You’ll Fall in Love With These Dishes, Desserts and Beverages
Skip the Starbucks line and check out some of the tasty pumpkin spice creations popping up around San Diego this autumn. From gourd-ous pies to spiced-up cocktails, you’ll fall for all the delicious ways pumpkin is being prepared this year. Put on your coziest sweater and head to San Diego’s best spots for pumpkin spice and everything nice. Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Ranch 45 + Pop Pie Co. Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie is the OG pumpkin spice treat—the fall flavor that created the nostalgia that we now replicate in everything from lattes to candles. San Diego has several fantastic takes on the classic autumn pie, but two standouts are Pop Pie Co. and Ranch 45. Pop Pie Co.’s pumpkin pie features their house pumpkin spice blend, pumpkin custard, housemade whipped cream and candied pepitas within their signature butter crust. Ranch 45’s scratch-made crust is filled with local ingredients like Eben-Haezer Eggs and Chino Farms pumpkins.
Ranch 45
512 Via de la Valle, Ste 102
Solana Beach, CA 92075
858.461.0092
Pop Pie Co.
4404 Park Blvd, Ste A
San Diego, CA 92116
619.501.4440
Miss B’s Coconut Club + You & Yours Distilling Co.
Must-Try: Sweatah Weathah Cocktail
Miss B’s Coconut Club is bringing a refreshing take on pumpkin spice with their Sweatah Weathah cocktail, featuring Prosecco with house pumpkin spice and honey, topped with Topo Chico. Highlighting even more fall flavors, You & Yours Distilling Co.‘s David S. Pumpkins cocktail combines tart pomegranate and lemon with pumpkin purée, finished with rich, warming molasses bitters to give the cocktail an extra depth of flavor. The drink is complemented with a cinnamon, salt and graham cracker rim to give you a taste of autumn with every sip.
Miss B’s Coconut Club
3704 Mission Blvd, Ste 7154
San Diego, CA 92109
858.381.0855
You & Yours Distilling Co.
1495 G St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.955.8755
Breakfast Republic Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Fall Harvest French Toast
Breakfast Republic’s Fall Harvest French Toast brings pumpkin spice to brunch with an autumn take on French toast. The restaurant stuffs pumpkin-infused brioche with pumpkin cream and tops their seasonal creation with cinnamon and vanilla poached apples and pears, finishing it off with candied nuts.
Locations: North Park, Little Italy, Liberty Station, Encinitas, East Village, Ocean Beach, Carmel Valley, Pacific Beach, Mission Valley
Handel’s Ice Cream + Salt & Straw Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
You’ve got two terrific spots in Del Mar to savor pumpkin ice cream this fall. Handel’s Ice Cream at Del Mar Highlands Town Center is featuring a pumpkin pie ice cream with a creamy pumpkin base and graham crackers sprinkled throughout. Salt & Straw at One Paseo has launched a vegan Halloween flavor—Mummy’s Pumpkin Spice Potion—made with a coconut cream base and infused with spiced pumpkin tea and a pumpkin swirl.
Handel’s Ice Cream at Del Mar Highlands Town Center
12843 El Camino Real, Ste 108
San Diego, CA 92130
858.925.7308
Salt & Straw at One Paseo
3705 Caminito Ct, Ste 0580
San Diego, CA 92130
858.345.1792
Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Pumpkin Pie & Everything Spice Donut
Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee at Del Mar Highlands Town Center has hot doughnuts ready for chilly fall mornings. The Pumpkin Pie & Everything Spice fall flavor will warm you up with their signature raised bullseye topped with pumpkin glaze, whipped mascarpone pumpkin mousse, housemade gingersnap crumble, roasted pepitas and maple syrup. This pairs deliciously with a hot coffee!
Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee at Del Mar Highlands Town Center
3435 Del Mar Heights Rd, Ste D7
San Diego, CA 92130
858.847.2019
Spill the Beans
Must-Try: The Basic Witch Latte and Pumpkin Spice Bagel
Gaslamp’s Spill the Beans coffee shop has crafted a pumpkin version of one of their most beloved drinks, The Basic Sitch. Available now through the end of the season, The Basic Witch combines pumpkin, caramel, vanilla, milk and espresso for a drink you’ll like a latte. During October, pair it with their bagel flavor of the month—pumpkin spice bagel with pumpkin cheesecake cream cheese.
Spill the Beans
555 Market St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.233.3836
Spoiled Vegans Cafe Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Pumpkin Let Go Of My Diego
Spoiled Vegans Cafe in East Village is serving up a delicious limited fall special that’ll make your mouth water. The Pumpkin Let Go Of My Diego dish includes an apple sage sausage wrapped in a crispy pumpkin waffle on a stick! This tasty vegan bite is served with a side of housemade pumpkin butterscotch sauce for dipping.
Spoiled Vegans Cafe
440 16th St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.320.8366
Pressed Juicery
Must-Try: Pumpkin Spice Freeze
Pressed Juicery has launched a seasonal flavor of their vegan soft serve, Pumpkin Spice Freeze, consisting of only seven ingredients: water, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, almond butter, vanilla natural flavor, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Add pecan pralines, marshmallows and granola butter toppings to create the perfect pumpkin pie combination.
Pressed Juicery
Locations: Carlsbad, Scripps Ranch, Torrey Hills, Westfield UTC, Fashion Valley, One America Plaza
Ballast Point + 10 Barrel Brewing Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Pumpkin Beers
The Pumpkin Down Scottish Ale (5.8% ABV) is available on draft at all of Ballast Point’s California tasting rooms beginning Oct. 26. The Piper Down Scottish Ale is combined with roasted pumpkin, offering notes of caramel and toffee maltiness. Just before packaging, the brewers add a subtle amount of spice to complement, but not overwhelm, the earthy flavor. The Jamacian Me Pumpkin at 10 Barrel Brewing was created when they barrel-aged their Imperial Pumpkin Ale (9.1% ABV) for over 24 months in Jamaican Rum Barrels for extra spice.
Ballast Point
Locations: Miramar, Little Italy
10 Barrel Brewing
1501 E St
San Diego, CA 92101
619.578.2311
Seasons Restaurant
Must-Try: Pumpkin Spiced Chicken With Mole
Fall has arrived at Seasons Restaurant, the signature dining venue at Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara in Carlsbad. Bringing a fine-dining twist to pumpkin spice, Chef James Waters has debuted an organic roasted chicken with pumpkin spice and a traditional mole sauce, served with roasted pumpkin, Brussels sprouts and a salsa roja that will warm your belly.
Seasons Restaurant
7210 Blue Heron Pl
Carlsbad, CA 92011
760.603.3668
Cafe Gratitude
Must-Try: Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew
Sip and savor Cafe Gratitude’s new “I am Inspired” pumpkin spice cold brew, which is available all October. This fall-inspired special combines their smooth cold brew coffee with organic pumpkin puree and housemade coconut milk, sweetened with maple syrup and combined with revitalizing botanicals: turmeric, goji, maca, nutmeg, cinnamon, mesquite and cardamom.
Cafe Gratitude
1980 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101
619.736.5077
Duck Dive Pumpkin Spice San Diego
Must-Try: Deja Brew Cocktail
Duck Dive, a favorite PB hangout spot, has transformed one of their most popular cocktails into a sweet, pumpkin-flavored treat. The Deja Brew, made with vodka, Kahlúa, Modern Times Cold Brew, Coco Lopez, vanilla and crème de cacao will now have fresh pumpkin and pumpkin spice blend. This frozen cocktail is topped with whipped cream and autumn leaf sprinkles for the ultimate fall sip!
Duck Dive
4650 Mission Blvd
San Diego, CA 92109
858.273.3825
Michelle Stansbury is a San Diego-based freelance writer who writes about travel, food, cocktails, and events. Misuse of the word ""literally"" drives her figuratively insane.
