No matter how full you are…there’s always room for dessert in your ‘second stomach’!
And when you’re in the Big Apple, a metropolis filled with a variety of stellar cafes, pâtisseries, and dessert bars it is even harder to resist a sweet treat!
To help you satisfy your sweet tooth, here’s a list of the best desserts in NYC has to offer.
1. Kitsby Dessert Bar at Chelsea
Kitsby, a bar and dessert shop located inside Chelsea Market, is well known for its mouthwatering sweet treats. If you’re not familiar with the location, it can be challenging to find, but the effort is worth it because we’re talking about one of New York City’s must-visit dessert bars!
The chefs at Kitsby believe that some pairings, albeit unexpected, are match made in heaven; and their honey chrysanthemum-flavored soft serve is proof of this. It’s a creative flavor with graham cracker crunch at the bottom and strawberry powder and fresh strawberry on top. Heavenly!
Kitsby’s interesting take on the classic lava cake is also worth mentioning. The chocolate yuzu, in particular, is a unique marriage between cacao and citrus; what you get is a mind-blowing dessert.
On the other hand, you must not miss their salted egg lava cake! When the desert reaches their tongue, even people who don’t like salted eggs are immediately won over. Incredible!
What to order: Honey Chrysanthemum Soft Serve, Chocolate Yuzu Lava Cake, Salted Egg Lava Cake, Bubble Tea
Address: 75 9th Ave, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
2. Bibble & Sip
Your go-to spot for delicious and creative confections is Bibble & Sip. They are so well-known that most tourists would include going to them whenever they visit NYC!
Bibble & Sip makes everything from scratch, and all their baked goods are freshly crafted in-house. Meaning, all blends from the smallest component are their original recipe. Talk about originality!
Their pastries are so beautiful and adorable that we feel bad about eating them (but we still will). We occasionally just wanted to gaze at the eye-catching designs.
Bibble & Sip provides a large selection of adorable pastries, but we really like their cream puffs, pudding, and panna cotta! The cream puffs are wonderful; they give the traditional French choux a contemporary touch. You’ll enjoy every flavor you order!
The puddings are simply phenomenal, not too sweet and too bland, just the right amount of everything good! The panna cottas are overly cute in their tiny little jars; we highly recommend Yuzu!
What to order: Earl Grey Cream Puff, Black Sesame Walnut Cream Puff, Pudding, Yuzu Panna Cotta, Takeaway Gift Set
Address: 253 W 51st St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
3. 75 Degrees Cafe and Dessert
Desserts from Japan hardly need an introduction. Every city has them, but in New York City, 75 Degrees Cafe reigns supreme in terms of providing some of the best Japanese delicacies.
A showcase of their mouthwatering and creative sweets can be found within the little, intimate shop, which only offers a modest amount of seating—about 12 people. Ever pondered the origins of the bears and seals you see on Pinterest and Instagram? They probably hail from 75 Degrees!
The stellar presentation is as outstanding as the taste and quality of their desserts! And we couldn’t agree more, especially when it comes to their mousse cakes and strawberry shortcake.
The shortcake is masterfully crafted with the perfect ratio of all ingredients! The crumbly and moist texture delicately embraces a whipped cream frosting. Top it off with fresh farm-to-table strawberries and you’ll get a divine treat!
The mousse cakes are cute animals lying down as if asleep; it’s almost a sin to disturb them. But kidding aside, you should get their yuzu mascarpone bear cake, a jiggly and fluffy sleeping bear with cheesecake filling.
What to order: Yuzu Mascarpone Mama Bear Cake, Seal Mousse, Ube Baby Bear, Strawberry Shortcake, Cold Brew
Address: 93 1/2 E 7th St, New York, NY, United States
4. Mel’s
Pizza joints work very hard to establish a reputation for their pies, but Mel’s begs to differ. This eatery went above and beyond to the point where its gelato sundaes gained notoriety!
Inside is a large square tiled table surrounding the chefs doing their work. Be amazed at how they prepare all pizzas from scratch. Feast your eyes on their wonderful show of craftsmanship!
After treating yourself to a slice of mushroom pizza, indulge in some of the best sundae selections. We highly recommend the tricolore stracciatella, cannoli, and the concord sorbetto.
The cannoli is prepared with ricotta gelato, cinnamon caramel, and pistachio coming together to create the perfect treat, while the stracciatella is made extremely good with mascarpone and fudge sauce that compliments tanginess with a hint of sweet almond punch.
The concord sorbetto is brown sugar meringue sitting atop toasted oat gelato. You can’t find anywhere else in NYC serving the same inventive flavors!
What to order: Tricolore Stracciatella, Cannoli, Concord Sorbetto, Mushroom Pizza, Focaccia, Cocktails
Address: 85 10th Ave, New York, NY, United States
5. Soft Swerve Ice Cream
Soft Swerve is a well-known brand in NYC that serves Asian-inspired flavors in simple cups or delectable cake and waffle cones.
Their signature swirls are remembered by the colorful hues and delicious cream. Every offering is dreamy as it is creamy, particularly the ube purple yam, vanilla, and matcha flavors.
The ube purple yam is like an ice cream god compared to the more common varieties. With a perfect consistency and smoothness, you’ll instantly be nostalgic of home, particularly if you’re a Filipino.
You could believe that all vanillas are created equal, but you’d be wrong. Clearly, Soft Swerve’s rendition is superior! They also have matcha that is so excellent that even people who claimed they hated it changed their minds.
You’re free to mix and match to your heart’s desire. Just pick your desired flavor, toppings (they offer a LOT! ), drizzles, and cone (or cup) size. But if you’re like us and you believe in the Soft Swerve way, get one of their specialty sundaes!
What to order: Ube Purple Yam, Vanilla, Woodside Sundae
Addresses:
-Chinatown: 85B Allen St, New York, NY, United States
-Kips Bay: 379 3rd Ave, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
6. Dominique Ansel Bakery
Sharing the namesake of critically acclaimed pastry chef Dominique Ansel is a world-famous dessert haven always bustling with both curious and regular visitors, thanks to its high quality and masterfully crafted desserts from the James Beard Award-winning chef himself.
If you don’t visit this place whenever you’re in Soho area of New York, you’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who wouldn’t want to go to Soho to see the birthplace of the renowned cronut, which TIME Magazine named the best invention of 2013?
While we are confident that you will return, we urge you to sample their best-selling Kouign Amann (DKA), a caramelized croissant with flaky layers within, as well as the Cronut, which features a rotating menu of flavors each month.
The cookie shot is a chocolate chip cookie shaped like a shot glass. Watch the waiter pour a homemade blend of Tahitian vanilla milk for an added twist. Pro-tip: sip the milk before eating the cookie and prep yourself to be swooned over!
What to order: Cronut, Dominique Kouign Amann (DKA), Chocolate Chip Cookie Shot
Address: 189 Spring St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
7. Sweet Moment
Inside NYC’s Little Italy is Sweet Moment, a laid-back Korean cafe specializing in serving drool-worthy bingsoos or shaved ice, bottle cakes, macarons, and gorgeous latte arts in their coffee.
A considerable number of seats are available, and you’ll notice dessert enthusiasts eager to tuck into some sumptuous treats. However, certain dishes you’ll see at almost every table include the tastefully designed bingsoo, the nutella banana waffle, and the Creamart matcha drink.
They are topped with LOTS of delicious ingredients, such as fresh fruits, ice cream, crisp, and syrup that wonderfully complemented the flavor, whether they are served in a cup or on a plate.
The melon bingsoo is quite memorable with all those tiny round ball-shaped melons on top! Meanwhile, the nutella banana waffle features house-made waffles with a decadent mix of Nutella jam, banana, dark chocolate ice cream, and more.
Don’t forget to try their matcha drink, which can be milk tea or coffee based. Either way, you’ll get to enjoy cute doodles before you start sipping!
What to order: Mango & Cheesecake Bingsoo, Melon Bingsoo, Choco Oreo Bingsoo, Naughty Caramel Bingsoo, Nutella Banana Waffle, Creamart Matcha Specialty Drink
Address: 106 Mott St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
8. The Little One
A little pastry shop offering Japanese teas and crafted sweets, The Little One houses refreshing versions of Japanese delights. This hidden gem in Chinatown is known for their dainty sweets, fast service, and amazing decor!
If you think you can’t find authentic kakigori or Japanese shaved ice anywhere in the city, you’ve never been to The Little One. They have many flavors to offer, but the strawberry and peach kakigori hit the sweet spot!
The kakigori is real fruits and syrup sitting atop a mountain of shaved ice; perfect for warding off the summer heat. Their chiffon cakes are fluffy and jiggly as they are insanely delicious.
The yuzu pear cake with fresh pears and the matcha red bean with layers of cream and frothy chiffon capped by strawberries are some favorites!
What to order: Strawberry Kakigori, Peach Kakigori, Matcha Red Bean Chiffon Cake, Yuzu Pear Chiffon Cake
Address: 150 E Broadway, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
9. Schmackary’s
Schmackary is a cookie wonderland providing over 75 different varieties of cookies and is known as the “Cookie King” of NYC. Zach wanted to try something else besides the standard chocolate chip cookie, so he started the cafe, which is an anagram of his first and last names.
Flavor and texture-wise, Schmackary’s cookies are amazing. He skilfully concocted ideal flavors to please any palate — each one neither too sweet nor too salty. There is a lot of good stuff from their extensive flavors, but we developed a huge crush on their funfetti, maple bacon, and cookies and cream!
The funfetti is a classic Schmackary signature cookie made from butter, sugar, and flour. Topped with their special frosting and a handful of sprinkles, you’ll understand why this flavor is a crowd-pleaser.
Cookies and cream is the truce between the bitterness of black cocoa and the sweetness of white chocolate and vanilla frosting mediated by oreo cookie crumbs. You can’t just be satisfied with one bite!
What to order: Funfetti, Maple Bacon, Cookies and Cream Cookies
Address: 362 W 45th St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
10. Rice to Riches
Humor and food is a romantic duo to anyone’s heart, and Rice to Riches perfectly masters both! This dessert shop is famous for their creative rice puddings and witty way of naming them.
They have year-round flavors and seasonal selections on their menu, and you may customize your order by selecting your own toppings from a list.
We heartily endorse the man-made mascarpone with cherries from their regular menu, which is epic and stellar from all perspectives, as well as the fluent in French toast (we laughed so hard, too) with cinnamon, maple, and brown sugar that brings out the genuine flavor of this breakfast classic.
For the best summer delight, be sure to not miss Rice to Riches’ peach mango rice pudding, a special nod to the classic union of peach and mango. During winter, you’ll never go wrong with a panna cotta, and their version of this Italian dessert is astounding!
What to order: Man-Made Mascarpone, Fluent in French Toast, I Gotta Panna Cotta, It Takes Two to Peach Mango, Perfectly Legal Pecan Pie
Address: 37 Spring St, New York, NY 10012, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
11. Lady Wong Pastry & Cakes
Seleste and Mogan, two creative and experienced chefs, decided to create their own pastry business focusing in Nanyang delicacies after becoming unhappy that they couldn’t obtain their favorite Kuih and Chinese New Year fix during the pandemic.
When Southeast Asian desserts marry New York sweets, you’ll get Lady Wong Pastry & Cakes. In no time, Lady Wong became well-known for bringing in some time-honored Southeast Asian classics that were tailored to the local American palate.
They have a fantastic assortment of traditional ingredients on their colorful menu, including pandan, coconut, cassava, durian, among others. We absolutely love their Talam pandan with coconut caramel, Musang King Durian Roll Cake, and serimuka pandan.
The serimuka pandan is a steamed pandan custard cake with a bottom layer of sticky rice and a velvety layer of light, silky pandan egg custard on top. Meanwhile the Musang King Durian mascarpone cream is a sponge cake with fresh cream and golden flakes, emphasizing the special taste of the exotic fruit.
Lady Wong’s magnificent green and deep yellow Talam pandan with coconut caramel delicacy wonderfully combines the sweet caramel flavor with the grassy vanilla and coconut flavor of the pandan. Glorious!
You better get there early or arrange a pre-order because a lot of Lady Wong’s delicacies sell out quickly!
What to order: Pandan Layer Cake, Musang King Durian Roll Cake (pre-order), Talam Pandan With Coconut Caramel
Address: 332 E 9th St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
12. Mochidoki
Mochi, the traditional Japanese food, is already a fantastic dessert in itself. Now, combine it with ice cream and you have a mind-blowing sweet delight!
Mochidoki has mastered the art of making some of the best mochi ice cream in NYC. Their shop developed a sizable fan base of devoted customers who made a point of visiting them just in order to sample their mouthwatering mochis. Their inventive flavors range from traditional and Asian-inspired to seasonal and tropical.
Every flavor is a must-try, but the matcha, black sesame, lychee, and passion fruit flavors stand out. The black sesame is a tribute to the traditional flavor, while the matcha is perfectly blended — not overly bitter and earthy. Your taste buds will be tempted by the fruity flavors of both lychee and passion fruit.
If you enjoy being surprised, get one of their sets to sample a variety of flavors. For instance, the Mochidoki signature collection is a box of twelve of their best-selling flavors that is ideal for giving as a present or treating yourself to!
What to order: Matcha, Black Sesame, Lychee, Passion Fruit, Seasonal Flavors
Address: 176 Spring St, New York, NY, United States
Website | Instagram | Facebook
This concludes our list of the best dessert places in New York City to satisfy your appetites for sweets, spices, and everything nice. Hopefully we’ll run into each other in one of them soon, yeah?
NYC is home to myriads of restaurants offering cuisines from around the world! Check out our list of best restaurants in NYC here.