Childhood friends Rob Robbins and Shane Stanger quit their jobs and moved back in with their parents in late 2012 to build what would become The Baked Bear, developing original cookie and ice cream recipes at the Robbins family bakery before opening their flagship dessert shop at 4516 Mission Blvd in the 92109 on May 4, 2013. The concept has deep San Diego roots—Rob's father, Barry Robbins, cofounded both Chicago's Brother Pizza and Milton's Deli in Pacific Beach decades earlier, making entrepreneurship a family tradition. Lines stretched down Mission Boulevard from opening day, and the shop has since expanded to more than 30 locations across 10 states while maintaining its Pacific Beach storefront as the flagship. The four-step ordering process lets customers pick a top and bottom from over a dozen baked-from-scratch cookie and brownie varieties, choose from an equal lineup of proprietary ice cream flavors, select toppings like Heath Bar bits or hot fudge, and decide whether to have the whole creation hot-pressed. Seasonal cookie rotations keep regulars coming back, and gluten-free and vegan options are available. Nightlife seekers walking off dessert on Mission Blvd can continue to 710 Beach Club for live music and dancing just a few blocks south. Forbes, Eater, and Thrillist have all featured the shop, and its 4.7-star Google rating across nearly 2,500 reviews and a perfect 100 health inspection score speak to the consistency the founders have maintained at their original location. Hungry crowds rounding out a Mission Blvd crawl should also stop by Sauced Pizzeria for handcrafted pies nearby.