Best Desserts in New York City - An Exploration of NYC's Communities through Dessert
Join me for Part 2 to the most delicious dessert spots in New York City. From marzipan in Brooklyn to the best ice cream on the Lower East Side, here are some of my favorite desserts from around the world and where to enjoy them in NYC! Inspired by Mattie’s post on Top 8 Desserts in New York City by a native New Yorker, here are a few more of the best spots to add to your ‘must try’ list! A little less chocolate, but just as sweet!
Courtney's Top 9 NYC Dessert List
Artisanal Marzipan at Fortunato Brothers
Red Bean Bun & Raisin Bun – Ka Wah Bakery Corp.
Sweet Knish & an Egg Cream at Yonah Schimmel’s
Custard Piggy Bun from Golden Unicorn
(Discontinued) Gulab Jamun Cheesecake from FARINE Baking Company
Falooda & Kulfi from Maharaja Sweets
We're headed to Brooklyn for the first two highlights of my top NYC dessert recommendations!
Marzipan from Fortunato Brothers
At Fortunato Brothers bakery you can find fresh fruit, vegetables, and even seafood and spaghetti. All handmade out of marzipan that is! This Williamsburg-based bakery first opened in 1976 by the three Fortunato brothers. Until today they still use authentic Italian recipes that have been passed down through the generations. Fortunato Brothers’ top sellers are their cakes and gelato, but the artistry behind their incredible marzipan creations is a ‘must-see’!
Marzipan is a paste made of sugar or honey mixed with almond meal and sometimes almond oil or extract. Head to Fortunato Brothers around Christmas and you’re in for an even more spectacular treat. In honor of the Italian-American Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, you’ll find an array of marzipan sea creatures, including clams, squid, fish and muscles! Each piece is hand painted using a food coloring mixture. The marzipan creations at Fortunato Brothers are not only authentic, but truly little pieces of edible art.
Visit Edible Brooklyn's article on Fortunato Brothers for more incredible photos of their marzipan creations!
Raaka Chocolate
Heading south to Red Hook, Raaka Chocolate is not only a dessert stop, but also a small-scale chocolate production factory. You can even take a tour! Raaka’s chocolates are all made from unroasted cacao beans, setting them apart from most other chocolate producers. Designed, crafted and produced right in their Brooklyn-based factory, Raaka chocolates bring together flavors from around the world. All of Raaka’s chocolate and ingredients are ethically and thoughtfully sourced.
Raaka’s storefront and factory are located at 64 Seabring Street in Red Hook. Book a tour of the Raaka factory to learn more about their unique chocolate production process.
From the sourcing of the cacao beans, to fermentation and processing, to their story of scaling production, a tour of Raaka is a fantastic activity for both NYC locals and tourists alike! Tours are offered on weekend afternoons, and they only $15 (including plenty of chocolate sampling!) Book on Raaka’s website.
For a killer key lime pie option in Brooklyn, check out Mattie's guest post featuring her top NYC dessert options from the perspective of a native New Yorker!
Best Desserts in New York City - Manhattan
Now let’s head to Manhattan’s Lower East Side for my next set of sweet spots in New York City! LES is one of my favorite NYC neighborhoods, so don’t hesitate to reach out for recommendations on what to else to do and see between snacking!
Red Bean Bun & Raisin Bun - Ka Wah Bakery Corp.
I love this bakery so much my wife and I even took some pre-wedding photos here! This little hole-in-the-wall is a relic of Manhattan’s fading Chinatown. Ka Wah is pretty tiny and the door opens inward, so don’t be surprised if you may need to push yourself inside. You’ll find a variety of freshly baked cookies, buns and breads Cantonese-style.
Ka Wah is located at 9 Eldridge Street, across from The Museum at Eldridge Street (another LES must-visit!)
My Ka Wah favorites are definitely the red bean bun and the raisin bun. The perfect ratio of red bean filling to flaky crust, their red bean buns are the perfect level of slightly sweet. The raisin bun, on the other hand, is fluffy and soft with a bit more sweetness. For 6 years I worked across the street, from Ka Wah, and honestly I recommend almost anything they make. Hot dog buns (go early because they sell out after the morning crowd!), light, airy sponge cakes, egg custard tarts, buttery coconut buns! The best part is you can try them all and will probably still spend less than $10.
I almost forgot the almond cookie. You should probably make sure to pick up one of those, too!
Sharing is caring! Especially with dessert!
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is a magical place where you can enjoy all of your favorite Chinese bakery classics in the form of ice cream!!! Red bean, sesame, taro, lychee and so many more flavors you can’t get at your average ice cream shoppe. Try the don tot (egg custard tart) flavor or the almond cookie, another one of my favorites. Almond cookie is even made with chunks of actual cookies from Fung Wong Fujianese bakery soaked in. But, don’t worry. If you’re traveling with that friend or family member that prefers to stick with a more basic ice cream option, there are plenty of other flavors to choose from like coffee, mint chip, strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory has been a local, family-run business since 1978. They recently opened a second location in Flushing, and you can also find their ice cream for sale 7 days a week at the Essex Market.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory even makes ice cream cakes! I'm still drooling over my black sesame and green tea birthday ice cream cake four years later!
Sweet Knish & an Egg Cream at Yonah Schimmel's
Urbankayaker at English Wikipedia / Public domain
You may be surprised to see knishes on a top dessert list, but once you’ve tried a sweet knish from Yonah Schimmel’s you’ll understand! While traditionally you’d expect to find kasha or potato filling, these sweet knishes are available with blueberry and cheese, cherry and cheese and even chocolate and cheese! The cheese is not a melty, strong cheese, but a sweet, creamy, yet fluffy pressed cottage-cheese that pairs well with fruit filling.
Yonah Shimmel knishes are best shared, and each will cost you about $4. Go with a friend so you can try a few savory options followed by a sweet one for dessert!
Knishes are a traditional Eastern European Jewish dish, and Yonah Schimmel’s is a holdover from the old days of the Jewish Lower East Side. Over 100 years ago in 1890, Yonah Schimmel himself, a young man from Romania, began selling knishes from a pushcart in the neighborhood. By 1910 Yonah’s cousin Joseph Berger had taken over the business and moved into the same storefront where they still are until today!
Classic Lower East Side Egg Cream
If you’re at Yonah Schimmel’s you should also try an egg cream! If you’ve never had an egg cream, it’s probably not what you’re thinking! A classic New York City drink, the egg cream is a mixture of seltzer water, milk and chocolate syrup. No eggs and no cream! But absolutely delicious! Egg creams are like a frothy, carbonated chocolate milk, and they originated right here on the Lower East Side. Starting in the early 1900’s, egg creams would become one of the most popular dessert drinks available at candy stores and diners in the city.
Check out how an egg cream is made with Tom Birchard, owner of another NY staple - Veselka.
Custard Piggy Bun from Golden Unicorn
For our last stop on on the Lower East Side, we’re headed to Golden Unicorn for a custard piggy bun! Labeling this is a ‘dessert’ may be controversial, but I stand by it! Custard piggy buns are one of the most delicious (and cutest!) dim sum dishes at Golden Unicorn. Warm steamed bao are tasty on their own. Now imagine adding a sweet, smooth egg custard to the inside! (Note that at some restaurants piggy-shaped bao actually have pork inside, not custard. Make sure to ask!)
Golden Unicorn is a multi-story dim sum parlor in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown. You can order piggy buns to go, but I recommend making a meal of it! Definitely bring friends because seating is family style, and with dim sum it is best to order a bunch of small dishes to share. At Golden Unicorn there are even still the traditional carts that come around, and you can pick what you like. Once you see the piggy buns come out, make sure to wave down the cart! Note that if you visit on a weekend during brunch you can expect a wait.
Let’s head to Queens for our final three dessert stops!
Queens is definitely the most delicious of New York City’s boroughs, and dessert is just the beginning!
Best Desserts in NYC - Queens!
Italian Ice at Lemon Ice King of Corona
Head to Queens for the best summer dessert in NYC: an Italian ice from The Lemon Ice King of Corona. has been serving up icy treats from their shop in Queens for 75 years! Sure they’re the king of lemon ice, but there’s actually over 3 dozen flavors to choose from. I went for the coconut, which is impressively smooth, and there are even actual coconut bits mixed in! So sweet, so refreshing!
It all started back in the 1940’s when Nicola Benfaremo started making Italian ices out of his garage. In 1964 he teamed up with his son, Peter, and they opened the shop right across from Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Their timing was not inconsequential. That same year, in 1964, the Park saw over 50 million visitors from around the world! Not a bad way to start getting some foot traffic and business for the Lemon Ice King!
Today the business is still locally owned, actually by former employee who started off scooping and selling ices! Enjoying an Italian ice in Corona isn’t only a refreshing treat, but is a way to appreciate how the rich immigrant history has produced New York City’s amazingly foodscape of today.
Learn more about the history of Lemon Ice King in this video by Gothamist!
Gulab Jamun Cheesecake at FARINE Baking Company
Of this entire list, this is the dessert I am the most excited about! Our next stop brings us to Jackson Heights, one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in NYC. Home to Little India and Little Bangladesh, you can find plenty of delicious sweets from the Indian sub-continent. FARINE’s gulab jamun cheesecake takes the local flavors of Jackson Heights and fuses them with a New York classic: cheesecake.
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First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page: gulab jamun is popular dessert from India and surrounding countries including Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It’s made of milk solids that are kneaded into a dough and mixed with a bit of flour into a ball. This ball of deliciousness is then fried and soaked in sugar water, making it a ball of even more deliciousness! Sounds good on its own, right? Well, then imagine gulab jamun baked into the center of a smooth, creamy cheesecake with a graham cracker crust! FARINE’s gulab jamun cheesecake truly takes the fusion desserts to the next level!
When visiting Jackson Heights make sure to go on an empty stomach. There is so much delicious food it will be almost hard to control yourself! If you’re still craving something sweet after FARINE, check out Al-Naimat, a Pakastani sweet shop and restaurant around the corner.
Falooda & Kulfi from Maharaja Sweets
Just down the block from FARINE you’ll find Maharaja Sweets, another fantastic option for indulging in a variety of Indian sweets! Edible Queens calls it an “Indian confectionary wonderland”. My personal favorites are the falooda & kulfi, delicious summertime treats!
Falooda is a sweet and creamy chilled Indian dessert. Using kulfi (a creamy Indian ice cream – see below) as a base, it is combined with rose syrup, vermicelli noodles, sweet basil seeds and milk. The cold, creamy texture pairs surprising well with the vermicelli noodles. You do not taste the noodles much, but they add to the texture. The sweet basil seeds reminded me of the texture of chia seeds. Definitely a must-try dessert in Queens!
Kulfi is like a creamier, denser version of ice cream that comes from the Indian sub-continent. It feels like eating a fudgesicle, but even smoother. Traditional flavors include rose, cardamom, saffron and my personal favorite, pistachio. Honestly, after trying kulfi going back to regular popsicles will never be the same! You’ll find the kulfi in the freezer in front of the store.
Thai Mung Bean Sweet Dessert from Khao Kang
If you’re not yet convinced that Queens is the best borough for dessert, the Thai Mung Bean sweet dessert from Khao Kang will seal the deal! Think tapioca pudding, but creamier. This awesome dessert is a base of soft, steamed mung beans mixed with potato flour for a sticky, jelly-like consistency. The best part is the coconut cream topping!
‘Khao Kang’ translated to rice with curry in Thai, and this is the perfect spot for quick meal before your dessert. Their meal options change daily, and it is cafeteria style. Choose 2 or 3 mains with a side of rice, and you’ll be eating in less than 5 minutes! Khao Kang is also just a 5 minute walk from the 74th St. – Roosevelt Avenue stop on the 7, E, F, M & R lines. I highly recommend Khao Kang for some of the best authentic Thai food in NYC!
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Other top NYC dessert spots that you think should have made the list? Share in the comments below to make this post even better!
Saving this for the next time I visit NYC (my sister lives there). Last time, I ate a lot of good desserts but this list is a dream. I’ll be happy to try at least three from these!
Thanks, Ruth! Any spots you recommend or favorites from your sister that I should check out?
I had been missing NYC so much and now after reading your post I am missing it more! Edibles Brooklyn is so cool! I have not been to Golden Unicorn yet, but am definitely visiting next time I go to the City.
Oh, my list of dessert shops to go to in NYC just got longer. Hope I get to to NYC in the coming years to try these all.
Hi, Cosette – I hope you make it to NYC for a visit, too! Reach out if you ever want more suggestions for visiting. 🙂
NYC has soooo many amazing desserts to choose from!! I lived off of sugar the entire time I visited last year! Can’t wait to go back 🙂
Kylie – I completely agree! Any favorite spots from your visit?
I love desserts and I would like to try them all, especially the custard piggy buns! I guess I should add them to my list for when I visit NYC.
Yes, you definitely should add the piggy buns to your list!
Wow! All of these desserts look so amazing. I am just from outside of NYC, but haven’t even heard of most of these places. Now, I have a whole new foodie bucket list thanks to this blog. 🙂
Awww I love desserts! Your list was so surprising because full of foreigner desserts! True that NYC is a highly multicultural city, which makes it even more interesting! Thanks for sharing 😀
ok, I’m hungry now! Seriously… this is a great guide. I love that you highlight desserts so many have likely never heard of, but also I’m thrilled that the NYC classic egg cream also made the list. Pinning & saving this blog so I can try that Gulab Jamun Cheesecake next time I’m in NYC.
I’m not a marzipan fan, but the rest I would definitely try. They look so colorful and delicious. Taking note for my next NYC trip
omg the ice cream in china town is sooo sooo good! now you have me craving some of that purple taro root soft serve icecream.. yummm
Gerry, I completely agree! Sooo good. Now I am lying in bed craving an ice cream dessert. 🙂
This is such a great list! The Golden Unicorn has been on my radar for a while! Love this list!
Thanks, Linnea – Let me know when you make it to Golden Unicorn. One of my favorites! (I even got married there ☺️.)
Great post! I’m back in NYC and would love to try any of these amazing places. The red bean bun reminds me of my time in Korea and the Marzipan reminds me of my grandma. Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by, Kelly! I am so happy to hear that these desserts reminded you of previous travels and your grandma. 🙂 Let me know what you think if you try any! One note: I just learned yesterday (when I went to get a piece of gulab jamun cheesecake), that Farine Bakery is closed for a couple weeks to update their kitchen. So wait a bit on that one.
OMG! The marzipan desserts look amazing! I always find foods that taste like one thing and look like another so cool! I had such a short visit to NYC when I went but wow I will be trying some of these when I go back.. especially the Chinatown ice cream – I LOVE ice cream!
Chelsea, I completely agree! The marzipan is even cooler in real life! It is really an art the way they are molded and painted. Hope you can make it back to NYC for a longer visit. 🙂
How are there not more fat people walking around NYC?
I can’t eat sugar but seeing some of these pictures made me wish I could! I love your multicultural selections of deserts. I never really thought you’d have such an international range in NYC.