Beard Papa’s

The sole Orange County location of famous Japanese dessert shop Beard Papa’s is hidden inside another shop – Mochi (aka Mochilato) – in Irvine’s Heritage Plaza. Now nearly 500 locations strong, Beard Papa’s strength is in cream puffs that are baked before you arrive and filled with custard to order. You can select a shell with already-applied toppings such as chocolate, green tea, strawberry, honey butter or Oreo cookies, then watch as each puff is injected with vanilla, green tea, or chocolate filling.

Ideally, you enjoy the puff pretty quickly thereafter, as the shells are thin and start absorbing moisture as soon as they’re filled. In years past, these little treats were an affordable highlight of trips to Japan and other places where the stores were prominent; in Irvine, Beard Papa’s is obscure but certainly worth visiting at least once if you enjoy pastries.