MUST TRY I SIDE NORTHGATE COSTA MESA!…read more I had the iced Mexican chocolate and a churro. The churro was made to order and was delicious. At a price of $3 per churro it did not seem like a bad deal. You can also get an iced chocolate and churros with dip as a combo! The service was quick and efficient even though it was made to order! This is a new concept at the NORTHGATE in Costa Mesa where they have a lot of different restaurants inside the market. This one stood out and did not disappoint. Lost of seating space throughout the market and an easily accessible restroom as well. Lots of parking too. 10/10!!

The service here is a 3 stars for me but the churros are good. The guy working the counter was kind…read moreof rude. No hello or anything. Just awkward silence. I got the combo, which consists of 4 churros, a hot chocolate and dipping sauce. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to choose the type of hot chocolate but he didn't ask. He also didn't ask what type of dipping sauce I wanted. There weren't any customers either, so it's not like they were busy. The churros were made fresh and tasted great except there were some pieces that tasted gummy/still raw. It's crispy and the sugar isn't too sweet. The hot chocolate was pretty good but very sweet. It is also scorching hot. I burnt my mouth twice trying to drink it. The sauce - I wasn't handed or asked what type of sauce I wanted. I had to ask for the sauce, which I was redirected to the ordering counter where there was a stack. Would have been nice if they had just given it to me or asked what I wanted. There's no labels or signs at all and I blindly chose what I assumed to be the cajeta- caramel but it didn't taste like caramel. At first I thought it was expired due to the sour taste, but after tasting it again a few times, it tasted like apple sauce? I'm not sure what it was but it was interesting with the churros.

Wow the best cheesecake I've ever had probably! Light and not too sweet. Literally perfect. I dream…read moreabout this cheesecake.. seriously.

This was our first visit, and unfortunately, it was a bit underwhelming. While the presentation…read morewasn't particularly impressive, that wouldn't have mattered if the food had been great. Sadly, the jasmine tea cheesecake was one of the worst desserts we've had. It tasted so unpleasant that we ended up throwing away what you see in the photo because we simply couldn't take another bite. The checkout experience was also a little unusual. The cashier told us the credit card machine wasn't working, so the only payment options were cash or sending a Zelle payment directly to the owner. There was a small handwritten sticky note with an individual's name and phone number for the Zelle payment, which felt a bit odd. To be fair, there wasn't a large selection available when we visited, so it's possible they have other pastries or desserts that are much better than what we tried. However, based on our experience, the item we purchased was disappointing, and the $12 definitely didn't feel well spent. On the positive side, the décor and overall aesthetic were lovely and were probably the bakery's strongest feature. But as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover... and you can't judge a bakery by its ambience either.

You just cannot say no to sidecar donuts. People ask, " are…read morethey fresh" They are the freshest donuts, ever! As we were arriving at 10 AM they were just putting new batches so they were warm fresh and delicious. My favorite is the huckleberry. However, the Saigon cinnamon is so yummy.

Visited this location for the first time a few weekends ago! It's such a cute little shop, and they…read moreeven had a free sample of the Chocolate Celebration Ring (a chocolate doughnut with sprinkles) to try while deciding what to order. I usually prefer yeast doughnuts over cake doughnuts, but these doughnuts were not dry or heavy at all. I ended up ordering the Butter & Salt doughnut and an Americano with brown sugar sweetener and huckleberry cold foam, while my husband ordered a plain cold brew. We waited outside by the pick-up window after ordering. Service was fast for the doughnut and my coffee, but they seemed to forget about my husband's cold brew, so I had to ask about it after a few minutes of waiting. Not a big deal, just was surprised it took so long when it was such an easy order! We both enjoyed the buttery/salty doughnut, and my coffee was delightful! However, my husband said the cold brew was just okay and it was packed with ice to the point you couldn't stick the straw in the lid. Overall, our first experience at this location was good, and we'll definitely be back to try more of Sidecar's delicious doughnuts! Might pass on the cold brew though!

My son in law treated us to a butter chicken pie and a steak and ale pie…read more First of all, the crust is the best I have ever eaten with a savory pie The steak and ale pie was *very* good and the butter chicken was absolutely delightful Did I arrange to have responsibilities in the neighborhood tomorrow so I can stock my freezer? Yes. Yes, I did. I'm driving in from Pasadena

I love chicken pot pies, and I've had Pop Pie bookmarked for some time. I was finally in the area…read morerecently and had to drop in for an early lunch. Located next to Sidecar Donuts, this little shop specializes in savory pot pies, hand pies, sweet pies (by the slice or whole), frozen take-and-bake pies, and more! Upon my first visit, I had to get the Classic Chicken Pot Pie. It was the perfect size for a solo eater. It arrived hot and steaming with a top and bottom crust. I loved the buttery, flaky, and crisp top. The filling was loaded with chunky chicken, veggies, and savory gravy. I paired it with a side of the creamed corn. Enjoyable til the last bite. After the meal, I decided to take a slice of Key Lime pie to go. Overall, it was a fantastic meal. I can't wait to come back to try more of the pies. A friend mentioned that the Butter Chicken and Roasted Veggies & Yellow Curry are delicious, too. Pop Pie also offers breakfast items and coffee beverages. Can't go wrong with this comfort food. The service was kind and quick. Jackie was working at the time of the visit, and she was great and checked in on me while I was having my meal just outside. There are a few bar stools with a counter along the front window inside and a couple of tables outside the front door. Most customers seemed to have their orders to-go.

Ice cream flavors they create are out of this world and when you add it to there home made waffle…read morecones. WOW!

amazing ice cream and service each and every time I come. the flavors are all so unique and tasty…read more I always have trouble deciding what I want because they're all so good!! small interior and minimal exterior seating. more of a place to grab and eat in your car.

Stricklands is back! As a long time fan of their Irvine location, I was happy to know it came back…read more I've heard about the comeback for a while, but just never ventured out to Costa Mesa. Well, after dinner with some friends, we wanted to grab some ice cream - what better idea than trying Stricklands??? The ice cream is still as delicious as ever - I made the mistake of not checking that flavor calendar before we went, but we were still happy campers. And best of all, I got to introduce Strickland's to my kiddo (who ended up eating almost all the ice cream, lol). Not much in terms of seating, but there was a bench where we sat and eat the ice cream prior to leaving. Plenty of parking - location is on the edge of the mall if you have any issues finding it.

Stricklan's treats ice cream as if it were a family tradition passed down from generations. It's…read morereally good ice cream, but after that, the places melts flat. We made a visit with friends on a Sunday night hearing the ice cream is made onsite, I was super excited. Unfortunately, I could only try chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla. It must have been a busy day because they ran out of all their flavors. Im guessing it doesn't keep well in a freezer for 48 hours after making it? The portions are sorry-small and the cones aren't great but they're functional. I was sad to see everyone served a dill-sized scoop that looks like someone already licked half of it off. The whole presentation of the scoop is just off-putting. I would much rather go to baskin Robbin's, Gooden Spoon, or Handel's where I can get a healthy scoop of ice cream (or yogurt) that also tastes great, but adds a few extras. I don't go out for ice cream just for the lick. I go to hang with friends and celebrate. You can't do that here. Atmosphere is part of the party too, but there isn't any. It might was well be an ice cream truck. Get your scoop under the flourescent lights and the giant refrigerator and get out. There's a few standard bus-stop style benches outside where you can sit and talk to a few friends though. I'll come back in a Friday night just out of curiosity and the ice cream is delicious.

I finally got the chance to checked out this matcha soft serve spot that's tucked inside Mitsuwa's…read morefood court. Since I wanted more of a chill experience, I came on a weekday around 4pm. I highly recommend if you're not into crowds. There was only one person ahead of me and ordering was super easy through the kiosk. I went with the matcha and the hokkaido milk swirl on a cone. First bite, I tried the milk side on its own, and I loved how light it was. Not overly sweet. Then I tried the matcha by itself. It tasted earthy and had that matcha flavor. When I combined the swirl together , the matcha definitely took the spotlight. It kind of overpowered the milk swirl but I didn't mind it because I'm a matcha lover. It still balanced out nicely. Just more on the earthy matcha side. Oh, and let's not forget about the waffle cone. It was perfectly crunchy and tasted so good with my soft served. Also, shoutout to the employee who handed me my order. He was super friendly, welcoming, and all smiles which always makes the experience better.

First of all, this place is called "United Matcha" now Looks like United Airlines... same quality?…read more My family ordered the "Shiratama Ice Cream" and told me how disappointed they were. $11 for this sad thing? When it looks nothing close to the advertising photo, it's just plain depressing and unacceptable. The mochi balls were just plain white and not even flavored at all. Food court quality here just feels like overpriced carnival festival foods just stealing your money.

i've been to this location a handful of times, and i'm always surprised to find parking since the…read morelot is pretty small and i tend to come weekend nights. the interior is clean and the workers are always so friendly, from whoever is chatting w the group waiting at the front of the line and the people scooping ice cream for you. they always feel like real people and the ice cream picking experience doesn't feel rushed the seasonal flavors change on a monthly basis but not always at the beginning of the month. i appreciate that there's always a vegan flavor, but it tends to always be coconut-based which becomes a bit of an overpowering flavor. this is a qualm w the franchise and not the location, but i'd love more non-coconut based vegan options (like that raspberry marzipan princess cake flavor). prices are kinda expensive but when the flavor hits it hits

Salt & Staw will always hit, and it did it once again for me. Came here on a Wednesday night after…read moredinner and it was the perfect sweet treat. I got their seasonal strawberry pretzel salad and cinnamon snickerdoodle. This was my first time getting both of these flavors and let me tell you, they are definitely must tries. The strawberry pretzel salad tasted like strawberry cheesecake, which was right up my alley. And if you love cinnamon, you have to get the cinnamon snickerdoodle. It is the perfect amount of sweet and tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie. I also appreciate the good amount of mix ins for both flavors.