Elan Desserts

They already went out of business.

CLOSED. sadness has entered my heart.

One of the best che places in the city! It’s hard to find a good place in San Diego. I love the dark red bean che and the che ba mau is also good. The ingredients are pretty fresh.
Easy parking. Right next to El Pollo Loco.

ELAN IS CLOSING?! I’m so SAD… the one boba place near my house with such a sweet, SWEET staff is shutting down. I think they are looking to sell it because it wasn’t making enough profit. I think if they moved it to a better location they wouldn’t have this problem. Such a shame.

Here’s a tip: Stay away from the drinks. Élan is a che (vietnamese word for their various desserts. It’s pronounce with a hard «ch» sound and the «e» in «red») place. The che is what you should focus on. Okay, their sticky rice is good too, but trust me and stay away from the drinks. Most of them are powder mixes, and usually over sweetened (the sugar can’t be adjusted because it is a powder mix).
Their che is pretty good. I’m not too fond of the corn che there, but that’s just me. Che ba mau (three colored che) is a staple. Newbies to the world of Vietnamese desserts should start with that. The coconut milk they offer with the orders are essential, and I suggest you get your che order to go. When you get home, mix your che with the coconut milk and chill it. Che is best served either hot or cold, and with San Diego’s weather, I suggest cold. All in all, I like the place. I mean, there’s no other che place in San Diego. At least not to my knowledge.
So why the 3 stars you ask? Well, one star gets deducted because of the people that are normally there at the counter. They usually know close to nothing about the products. As much as I appreciate their work, it just irritates me. Don’t get me wrong, the actual owners of the place are cool. It’s just rare to see them there.
The other deduction is more a personal thing. My two personal favorite che’s are corn and taro. The ones served at this place just aren’t good enough for me to pass it. Easy as that. But don’t let that be your reason to avoid this place. The other che’s are pretty good.

MMM! The pandan cake and sponge cake are the best!!! AND they just started serving fresh spring rolls! Even BETTTTTERRRR!!!
The food here is always fresh and geared towards healthy eating. Any of their slushes or milk tea’s are delicious! My favorites are the almond, honeydew, strawberry mango with mango bits!
Service is always good: prompt and friendly.
Definitely one of the nicer/​cleaner Vietnamese places I’ve been to.
It’s near state, so it’s a great place to grab a Vietnamese coffee before studying or to get a slush on at super hot day… cool spot to chill or read at!

Can’t believe they closed. Out of business… kapoot sigh.
You rarely find a shop that sells so many vietnamese desserts and its the only one in the area of its kind… its catered more towards the teens and college students so it makes a great hang out spot… love the place… the ban bo is YUMMO: D yumyum

Omg, this place is sooo delicious!
There’s so many desserts to choose from, it’s like dessert heaven! Mmmmmm…
Here’s what I normally order and what I recommend: In the largest cup, ask for the yellow paste, the red balls, the green strings, and the mixed jelly. Then they will top it off with coconut milk (I think that’s what it was.). And when it’s super hot outside, ask for crushed ice on top. But I prefer without ice because it’s easier to mix and eat.
Mmmm it’s so good. Lightly sweet, cold, with interesting textures, and filling. It’s wonderful.
Seriously a must try! I’ve been here like 6 times and it’s delicious every time. Also, a trick: every time you visit, ask for a sample of a few of the other desserts. There’s a bunch to try!

I got a strawberry-​lemonade slush, it was yummy! Hubby and I had no clue what most of the things in here were, but they were all good! I don’t know the name of what my Hubby got (it was the suggestion of the guy serving us), but it was good too. Not the best location, but really nice shop.

MMmm, mango lychee slush on a hot day=amazing!
I only wish I were more «Asian» so I knew what the hell everything else was!

My friend and I came here looking for some Vietnamese style coffee. (Ca fe sua da) We were tired so we needed something to wake us up.
After coming here, we both each ordered one and left. The coffee was great! It was one of the best I have gotten to try ever! It was very strong which is how it’s supposed to be and not super sweet like other places!
The place is a really cute place. They have a lot of desserts there that looked delicious but we didn’t get to try it!

We walked into this little dessert shop not knowing what to expect (cakes, cookies, perhaps) but wow, we found an array of Vietnamese desserts. The girl behind the counter encouraged us to create our own custom dessert by choosing the ingredients we liked best. So we ventured and added pandan tapioca, little red pomegranate seeds, chewy/​crunchy coconut agar, sweet red beans to our custom creation. The girl then topped everything with coconut milk and shaved iced. It tasted fresh and yummy… much tastier than the ones we tried at the restaurants. It’s even better because we created our own custom dessert. They had a bunch of other stuff I can’t wait to try… we went back several times to try other combinations.

For me, this turned out to be a great little place for Vietnamese desserts. I wasn’t sure what to expect just from the name and the sign, but when I walked in, I realized I wasn’t going to be eating chocolate mousse or tiramisu. Instead, there was a bar inside with different fillings that are mixed with coconut milk — variations on the «tri-​color bean» that you might get at a Vietnamese restaurant. (Or for my Filipino American mind, the Vietnamese version of halo-​halo.)
The great thing is that they also have boba drinks, smoothies, and Vietnamese iced coffee. The owner told me that the large size has about 8 shots of espresso!
The prices were good and the place itself is pretty nice. Although it’s not located in the best of surroundings, I’ve made the effort to come back several times.