The churro: simple, scrumptious and ready for its turn in the spotlight of sweet treats worth posting about on social media – at least according to a San Diego restaurateur.
On Monday, a new shop dedicated to the churro will open at 8111 Mira Mesa Blvd., in the Mira Mesa West Shopping Center next to Target.
The eatery is called 3Ten ChurroBar and, while ice cream is also on the menu, co-owner Randy Corrigan told NBC 7 On Friday the churro is most definitely the champion.
Corrigan said that while many San Diego restaurants offer delicious churros as a post-meal afterthought on their menus, ChurroBar’s entire identity revolves around the decadent dessert.
Corrigan – who operates ChurroBar and several Broken Yolk Café locations around Southern California alongside Barry Tu and McKenzie Cox – said that, for him, churros were a staple growing up.
His mother is from Mexico City, so the treat was a mainstay at the Corrigan family home. He never could get the churro out of his head and, so, it became the concept of his latest eatery.
Corrigan told NBC 7 Friday that he went straight to his two best sources for inspiration for his churro recipes: his mom and his grandma.
He said the recipes he and his co-restaurateurs landed on for the ChurroBar menu are “a mix of old school churros with a few additions to the batter” to keep things modern.
“A perfect churro, in my opinion, has to be crunchy on the outside, with a smooth, soft consistency on the inside,” he explained. “It can’t be too gooey, and it should have light sweetness to it.”
Since ChurroBar “starts and ends” with the churro, Corrigan said the signature menu item is the “OG Churro,” a traditional, classic churro dusted in cinnamon and sugar.
“It’s a no-frills churro, and a perfect match with coffee or Mexican hot chocolate,” he explained.
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The menu also features “Designer Churros” topped with sweets like Oreo crumbles, white chocolate sprinkles, or caramel peanut butter chips.
Corrigan said the churros come in a standard, 8-inch size and sell for $1.45 to $2.45 a pop.
“It shouldn’t cost you a lot to eat a churro,” he said.
Customers can also order a “Churro Flight” of six Designer Churros for $11.95.
Also on the menu: 2-inch “bites” of the OG Churro in seven, 25 or 50-piece “party pack” options ranging from $4.95 to $18.95.
The Designer Churros certainly are pretty. But, Corrigan said the most “Instagrammable” offerings on the menu are the $7.95 churro-ice cream combos, many of which boast bright colors and all kinds of bells and whistles.
The desserts play off the current trend of over-the-top, colorful, whimsical treats that people love to photograph and post about on social media.
For instance, there’s the “Fortune Cookie,” featuring green matcha ice cream, purple chocolate drizzle, pink strawberry Pocky sticks, and a fortune cookie. The treat is topped with a churro with white chocolate drizzle and coconut.
Another head-turner is the pink, purple and blue “Unicorn Oops.” That has cotton candy ice cream, colorful chocolate pieces and Sixlets, topped with a churro with chocolate drizzle and sprinkles.
Corrigan said that since we currently live in “an Instagram world,” his crew wanted to create desserts that stood a chance for lots of "likes" on media. They also wanted to serve those treats in a photo-worthy space. ChurroBar boasts colorful walls perfect for that Instagram shot.
But, while presentation is a high priority for ChurroBar, Corrigan insisted taste ranks even higher. He said a pretty churro is no good if it doesn’t taste good.
“We’re trying to keep a good balance with that,” he told NBC 7. “We don’t just want the churros to look good, we want them to taste good.”
ChurroBar will soft open on Monday and host its official grand opening on July 13.
