For those with a sweet tooth, London has an ample amount of dessert parlours ranging from luxurious gelaterias and the finest of patisseries to gourmet creperies and your low-key waffle stalls. If you’re looking for something a bit more adventurous for your palette then here are the very best places to go.

We have curated a list breaking down the most unique dessert spots in London, and just why exactly they’re worth your time. Let’s dive in!

1. Fried Horlicks ice-cream bun at BAO

Taiwanese restaurant group BAO are infamously known for their regular state steamed buns. So fluffy, so light and so delicious that you feel as though you’re eating a cloud. Said fluffiness is even more scrumptious under a crispy crust, achieved by the bread being dunked in a hot fryer before being split and filled with a silky, malty scoop of Horlicks ice cream.

2. Baked Alaska at The Ivy

Haven’t you always wanted to see a waiter set fire to your food in front of you? The Ivy successfully does this with admirable panache with the ‘Baked Alaska’. The cherry and vanilla ice cream centre is kept chilly by the meringue coat, even after the dessert has been drizzled with kirsch and ignited. The beautiful blue flames warm the liqueur-soaked cherries that surround it.

3. Darlish Baklava ice-cream sandwich at Berenjak

Baklava on its own is truly divine but with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream, it truly is to die for. The sticky sheets of pastry and savoury pistachios come with a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts all curated by Persian ice-cream professionals Darlish. A luxury ice-cream sundae for the divine palette.

4. Sticky toffee pudding at Hawksmoor

This restaurant is notoriously known for its steak, but always plan for the dessert menu when you’re at Hawksmoor. The light dome of date sponge is drenched in a toffee sauce. If that treacle, buttery flavour wasn’t enough you get some clotted cream to really cement the indulgent feel.

5. Deep-filled apple pie at Chicken Shop

I bet your grandma’s apple pie doesn’t stand a chance of competing with the Chicken Shop’s one. It’s stuffed full of fruit and encased in a buttery, crisp shortcrust pastry. Choose between a drizzle of cream or a soft scoop of vanilla to go alongside.

6. Lemon Meringue pie at Gloria

Everything about this Italian restaurant is a statement, from the candy-striped uniforms to the bare-chested lad on the pizza boxes, but the lemon meringue pie is the showstopper dish. The crisp pastry, tart curd and fluffy meringue combo is a treat. A pudding with presence

7. Halo Halo at Mamasons Dirty Ice Cream Chinatown

Set in Chinatown’s dessert alley, Mamasons specialise in hot and cold ube-based ice cream desserts. This dessert has everything from ube ice cream and dulce de leche to cornflakes and jackfruit that you mix in order to enjoy.

Many Filipinos come here for a taste of home, and many others go because it is incredibly popular with Instagrammers. A dessert to enjoy nevertheless.

8. PBJ from Pophams

Any baking connoisseur knows croissants reflect the pinnacle of technique and ability. The team at Pophams love a challenge and they have become masters at challenging pastry. The showstopper is the PBJ: a little muffin-shaped swirl containing peanut butter, jam and a sliced banana.

9. Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley

French pastry chef Cédric Grolet is renowned for his realistic treats, resembling a fruit or a flower. The dessert experience is probably the most expensive in town but, of course, definitely worth it.

What’s surprising though is his single daisy tart which is composed of a fragile shell made using seven layers of filo pastry filled with vanilla pastry cream, two different styles of choux pastry buttons and chantilly cream.

10. Shiratama Dango at Tsujiri Chinatown

Our final recommendation takes us right back to the heart of London’s very own Chinatown to discover the most unique of beverage cuisine.

Right next to Mamasons is Japanese dessert shop Tsujiri. They serve ice cream sundaes, Basque cheesecakes and gourmet drinks like bubble tea, frappe and floats. Everything here features traditional Japanese flavours.

Like what you see? Fancy getting a few more recommendation, or help for your trip to London? Let us assist you. Please do not hesitate to get in touch and let us help you organise the best trip to London you could dream of. We’ll relieve you of the stress and ensure that the trip is the best it can be. We are here to help 24/7.

Edited by Thomas Bracken

Aug 30 Best Dessert Spots In London