Looking to add some sweetness to your life? Check out our top picks for the best mouth watering desserts in London and treat yourself!
As someone who has a big sweet tooth, having a dessert after my meal has been instilled in me since I was a child by my mum’s love to bake. Now, living in London, the options are endless, so having a few go to spots is essential. Although the proof will always be in the pudding, I doubt you will be disappointed.
1. Bread Ahead Bakery’s filled doughnuts
Borough Market SE1 9DE Price: £4-4.50
Rating 4/5
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Borough market is a serious foodie’s dream, offering a range of delicacies from around the world. Bread Ahead in particular has all sorts of pastries freshly made on the day by their baking school. However, what keeps the crowds coming back are their sugar covered doughnuts overflowing with all sorts of deliciousness. They are the size of a large fist, filled with a choice of Velvet chocolate, Raspberry jam, Sea salted caramel and honeycomb, Praline, Lemon curd or Vanilla custard (a personal favourite). They’ve got five other locations around town including: Chelsea, Soho, Wembley, Hampstead and Queen’s Park. My advice would be to get there quickly if heading in on a weekend as they tend to disappear fast.
2. Italian Ice Cream at Grom – Il Gelato Come Una Volta
Piccadilly, W1J 0DF Price:
Rating 4.3/5
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‘Come Una Volta’ translates to ‘Like it used to be’ which is exactly how you would describe this authentic italian style gelato. No flavourings, colours or preservatives are used to create these creamy scoops, just raw ingredients. We are talking about high-quality milk, eggs, flour, infinite fruits (more than 50% in their sorbets), spring water, white cane sugar and that is it! As an ice cream fanatic myself, Grom stands out with the smoothest texture. With ever changing flavours of the month, Grom offers all the classics including: Chocolate, Pistachio, Stracciatella, Coffee, Hazelnut and many more ‘special’ combinations that make them unique. My recommendation is to get the hot chocolate sauce on top of your gelato of choice, creating your own personalised sundae. Feel free to choose from a cone, cup or a takeaway glass jar as they scoop away until 11pm on some evenings.
3. Crème’s Cookies
Soho W1F 8DJ
Price: £4 Rating 4.2/5
Calling all cookie monsters to try the gooiest biscuits in the game. Crème takes inspiration from New York with a French twist, creating giant cookies in their Soho parlour. Their freshly baked goods come in four flavours: Milk chocolate, Banana and dark chocolate, Vegan double chocolate and Miso and white chocolate, all of which are still warm from the oven upon purchase. French executive chef, Damien Leroux, created Crème (‘cream’ in French), a name that represents something soft and cosy just like their cookies. Open seven days a week until 9pm, making it a perfect late night snack.
4. Pancakes at Wheelcake Island
Spitalfields Market E1 6AA
Price: £3 Rating 4.4/5
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Looking for something smaller than a stack of pancakes or a topping loaded crepe? Well, these bite size Taiwenese pancakes are the perfect dessert to satisfy your sweet craving. WheelCakes are a childhood treat in this culture and have creamy fillings enclosed by a spongy cake. From matcha, Vanilla custard, Akuzi bean or Chocolate and vanilla combined, the options to fill your pancake are endless. Limited edition flavours are created throughout the year and designed to match the seasons. I recommend you run not walk to this authentic stand at Spitalfields or find them at Seven dials market and Westfield Shopping centre.
5. Dark Sugars
Brick Lane E1 6SB
Price: £4+ Rating 4.1
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Brick Lane is known for many delicacies and Dark sugars hot chocolate is one of them. Living in London can be grey and gloomy, so a warm cuppa is always needed. Made from superior Ghanian chocolate, it is then topped with shavings of white, milk and dark chocolate that melt into a decadent hot cocoa. What separates them from the rest, is their overwhelming menu that offers a range of different hot chocolates to choose from like their classic, salted caramel or cinnamon, to name a few. This spot immerses you in West African culture and you can smell the cocoa beans as soon as that entrance door opens.
6. Bubblewrap Waffle
Chinatown W1D 6QJ
Price: Rating 4.3/5
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Bubble wrap is inspired by the classic Hong Kong egg waffles but has taken it to the next level, creating what now has become a popular dessert in London. This fluffy waffle causes queues of people all down Wardour street, waiting to pick their delicious toppings. It is folded and stuffed with everything from ice cream to fruit and a sweet sauce. Find them in their second location, Covent Garden, for just as much scrumptiousness.
7. Glorias
Shoreditch EC2A 3QR
Price: £6-8 Rating 4.8/5
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Firstly, yes Gloria’s is a restaurant. However, their dessert menu is extravagant and deserves to be on your list of must-try sweet treats! From a soft lemon meringue pie that towers over your plate to a baseball-sized profiterole, they have it all. They even have turned a tiramisu hater like me into one that loves this coffee-infused dessert. It is dished up in front of you out of a large ceramic plate, reminding me of my mum’s kitchen. With many options to choose from, I recommend trying it all, so you may have to book some tables in advance as they are known for their long waiting list.
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