samples to minimize line wait times, and more. Ambiance: Located in a courtyard with outdoor ordering. Ordered slightly after 6 pm on a Saturday, and quite a line developed behind me. Milkbomb sandwich $15 (5/5): Ordered with ube and hojicha in ube pandesal. This was delicious! Can choose up to 2 flavors to be put into bread of choice, and it's pressed together, then cut in half. They're pretty big, so you can share with someone. It's pricey, but I think it's worth splitting it.

I really enjoyed the sandwich. The textures work very well together, the ube flavor was delicious…read more The ice cream was very sweet but didn't feel coy like an overly sweet Boba. The service was good, and I went at night when there wasn't a long line. There are a couple of tables outside to sit. However, it does feel a bit pricey and I hear the line is super long at times. And the matcha ice cream barely tasted like matcha. There isn't much decor to speak of, it's a store front only and no interior. And the sign for "reasons we don't give samples" is funny but feels excessive. I still thoroughly enjoyed it though and will likely come again.

Been wanting to try this FOREVER and finally got a chance to. I heard lots about the mango tango…read moreand honestly thought the mango would be the main part of the dish that I'd like but WOW that ice was top tier did not know it can be so good. Also did not expect to like the sticky rice but that too was a hit. They said they were out of the big size so they gave us the smaller one which is good for two people. Definitely coming back and honestly will try other stuff here too next time.

Super cute spot with good vibes, long wait even on a Tuesday night but we were able to be seated…read moreimmediately outside since we were willing to brave the SF chill. Ordered the Thai Tea brick toast which was pretty good and the toast structure held up well under the thai tea glaze, but I thought it honestly could've used a little more of the thai tea drizzle on it. The ice cream was a little more bitter than I expected but provided a nice contrast in texture and temperature. The Mango Sticky Rice shaved ice was very beautiful in concept but the presentation of the mango being sliced made it difficult to enjoy on top of the shaved ice, and someone (me) had to manually cut the pieces off and put them on top of the shaved ice. The sticky rice itself was quite good and the warm chewiness was a good complement to the rest of the dish.

On a recent visit, a close friend introduced me to Dandelion Chocolate for the special reasons this…read moreplace holds for them. It ended up being one of my favorite stops in the city, and I really look forward to coming back soon. It's an easy one to get to on a walk in the area. It feels like a cafe or coffee roaster, so modern and clean, but with a clear love of everything chocolate. I'm told on the weekends it gets super busy thanks to their menu of chocolate infused everything including coffees and teas. On the left to the inside is their full range of bars, which includes a placard with the location of the cacao and tasting notes. There are also free samples of everything, and the servers can help you with questions. They even have little tasting sheets for notes if you want to get serious and remember for future visits. They have a few tables and bar seating at the front, with more bar seating along the back right leading to the clean restrooms. Here you'll also find educational displays about chocolate and viewing windows to the roasting and processing rooms. Even though it was afternoon, it was so much fun to order things with caffeine just for the sheer joy of it. We had the chocolate milk, I had a chocolate infused black tea, we shared a special new bar, and were given their signature tiny cookies. Prices are reasonable for the quality, both the drinks and the bar. The staff were so friendly and welcoming, they clearly love the place as much as we do.

Dandelion has been around since '10, and they offer various bars, toffee, baked goods, and even…read moregift boxes of various collections! I ordered several Bars, Bonbons, & Butter Toffee Collection from a recently work trip while out in SF, and they were such a hit! Each box is beautifully packaged and wrapped, and you just need to pop it in to a nice gift bag with some tissue paper, and you're all set! Each gift box contains sing-original chocolate bars, NeoCocoa, sea salt caramels, and Christopher Elbow chocolates (which are macadeamia and hazelnut praline bonbons). Definitely worth checking them out if you're looking for a gift for one that has a sweet tooth! +gift boxes +beautifully packaged

ill always wait in line for this ice cream! the line moves fast, the workers know how to keep…read morethings moving while also giving out samples and stuff. its cute to sit inside as well the flavors are amazing and unique and they have such a nice selection of non dairy ice cream!!! high quality and delicious

Had a chance to try Garden Creamery and gosh this was absolutely delicious! I haven't had an ice…read morecream spot with this much unique flavor in a while. This spot is also really popular as there was a line down the block which was awesome. Thankfully service was really fast and it didn't take as long as I thought. Ambiance was also very chill. For the flavors we tried the salty kaya and vanilla lilikoi. Both were amazing! And we can't wait to come back and try more!

STRONGGG MATCHA!!!! Super creamy ice cream(?) and customizable, strong-flavoured matcha lattes. I…read morewanna go back and try more!!!!! Sweet workers, easy ordering process and tucked away in a corner of Japantown. Honestly a good little pick me up if you're in the area for shopping and want something a little more authentic.

One of those places where I wish I didn't leave tips upfront. Absolutely pathetic service where…read moreworkers just getting by. I came with two little kids and asked if ice cream can be split into two cups. The guy at register said "sure, we can do that". Girl with purple hair hands me full ice cream and on my question if it's half portion with annoyed face gives me another cup. On my question if I can have a spoon was short "right there" not even pointing me any direction. By the time I found plastic sticks on the counter in a busy crowd handling two little kids crying for ice cream I was ready to throw it out. What a shame, I don't expect 5 star service but simply splitting ice cream, giving me a spoon or just pay any attention to me as a customer would be enough for those tips that they asked upfront. Lesson learned, never again, although we are in this mall often.

One of my favorite matcha spots in the city!…read more Their matcha is beautifully rich and umami-forward, with a smooth, balanced finish. I especially love that they offer Hokkaido milk, which adds a wonderfully creamy texture without overpowering the matcha. A sleeper hit is their hojicha latte, which is absolutely sensational, with distinct notes of roasted chestnut and chocolate. Definitely worth trying!

Yet another TikTok find! I was excited to try Kiss of Matcha since their menu looked so good, but…read moreoverall I thought it was just okay. The matcha unfortunately wasn't very well blended, which is always a little disappointing when matcha is the main event. I also tried the soft serve and liked the flavor, but it wasn't quite as creamy as I would've wanted. The texture was actually a little grainy, which threw me off. There's also no WiFi, so just something to keep in mind if you're hoping to come here and get some work done. That being said, they have a pretty extensive menu with a lot of different drinks and desserts, so I'd be open to coming back and trying something else. Maybe I just didn't order the right things for me!

Would definitely stop by if I am in the area. Went to a concert at The Independent and this is an 8…read moremin walk from there. Workers are super nice and work fast, we got our order pretty quick even though it was super busy. Minimal indoor seating but there is outdoor seating available. Quite packed, but the store itself was really cute and clean. The flavors were delicious. It's not like shaved ice it's literally like shaved flavored ice cream, and the mochi and milk glaze is a must. They really do stack it up, like it's tall. GET THE HONEY DEW ITS AMAZING! 10/10.

This place is a fun idea and has lots of good Asian flavors. It's open a little later which is…read morenice. Inside has minimal seating and room to wait though. We came late on a Saturday night and there were at least 5 workers (all young kids), but service took a hot minute haha. The shaved ice itself was a good texture. The black sesame flavor was good but could've been stronger! I wished it was a bit creamier and denser too. The size was fair and there's plenty of topping choices. Overall, a fun dessert spot. If we're in the area I'll try more flavors!

Heard about this place and I'm so glad it was open today! Usually there's only one item for sale…read moreon any given day, and the menu item for today was Moon Cake. I hadn't had a traditional one yet this year, so that was a plus for me. Normally I'm not crazy about the nut moon cakes, but this one was terrific! It was the best moon cake I've had in a while - regular lotus seed with yolk and nuts. The lady at the bakery reminded me of an "auntie" and she was super friendly! Even though today was moon cake, I took a chance and asked if she had any wife cake (Low Po Behng). Unfortunately she didn't, but we had a nice little conversation in Cantonese and it brought me back to childhood and Chinatown in L.A. back in the day. Some people might not like that it's closed (I think that's when she runs out or isn't baking that day) but that's just how it goes. It's nothing personal if someone drives a long way and it's closed. It sounds like sometimes the lines can be long (There was no line for us today - score!) but it's everyone's choice if they're willing to wait or not. It's a little place and you order through the door. To me, that just adds to the quirky adventure of it all. Next time I hope she has Low Po Behng!

FINALLY able to try the egg tarts from Golden Gate Bakery after numerous attempts. The hours are so…read moreunpredictable, and we honestly wouldn't have realized it was open if there wasn't a line on the sidewalk because the gates were still drawn. Took about 15-20 minutes to get through several people. We tried both the egg tarts ($3.50/ea) and the white lotus paste double egg yolk mooncake ($13). They don't use lard, so if you're vegetarian, snack away! Egg tart shell was super flaky and thin; custard was *very* egg-y. It was a little more like egg souffle than egg custard, and not as silky as I personally like. Still delicious though, 8/10. Mooncake was pretty solid and the filling had some surprise macadamia nuts in there, which added a nice texture. The skin wasn't my favorite, but I think that's just personal preference. Not too sweet. 7/10. Would come back to grab an egg tart if I ever happen to catch this place open again.