If you’re serious about chocolate, ice cream or cakes, check out some of these heavenly places where your sweet tooth will be sated in every possible way. These are some of the best dessert places in London.
Specialist dessert hotspots
1. Bubblewrap
Follow the freshly cooked waffle scent down Wardour Street in Chinatown to Bubblewrap. Egg waffles, cooked in their unique bubble-shaped cooker, are filled with your choice of toppings and gelatos. You'll quickly see why this is an Instagram favourite.
Locations: Chinatown (24 Wardour Street, W1D 6QJ), Old Spitalfields Market (Anchor 3-16 Horner Square, E1 6EW) and Westfield Stratford (Westfield Stratford city, E20 1EL).
2. Basement Sate
Peek behind a red door on Broadwick Street and discover one of London’s sweetest speakeasies. Follow the music down the stairs to Basement Sate's underground hideaway and grab a private booth to enjoy the dessert-and-cocktails-only menu. Every dessert here is paired with a matching tipple. Sweet!
Location: Soho (8 Broadwick St, W1F 8HN) Open 6.30pm-1.30am Tuesdays to Saturdays and 6pm-12am Sundays and Mondays.
3. Crème
Crème is a popular dessert shop, specialising in baking really big cookies that are chunky, soft and gooey, with flavours including double chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate miso. You can also order soft-serve ice cream and coffee here for an extra indulgent foodie treat.
Locations: Soho (4 D'Arblay St, W1F 8DJ) and Notting Hill (8 Blenheim Crescent, W11 1NN).
Restaurant desserts
4. Bob Bob Ricard
Channel Gatsby at Bob Bob Ricard, an elegant Soho spot which claims to sell more champagne than any other restaurant in the UK; perhaps aided by the emergency ‘Press for Champagne’ buttons found at every table. The full menu is worth coming hungry for, but be sure to save room for the BBR Chocolate Glory – a decadent delight made with both chocolate mousse and brownie.
Locations: Soho (1 Upper James Street, W1F 9DF) and City of London (122 Leadenhall Street, EC3V 4AB)
5. Flesh & Buns
Playing with your food is not only allowed, it’s encouraged at Flesh & Buns. The dessert highlight of this DIY food concept, is the s’mores – an American classic with a Japanese twist brought to London. Melt passionfruit marshmallows over your tableside campfire and enjoy with a crisp almond biscuit.
Locations: Oxford Circus (32 Berners St, W1T 3LR) and Covent Garden (41 Earlham St, WC2H 9LX)
6. La Bodega Negra
Brave La Bodega Negra's sex-shop entrance for freshly fried churros dipped in the smoothest Oaxacan chocolate sauce or sweet dolce de leche. Grab a few Mexican street food snacks first, or head straight for the sweet stuff.
Location: Soho (16 Moor St, W1D 5AP)
7. Antepliler
Walk through a section of Harringay’s Green Lanes' Turkish restaurants to find Antepliler, one of the most authentic. Leave lots of room for dessert; you will struggle to find better baklava this side of Istanbul.
Location: Harringay (Grand Parade, 45-46 Green Lanes, N4 1AG)
Bakes and ice-cream parlours
8. Gelupo Gelateria
Try every flavour at Gelupo Gelateria, offering true Italian gelato and ice cream available in eight changing flavours each day – a great excuse to keep coming back to try all they have to offer. Keep an eye out for the pistachio flavour.
Location: Soho (7 Archer St, W1D 7AU)
9. Cookies and Scream
Take a trip to Holloway Road to buy some proper baked goods - cookies, brownies, pies and doughnuts plus super-thick shakes. Everything is vegan and gluten-free, so you can enjoy a sinfully delicious treat no matter what your diet at Cookies and Scream.
Location: Islington (130 Holloway Rd, N7 8JE)
10. Ruby Violet
Nestled into Coal Drops Yard, a 5 minute walk from Kings Cross station, is locally focused ice-cream parlour Ruby Violet's. The enthusiastic team will offer you a wide range of flavours, all handmade on site, plus alcoholic shakes and, on Fridays and Saturday evenings, mini baked Alaskas.
Location: Kings Cross (3 Wharf Rd, N1C 4BZ)
11. Maître Choux
Treat yourself to a creation from three Michelin-star pastry chef Joakim Prat. It’s all about choux pastry at South Kensington dessert jewel, Maitre Choux, where eclairs are given more care and attention than most people pay to a full three-course meal. Try the Paris-Brest with homemade praline cream.
Locations: South Kensington (15 Harrington Road, SW7 3ES), Soho (60 Dean Street, W1D 6AW) and Chelsea (59 King’s Road, SW3 4ND)
Pop-ups
12. Bad Brownie
Seek out Bad Brownie at one of several London markets, including Greenwich Market on Saturdays. Boxes of delicious salted caramel, triple chocolate and peanut butter brownies are available vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, or nut free. All are delicious.
Location: Greenwich Market (5B Greenwich Market, SE10 9HZ)
13. Dum Dum Donutterie
Dum Dum is the world's first artisan baked donut/croissant brand. Cronuts are baked, not fried, and claim to be significantly lower in fat than your average donut. Not sure if it counts towards a healthy diet, but willing to believe it anyway? Head to Boxpark Shoreditch or Croydon to try one.
Location: Boxpark Shoreditch (2-10 Bethnal Grn Rd, E1 6GY) Boxpark Croydon (99 George St, CR0 1LD)