Photo credit: Nissara Shah

Somisomi’s storefront is decorated with its logo and a sign for its new flavor, “Dulce de leche.” Delicious and unique fish-shaped pastries, Taiyaki is a Korean-inspired dessert with locations all around the United States.

If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind treat, Somisomi has just the thing to satisfy your cravings.

Somisomi is dessert shop that offers delightful sweet treats — their most popular being a warm fish-shaped cake with a creamy filling that can be paired with fluffy and refreshing soft serve. This Japanese pastry is called Taiyaki, and its sweet filling ranges from red bean to custard. It has a crispy outside and soft inside. They also sell Ah-Boong, a fish-shaped waffle cone that comes with filling and soft serve.

Somisomi brings these delicious Korean delicacies to various locations across California, Washington, Texas, Arizona and Nevada. Every couple of weeks, the shop introduces new seasonal or fun soft-serve flavors, and it occasionally adds unique fillings for their Taiyaki. Their most recent addition is the “Mint to Be” Taiyaki, filled with mint and Oreo and topped with dulce de leche and banana milk soft serve.

There are a wide range of exciting and fun Taiyaki flavors at Somisomi that can satisfy any taste bud, such as Oreo, Nutella, red bean and black sesame. Popular soft serve options include black sesame, cookies ‘n cream, matcha, milk, strawberry and ube. For an extra treat, you can top it off with options like Biscoff crumble, Oreo crumbs, Fruit Pebbles, coconut flakes and fresh strawberries. Somisomi also offers “Somi Sips,” including cold brew, strawberry milk and cold brew floats.

When I arrived at Somisomi, there was a long line of eager customers. The interior had bright yellow walls, wooden tables and stools. The counters were white marble surfaces with digital screens for placing orders. Outside, there were small tables and a yellow bench for customers to relax and enjoy their desserts. It was easy to see why customers’ hands were full of delicious treats, as the desserts looked both tempting and unique. I decided to order a pack of five Taiyaki, filled with matcha, Oreo, black sesame, Nutella and custard, to share with my friends. We also tried a soft-serve flavor milk, topped with Biscoff crumbles.

Once I received the text that my order was ready, I went to pick up the box of tasty treats. The first one I tried was the matcha-filled Taiyaki. The first bite was warm with a burst of filling. The matcha flavor was smooth and rich, leaving a buttery finish. Next, I tried the Oreo, and it was delicious. The thick filling paired perfectly with the warm pastry. Then, I tasted the black sesame Taiyaki, which I had never had before. It had a nutty, savory flavor that melted in my mouth.

I’m a huge fan of Nutella, so I was excited to try the Nutella Taiyaki. It was warm and chocolatey. Finally, I tried the custard-filled Taiyaki, which was fantastic. The custard had a sweet, almost pudding-like texture. Out of the five flavors, my favorites were the matcha and Oreo.

After enjoying all these pastries, I wanted to refresh myself with some soft serve. The milk soft serve flavor was sweet, creamy and perfectly balanced, with a delightful crunch from the Biscoff crumbs.

The price of Somisomi is reasonable; soft serve alone costs around $3, while a filled fish with soft serve is $6. There are packs you can order with desserts that are somewhat more expensive. However, whatever you order is worth it because of the vast variety of options and delicious flavors.

I absolutely love Somisomi’s desserts and will definitely be returning. The new flavors and seasonal additions are always exciting. It’s reasonably priced, especially if you opt for the packs or certain soft-serve options. Somisomi is a great spot to satisfy your sweet tooth.