Somisomi

Ordering system was surely appreciated with the well-thought process on assuring people can be served ASAP, especially knowing the constantly busy line. I have always been in love with their soft serve and I had it more like a go-to for late-night cravings. It's not like best of the best, but decent and accessible. They're also pretty inventive in rotating the flavors. One disappointment recently was the taiyaki, which felt like barely have fillings now. Understand inflation, I somehow preferred higher price but with satisfying filling. The hotteok one was actually pretty good but unfortunately so little.

this place serves the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever had! The fish-shaped waffle was perfectly crunchy and so tasty. We ordered the upside-down Ahboong to fully enjoy the crunchy texture of the waffle, and the milk ice cream was absolutely mind-blowing. Highly recommend trying it!

Must-visit place in west coast. Somisomi is soft serve inside taiyaki. You order in kiosk and they make in freshly baked takyaki.

love getting the ice cream here and how the flavors swap out every so often. makes it exciting to try every couple months for their new seasonal flavor! parking is not hard to find as there is a parking garage connected to the building. 10/10 recommend, especially for a late night snack!

Really cute shop and very clean. A lot of customers but service is convenient because you place your order through a digital kiosk and they call your name/order. I got a cup of ube ice cream and cookies and crème with sprinkles and a taiyaki on top. The ice cream tastes so fresh and light and has a perfect texture. The ube didn’t have much flavor but it was still good. The taiyaki was crispy and a great compliment to the ice cream. Highly recommend if you’re in Koreatown! It’s on the second floor, right as you get off the escalator.

Vocab: • Taiyaki: a Japanese fish-shaped cake/pastry commonly sold as street food. It usually comes with a filling of red bean paste, but also Nutella or other types of fillings can be used. • Bungeo-ppang: the Korean version of the Taiyaki (fish-shaped pastry with a filling). • Ah-boong: soft-serve ice cream paired with Bungeo-ppang. OK, with that knowledge in place: this place serves the BEST Ah-boong, bar NONE. I've tried their Irvine location (in Diamond Jamboree) quite regularly when I lived there from 2019 till 2022 and now that I moved to L.A. county, I am a regular at their KTown location (it's in the MaDang Courtyard). They do parking validation, so make sure to use the parking structure of the shopping mall where this is located. Make sure to also please try their new flavor of the month Dulce De Leche. 10/10

It's a small little place with some good ice cream. So, expect a line but it goes fast. They have an automated ordering stand that is easy to place orders on. They have their regular flavors and weekly specials so there is enough of a variety to not get old if you go there regularly enough. It does get a little hectic in that the place is so small but it's inside a outdoor shopping center so it's easy enough to place your order and then step outside to wait for your order. I ordered the cookies & cream and Ube combo. The ice cream is creamy and not "icy." I love Ube ice cream but at Somi Somi, the Ube flavor is very muted. It's still good, but don't very subtle. You can order the ice cream in the fish cone (made FRESH!!!) lined with hazelnut spread or custard or plain. You get a decent amount of ice cream so I order the cone with a cup. It's much easier to eat as it does tend to melt quickly and can get messy. Overall, it's a great place for ice cream and a sweet treat.

Who doesnt love ice cream and taiyaki?? The swirls and flavors are on a weekly rotation (I believe), but they are honestly so good that it doesn’t matter. It’s pretty average soft serve but the taiyaki elevates the experience so much! Poor seating though and the space itself is very small :(

Somi Somi is a soft serve and taiyaki chain located all around the West Coast and especially in SoCal. This location is in the Madang Plaza in Koreatown so there's a bunch of different places you can walk around. You order through tablets and they call your name to get your order. We came specifically to try the Seventeen collaboration flavor, but we love Somi Somi for a nice sweet treat anytime. Dessert The Seventeen collaboration flavor was honeydew or the honeydew and ube swirl. We tried both as the upside down ahboong for $7 each. They also came with stickers and a postcard. This means they came with a taikyaki on top that had a filling inside. You can also add toppings at the end and either a strawberry or macaron. The honeydew flavor itself was so good; if this were a regular flavor, I'd always order it. It tastes like a melona but a little less sweet and the warm taiyaki paired perfectly. The ube swirl was great as well, but the ube kind of overwhelmed the honeydew. Overall | 4.6 The ambiance + service: 4.5/5 The dessert: 4.7/5 The price: $

Somisomi is one of my favorite soft-serve places because the consistency is perfect, and the flavors are immaculate. As a native Filipino, I'm very particular with ube and am very critical. Somisomi has always made my ube-loving taste buds jump for joy!! Always sooo good, and has never missed, regardless of which location I go to! This location delivered on that as well. At this lab store location, they were tasting the dulce de Leche flavor, so had to check it out as well. Happy to report it paired well with the matcha! The flavors provided a good balance. Order on the kiosks on the left when you enter, and they'll call your name out to ask for toppings. Super quick! We were in and out in about 5-mins. Highly recommend, will alwayssss have room for soft serve. Located on 2nd floor of plaza, right in front of the escalators.

After eating MDK noodles nearby, we wanted to explore the Madang Mall and get the famous aboong (fish shaped waffle) and korean ice cream! I always adored Somisomi ever since they first opened in 2016, and I wanted to introduce my partner to the amazing dessert! We walked in on a weekday night. The location is small but service is very fast, they have kiosks to order from and there is limited seating outside. We both got the upside down ahboong (i'm always clumsy with ice cream and always end up with ice cream hands hahaha). I got mine with ube and nutella filling for the waffle, a macaron, orea crumbs, and coconut flake toppings. My partner got the limited flavor cookies n cream & horchata ice cream with custard filling for the waffle, and a macaron topping. Their waffles and ice cream are always so, so delicious! Definitely coming here again!

I love somi somi! I got the Ube ice cream and custard fish. They were fast at making it and it was pretty popular. This location was inside a plaza and in the heart of ktown.

Somisomi does their soft serve taiyaki ice cream well! I love their rotating Asian flavors that are just so good. Their taiyaki soft serve is always so consistent in rich in flavor and fish cones are always crunchy. We got the sweet corn and honeydew soft serve in a cup that allowed us to get free toppings! The sweet corn had a deep flavor and the honeydew flavor tasted like the actual fruit and a combo of melon Melona! These flavors paired so well with our Biscoff crumble topping and the macaroon.

The line is always SUPER LONG, but it does go pretty quickly. You wait in line to order at the automated kiosk. I came here last Saturday night and there were approximately 30ish people ahead of me. I was able to order in about 10 minutes. After ordering I waited 5-10 minutes to get my ice cream. This time I had the cookies & cream + ube swirl, which was really good! I've tried pretty much every flavor here, and have never been disappointed with any combination! Always enjoy coming here when I'm nearby, the line is always long but don't let it scare you off!

I am new to LA and saw this place while visiting Hmart. I was intrigued and upon pulling up their website, I saw the tagline "not too sweet" and I was immediately sold. I hate when desserts are too sweet. I really liked ordering from the digital kiosk, I felt less rushed during the process despite it being pretty busy. I got a fish waffle filled with Nutella and matcha soft serve. The matcha soft-serve was everything I could've wanted, beautiful flavor and just like they promised; not too sweet. I wouldn't get the Nutella again, I found they put way more than I would've desired and I don't think it paired well with the soft-serve. I don't like how they don't tell you what toppings they have on the menu, because when I retrieved my order I felt too rushed to really be able to look at the options. Overall, I'm excited to go again.

The service was great and the location was in a pretty popular shopping plaza but the red bean fish pastry thing was kind of not as good as I was hoping for. The matcha ice cream was as advertised though. The rating was mostly due to the fish pastry was not as tasty and did not taste as fresh as I would hope even though it was probably made a few minutes ago as it was not warm. The place can get pretty packed though

If you like Somisomi then this location is worth checking out. It is their lab store which offers more flavors than other places and lab treats. For example they had banana milk soft serve which isn't offered at their regular spots. They even had a cold brew float, black sesame taiyaki, and matcha custard. I went with one other person to share an upside down ahboong banana milk soft serve. We got black sesame custard in our taiyaki. It was good but didn't expect the black sesame custard flavor to be so over powering. We still enjoyed everything though. This location is more of a grab a go type of spot. There's not seating inside or outside. It's next to a bingsoo spot so it can look really busy. I believe it's located on the 3rd floor of the plaza. I would come back to try other special flavors.

Good quality ice cream. They have those fish filled waffles called taiyaki. Busy spot too. Cute shop.

Honestly such a simple yet delicious dessert. Taiyaki is chewy like mochi on the inside and crisp on the outside. They have unique ice cream flavors that just all taste good. Quick friendly service where you can order on the machine yourself or with a staff. Lots of people standing around eating so you can enjoy with everyone else or take it somewhere else to eat. Never can go wrong after a meal!

Congested, limited seating. Long wait. There's new favor pink guava, we asked if we can sample it, the male worker said no. We ordered the pick-#1 pink guava and taiyaki with black sesame paste. Taiyaki was great, rich sesame taste and it's not too sweet, the pink guava soft serve was a bad choice, it's artificial flavors and tasted so fake. If we were given a sample beforehand we wouldn't have to throw it away.

No complaints, as always! Good dessert. I always love the ube with Nutella! The only thing I don't like is that if they have a new flavor, they don't offer tasting. How will I know if I'll like it or not? I'm not willing to order a full set for me to not like it. Please start offering tasting.

One of the best soft serve ice cream places in LA. The ice cream is so smooth, so perfect. The fact that they also sell taiyaki here makes this one of my favorite dessert shops. The taiyaki with the soft serve ice cream also makes for a beautiful-looking dessert. The fun thing about this place is they also rotate their ice cream flavors. You could try something new with every trip here. And I've liked every ice cream flavor here. Somisomi, you are sooo good!

Everything was very delicious I loved the Nutella fish. Service was pretty bad and I feel I was discriminated I didn't get the same courtesy as everyone else's did. The girl working was rude and I told her it was my first time and what and how I should order and she just stared at me unless she didn't speak English. Idk everyone just looked at me as I was there. Nice place but I won't ever recommend this again. Store was cute tho

I love going to Somisomi, and I am rarely disappointed. The ice cream is always delicious and the taiyaki is baked freshly right in front of you. If you decide to get both together, I'd recommend getting a cup and having the taiyaki on top instead of as the cone, otherwise it can get messy. Recently, I've been getting the filled taiyaki instead of the ice cream. The price is good and the taiyaki are pretty large and well filled. My favorite is the Nutella filling, but all of the fillings are really good and worth it. It's the perfect place to go if you're looking for a little sweet treat.

This is easily the top soft-serve in my list! It's an easy order from the iPad and pick up at the counter, so there is not much interaction in terms of service. But most of the staffs are friendly, and they always smile to their customers. The store is a bit small, and it is located on the 2nd floor of the mall. Parking is not too difficult since the mall has a parking structure and the ticket can be validated! Diving into the food, their soft-serve is very creamy (which I like), and they have variety of flavors! The most amazing part is that their flavors combination swirl changes every week, and this makes the tasting all the more interesting! I would recommend getting their ube flavor for sure! But the rest is almost as good (Thai tea, milk, matcha, or cookies and cream). In addition, do not forget to try their taiyakis! I like it with the custard fillings, but many would do red beans or nutella, but that's a personal preference!

Don't send me death threats but I am NOT a fan of their taiyaki. I loveeee taiyaki. I grew up eating the Vietnamese versions when they used to sell them outside of the supermarkets in the sgv. Iykyk!! Even now I always order a taiyaki when I'm at boba shops. Some are better than others but somisomi really disappointed me. I went in hard and over did it. I ordered 10 pieces!!! I asked him to hand me one immediately before boxing the rest because I was just THAT excited. But after the first bite... total disappointment. It was too soggy and chewy. Almost as if the batter was not quite done....? The texture reminded me of a Hi-chew that's been left in the car on a scorching hot day. Where it's soft but still really chewy. I didn't bring it up because they were busy and honestly I'm not the type to complain about my food to whoever's preparing it. The custard filling was super light and honestly I was hardly able to taste it against the fish waffle. I don't get the hype over this place. it's simply not for me. Personal preference, no big deal.

My first time having somisomi! Came here on a Friday night and there was a line out the door. It's really small inside but they do ask that everyone wait outside after they put in their order. I do love their ordering system because it was so fast. You order through tablet, which could take a long time depending on how slowly/quickly people order. But it literally took less than a minute for them to call out our number. I ordered a black sesame filled taiyaki with ube ice cream. I really enjoyed the taiyaki. It had a good amount of filling which I appreciated. The ube ice cream was good. When you go up to the counter to pick up your order, you can have them sprinkle a few options on. Then you get a choice of a mini macaron shell or strawberry. I feel like they were SOOOOO stingy with the toppings. The crumble toppings was barely a sprinkle and they only give you a tiny slice of strawberry. What if I wanted more? There should be an option where you can request more.

Love love love somisomi! But this one is 100x better because its a lab store! They have unreleased flavors to try that you cant find at other locations. This specific location is located in a shopping center in k-town, so you can check out other stores and shops while enjoying your taiyaki! Plenty of garage and street parking. Ordering is a breeze - order through the iPad and they call your name when they're ready to put toppings on your order! Not much many places to sit. There are a couple tables outside Somisomi, but still a great place to grab a quick sweet treat!

SomiSomi 4ever has my heart. There's a reason this place is always crowded. Ordering process is simple. You place your order and pay from the iPad. You wait for your name to be called or a text to your phone. Few yet amazing flavors of soft serve to choose from. There are a couple fillings as well to fill up the waffle. Whatever your combo is it will keep bringing you back whenever you're craving something sweet! Parking is free with validation.

This soft serve shop is located in the small K-town mall just off of Western. You can park in the parking garage off of S Manhattan Pl, they validate parking for 3 hours. I don't know what they do or how they do it, but this is the best soft serve i have ever had ever. It must be some sort of voodoo because every bite is delicious. Admittedly I've only ever had the cookies and cream and Nutella, but thats because an angel gets its wings every time I have it. I don't know what the fish wafer thing is, but coating that with Nutella was the work of a genius. I always get it in a cup, its easier to eat that way. I tried with just the soft serve in the fish, but it ended getting all over my hands. Ordering is super easy on the giant touch screens and the staff are always super nice. The only bad thing here is that I live only a mile away and I may have to start going up a pants size.

I always bring my kids here and they love it. Its always great ice cream. Employees are friendly and welcoming. It also has other small stores that you can walk around. Witch that's a plus for the kids.

If you love ice cream, I'd recommend somsomi! Employees were very nice and welcoming. It was very easy to order cause of the kiosk. Ambiance of the store was nice and welcming!

Perfect place to go after dinner! I love how they transitioned into kiosk ordering, making the process faster and the items to come faster. There really isn't a best time to go because this place is ALWAYS busy! I usually get the Nutella filling or custard. But tbh each filling is really good. And if you like ice cream, well they have that too! You honestly can't go wrong here, you'll definitely leave full and happy. They have a huge parking garage and the shop validates for 2 hours

Super tasty soft-serve and taiyaki! Everything is really good and I highly recommend the taiyaki on its own. It's well-cooked and all the fillings are delicious. Their soft-serve flavors change every week so you get a chance to always try something new. The place is relatively small so the tables and chairs are just on the side of the shop. They have mobile kiosks where you order from and call your name when it's ready. The best part is that they validate your parking! Definitely stop by if you're in the mood for a light dessert snack!

Super easy and fast service. I got the upside down ube, which was fantastic. You order in inside at the kiosk, pay, and then wait for them to call your name. So creamy and the ube flavor was great.

Somisomi is one of my favorite dessert places. The concept is ordering what flavor base you want, in what type of cup (fish or paper), and choosing what toppings. I usually order matcha flavor in a paper cup topped with strawberries. The dessert here is also dairy free, which I appreciate! The shopping center has lots of parking in a 7 story garage, but the shopping center gets busy so parking can get still get tough!

Delicious but less flavor options than others. While others serve 6 flavors, this location serves for. Inside, it is very small and mainly for orders. There is minimal seating outside. Parking is $1 for every 15 minutes... I've been here twice and staff is nice.

One thing I love about Somi Somi is that it is always a good time. Their ice cream and taiyaki never disappoints. Came here on Black Friday and there was barely any line although there were quite a few people standing outside, enjoying their somi somi. This place is located on the second floor of the plaza. They seem to have updated their service to self-serve only which is great since you can take all the time you want. The two flavor for tonight was Ube/Red Bean and Matcha/Cookies n Cream which are both fire!! Although self-serve was pretty quick, it did take a while for me to get my ice cream with taiyaki. The Ube/Red Bean was delicious as expected and Taiyaki was bomb - this is coming from someone who was eating Taiyaki from Japan 30 days ago. The only downside is that there is no sit down but this is a Japanese street food anyways so go walk around and enjoy the rest of the plaza!

The matcha soft serve is out of this world.. soo incredible.. my all time favorite! Definitely worth it

Great location in a shopping center in K-town. Not much seating, so more of a grab-and-go place. Very streamlined service with an iPad kiosk and pick-up counter. We ordered matcha-filled taiyaki with matcha soft serve, and it was so yummy! Toppings are free of charge, as well.

Yum yum, this place is inside a plaza that also offers free 2 hour parking when you get them validated at any shop inside the plaza so that's great!! There's also a lot to do inside this plaza and this is a great place to stop at and get some really creamy ice cream or even some taiyaki with fillings. You order on a kiosk and then they call your name and ask you what toppings you'd like on it. It's a small place and there's usually no seating anywhere especially since the bingsoo place next door also gets busy.

My 200th review goes to no other than the GOATS themselves: SomiSomi. I lived in Costa Mesa for 3 years and would frequently visit their Diamond Jamboree location. This location is just as good, except it's smaller. The addition of the touchscreens to be able to place your order is a super nice touch that increases efficiency and makes everything move along smoothly and quicker. You even have the option of adding your own toppings once they call your name and start serving your ice cream, so, you're really not missing out on any part of the experience by foregoing placing your order at the counter with a person in favor of using these tablets. My recommendation: get the Upside Down Ahboong with Nutella as the filling and your choice for the soft serve (I usually go for Cookies 'n Cream but every week they have new flavors or sometimes combinations of already existing ones). Anyways, 5 stars for one of my favorite ice cream franchises in SoCal! Come check them out!

I love this chain! I've been to a couple locations and it is always consistent. I think they have some of the best soft service ice cream. I was surprised how much I liked the Thai tea and cookies and cream combo. I always get the upside down one because I find that it's less messy/doesn't melt as fast in my hand but has all the fixings I want. I also love getting additional Taiyakis to try the flavors. I was surprised to like the cheddar one, it's like a grilled cheese. I probably wouldn't get it again since I love custard more but it was good! There is a parking structure here, make sure to validate your ticket for free 2 hr parking!

Looking for the best soft serve of your life that isn't overly sweet? Welcome to SomiSomi. As soon as you walk in, you'll smell freshly made waffle cones in the shape of a fish (taiyaki) and self-serve kiosks where you can place your order. You can have your soft serve served in multiple ways: in a cup (no waffle), in a taiyaki, or in a cup with a taiyaki on top (upside down). For this location, I would recommend selecting anyting in a cup, as the heat is no joke in LA. I had the upside down, and was still struggling to keep my fingers clean of melted ice cream. SomiSomi offers two flavors on rotation where you can either have them individually or mixed, and a variety of fillings and toppings to complete your dessert. The biggest complaint I have for this location IS the location. It's located in a multi-level outdoor strip center without complimentary parking and has zero seating for its patrons. There are 2 outdoor tables that could seat 4-6 people total, but it's shared with the entire center.

Anytime I visit LA Somi Somi is on the top of my list of places to go! The taiyaki waffle cone is made fresh and you get your choice of filling such as red bean, Nutella, or even cheddar! I always go for a Nutella filling which always pairs well with all of the flavored soft serve offerings. Once you pick your filling and soft serve you get to add some tasty toppings and your choice of a fresh cut strawberry or a mini macaroon. Somisomi is sure to please and I highly recommend you visit anytime you're in the Los Angeles area.

They recently upgraded their service kiosks from the super slow ones and now the place is running so smoothly! They've always had quick service with some of the freshest taiyaki and soft serve. Absolutely a can't miss treat.

SomiSomi is such a pretty and very delicious treat. You MUST add toppings to elevate the flavor(s). It's a party of goodness in your mouth. The staff were helpful, answered any questions that my mom had, and they validate parking.

Been coming here since opening. I wish they would do samples again. Specially with the new flavor, it doesn't make sense now that covid is over. Would be nice to get back to how it was before.

Very fast service, got two ice creams. I love that they let you choose toppings with no extra charge.

Honestly this place is always so good. I love getting their upside down ahboong but this time just went for soft serve. The fish ahboongs are always freshly made and the flavors for their soft serves are great. They have kiosks to order from and despite always having a line, service here is pretty quick. This place never misses. It's located in a small outdoor mall and there is a parking structure with plenty of parking.

Love this place. Fast service even tho there is always a line it moves by very fast flavors are good!

My daughter said we must try this really cool dessert and dragged me late one night to little non-descript strip mall. Climbing up a flight of dark stairs, with almost no one around, suddenly see the glowing SOMI SOMI lights beckoning us in. "We have to try the Taiyaki!" my kid says. What? A fish-shaped waffle? But I gotta say, their crispy, crunchy, gold, creamy custard-filled pastry was very delicious. We almost ate them up in one gulp. They offer other items, like soft serve ice cream, with many interesting toppings and fillings. This is definitely worth seeking out if you're an ice-cream lover and/or like to try new things.

Five years ago, Somisomi was so much better and quality of the creaminess in the ice cream. You aren't allowed to sample the ice cream which sucks because you have to be committed. But for the Most part all the flavors are tasty the banana one I remember was super super sweet. The macaroons and the strawberry are a little stale or soggy. The workers here can be a little bit more friendly in my opinion. But overall great location you order through a kiosk and you wait till your fish cone is ready and they asked for your toppings.

Love the concept and quality. Good location to pair up with some grocery shopping. Easy parking.

What happened this time!? I visit this location religiously, at least twice a week. I received undercooked taiyakis!! The dessert is usually crispy and brown, crunchy and soft with every bite. Not this time! Still yellow, a bit soggy and no crisp. Very disappointing! I visited the store this evening, there was no one else in line and I placed my order of 5-pieces of taiyakis. I stroll around the plaza as I wait for the order to be made. However, I return to the store to find it congested with customers. My order was called as soon as I stepped inside. I believe my order was rushed in order to fulfill the high demand. It is unsafe food handling practice to serve undercooked food. Let customers wait for a ready-to-eat dessert. It's worth it!

Somisomi is an absolute delight! After dinner, my mom and I decided to stop by, and we were not disappointed. We ordered the matcha flavor and the coffee-flavored ice cream, and both were absolutely amazing. One thing that impressed me about Somisomi was their self-service kiosks. It made the ordering process quick and convenient. We placed our order and patiently waited for it to be ready. The staff was friendly and helpful, ensuring that our experience was enjoyable. The first thing that caught our attention was the Korean fish-shaped taiyaki, which were simply adorable. The options for various fillings made it even more exciting. I highly recommend trying the red bean filling. The combination of red bean filling and matcha ice cream is a classic, and it did not disappoint. The flavors complemented each other perfectly, creating a heavenly taste. The ice cream itself was creamy and flavorful, with just the right amount of sweetness. The matcha flavor had a distinct, authentic taste that any matcha lover would appreciate. The coffee-flavored ice cream had a rich and bold flavor, perfect for coffee enthusiasts. Both flavors were a treat for the taste buds. The combination of their delicious ice cream flavors and the delightful ah boong made it a unique experience. If you're looking for a tasty dessert spot with a touch of Korean flair, Somisomi is definitely worth a visit.

Honestly, this is the best soft serve I have ever had. The matcha isn't overly sweet at all. The perfect flavor. Got to try the red bean swirl as well as my friend ordered it for herself. I wasn't as much of a fan. Glad I ordered just the matcha. I got sprinkles on mine. Great options of toppings and custard filling. Love that it comes with either a strawberry slice of a macaroon. The macaron was more of a half (without the filling) and tasted a bit dry. I would opt for the strawberry next time. Will be coming back for sure!