The Ultimate NYC Dessert Guide: Where to Find the City’s Most Creative Sweets

Even if you’re not in possession of a sweet tooth or you don't monitor the viral food sensations of the day, chances are you’ve heard of a cronut. Dominique Ansel introduced the world to his sugar-dusted croissant-doughnut hybrid in his Soho bakery in 2013, and the pastry world changed forever. It’s still on the menu at the French pastry chef’s namesake shop, and it’s one of countless exceptional sweets that talented chefs and bakers spin up in delicious and creative ways in New York City. Here's where to seek them out in bake shops, dessert bars, doughnut shops, and fine-dining restaurants throughout the city.

Bakeries and pastry shops

It’s not hard to find something sweet and delicious on virtually any block in the city. Some spots, however, are worth a special trip. Lysée, the Korean-French dessert gallery from 2023 F&W Best New Chef Eunji Lee in the Flatiron District, may be best known for its mousse-filled corn confection (which takes Lee three days to make), but seasonal treats like the pear-yuja tart and winter quiche with melted Raclette cheese are worth a try.

Lady Wong’s Southeast Asian-inspired pastries include Matcha Pandan Mille Crêpes cakes and seasonal mooncakes, while Bánh by Lauren’s Vietnamese-French confections include chiffon cakes in Vietnamese coffee, Thai tea, or vibrant green pandan coconut. La Cabra brings Copenhagen-style precision to croissants and cardamom buns, and Supermoon Bakehouse draws epic lines for its over-the-top croissants and eclairs laced with yuzu white chocolate, Nutella, or banana pudding. For inventive laminated baked goods (croissants in varieties like key lime pie or maple breakfast sausage) head to Radio Bakery in Greenpoint, or Elbow Bread (Danish with clementine marmalade and sheep’s milk cheese, or cherry cardamom preserve) on the Lower East Side. Don't miss the peanut butter crunch cake at Hani’s, or any number of delicious and whimsical sweets the East Village bakery has on special.

Doughnut shops

For those who prefer to start their day with something sweet, head to one of the city’s myriad doughnut shops. Among the most classic might be Peter Pan, a Greenpoint staple for honey dipped, Bavarian cream-filled, and chocolate frosted doughnuts since the 1950s. Doughnut Plant started on the Lower East Side in the mid-’90s, and it still churns out hefty yeast and cake varieties using top-notch ingredients like Dark Valrhona chocolate and real fruit glazes. Fan Fan in Bedford-Stuyvesant is known for its wildly delicious doughnuts in bold, globally inspired flavors, from mango lassi to churros and chocolate. You can even find stand out doughnuts in some more unexpected places, popping up in restaurants like the hip Lower East Side spot Wildair and the Tex-Mex darling Yellow Rose in the East Village.

Restaurant desserts

Unsurprisingly, New York’s epic restaurant scene also encompasses some of the country’s best dessert menus. Save room for Brooklyn Blackout cake with coffee amaro sauce and the show-stopping Baked Alaska for two at Gage & Tollner in downtown Brooklyn. Order the Bodega Special — a cosmic brownie with powdered-sugar doughnut ice cream — at 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s Tatiana in Lincoln Center. Or try the burnt toast tiramisu or corn husk meringue at elegant Mexican restaurant Cosme in the Flatiron District. And at Raf’s, executive pastry chef and 2024 F&W Best New Chef Camari Mick whips up croissants stuffed with prosciutto and taleggio by day, and a sweet and salty opera cake layered with chocolate dacquoise and espresso mousseline by night.

To uncover the best food and drink experiences for travelers, Food & Wine polled over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros from across the globe for their top culinary travel experiences. We then turned the results over to our Global Advisory Board, who ranked the top nominees in each category. For the full list of all 165 winners, visit foodandwine.com/globaltastemakers.

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