Published on: EnjoyOrangeCounty.com
15 Instagrammable Dessert Spots in Orange County
A picture is worth 1000 words… especially when it comes to Instagrammable desserts.
Let’s face it… half of the fun of exploring all the wonderful food options in Orange County is taking a great picture and posting it to Instagram. After all, vendors work hard to make their food as pretty as it is tasty. Why not show it off? Desserts are colorful, creative, and easy to take a good photo of… and even easier to eat.
The dessert places that made our list offer incredible food that’s cute, colorful, artistic, and very photo worthy. So if you’re looking to spice up your social media with drool-worthy food pictures, keep reading.
Bakery Habana
Calling Bakery Habana a bakery is like calling Tiffany’s a place to get a necklace. Everything about this store, from the storefront and vintage shelves to the food, is gorgeous. It’s like walking into a treasure box… except here, you can eat the treasure.
As you can tell from the name, Bakery Habana specializes in Cuban desserts, and they’re as tasty as they are beautiful. You can find both savory and dessert pastries, Cuban coffee (warning – strong!), fresh-squeezed juices and more. Too busy to go to a tropical island for a vacation? Grab a piece of guava cheesecake, an elegant key lime tart, or a café Cubano to go with your café con leche and enjoy the atmosphere on Bakery Habana’s outdoor patio for the tropic feel without the plane fare.
Must Try: Tropical Layered Cake and Café Cubano
iSnoCafe
These aren’t your old-fashioned sno-cones. iSno’s shaved snow is the next evolution of shaved ice desserts, and they’re as yummy as they are (very, very) pretty. iSnoCafe’s take on shaved snow (no condensed milk or artificial sweeteners here, just organic, lactose-free, low-fat milk, and organic honey and sugarcane!) makes their dessert creations a great healthy dessert option for the next time you’re craving something sweet, but not too sweet. As a bonus, they also have a custom croissant series that’s amazing.
Must Try: The Matcha Sno, the Cardinal Gold
The Loop: Handcrafted Churros
You will never see a prettier churro than the ones at The Loop in Orange (or Fullerton, or Westminster). Order a regular churro with your choice of dipping sauce on the side, or one of their pre-dipped flavor churros… either way, you’re in for a treat. Need to take your picture before you eat? The Loop has a free photo corner with free filters that you can email to yourself to get those Instagram-perfect pictures of you with your tasty, crispy sweet dessert.
Must Try: Marshmallow Loop, Cookies n Cream Loop
Snow Monster
Snow Monster is the adorable Labrador puppy of the boba world, providing tasty drinks in cute Instagrammable cups and bottles. Their commitment to sustainability is matched by their commitment to quality drinks. If you want your boba in a custom lightbulb bottle, an ingenius split cup, or with a bow tie or flower wreath to really get your Instagram followers’ attention, Snow Monster is the boba and macaron shop for you.
Must Try: Jasmine milk tea, honey milk tea, macaron ice cream sandwiches
Fill Bakeshop & Creamery
Two words. Mochi. Doughnuts. Fill Bakeshop specializes in the kind of doughnuts you’d normally need to hop on a plane to Japan to find, in a range of flavors that you don’t see anywhere else. These delicious edible flowers come in flavors like thai tea caramel, strawberry shortcake, milk & cereal, matcha & White chocolate, and guava cheesecake. There’s also a fantastic selection of malasadas to choose from, and the shop backs it all up by providing a cute backdrop wall perfect for your Instagram photo needs.
Must Try: Thai tea caramel doughnut and coffee with cookie crumbles doughnut.
Berry Brand
When is an acai bowl not an acai bowl? When it’s from Berry Brand. This colorful shop doesn’t blend their acai mix with banana, so you get exactly what you crave, and their berries are fresh, sweet and prime. Berry Brand also offers multiple granola options, build-your-own options, and decently sized portions. Did we mention the unlimited toppings as long as they fit in the bowl? The shop is also cute and looks great in your Instagram feed, so it’s a win all around.
Must Try: Coconut Dream base, warm chia pudding
Frosted Cupcakery
You can find cupcake nirvana in Huntington Beach at Frosted Cupcakery. This shop with it’s cute and unique photo wall, does exactly one thing. Cupcakes. But oh, what cupcakes they are… Rich, sweet, dense… mini-sized and jumbo cupcakes. Vegan and gluten-free cupcake lovers, you aren’t forgotten here. With flavors like Nutella, chocolate mint, and lemon, there’s a cupcake that will please everyone.
Must Try: Red velvet cupcakes
Pro-tip: The 1st of every month, Frosted Cupcakery has a mini social from 1-4pm, where you can get a free flavor of the month mini cupcake.
PopBar
Nothing says Instagrammable dessert on a stick quite like PopBar does. You can choose an all-natural gelato, sorbet, or frozen yogurt bar from their massive list of flavors and decorate it with their tasty array of 15 toppings and drizzles. Your creation is as unique as your taste, but don’t forget to take a picture before you bite in!
Must Try: Banana pop with dark chocolate and pistachios, matcha pop with white chocolate
Hui Lau Shan
If you love mangoes, or you really want to fill your Instagram feed with bright, vibrant yellow, Hui Lau Shan is for you. This Orange County outpost of a Hong Kong favorite has every mango dessert dish you could possibly imagine… and a few you haven’t even dreamed of, like mango mochi, mango pancake, and mango coconut noodle. If you’re looking for a fruity and unusual dessert, Hui Lau Shan is your spot.
Must Try: Mango chewy ball (Hint: you’ll want to get the jumbo size. It’s that good.)
Cream Pan Bakery
A Japanese-French bakery full of tasty treats, Cream Pan Bakery has luscious baked desserts, buns, and breads that are totally worth the calories. They provide sweet and savory options, so no matter what you’re craving, they’ve got something for you. The goodies are perfectly baked, and perfectly Instagram-worthy.
Must Try: Red bean cream puffs, strawberry croissants
Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee
Do you want a gorgeous array of rainbow-colored doughnuts to put on your Instagram feed? Or do you just really love a good, tender doughnut? Get yourself over to Sidecar and grab any one of their incredible array of unique specialty doughnuts. How specialty? Try delicious maple bacon, eggs benedict, and huckleberry doughnuts, to name a few. For a fresh-out-of-the-oven treat that tastes as good as it looks on your Instagram, get on over to Sidecar.
Must Try: old-fashioned doughnut, eggs benedict doughnut, huckleberry doughnut, apple fritter
Honey & Butter Macarons
If you’re looking for the ultimate in Instagrammable desserts, you have got to come to Honey & Butter for the cutest macarons imaginable. They are literally almost too cute to eat. You might have to force yourself to bite into your dessert, but make the effort, because Honey & Butter makes their treats as delicious as they are adorable. They have a macaron for every possible need… anime-themed, Star Wars, animal… and they’re all fresh and delicious. Even better, the store is designed with great walls that act as backdrops for the ultimate Instagram shot.
Must Try: Lavender milk tea macaron, cookie dough macaron, and anything that looks like a corgi.
Milk & Honey
This peaceful little spot has it all, gentle vibe, natural wood décor that makes it look like you’re sitting in a tranquil forest, and great drinks and acai bowls to nosh on while you’re there. If you’re looking for an unusual spot for your Instagrammable dessert needs, Milk & Honey is a sure bet. They don’t just cover, dessert, though. They have something for every meal and every mood… from drinks to healthy, trendy breakfast items like a fruit & granola cup or desserts like the special shaved ice… pretty awesome, too.
Must Try: lavender latte, honey aloe lemonade, chai cooler, MH Special shaved ice
SomiSomi
If you’ve ever desperately wanted to take pictures of a goldfish-shaped ice cream cone, SomiSomi is your go-to. Yes, we’re talking about tayaki cones, and nobody in Orange County does them better than SomiSomi. You can get your fresh-made tayaki loaded with one of their beautiful Asian-inspired soft-serve ice creams, topped with anything from cookie crumbles to fruity pebbles, and enjoy some of the creamiest, most delectable ice cream in the OC… just remember to take advantage of the Instagram opportunities before you start eating! SomiSomi’s tayaki cones are as fun as they are Instagram-worthy!
Must Try: Black sesame soft serve, ube soft serve, milk tea soft serve