Japanese Dessert Shop Specializing in Fluffy Cheesecakes Expanding to San Diego

Trendy Japanese cheesecakes, also known as cotton cheesecakes because of their fluffy, cloud-like texture, will soon be floating into San Diego from our neighbor to the north, where popular dessert chain Cheese Garden was founded six years ago in Toronto. Now operating a handful of locations across Canada, the Japanese bakery is entering the U.S. this fall, starting in Carmel Valley where it’s opening at the Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch center by the end of October.

The company tells Eater that it’s planning several more stores for the San Diego area. Cheese Garden’s second local outpost has already been secured in National City, with a due date of January 2023.

Cheese Garden

Best known for its seven-inch Japanese-style cheesecakes, Cheese Garden offers a variety of other dairy-based desserts including a Double Fromage Cheesecake that layers frozen mascarpone cream on top of a baked cream cheese filling and a base of cheese sponge cake.

There’s also Yaki Pudding Cheesecake, a combo of tender egg pudding and cheesecake draped in caramel sauce that comes in four flavors including matcha, chocolate, and coffee as well as a Baked Cheese Tart with a layer of melted cheese and tiramisu made with premium Uji matcha powder, matcha cream, double layers of cream cheese filling, and ladyfingers. The menu extends to tea drinks and smoothies like iced green apple jasmine tea and iced blended pineapple frozen yogurt.