Bay Area/ San Jose/ Food & Drinks
Published on June 12, 2018
4 new dessert destinations in San JoseIcey Poki. | Photo: Christine T./Yelp

Does your sweet tooth demand satisfaction? If so, here are the newest places to check out the next time you're in the mood for dessert.

Sweethoney Dessert

1698 Hostetter Road, Suite L, Building A, North Valley

Photo: alex l./Yelp

Sweethoney Dessert is an international chain that has more than 600 stores in China, Southeast Asia, Australia and now, the United States. This location is one of the many Sweethoney spots that will soon open in California, per its website.

The dessert spot specializes in Hong Kong sweets, including red bean soup with rice balls, sesame soup, vanilla frosted green tea ice cream and mango pancakes. 

On a five-star scale, Sweethoney Dessert currently holds 3.5 stars out of 36 reviews on Yelp.

Yelper Dianita N. wrote that the "durian pancakes are like a 5/5 for being aesthetically pleasing and they feel like two soft fluffy clouds. For how they actually taste, it's like a 3.5/5. It's like 20 percent durian and 75 percent cream."

According to Christine H., "the servers were all friendly. Among the three of us, we ordered one dessert, the Vanilla Frost Durian-Green Tea Ice Cream. I personally think $7.25 is overpriced for the amount we got. The durian and green tea ice cream were delicious though."

Sweethoney Dessert is open from 12:30 p.m.–midnight from Tuesday-Sunday. (It's closed on Monday.)

Cinnaholic

115 E. San Carlos St., Downtown

Photo: cinnaholic/Yelp

Cinnaholic is a vegan bakery that's been featured on ABC's Shark Tank, according to its website. It currently has 21 locations in the United States and five in Canada.

The award-winning dessert place features 30 frosting flavors from almond to amaretto, chai to cream cheese. In addition to cinnamon rolls, Cinnaholic offers bite-sized baby buns, cinnacakes, fudge brownies and chocolate chip cookies. 

Yelp users are excited about Cinnaholic, which currently holds 4.5 stars out of 59 reviews on the site.

Katrina C., who was one of the first to review the place on May 9, said customers "can customize your cinnamon roll with one frosting and toppings to your heart's content, or you can get a specialty flavor if you'd rather not be burdened by all the choices. What's great was that the cinnamon rolls were still soft and warm by the time we got home."

Julie Y. noted, "I went around noon, and it was not too crowded. They have basically a plain cinnamon roll and then you can add icing and toppings and they're $0.50 each. I decided on a cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing and strawberries. The cinnamon roll was definitely fresh and slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and warm in the inside."

Cinnaholic is open from 10 a.m.–9 p.m. from Monday-Saturday and noon–6 p.m. on Sunday.

Icey Poki

1630 E .Capitol Expy, Evergreen

Photo: christine t./Yelp

Icey Poki is a spot to score rolled ice cream. Choose between base flavors like Monkey Business (banana nutella), Ice Ice Baby (taro) and Cookie Monster (Oreos). Then, add toppings such as strawberries, pineapple, blackberries, mochi, lychee, gummies and panda cookies.

With a four-star rating out of 66 reviews on Yelp, Icey Poki has been getting positive attention.

Yelper Tina N. wrote that the first thing she noticed "was that they play loud EDM songs that you would head bang to. I ordered a mañana mango (with mochi, marshmallow, pocky stick, strawberries, bananas and condensed milk). Perfect for hot weather like that night."

Jozza M. added, "the first time I came I only tried their ice cream and it was yummy! I got the Cookie Monster. It's basically like icicles. You can put on whatever toppings you desire with a flat rate. The service was great!"   

Icey Poki is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. daily.

Black Pearl

5663 Snell Ave., Blossom Valley

Photo: Michelle D./Yelp

Black Pearl is a spot to score bubble tea and Asian desserts, including macarons, egg waffles, buttered toast, and pandan green waffles with nutella, ice cream or seasonal fruits.

The drinks menu includes the Hulk Smash (honeydew and matcha green tea) and Fruity Tooty Sunrise (banana, mango and strawberry). Need caffeine? The coffee menu includes Vietnamese coffee, caramel mocha frappes and more.

Yelp users are generally positive about Black Pearl, which currently holds four stars out of 29 reviews on the site.

Ivy N. noted, "I get the basic jasmine milk tea - but I really enjoy how strong the taste of tea is. You can tell that it was properly brewed and not watered down. I'm also obsessed with their egg puffs! It's soft and fluffy in the puffs and the edges are nice and crispy."

Yelper Kenneth L. said "the staff were friendly and helpful as I ordered two drinks (both teas): WTF (Litchi, Mango, Strawberry) and Fruity Tooty Sunrise (Banana, Mango, Strawberry). The drinks were prepared quickly, and they were refreshing and tasty."

Black Pearl is open from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. from Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sunday.