Public documents submitted to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health indicate that 85°C Bakery Café is seeking to open a new café at 4150 Convoy Street, within the Convoy Village Shopping Center. The proposed shop would occupy the former At-Home Medical retail space, placing the bakery in the heart of one of San Diego’s most active Asian dining corridors.
Founded in 2003 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Cheng-Hsueh Wu, 85°C Bakery Café has grown into one of the world’s most recognizable Asian bakery brands. The concept blends European-style baking techniques with Taiwanese flavors and café culture, producing a menu that ranges from sweet custard buns and milk-bread loaves to savory pastries, elaborate cakes, and specialty drinks. The company now operates more than 1,000 locations worldwide across Asia, Australia, and North America.
The brand first arrived in the United States in 2008 with a flagship shop in Irvine, quickly attracting attention for its “affordable luxury” concept that emphasizes premium baked goods and espresso drinks at relatively accessible prices. Its signature Sea Salt Coffee, alongside items like brioche-style breads, taro buns, mango pastries, and chocolate croissants, helped the chain develop a devoted following among customers seeking both quick pastries and café-style desserts.
San Diego became an early expansion market for the company. The city’s first location opened in 2014 at the Balboa Mesa Shopping Center near Clairemont’s Asian commercial district, drawing long lines during its initial years as customers discovered the chain’s distinctive mix of Taiwanese and European pastry traditions.
That original San Diego shop closed in December 2025 after more than a decade in operation. At the time, customers had reported signs of slowing activity, including reduced hours and increasingly sparse pastry displays. While the company never publicly confirmed the reasons for the closure, speculation ranged from rising lease costs to shifting market dynamics and increased competition from other Asian bakeries in the region.
Despite the shutdown of the founding location, the company maintained a presence locally through several other branches. Existing San Diego County locations include shops in Mira Mesa, National City, Oceanside, and Westfield UTC, all of which continue operating.
The newly proposed Convoy Street café suggests the brand may be repositioning itself closer to the epicenter of San Diego’s Asian restaurant scene. The Convoy District has seen significant culinary growth over the past decade, transforming into one of the city’s most concentrated clusters of Asian dining, dessert shops, and specialty cafés.
If the project proceeds, the new bakery would join a dense lineup of nearby restaurants, tea houses, and dessert concepts that attract both local residents and regional visitors seeking authentic Asian cuisine and late-night café culture.
An opening timeline for the new 85°C Bakery Café has not yet been announced.
The proposed location would be situated at 4150 Convoy Street in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa neighborhood. For more information, visit 85cbakerycafe.com.
Originally published on March 6, 2026. Information first reported by Joey Reams of WhatNow.
