Lisko Artisan Deli and Fish Market
I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with CC from Pink Candles of Ridgemont High and Dennis of A Radiused Corner. After a really delicious lunch, CC suggested we check out Lisko for dessert.
You might be familiar with Lisko from their presence at Little Italy Farmers’ Market. The storefront Lisko offers more than just dessert. It’s a small market/deli offering a variety of sandwiches, meat, fresh made pastas, and desserts.
I wasn’t a very good blogger and forgot to take pictures of the rest of the interior, though I was definitely eying some of the fresh made pastas. Luckily, CC took pictures of everything from her previous visit so you can see the menu and other offerings here. What I was most excited about though was the desserts.
Lisko offers the biggest macarons I’ve ever come across.
Look how big they are, it practically covers my hand.
In comparison, you can see the regular sized macarons in the display counter.
They offer four flavors: pistachio, strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ($3 each). I bought three to-go.
I enjoy the macarons here. They have a chewy shell and and a light filling. It’s not the my favorite macarons in San Diego, but they are pretty good and I love the gigantic size. One criticism I have is that there is a huge hollow section between the outer shell and the chewy part of the shell. But I think it is caused by the size of the macarons.
Lisko also offers a variety of cakes, and we all got something to eat while dining in.
Chocolate bomb
The owner says this is the by far their best dessert. Inside is a whipped chocolate hazelnut mousse. The bottom layer is crunchy and nutty. The middle is filled with white chocolate ganache and liquor soaked cherries. I loved everything about this dessert. I especially liked that there were three cherries inside. I was only expecting one.
Opera cake
CC got an opera cake. She also got a banana caramel teardrop cake and a torte to go. I had a bite of the opera cake and really enjoyed the strong espresso flavor, though the cake seemed heavier than other opera cakes I’ve eaten.
Oreo cheesecake
D chose the oreo cheesecake. I was really surprised by the texture. It was very dense and had an almost gummy-like texture to it too. I’ve never encountered a cheesecake with this texture before.
I’m happy that Lisko has a storefront so I don’t need to wait until the Farmers Market to pick up their giant macarons. And I definitely will be back to get some of their fresh made pasta too and maybe one of their sandwiches.
6548 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hi Kirbie, thanks for the great review and blog. I much appreciate people like you and your group of friends that visited our deli that day. Your support in a tough economy is vital.
Thank you.
Kosta
Owner, Lisko Artisan Deli.
I had a nice time visiting. Thanks for commenting!
Three in one day is a good day in my book! You just can’t have enough macarons.
Three is good until I figure out how many normal sized ones each of the giant ones represent. I’m thinking I ate way too many. Oi.
I still can’t believe how huge those macarons are!
It’s probably not a good thing that I ate all 3 in one day…
I drove out there today to try the desserts.
I asked the owner if they were baked there.
Answer: Joyce wins! They mare made by Opera Patisserie.
I have to say at this price point, I wasn’t too impressed. Especially when they serve them to you in plastic (sustainable?) and coffee is in a paper cup.
Hi Michael. Thanks for letting me know on the desserts. I have to say I’m really surprised for a few reasons. One, when we talked to the owner and he was describing the desserts, he made it seem like they were his desserts. Also, I haven’t seen the enormous macarons at Opera. And I’ve had the chocolate bomb at opera and it didnt have the ganache and cherries. So I’m wondering if Opera makes their desserts but makes them different ones from the ones sold at Opera.
I don’t mind coming to Lisko for desserts though because I don’t think they charge higher than Opera and they don’t offer the same ones. Hmm, our desserts were served on glass plates.
Great post! 🙂 it was such a fun meetup (despite the rain and hail) for lunch and dessert with you guys!
My favorite is the chocolate macaron (which I had from before).the banana caramel teardrop was really good! we ended up having it two days later, same with the coffee creme brulee which had a thick layer of dark chocolate ganache. both desserts were fab. the opera cake i had was a bit “dense”/thick, but I really liked all the diff’t layers.
i still want to go here again to try their sandwiches, and their other desserts!
i
I think the chocolate macaron is my favorite also if I had to choose, but I’ll probably always end up buying multiple ones. I want to try some of the other desserts too.
I get a kick out of the giant macarons – they’re fun! I got some more last weekend. The pistachio is still my favorite.
I love the giant macs. Haha. Hmm I’m not sure which one is my favorite.
This was fun Kirbie! Thank you and CC for the invite… 🙂
It’s always fun meeting up with you and CC. We must meet up again soon. Need to brainstorm for another yummy place.
Just curious, do you know if that store is own by the same owners as opera patisserie? They look like the exact same desserts.
I don’t know for sure but I don’t think so. I met the owner at Lisko and I don’t think there is any relation. Also having been to both places, I don’t think they are exactly the same. They do offer similar french desserts, but they don’t taste the same and also Opera Patisserie seems to have a lot more desserts.