Sonic Drive-In

Love this Ice cream spot, every time I'm here, the line moves quickly no matter how crowded it is…read more They also have a little seating area around the perimeter of the store. All the flavors I've tried have not disappointed, but my favorites are the Knot your Average Dough, and the S'mores Ice cream. Their waffle cones are the best I've had as well, they are always a perfect crunchy texture and pair nicely with any ice cream.

Awful service. I won't be back…read more The girl at the take out window was rude. I've been to other locations in San Diego and she was dismissive and forgot one of our ice creams. For as expensive as it is I would've expected better. I will not be back to this location again. Love this business. Not the location. I've been eating the ice cream for awhile. It's making me consider the whole company. I know consistency can be difficult. Perhaps management?

Monkey Business, Not your average dough, and Biscoff cheesecake.

Hurricane and medium dish!

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Menu displays

Penguin Yogurt Factory

4.3(310 reviews)

1.1 mi

My family and I tried Penguin Yogurt Factory for the first time and we loved it! It's located in a…read moreshopping center with Vons, so there's a large parking lot. The frozen yogurt is self-serve with plenty of flavors to choose from. I got the French vanilla and my girls got strawberry, and we topped ours with Hawaiian Hawaiian Delight Sorbet. Everything was delicious! The topping bar had so many choices, and everything we picked tasted fresh. They also have a pretty large menu beyond frozen yogurt, including teas, milkshakes and other drinks and treats, so we'll definitely have to try some of those next time. It was really hot the day we went, so we were glad there was seating inside. There are only a few tables indoors, but they also have more tables outside with umbrellas. The person who rang us up was very nice. They also have a punch card where you can earn $5 off a future purchase after buying a certain number of yogurts or shakes, which is a nice bonus because we already know we'll be back. This is definitely going to become one of our regular family spots!

That place is unsanitary. A piece of strawberry fell onto the ledge where every customer places…read moretheir hand. I touched the strawberry as well. The employee grabbed the strawberry and put it back into the serving bowl for new customers to consume. That's completely unacceptable and disgusting. People can get sick from that. I told him (older guy with glasses) about it and acted as if he didnt know what i was talking about. He then Proceeded to remove the one piece of strawberry from the serving bowl. Talk about contamination. Completly disgusting.

Order here!

Yes please

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Outdoor entrance!

Go Get Yogurt

3.8(103 reviews)

1.2 mi

I got the creamy tart and strawberry tart in a tiny size and they were able to do two flavors in…read moreone cup! The yogurt is creamy and tart enough for what I like. It's even better than the yogurt mill! They also have BOGO coupon on their website that's dated in 2025 but I'm sure you can mention it to them and they'll take it. I'm excited to come back!

My grandson and I love cold stone, but I was highly disappointed in Santee's cold Stone store. The…read moreline was wrapped outside the door on a hot day. Everyone knows people are going for ice cream on a hot day. My disappointment is in the management they only have one young girl working all by herself. I'm gonna say there is at least 20 people in line who were behind me. When I arrived, there's probably about 10 people. The poor girl had to keep mixing the ice cream all by herself. I asked her isn't there anyone here working with you? I've never seen a store only have one employee. She didn't even have anyone there to relieve her for a bathroom break. The young girl worked hard and was very accomplished. I give it to Megan for not giving up. I would've walked out the door and told the manager or the owner to get down to the store and try operate all by their selves. Highly disappointed that someone would allow anyone to work there all by their self without any opportunity for a break. Her arm had to hurt, pulling all that frozen ice cream out and having to mix it with all the extra ingredients that everyone wanted. Most of the people in front of us were ordering a pint or more. I saw her shaking her hand her wrist look like it was really sore. She actually has a pretty good Workmen's Comp. case if she wanted. Hire more help and quit being so cheap. Don't treat your employees like this. Very disappointing.. He lost a lot of clientele too. They saw the line and just turned around and walked away. You're losing money by being so cheap and you're injuring your employees putting them at risk. You can't work someone this hard.

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Today's Flavors

The Yogurt Barn

4.2(106 reviews)

2.8 mi

Order and pay at counter. Lots of toppings . There's room to sit and enjoy your treat. Soft serve…read morevanilla and chocolate. Would return

In the high 80's this evening when I took a short break from work and found this little frozen…read moreyogurt shop in my neck of the woods. I was offered a little taste of the RootBeer froyo and liked it so I ordered half RootBeer and half Vanilla layered with carob in the bottom of the mini cup and on top with a sprinkle of coconut and pecan pralines. Opted to enjoy it inside the shop and witnessed the stream of customers coming in for their choice of frozen delights. Service was quick with two staff members. Found out the shop has been here nearly 20 years! Clean interior with a conservative number of chairs and tables. They have quite a number of toppings to choose from but little fresh fruit options. Still a treat though!

Local shop

Delicious

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Graham Cracker frozen yogurt with Oreo and hot fudge.

Dairy Queen Ltd Brazier

2.7(99 reviews)

1.2 mi

Have always loved the ice cream and treats here, especially appreciate the prices in this economy,…read morebut the service and cleanliness of this spot could use some help. Smiling more, maybe being grateful you have a job, and wiping the tables and seats down more often would make a big difference here. Really hope this place survives!

I've always worked out next to this DQ and have had envy of all the treats coming in and out of…read morethis spot. I finally gave in one night and got a classic Chocolate blizzard with cookie dough. They still do the "melt" test for you and tip it upside down which is cute. The servers were really nice but the blizzard itself was not that good. It melted really quickly and just had a chocolate syrup taste - not the authentic chocolate flavor you usually get at DQ. I probably won't be returning.

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Cold Stone Creamery

2.8(93 reviews)

0.8 mi

When you want ice cream and you're in Santee, you go to Cold Stone. Store needed tending to dirty…read moretables. It was busy on a Friday night which might explain the tables. There were only 2 people working. Probably should have had more people working. Had the mint chocolate chip ice cream, which was delicious. They do have a reward program which is a plus.

Order from here a few times lately. Been good till tonight. One item we ordered WHICH IS ON THEIR…read moreMENU was the ice cream taco. Rather than call us to sub the item or a smarter move would be to take the item off the menu. They just sent us an incomplete order with a note that says "tacos are no longer in season. Get a refund thru door dash" only thing is the taco cost $12 and door dash will only issue a $5 refund. Completely unprofessional and rude. Won't be going here again.

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California Ice Cream & Candy Wholesale

4.3(15 reviews)

2.4 mi

We stopped by this ice cream store to try some of the viral ice cream types that we have seen on…read moreInstagram. On Google it says that they close at 5:30 but we called and they actually close at six so that was awesome! We tried the french fries, the chicken burger, the chocolate chicken drumstick, and I got myself the matcha Samango. All in all, they were very interesting flavors but fun to try out!

Hidden gem in lakeside…read more... If you're looking for the viral ice creams (fruit whisper - strawberry, peach & mango) you need to come here. They have all the ones you've seen on Instagram for $6 each. They're all pretty true to taste. They also have the Bing Chillin' Bites, crunchy ice cream bites. Flavors - grape, banana, peach, strawberry & mango. All so good! They also have a ton of various ice creams, including Thrifty's ice cream flavors. Who knew? Also they have lots candy options. The owners son was so helpful and patient. I'll be back!

Fruit whisper - Mango

Fruit Whisper - Peach

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Fries ice cream

Baskin Robbins

3.7(59 reviews)

1.0 mi

9/30/2026 - I had a buy 1 get 1 free Sunday. I ordered 2 scoops vanilla with the toppings of whip…read morecream, hot fudge, nuts and a cherry. The other was a vanilla and pistachio plain, just hot fudge. Both were excellent for myself and my friend. Nice and clean inside. 5 stars! Check photos out. Great customer service.

I went in with my birthday free scoop on the app and was happy to find a dairy free option…read more (Cookies and cream!) The store is clean and quiet, as it's the middle of December, and there was a calm and quiet person at the register. This was a delicious way to spend a few minutes sugar bombing before finishing up the day's errands!

Inside 2

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Dairy free cookies and cream.

DQ Grill & Chill Restaurant

2.8(22 reviews)

2.7 mi

I mean, it's Dairy Queen. You order your ice cream and they…read moregive you ice cream. It's good. And they were relatively fast considering how busy they were.

My friend and I went here for lunch today and ordered a chicken strip meal. We asked for two…read morewaters, only to discover when we looked at our receipt that we had been charged $0.99 for one water and $3.49 for the other! At no point were we told that there would be a charge for water, much less two completely different charges. What makes this particularly upsetting is that it was over 100 degrees outside, and this location has no indoor seating, so we had no choice but to eat outside in the extreme heat. Charging customers for water under those circumstances--without even telling them beforehand--is ridiculous. At the very least, we should have been informed of the charge when we asked for water.

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The Stand - American Classics Redefined

4.7(570 reviews)

1.5 mi

We love The Stand Santee the food is always fresh. There are plenty of food options so if you're…read morecoming with a group I'm sure there is something for everyone. Ray and the rest of the team always makes sure to walk around and talk to customers and see if you need anything. I would give their costumer service and attention to detail 5 Stars.

This was mine and my daughter's first time here and I have to say the food was delicious.... as…read morewell as the customer service here was amazing Charles was very helpful and took care of us we ill definitely be back

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Boxed Meal Catering Menu - Sandwiches, Salads, Wraps, with Chips, Pickles and a Cookie

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61 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Rhiannon Lynn M.

3 years ago

Absolute garbage whoever owns this location should be fined and sued for irresponsible management and public endangerment. Often had cross contact with food allergens that could KİLL somebody. Rotten food being served, breaking every known food sanitation standard in the servsafe manual. İ don't totally blame the wage slaves that work here I'd be apathetic too to work for such a useless loser who owns the joint. Used to be THOUSANDS of 1 star reviews and photos of blue, green, and fuzzy food. Obviously buys 5 star reviews and had a lot of negative ones taken down. İ wish the lazy slobs of Santee would stop fucking bothering to go here so it will close down already. And to the POS who owns this business i know you'll read this. GET CANCER SCUM. read more

Ricardo M.

Elite 10

1586

211

17 years ago

The best thing was the Strawberry shake. I ordered a Texas toast burger w/ bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles and damn a whole freaking chopped onion that soaked my toast. ( NASTY ) I didnt want onions ! I asked my superlicious skating girl to give me another burger cause my bottom bun was soaked with monstrous chunks of raw onions. So tinker bell brings me another burger and guess what ... NO queso which is fine but more onions ;-( NO bueno ! I ordered the Tots which were ok ! So I guess if I go back it will be only for da Ice Cream only ! the strawberry shake was very yummy and the do use real Ice Cream. Freaking Drive form Linda Vista to Santee was kinda far. I wished I could of picked up a couple of girls from las Colinas ladies jail ! read more

Toyann L.

9 months ago

This is the second time that I have went through the drive-through and my order was wrong I got a new rings and two Sundays which is Sundays are qalways really Cincy I asked and paid for extra hot fudge on one of them and then extra caramel on the other however it's never taken care of they do a very tiny bit on the bottom it's all vanilla I even verified it at the window because they literally put a squirt it does not taste good when that's missing. I called and spoke to the manager she was not very nice she was rude I just think that the customer service there is not good whatsoever very disappointed. It happens too many times. read more

Jeff S.

17 years ago

i have seen the commercials for months now so i couldn't wait to try it when they opened in east county. i went one night after work and the line was 2 hours long, so i left. i went the next morning at 7 with my kids and there was a small line(only 15 mins long) and we were stoaked. we must have ordered one of everything off the menu, $45 worth of fast food and it was terrible. nothing was good. it reminded me of the food you get when u are in a hospital. when i was done eating i was puzzled because i thought SONIC was suppose to be good. MC'D and jbox are a hundred times better. if u go, go for the experience not for the food. read more

Helen N.

4980

996

1943

8 years ago

My order burned a little but is still good. Handy snack...Cheese sticks tasted like pizza rolls. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sonic-drive-in-santee?select=leSo5oDJuE_G7-SoYm2-pw&userid=RX0GPUmx4wJ8zxP1Mq0tPA I love the way those sticks have an internal structure when I pull them apart. The cheese melts. Nice flavor. I have personally eaten some before and they were pretty good. I liked to order cheese sticks. However, I often had a 10 minute argument with the cashier because she kept trying to tell me I was ordering a hamburger. Why can't people just get my order correct? Cheese sticks, not hamburger, please. read more

Darin D.

3 years ago

Worst Sonic ever. Not a soul in the drive thru or parking lot and no one wanted to take our order. Went to the window and they wanted us to go back to a stall even though they did not answer the ringer when we were in a stall. Then they took the order. I know it was difficult. 2 Foot long's. Nope they messed that up. gave us 2 - 6" hotdogs instead. Was not worth the hassle to wait another 20 minutes for them to get the order right. I am from mid-west and if that had happened there you would of had new faces nest time you went there read more

Eric G.

Elite 14

128

17 years ago

"A fast food experience like none other in San Diego" They've got an unsually large menu for a fast food place, which is a good thing. They've got more cold treats than you can shake a stick at, and the service is awesomely friendly... And yes, they're on skates. The food quality leaves nothing to be desired from a fast food burger joint, they're almost closer to a Friday's burger, which is a good thing. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a steakhouse, but the only fast food on par with them is In-N-Out. And that really says something. read more

Erica S.

9 years ago

I love the limeade here but the service is just so unfortunate. It always takes forever to get served. I just waited in the drive through for 20 min with 3 cars ahead of me ordering and decided to go pull in and order thinking it may be faster. Nope. I just ordered two limeades and an order of mozzarella sticks. I don't think I'll be coming back since this seems to be a regular occurrence. read more

Darren J.

17 years ago

I took a taste test between two of my favorite burger joints - in -n-out and sonic. They are both excellent, but sonic wins over with their selection of gourmet style burgers, and a tastier, fluffier bun. The beef patties seem a bit leaner, and the onions are more tangy. Im looking forward to stopping by this place for breakfast tomorrow morning - nothing like burgers for breakfast! read more

D A.

16 years ago

after seeing the commercials play here for years and them finally opening one up my family and i took a trip to try it out. The slushies were good and i dont know how they stay so icee but they stay frozen for over an hour. the food was ok at best but i did like that they offer tater tots. it wasnt good enough for me to want to drive 20-30 to try again though read more

david u.

17 years ago

First thoughts when I heard about this I thought "Finally" right after that was "f**king commercials" so I gathered a few choice friends and whent down to san tee, food was alright, but I think its more about the deserts and drinks, mots sticks were pretty awesome too. Now all we need is a CiCi's.........f**king commercials read more

Angela E.

10 years ago

This place gets shut down because of a rat infestation and the CEO has the nerve to make the young crew disinfect it from top to bottom while degrading them! He should have hired a professional cleaning service but instead he takes it out on the employees! I hope Turko files is called on this guy! Shame on you Santee Sonic!! read more

kaci d.

17 years ago

FINALLY a Sonic in San Diego. No more long drives to get those tots, although very worth it. Everything on the menu is just YUMMMMY! All of it is on the high calorie side, but who cares every once in awhile right? The lines can be long, but hey what do you expect from a new business, who we are all craving for? read more

Hannah C.

15 years ago

I dont know what all the fuss was about when this place came to town. The food is very mediocre! Quality is better at Mc Donalds! y kids do love Sonic's 50% off happy Hour)2:00-4:00pm. I can get them fruit slushies for about 50cents for a small :) read more

Ben B.

16 years ago

Since it's opened, the lines have gotten a lot shorter. The tater tots aren't that great. I love the cherry lime-aid and you get your money's worth during happy hour when it's half off! I go here all the time just for the drinks! read more

Kristal F.

13 years ago

The girls here are super sweet and let me tell you they work for their tips but the food is sloppy. And they forgot one of my kids fries. other than that service was good and i would give them a second chance to change my mind read more

Tisha R.

12 years ago

I recommend the hotdogs and the any of the slush those things are great definitely a must try the shakes are pretty good as we'll the strawberry is one of the best the services is pretty fast and friendly I recommend it read more

Melissa F.

16 years ago

I love the bacon cheeseburger here, the strawberry slush is also a must. It is a change from the in n out style burger but definitely tastey. I only eat hamburgers from in n out and sonics in san diego. read more

Aja L.

10 years ago

I absolutely love the service here. Despite the ups and downs I will always be a loyal Santee goer. They make the best chili cheese dogs. Make sure you stop by for happy hour! They're only 1 dollar now! read more

Emma S.

9 years ago

Great place for kids and family. Nice variety of food. Lots of flavored drinks,slushes,and shakes. I go at least once a week. They always have great deals and the half price during happy hour I love. read more

Sonic Drive-In - burgers - Updated October 2026

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