Churriño Gourmet Dessert

At a time when malls across the United States were retrenching thanks to increased internet shopping, the Collage Culinary Experience helped revitalize one wing of South Coast Plaza, bringing established restaurants such as Paradise Dynasty, Le Shrimp Ramen, PhoHolic, and K Soul Food to Costa Mesa for the first time. One surprising addition to the Collage collection was Churriño, which isn’t part of a chain and doesn’t have a huge footprint – it’s a kiosk-sized Brazilian churro and gelato stand adjacent to separately maintained, common seating.

As its name suggests, the draw here is supposed to be miniature churros, each separately filled with one of several sauces, then garnished with wet and dry sweet toppings; basic gelato is also available either with or without the churros. Over time, Churriño added longer churros that could be topped rather than filled with sauce, then some savory items, likely as a hedge since not everyone is interested in ordering churros. Crispy rice sandwiches and empanada-like pies are currently being offered in several flavors.