Strawberry Shack

We had the strawberry shortcake and the strawberry cheesecake! They were both delicious. The lady that served us was extremely nice as well. I would go back in a heartbeat! I wish I could try everything on the menu!

This place has delicious Strawberry flavored deserts! My absolute favorite was the Strawberry key lime pie! So delicious!! If you haven't been here you need to try it!!

+1

Spending a hot summer day out in Carlsbad means you’ll be making a definite stop at the Strawberry Shack! A little takeout window along the strip mall with a bunch of strawberry inspired knick knacks and a retrofit design menu built into the wall. Pieces were around %5 to $8 for each dessert. The ones we tried were all delicious, no artificial sweetener needed. Fresh and just sweet enough! Such a cute little spot with such yummy desserts! I recommend either the Strawberry shake or the Custard!

Delicious chocolate covered strawberries cool treat on a warm night. Perfect date night with my daughter and I. We also got the chocolate covered marshmallow yuuuuuummm! Thank you Strawberry Shack we will be back.

Love love love this place! I’ve been bringing my family here for years and there is always something new to try! My fave… the strawberry shortcake, it’s simple sweet and delicious! The chocolate pecan turtles are delightful, and the kiddos love the strawberry waffle ice cream cones!

Great, friendly service and these strawberries were amazing! The Strawberry Sunday is a must have! You can’t go wrong with the Strawberry Shack Shake either. Definitely coming here any chance I get when I’m in Carlsbad.

The ladies here were extremely kind and helpful. We came back 3 times over the course of our stay and tried a wide spread of everything. Literally no notes. Everything was delicious and we drove away from Carlsbad craving it again.

Absolutely delicious! And the prices are insanely affordable. I paid 12.50 for waffle cone and shake 💯

Walk on up. Wait in the line, then experience a delicious dessert any time of day. Today was my first try. I WILL BE BACK! Yummy!

+3

Stopped here on the Carlsbad Food Tour and it was the perfect dessert spot! Apparently the strawberries are measured for their sweetness for each batch to control for how much sugar they add and sliced with a mandolin to ensure uniformity. Yum!

I guess I ordered right! The strawberry vanilla custard swirl was delicious (pup approved)! I have to say that the strawberry waffle cone really put it over the top. It was $6 - which seems to be the norm.

After my meal I craved something cold and refreshing. I looked up desserts and this place popped up. Showed great reviews w/enticing pictures of their specialties. It was my first time here so it was a bit overwhelming looking at the menu. The young gentleman at the window recommended a strawberry lavender dish. Being that I am lactose intolerant he recommended a pineapple sorbet instead of the ice-cream. So the dish consisted of pineapple sorbet (and a little bit of strawberry sorbet to compare), a slice of pound cake , warmed & melted lavender jelly, topped w/fresh strawberries, light whip cream. OH my goodness!! So, so refreshing! Nothing heavy about this tasty, delicious dessert. As I type this my mouth waters. Definitely will return for another delightful party in my mouth. Loved it! I believe the youngman was also the owner. Excellent customer service!

So much to choose from from this little dessert shop! The strawberries are freshly sliced and sweetened lightly with sugar. None of that canned stuff. We chose the strawberry shortcake, the strawberry topped tiramisu, and a strawberry coated rice Krispy treat. There were heaps of strawberries on both our shortcake and tiramisu. Everything we chose was sugared perfectly and not too heavily. Will be making our way back out that way to try more tasty treats. Portions are good for one person, but if you’re feeling generous, you can share.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. We got a strawberry shake, strawberry shortcake, strawberry lava cake, and a strawberry red velvet cookie. All amazing! The gentleman working was very nice and I love the shop itself. My only disappointment was that I couldn't try the strawberry lavender sundae. He said they don't serve it at Oceanside location because people complained about the hot and cold and melting ice cream 🤦‍♀️. Highly recommend. We will be back!

Great place for cheap dessert! Get your dole whip fix here, shortcakes are great too! It's a walk up window on the main street, so you gotta park somewhere else and come on up. We were able to grab something and walk down to the beach to watch the sunset.

I have ordered the "Chocolate Dipped Strawberries" from The Strawberry Shack time and time again. They're great Valentine's day gifts for loved ones and friends. I love their pineapple dole as well which is also vegan for your plant based loving friends. Everything I've had there is great and the owner is always very friendly and upbeat. This is their sampler pack. Yum yum!

Had never been to Carlsbad before and drove by this cute little dessert shop and had to stop! For all strawberry 🍓 lovers this is the spot!! :) Everything from strawberry cheesecake to strawberry floats.... my whole family loved it

Cashier was super friendly. I didn't know what to get, asked for a recommendation and got the Dubai chocolate strawberry cup. Was great, would get it again

Jennifer Anderson

Stopped here on the Carlsbad Food Tour and it was the perfect dessert spot! Apparently the strawberries are measured for their sweetness for each batch to control for how much sugar they add and sliced with a mandolin to ensure uniformity. Yum!

Iren Tete

I guess I ordered right! The strawberry vanilla custard swirl was delicious (pup approved)! I have to say that the strawberry waffle cone really put it over the top. It was $6 - which seems to be the norm.

Shelley Kauber

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. We got a strawberry shake, strawberry shortcake, strawberry lava cake, and a strawberry red velvet cookie. All amazing! The gentleman working was very nice and I love the shop itself. My only disappointment was that I couldn't try the strawberry lavender sundae. He said they don't serve it at Oceanside location because people complained about the hot and cold and melting ice cream 🤦‍♀️. Highly recommend. We will be back!

Jim & Wendy K

After my meal I craved something cold and refreshing. I looked up desserts and this place popped up. Showed great reviews w/enticing pictures of their specialties. It was my first time here so it was a bit overwhelming looking at the menu. The young gentleman at the window recommended a strawberry lavender dish. Being that I am lactose intolerant he recommended a pineapple sorbet instead of the ice-cream. So the dish consisted of pineapple sorbet (and a little bit of strawberry sorbet to compare), a slice of pound cake , warmed & melted lavender jelly, topped w/fresh strawberries, light whip cream. OH my goodness!! So, so refreshing! Nothing heavy about this tasty, delicious dessert. As I type this my mouth waters. Definitely will return for another delightful party in my mouth. Loved it! I believe the youngman was also the owner. Excellent customer service!

amber enriquez

So much to choose from from this little dessert shop! The strawberries are freshly sliced and sweetened lightly with sugar. None of that canned stuff. We chose the strawberry shortcake, the strawberry topped tiramisu, and a strawberry coated rice Krispy treat. There were heaps of strawberries on both our shortcake and tiramisu. Everything we chose was sugared perfectly and not too heavily. Will be making our way back out that way to try more tasty treats. Portions are good for one person, but if you’re feeling generous, you can share.

Maxwell Myers

Great place for cheap dessert! Get your dole whip fix here, shortcakes are great too! It's a walk up window on the main street, so you gotta park somewhere else and come on up. We were able to grab something and walk down to the beach to watch the sunset.

koa

Cashier was super friendly. I didn't know what to get, asked for a recommendation and got the Dubai chocolate strawberry cup. Was great, would get it again

Monique Hammell

I have ordered the "Chocolate Dipped Strawberries" from The Strawberry Shack time and time again. They're great Valentine's day gifts for loved ones and friends. I love their pineapple dole as well which is also vegan for your plant based loving friends. Everything I've had there is great and the owner is always very friendly and upbeat. This is their sampler pack. Yum yum!

Saw this place on social media and have gone almost every day during my week vacation! There are so many options but the Dubai chocolate strawberry cups and chocolate covered strawberries are a must each visit! Love the variety and flavors of strawberry, such a cute dessert option!

We got the strawberry dole whip and it was really good. Tasted just like strawberries. The price was great and we could barley finish it. My wife will come back here because it is dairy free.

Michael Holton

We got the strawberry dole whip and it was really good. Tasted just like strawberries. The price was great and we could barley finish it. My wife will come back here because it is dairy free.

Emily Shaw

Saw this place on social media and have gone almost every day during my week vacation! There are so many options but the Dubai chocolate strawberry cups and chocolate covered strawberries are a must each visit! Love the variety and flavors of strawberry, such a cute dessert option!

They give you plenty of strawberries, but the strawberry shortcake would be way better warm and the custard was gritty. Definitely felt more like it was a part of a school strawberry festival than a professional establishment.

Nice little dessert shop, something unexpected not your typical spot. Nice to see something new and refreshing in Carlsbad. They have tons of different options obviously with strawberries. The soft serve ice cream isn’t overly sweet, which is nice. Just a nice refreshing treat to have.

If you like strawberry, ya gotta come and try this. I ordered a strawberry cheese cake which I regretted. I probably should ordered strawberry shack shake because it’s really just cheese cake and throw some strawberry on it. However, the cheese cake was very nicely done. Creamy and not too firm means it’s soft and creamy. Strawberry soft serve waffle cone - I frankly prefer the cone just waffle and butter. The soft serve was vanilla and strawberry swirl. Very creamy. Excellent!

We tried an assortment of offerings from the Strawberry Shack. Here is how they all ranked. 1. Strawberry Tiramisu 2. Chocolate covered strawberries 3. Strawberry Cannoli 4. Strawberry Key Lime Pie 5. Strawberry shortcake We enjoyed all of our treats and will be visiting again in the future. Just a note that the portions are on the smaller size for the shortcake.

Mark Liu

If you like strawberry, ya gotta come and try this. I ordered a strawberry cheese cake which I regretted. I probably should ordered strawberry shack shake because it’s really just cheese cake and throw some strawberry on it. However, the cheese cake was very nicely done. Creamy and not too firm means it’s soft and creamy. Strawberry soft serve waffle cone - I frankly prefer the cone just waffle and butter. The soft serve was vanilla and strawberry swirl. Very creamy. Excellent!

Shana Antonissen

We tried an assortment of offerings from the Strawberry Shack. Here is how they all ranked. 1. Strawberry Tiramisu 2. Chocolate covered strawberries 3. Strawberry Cannoli 4. Strawberry Key Lime Pie 5. Strawberry shortcake We enjoyed all of our treats and will be visiting again in the future. Just a note that the portions are on the smaller size for the shortcake.

K J

Nice little dessert shop, something unexpected not your typical spot. Nice to see something new and refreshing in Carlsbad. They have tons of different options obviously with strawberries. The soft serve ice cream isn’t overly sweet, which is nice. Just a nice refreshing treat to have.

Over Rated- There was about eight people in line when we got there. One order line and it looked like only three people were working. We waited 20-25 mins to order a Strawberry cheese cake and two dark chocolate covered cherries. We waited another 25 minutes to get our order. The cheese cake was not worth it. Very little strawberry swirl in it & no fresh strawberries with it. The whip cream tasted bad. Did not eat it all. Expensive trash! The dark chocolate strawberries were good, which is the only reason I rated it a 3. By the time we got our order the line was up to 15 to 18 people. Lots of choices, so maybe other items are better. Not worth it for our order. Looking for delicious, fresh strawberries and didn’t get it. Over rated tourist spot. Will not go back - ever. It was a waist of time. We should have gotten desert at the seafood restaurant down the street. Not worth photos of food.😣

Strawberry-focused dessert spot in Carlsbad. There’s a location in the flower fields as well. Came here on a Sunday post-lunch, and it was a short wait. Credit cards are accepted and there’s street parking available. The location itself is a small shack where you order at one counter and pay, then pick up your food at the adjoining window. There’s a Starbucks next to the shack in case you miss it. They’re open during covid for takeout and you can purchase other shack-centered products there as well. All the menu offerings are focused on strawberries, which was a neat concept. Unfortunately the strawberry lavender sundae I ordered did not have any lavender jelly, so I effectively had a more expensive strawberry sundae. The custard tasted like a typical vanilla frozen yogurt from a university dining hall, and the dessert itself was pretty small (good for one person, not so much for splitting with others). The strawberries were sweet and had a thick syrup, and there were a couple of small chunks of Angel food cake in the sundae. The worker gave an option of adding whipped cream or not and was pretty quick about assembling it. Overall, I might have come on an off day, but I was underwhelmed by my order.

Stopped here around 5pm in the weekday on the way back! It is a tiny window selling all things strawberry. We parked in the lot it’s attached to, ate quickly and left with no problems. Our desserts were ready for pick up at the window maybe 2-5 minute after we ordered. Strawberry cheesecake was delicious. Soft, luscious cream cheese filling with tart and sweet macerated strawberries. This was a hit. We also got the strawberry fudge which was a little too sweet for our taste and has a mild milky strawberry flavor which didn’t pack enough of a punch. Would recommend to folks who like a sweeter, denser and more chocolatey fudge!

Hil L

Stopped here around 5pm in the weekday on the way back! It is a tiny window selling all things strawberry. We parked in the lot it’s attached to, ate quickly and left with no problems. Our desserts were ready for pick up at the window maybe 2-5 minute after we ordered. Strawberry cheesecake was delicious. Soft, luscious cream cheese filling with tart and sweet macerated strawberries. This was a hit. We also got the strawberry fudge which was a little too sweet for our taste and has a mild milky strawberry flavor which didn’t pack enough of a punch. Would recommend to folks who like a sweeter, denser and more chocolatey fudge!

Double down on what Mitchell N. said! This was a big miss. I saw this shop on Tik Tok and decided to make the drive. No expectations but wow. The staff was very snippy. That’s whatever of the food is good. Service was quick. Ok we’re back to good. I got the Dubai Chocolate and some cannolis. It was very mediocre. It’s Carlsbad though. So the strawberry themselves should be good, right. They were. The overall package is what was disappointing. The novelty and location of this place keeps it afloat. Keep that in mind before coming to try.

I bought 2 chocolate covered strawberries and the specialty strawberry shake. 2 strawberries for 5.50 is crazy so I asked him beforehand if they used the bigger jumbo strawberries and he said yes. The strawberries were small and low quality, a scam for 5.50. The shake was 8 dollars and was decent, just not my favorite. The straws they have were flimsy and cheap and I couldn’t even drink my shake through them. I ended up using a spoon.

Man this one was a big miss. There were a lot of people there which made it seem like it was going to be solid, but honestly we were super disappointed. Maybe we just did not get the right stuff but based on what we had, it was not worth the hype at all. We ordered the Dubai Chocolate and the Strawberry Sundae. The Dubai Chocolate with all due respect was kind of a joke. $18 for a little cup of strawberries with some chocolate drizzled on top. Absolutely not worth it. Even their small size was $10 and still not even close to being worth it for what you get. I was hoping the strawberry sundae would at least save the day but it missed too. It was just a super generic strawberry ice cream and vanilla combo with whipped cream and some strawberries tossed on top. Plus it had this weird watery pool at the bottom of the cup which just made it feel even more thrown together. Nothing really special about it at all. Social media definitely led us astray on this one. Thought it was going to be some crazy good spot based on how hyped it was but it just did not deliver.

Mitchell Neller

Man this one was a big miss. There were a lot of people there which made it seem like it was going to be solid, but honestly we were super disappointed. Maybe we just did not get the right stuff but based on what we had, it was not worth the hype at all. We ordered the Dubai Chocolate and the Strawberry Sundae. The Dubai Chocolate with all due respect was kind of a joke. $18 for a little cup of strawberries with some chocolate drizzled on top. Absolutely not worth it. Even their small size was $10 and still not even close to being worth it for what you get. I was hoping the strawberry sundae would at least save the day but it missed too. It was just a super generic strawberry ice cream and vanilla combo with whipped cream and some strawberries tossed on top. Plus it had this weird watery pool at the bottom of the cup which just made it feel even more thrown together. Nothing really special about it at all. Social media definitely led us astray on this one. Thought it was going to be some crazy good spot based on how hyped it was but it just did not deliver.

Literally tastes like store bought cake that they put store bought strawberry jam on. Such a waste of money. I tried the shortcake, tiramisu, and the sundae and all tastes like it should be at most $3.

You would think a cute little strawberry shop like this is accompanied by warm customer service but both times I came here with my friend, the cashier was rude, dismissive and quite literally threw our desserts across the pick up window. At first I thought she was having a bad day, because I understand, who doesn't every now and then? But getting the window slammed in my face when I was about to order and having our treats tossed to us again... made everything taste terribly and feel like a waste of money after that. Their "specialty" strawberry shortcake is just a piece of dry sponge cake with strawberries on top and whip cream. Very bland tasting. Nothing special about it. My friend wanted to try a couple things but was told they are basically sold out of almost everything. She ended up getting the strawberry tiramisu and she liked it. I got a spoonful, it was decent. The Dubai strawberries were good but definitely overpriced for the tiny portion they offer. I was craving them so I bought them from here for the first time but other places are a lot more generous with their toppings and serving size. Service with a smile would have boosted this review to at least 3 stars but our overall experience was terrible and disappointing. The place has lots of potential and could benefit from better management or staff retraining. TLDR; Save your money, go elsewhere. There are plenty of better tasting dessert shops who would be happy to see you come in and support their business.

Awful service on top of a rancid tasting shake that i tossed in the trash. How does this place stay open its a mystery. People there seem to be bothered that customers even show up to buy their stuff. One of the worst experiences I had at a food establishment if this place can even be call that.

I would say it's a bit overpriced and my last experience was disappointing. I didn't want to make my own chocolate covered strawberries (which I do now) and it was after valentines so they're harder to come by. I came here and ordered 4 chocolate covered strawberries, the price was not amazing and what let me down was the squishy mush strawberries inside the chocolate, not the firm fresh strawberries I was hoping for. Hopefully they're not all like that and I was just unlucky to have gotten those.

Do not go here!!! Nothing tastes like strawberry and tastes like it been sitting out on the shelf for some time. We got strawberry cake and it was so dry and bland, dense hard. Disgusting. Also tried the custard and it tasted like spoiled milk. Total tourist trap. Never going back again! Beware!!

Tried this yesterday for the second time hoping that the second time would be better, but it just wasn’t, not only were they just not very friendly at all, but out of most items both times we went. I went with the strawberry cheesecake this time and lo and behold no strawberries on the cheesecake. How odd for a place who’s specialty is strawberries 🤔 Just a tiny little drizzle of some kind of strawberry syrup on the top that was it the whipped cream definitely not homemade and just overall not the best experience. I had to bring it home to put my own whipped cream and fresh strawberries on it just to make it taste decent. Would not recommend especially for the price, it’s a great concept, but a swing and a miss

We ordered two small Dubai chocolate cups, and the strawberry shake. It was not what we anticipated. The strawberries were not fresh, and the shake that was poured into our cup was already sitting in the blender, probably from previous orders. We will not be returning. Additionally, the service was not welcoming. The staff seemed displeased to be working there.

We visit Carlsbad at least monthly and have been meaning to try the Strawberry Shack. After our experience tonight and after reading fellow reviews I think maybe divine intervention saved us from disappointment. After waiting for a few minutes and seeing other people place orders we were told they “were closed and had been for awhile.” I can only guess why they decided to stop taking orders when they got to us. In fact they took an older man’s order, who walked up at the same time as us right before they told us they were closed but perhaps we got lucky because it seems like they serve overrated, subpar strawberry desserts. If you want to try it to fulfill some TikTok desire go for it but otherwise I’d visit a sweet shop that practices equity.

I've loved this place for years , and have highly recommended it to many for chocolate covered strawberries. I am a frequent customer and even participating in their rewards program! I love to support local businesses, but my last two recent purchases (8-10 chocolate strawberries) the strawberries are overly ripened/old, bordering rotten. I never minded paying extra for what I consider a high quality specialty item that's hard to find year round, but I can not support poor quality. I'm sad I'll have to find a new favorite place for treats...

Karen Schwab

Tried this yesterday for the second time hoping that the second time would be better, but it just wasn’t, not only were they just not very friendly at all, but out of most items both times we went. I went with the strawberry cheesecake this time and lo and behold no strawberries on the cheesecake. How odd for a place who’s specialty is strawberries 🤔 Just a tiny little drizzle of some kind of strawberry syrup on the top that was it the whipped cream definitely not homemade and just overall not the best experience. I had to bring it home to put my own whipped cream and fresh strawberries on it just to make it taste decent. Would not recommend especially for the price, it’s a great concept, but a swing and a miss

Mariela Jimenez

We ordered two small Dubai chocolate cups, and the strawberry shake. It was not what we anticipated. The strawberries were not fresh, and the shake that was poured into our cup was already sitting in the blender, probably from previous orders. We will not be returning. Additionally, the service was not welcoming. The staff seemed displeased to be working there.

Heaven Morgan

We visit Carlsbad at least monthly and have been meaning to try the Strawberry Shack. After our experience tonight and after reading fellow reviews I think maybe divine intervention saved us from disappointment. After waiting for a few minutes and seeing other people place orders we were told they “were closed and had been for awhile.” I can only guess why they decided to stop taking orders when they got to us. In fact they took an older man’s order, who walked up at the same time as us right before they told us they were closed but perhaps we got lucky because it seems like they serve overrated, subpar strawberry desserts. If you want to try it to fulfill some TikTok desire go for it but otherwise I’d visit a sweet shop that practices equity.

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. One would be far too kind. I ordered the so-called Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup, which was described as “decadent.” It was anything but. The strawberries were nearly transparent! clearly frozen or sitting around for way too long and had turned into a soupy mess. There was no real chocolate, no pistachio paste as advertised, just a few crushed pistachios sprinkled on top. To make it worse, it was so soupy and watery they had to serve it in a cup placed inside a bowl just to keep it from spilling everywhere. Oh, how I wish I had taken pictures, but we were going to be eating it as we walked back to the car. Honestly, I should have refused it the moment I saw it at the window! I’m angry at myself for actually taking it! It didn’t look appetizing in any way, shape, or form. After one bite, I literally threw it away because it was that gross. I also bought a red velvet cookie, which turned out to be pre-packaged, about the size of a tennis ball, and absolutely not fresh-baked. For the price, this was insulting. Between the misleading descriptions, the lack of quality, and the outrageous prices, I wouldn’t recommend the Strawberry Shack in Carlsbad to anyone. “Decadent” is the last word I would use “disgusting” is much more accurate.

tawni dilly

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. One would be far too kind. I ordered the so-called Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup, which was described as “decadent.” It was anything but. The strawberries were nearly transparent! clearly frozen or sitting around for way too long and had turned into a soupy mess. There was no real chocolate, no pistachio paste as advertised, just a few crushed pistachios sprinkled on top. To make it worse, it was so soupy and watery they had to serve it in a cup placed inside a bowl just to keep it from spilling everywhere. Oh, how I wish I had taken pictures, but we were going to be eating it as we walked back to the car. Honestly, I should have refused it the moment I saw it at the window! I’m angry at myself for actually taking it! It didn’t look appetizing in any way, shape, or form. After one bite, I literally threw it away because it was that gross. I also bought a red velvet cookie, which turned out to be pre-packaged, about the size of a tennis ball, and absolutely not fresh-baked. For the price, this was insulting. Between the misleading descriptions, the lack of quality, and the outrageous prices, I wouldn’t recommend the Strawberry Shack in Carlsbad to anyone. “Decadent” is the last word I would use “disgusting” is much more accurate.

Angie Aquino

Do not go here!!! Nothing tastes like strawberry and tastes like it been sitting out on the shelf for some time. We got strawberry cake and it was so dry and bland, dense hard. Disgusting. Also tried the custard and it tasted like spoiled milk. Total tourist trap. Never going back again! Beware!!