A Sweet Tooth’s Guide to Malibu
Sure, there’s nothing like an ice-cream cone after a day at the beach or a creamy post-workout latté. But sometimes, the perfect reason to indulge in something sweet is no reason at all.
Luckily for the dessert aficionado staying at Malibu Beach Inn, there are ample opportunities near the hotel to satisfy your cravings. Offering time- and taste-tested confectionaries and locally crafted treats, here are five spots to get your sweet on during your next retreat to Malibu.
SweetBu Candy Co.
Photo: SweetBu Candy Co.
You don’t have to be a kid to marvel at the spectacular candy collection in this charming Malibu mainstay. Tucked into the Trancas Market across from Zuma Beach, the city’s go-to sweets emporium emanates an old-fashioned aura with its wood floors, rows of candy-packed drawers, and jars of multicolored gumballs lining the upper shelves. Its eclectic collection includes vintage treats, modern candies, and uncommon international delights, as well as plenty of sugarless, vegan, and gluten-free options.
In a place with such selection, it’s little wonder that patrons are encouraged to grab a bag or a bucket and customize their own motley assortment of goodies. No matter which flavor tends to call your name, SweetBu’s CSO (Chief Sugar Officer) can happily prescribe a saltwater taffy, candy bar, gummy bear, or Jelly Belly bean to suit your fancy.
Malibu Yogurt and Ice Cream
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Set up as a surfer-style hangout, this beloved ‘Bu parlor has served frozen favorites to locals and visitors alike for over 30 years. Apart from its celebrated staples of ice cream, shakes, smoothies, snow cones, and banana splits, the counter café is world-renowned for its fro-yo, or as it’s known here, “Bu-Yo.” With 16 yogurt varieties on weekly rotation, there’s always something new to try — and with flavors this delicious, you’ll hardly be able to tell that it’s fat, sugar, and dairy-free.
There is, of course, the option to add some extra oomph to your chilled cone or cup from the selection of 40 fruit and candy toppings (pro tip: the cookies and cream covered with strawberries is a match made in heaven). And don’t depart without trying the shop’s signature homemade chocolate chip or iced sugar cookies, baked fresh daily.
K Chocolatier by Diane Krön
Photo: K Chocolatier by Diane Krön
The Food Network dubbed this tiny boutique in Malibu Country Mart “The Rolls-Royce of Chocolate,” and while there’s no sugarcoating the luxury price tag of its house-made morsels, one blissful bite is enough to melt any doubt from even the most discerning of chocoholics. (Grab a sample from the shop’s friendly staff and you’ll understand why.)
Whether you’re partial to milk, dark, or white chocolate, K has you covered. And speaking of covered, the shop’s chocolate-coated blueberry, cherry, pomegranate, ginger, and coffee bean products hover in a league of their own. Fan favorites also include the crisped rice chocolate bears, pecan crisps, drinking chocolate powder, and the much-buzzed-about alcohol-infused bites (each holding a quarter-shot of high-caliber vodka, tequila, or scotch). But the chocolatier’s pièce de résistance has to be its rich, velvety truffle, which is rumored to rival even Switzerland’s finest creations.
Le Café De La Plage
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If you like your lattés sweet, creamy, and served with a fresh pastry, this French-inspired café is the place for you. After snapping a requisite selfie in front of its vibrant floral wall, sit down to enjoy some cultured ambiance and incredible desserts stemming from the owners’ roots in the south of France. On any given day, selections might include authentic macaroons, raspberry scones, apple crumbles, orange loaf, or chia pudding layered with strawberry sauce and toasted coconut.
The café is perhaps most lauded for its unique ice cream, which is typically hand-crafted in small batches with six ingredients or less. Along with enticing flavors such as coffee, caramel, and black vanilla, there are also vegan options like lemon ginger mint and rose raspberry lychee.
Carbon Beach Club
No visit to Malibu Beach Inn’s intimate oceanfront setting is complete without dabbling in the decadent dessert menu at Carbon Beach Club. Save room for after-dinner indulgences like the coconut panna cotta with passion fruit and black currant sorbet, the deep-dish chocolate chip cookie, or the legendary bread pudding with rum-soaked dates, citrus anglaise, and rum raisin gelato.
Your last course comes full circle when paired with a cocktail espresso, sweet wine, or a glass of Johnny Walker Blue Label blended scotch. Or, pick from the Amari menu for the perfect post-meal digestif.
