8 London Desserts You Have To Try

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From super-duper freakshakes and croissant-donut hybrids, to bubblewaffles and ice cream filled macaroons, these are the best London desserts.

(Updated 2020)

I remember when going out for a mid-afternoon sweet treat was about choosing between a red velvet or a chocolate cupcake. These days it’s a whole other story.

Desserts have been supersized, with enough calories to fuel a family for a month. Freakshakes have taken the milkshake scene to new heights, literally. They’re piled high with everything from ice cream and cookies to jelly babies and donuts!

Beware… it seems no dessert is safe from cross-breeding.

Croissants mixed with donuts become cronuts, there are macaroon ice cream sandwiches, and now biskies – a cookie, biscuit, cake combo! It seems every other week there’s a new dessert place in London, causing chaos as queues snake around the block. 

Out of every city in the UK, London still reigns supreme with plenty of places to sample the latest dessert trends. You might be aware of the most famous London desserts from Instagram. My feed seems to be filled with Influencers posing with enormous ice creams, delicate macaroons or fluffy marshmallows! 

Time to share a few of the best treats in London, from dessert cafes and pudding stops, to take aways to grab that sugar fix on the go… ready? Let’s go! 

Top Dessert Places In London 

Milk Train Café (Covent Garden)

If you’re looking for cool dessert places in London, this is a great option. Milk Train Cafe, soft serve ice cream comes on its very own cloud of candy floss! Pick your flavour then add your toppings before being presented the enormous sugar fix.

Flavours include vanilla, black sesame, custard tart, matcha and salted caramel and toppings range from popcorn and Oreos to strawberry chips, all covered in a tasty sauce of your choice.

Once you try it, you’ll see why Milk Train’s slogan is “ice cream makes you happy”.

 

Here’s your mid-week train ticket ???✨☁??✨✨✨✨✨??

A post shared by M I L K ☁ T R A I N (@milktraincafe) on Mar 8, 2017 at 9:27am PST

READ MORE: Best Food Markets In London

Dum Dums (Shoreditch, Croydon and Harrods)

The croissant/doughnut hybrid at Dum Dums have been selling like hot cakes… I mean cronuts! Right now they’re one of the most famous desserts in London.

So what makes them special? Firstly, they’re baked, not fried. Secondly, flavours include crême brûlée, cinnamon, salted caramel and strawberry cream! YUM.

The Zebra is the top seller for a reason, with layers of croissant and chocolate croissant dough, filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache! Arrive hungry…

 

A post shared by Dum Dum Doughnuts (@dumdumdoughnuts) on Jan 23, 2017 at 3:58am PST

Check availability and latest prices for a dessert tour of London.

Miki’s Paradise (Holloway)

It’s hard to avoid the freakshake revolution, with Instagram going wild for glasses filled with rich chocolate milk and ice cream, then piled high with donuts, cookies and more.

Miki’s Paradise is one of the best desser places in North London, offering some of the most photogenic freakshakes around, and while I wouldn’t advise regular consumption, an occasional freakshake topped with ice cream, oreo brownie, pretzels and chocolate sauce can’t do too much harm, right?!

 

A post shared by Miki’s Paradise (@mikisparadise) on Mar 3, 2017 at 4:12pm PST

Naked Dough 

The UK’s first cookie dough cafe has been a big hit! After their pop up in Old Street had people queueing around the block, they’ve now set up stands in Camden Market, Westfield London and Intu Lakeside.

Choose your flavour of raw cookie dough (don’t worry – no eggs in this mixture) then pick some toppings, and indulge.

 

A post shared by Naked Dough™ (@_nakeddough) on Jul 23, 2018 at 11:45am PDT

Bubblewrap (Wardour Street, Soho)

These bizarre egg waffles were invented in Hong Kong as a way of using up un-sellable broken eggs and are one of the best London desserts you can wrap your lips around this year! 

Now they’re Soho’s hottest new treat with the bubblewrap-esque food causing queues around Wardour Street.

After choosing between an original or chocolate base, pick your filling from fresh fruit to nuts and Oreos. 

Then its topping time with drizzles of Nutella, salted caramel and peanut butter on the menu. 

These are one of the best treats in London right now, so if you’re in need of a sugar high, grab yourself a Bubblewrap! 

 

A post shared by *The Only BubbleWrap In LDN* (@bubblewrapwaffle) on Feb 18, 2017 at 12:12pm PST

Yolkin (Check the website for locations)

The macaron ice cream sandwich was invented after Yolkin owner Sammie was fed up of throwing away the yolks when she made macarons.

She found an ice cream recipe that utilised egg yolks and decided it was a winning combo.

This pop up shop moves around town and flavours on offer include melon, HK milk tea, salted caramel and lemon meringue.

 

We’ve got… Melon, HK Milk Tea, Salted Caramel and Lemon Meringue Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches this weekend! From 12pm-4pm (earlier if we sell out before) inside: Siam Eatery 24 Wellington Street Covent Garden London WC2E 7DD #yolkinweeklyflavours

A post shared by Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches (@yolkinmacice) on Feb 25, 2017 at 4:11am PST

BOOK NOW:  Walking Tour Of Borough Market

Dominique Ansel Bakery (Near Victoria)

After setting up a sugary empire in NYC, baker extraordinaire Dominique Ansel opened this sweet cafe near Victoria. It’s easily one of the best dessert places in London. If you try one thing, make it a cronut.

The croissant-donut-hybrid was invented here!

Cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery, London – one of the best desserts in London

Cutter and Squidge (Brewer Street, Soho)

The menu at this Soho dessert stop features a lot of the delish treats mentioned on this blog, but most famous are their biskies – a biscuit/cookie/cake hybrid filled with tasty buttercream, jams and caramels.

Flavours include passion fruit and salted caramel, apple crumble, chocolate lava and miso caramel.

If you’re feeling extra naughty, order one of their indulgent freakshakes to go with it. The cafe area is really cute and a lovely place to eat in. It’s got all the Insta-backgrounds you and your friends could desire. Just add in one of the most Instagrammable desserts in London, and your likes will skyrocket! 

 

Our sticky toffee #biskie is perrrfect to blow away those Monday blues! ??? filled with a sticky toffee sauce centre and crunchy top! Yum ?

A post shared by Cutter & Squidge (@cutterandsquidge) on Feb 20, 2017 at 4:55am PST

Which of these cute dessert places in London are you dying to try? Let me know in the comments below! 

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