Los Angeles dessert makers go harder in summer than any other time of year. It’s not just the usual rotation getting refreshed. These are limited runs, small-batch flavors, and builds that only make sense when California farms are in full swing. Some of this disappears next month. Here’s what’s actually worth going out of your way for right now.
El Moro Churreria
đź“Ť 1524 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
El Moro has been making churros in Mexico City since 1935 and just opened their first full LA location in Echo Park in January 2026. The churros are made fresh, fried to order, crunchy on the outside and soft inside, then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Seven varieties of hot chocolate are available for dipping, ranging from the traditional cinnamon-touched Mexicano to dairy-free Oaxaqueño to a Francés with a hint of vanilla.
The Consuelo is the summer move: a spiral churro ice cream sandwich built with locally sourced rotating flavors. A churro runs about $3 and they open late on weekends until 1 AM. The opening in January had lines down the block and the buzz has not died down.
Fugetsu-Do
đź“Ť 315 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Fugetsu-Do has been making mochi and manju in Little Tokyo since 1903. The selection includes traditional daifuku, ohagi, and artisan builds like Peanut Butter Mochi, Korey’s Chocolate Mochi with ganache center, Strawberry Anko with hazelnut chocolate ganache, blueberry anko, and green tea. The Rainbow Dango comes in multicolored dango-sized pieces and is the snack-sized option most people grab first.
Mochi costs between $2-$3 per piece, which makes this one of the best value dessert stops in the city. There’s a window in the back where you can watch them make the products if you get there early enough. They do have a minimum limit of 15 dollars to use a credit card, so bring cash.
Wanderlust Creamery
đź“Ť 3134 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Wanderlust makes small-batch, globally inspired ice cream in-house and summer is when the rotating menu gets genuinely interesting. Current seasonal flavors include Honey Butter Corn, Kaya Toast, and Icelandic Milk Chocolate. The Ube Malted Crunch is the signature: Filipino purple yam, malted milk, and crunch that holds up through the whole scoop.
Pints are $14, scoops are around $9. The menu rotates and what’s there this week may not be there next. The Atwater Village location has the neighborhood energy to walk around after. Venice and Sawtelle work if you’re on the west side.
Kanomwaan Thai Gelato and Dessert Cafe
đź“Ť 5261 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Kanomwaan is run by the couple behind Ruen Pair next door and it’s one of the most interesting dessert operations in the city. The gelato is full-fat and custardy in Thai and Southeast Asian flavors: pandan milk, candle-smoked salted egg yolk, butterfly pea coconut, black sticky rice, and Thai tea. The custard toast is the other thing to order: thick Texas toast, golden-brown, topped with your choice of custard flavor and a scoop of pandan gelato.
The shaved ice sundaes run large enough for three people and come in builds like Thai tea with Oreo dust and pandan gelato on top. Parking in the lot gets tight. Street parking on Winona is more reliable.
Oakobing
đź“Ť 3300 W 6th St, Unit 2, Los Angeles, CA 90020
Oakobing does Korean bingsu with a milk-based snow that’s lighter and subtly sweeter than standard shaved ice. Summer builds include mango, strawberry, green tea, Oreo tiramisu, and injeolmi. The mango and strawberry are the most-ordered summer flavors. Portions are large and two people sharing one bowl is standard.
The injeolmi is the one to try if you want something that doesn’t exist on any other menu nearby: soybean powder snow with rice cakes, condensed milk, and red bean. The space fills up fast on weekend evenings. Getting there right at 1 PM when they open is the best shot at a table and no wait.
Mateo’s Ice Cream & Fruit Bars
đź“Ť 4234 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Mateo’s has been making Oaxacan-style paletas and fresh ice cream in LA since 2000. Founder Priciliano Mateo built this around the flavors he grew up with in Mexico and everything is made with real fruit. Summer standouts: mango chile, leche quemada (smoky burnt milk), and watermelon. The mango chile is the one to start with: actual mango, sweet and tangy, with chile powder that builds slowly.
Beyond paletas, the Latin American ice cream flavors like mamey, horchata with walnuts, and coconut pineapple are what separate Mateo’s from every other scoop shop in the city. The bionicos (fresh fruit salad with sweet cream, raisins, and coconut) are worth ordering.
Los Alpes Ice Cream
đź“Ť 7324 Pacific Blvd, Huntington Park, CA 90255
Los Alpes has been in Huntington Park since 1979 and the mangonada here is the benchmark. Huge scoops of mango sorbet, chamoy down the sides, fresh lemon, and red-hot chile salt that builds as you eat through it. Over 30 paleta flavors, all made with real fruit, and budget-friendly across the board.
Huntington Park is a drive from most of the city. Go anyway. If you’ve never had a proper mangonada, this is the one to have first. The paletas alone are worth the trip.
Every summer, I end up saying I’m going to try a bunch of new places, then somehow keep going back to the same one. So this list is as much a reminder for me as it is for you.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to get out of the house, this is it. Order the dessert you’ve been thinking about all week. Summer’s too short to keep putting it off.
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