At 1245 Garnet Ave Suite 2 in the 92109 ZIP code, Chocolate Bash brings its signature dessert experience to Pacific Beach. Founder Rasha Albasha opened the original location in Newport Beach in 2015 after emigrating from Syria, where she had worked as an educational administrator. With no prior food-industry experience, she built the brand around imported Belgian chocolate—three different varieties, all sourced from Europe—and a build-your-own format that lets customers load up crêpes, waffles, pancakes, and fresh fruit with toppings like cookie butter, pistachio spread, and coconut shavings. The concept took off fast: within two months of the Newport Beach opening, lines stretched out the door without a dollar spent on advertising. Visitors with a sweet tooth can compare notes with the pastry case at The French Gourmet, a longtime PB bakery with a very different approach to European-style desserts. The U.S. Small Business Administration later named Chocolate Bash its Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year, and the brand now operates more than 25 locations across California, Arizona, and internationally in Qatar, with Dubai and Texas on the horizon. The Pacific Beach outpost carries the full menu of signature items, including the Bash Roll—a crêpe rolled with fruit and topped with Belgian chocolate—and the Bash Burger, four pancake layers stacked with toppings and drizzled in chocolate. DoorDash reviewers frequently highlight the chocolate-covered strawberries and the Viral Knafeh Chocolate Bar as standout orders. The shop opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on weekends, running until 11 p.m. or midnight, making it one of the few late-night dessert destinations in the neighborhood where Cold Stone Creamery offers another option for anyone on a dedicated dessert crawl along Garnet. The shop identifies as women-owned and LGBTQ+-friendly.