What do boozy milkshakes, Roman-style pizza, and tres leches cake have in common? San Diegans are crazy for them. We love dairy and will hike, bike, and drive to find the best the city has to offer. Creamy, melty, savory, or sweet, milk is showcased on restaurant menus across our culinary landscape, from Italian comfort food to good old American grilled cheese. Here are just a few of the most delectable milk-based dishes you’ll find in America’s Finest City:
A Guide to San Diego's Best Creamy Treats
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Grater Grilled Cheese
What’s the best part of a great grilled cheese sandwich: the gooey melty cheese, the crunchy, buttery bread, or the sweet and savory fillings? You get plenty of crave-worthy choices for each at Grater Grilled Cheese, where every customizable sandwich starts with five slices of all-natural unprocessed colby, Swiss, Monterey Jack, provolone and sharp Cheddar, layered between sourdough and grilled with lots of butter. From there, choose one of 10 signature combos like the Chef Special — birria, cilantro, and onions, served with savory birria consommé for dipping, or customize your own with fillings such as Buffalo chicken, applewood bacon, or mac ’n cheese (you read that right).
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Italian restaurants are a sure bet when you’re craving creamy, cheesy goodness, and Cesarina in the Point Loma neighborhood delivers with a center stage pastificio. Here, more than a dozen varieties of pasta are made, and you can mix and match with several different sauces and toppings. Make sure to leave room for dessert, though. Tiramisu is the traditional finish to an Italian meal, but Cesarina’s version is anything but traditional. A tableside cart is ceremoniously wheeled up, housemade ladyfingers are doused with espresso from a tiny Bialetti pot, mounds of sweetened mascarpone cheese are piled on top, and the whole ensemble is dusted with a flourish of cocoa.
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Cesarina
Métl Bar & Restaurant had just opened their rock ‘n’ roll, Tex-Mex-centric Gaslamp Quarter location a mere three months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the restaurant to close. So, owners Jenna and Randy Elskamp quickly pivoted to take-out cocktails and also began experimenting with ice cream making. When they were inspired to combine the two, Métl Cocktail Creamery was born. By summer, they had created a line of 35+ rotating flavors of liquored-up ice cream, like Birthday Bitch (cake batter vodka, birthday cake, waffle cone chunks, blue raspberry Pop Rocks, and white chocolate) or Slam Diego (layers of Templeton rye ice cream, peanuts, Cracker Jack, and pretzels) in pints, mini-pints, and cocktail lickers (push pops). The concept was so successful, they opened a second location in March 2021.
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Métl Bar & Restaurant
Liquid-soaked cakes have been around since Roman times, and classics like tres leches are timeless for a reason. Layers of airy sponge cake are soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated, sweetened condensed, and whole milk or heavy cream, then topped with piles of lightly sweetened whipped cream. Su Pan Bakery, the special-occasion go-to spot in Rolando, has a sumptuous traditional version that’s as beautiful as it is delicious, but they don’t stop there — they also have tiramisu tres leches with subtle espresso and Marsala wine, chocolate tres leches, and mocha tres leches. Beyond cakes, they have a huge array of savories like breakfast bolillos and croissants, burritos, tortas, and specialty bowls, but if you want to eat dessert for breakfast, we won’t tell.
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Su Pan Bakery
The founder of Mariposa Ice Cream, the late Dick Van Ransom, was a 4th generation dairy farmer who learned how to make ice cream using a 1923 White Mountain hand-cranked ice cream maker. Today, Mariposa Ice Cream has ditched the hand-cranked process, but still feels nostalgic. Since Van Ransom opened the place in 2000, it’s served up more than two dozen yummy, award-winning flavors in scoops and cones, shakes and malts, floats and freezes, and hand-packed pints to-go. Their sundaes are especially decadent — thick homemade hot fudge and rich homemade dulce de leche with wet walnuts make an unbeatable combo. While you’re waiting to order, check out their cool collection of music memorabilia alongside the original 1923 hand-cranked ice cream maker that started it all.
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Mariposa Ice Cream
“Peccati” is Italian for “sin,” which is fitting for Gelati & Peccati’s indulgent menu. Cheesy Roman-style pizza sold al taglio (by the cut) is available up front, and in the back, 18 flavors of decadent gelato. Start with a slice of Invidia (envy) topped with dollops of rich, creamy ricotta, thin slices of zucchini, and black pepper. (It’s their best-seller for a reason). Other crave-worthy sins include Lussuria (lust) featuring gooey mozzarella, caciocavallo, guanciale, and fresh truffle, or Ira (wrath): luscious ricotta, arugula, and Calabrian ‘nduja. Or, grab an array of slices to go and head straight for the gelato — choose from pistachio packed with intensely roasted flavor, a dreamy trio of cherry, hazelnut, and chocolate chunks, or milky Oreo in cups, cones, or affogato.
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Gelati & Peccati
CREDITS
Written by Mary Beth Abate
Edited by Christie Rotondo
Illustration by Kate Prior
Art Direction by Meg Konigsburg
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