NYC: Top 12 Restaurant Desserts

I have a huge sweet tooth, and many of the dinner reservations I make in New York City are dictated by dessert menus. If your mind works in the same way, this list is for you!

4 Charles Prime Rib (The West Village)

Everybody raves about the burger from 4 Charles, but the dish that keeps me vying for a reservation time and time again is their Lemon Meringue Pie. It has a graham cracker crust, a silky and sour lemon curd, and a mountain of toasted homemade meringue. It’s basically impossible to get a table here, but luckily, this dessert is also served at their sister restaurant “Monkey Bar” in Midtown.

Bar Bête (Carroll Gardens)

Bar Bête’s Yellow Cake with a chocolate fudge frosting serves as a good reminder that sometimes less is more. This cake is simple, comforting, and crave-able, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. The cake is tender and buttery, and the chocolate frosting is dense and rich with a welcome sprinkle of salt. It’s the perfect pairing, and feels like a gourmet version of the boxed cake mix you might have devoured as a child.

Port Sa’id (Hudson Square)

Port Sa’id is a Mediterranean restaurant in Hudson Square from Eyal Shani. Their menu changes frequently, but always offers a seasonal fruit crumble, and it would be a mistake not to order it! When I visited in August, they were whipping up a Plum Crumble, and I was so enamored with this dish that I seriously contemplated ordering a second one to-go so that I could have more the next day. The cooked down fruit was perfectly sour, and the crumble topping was buttery with some gooey bites, and other crunchy bits.

Hawksmoor (Flatiron)

Hawksmoor is steakhouse from London that serves excellent cuts in a cozy space. The pastry chef here is talented, and I always look forward to dessert when dining here. The Peanut Butter Louis is a non-negotiable. It’s like a gourmet candy bar with layers of cookie crust, chewy, caramelly peanut-dotted nougat, chocolate mousse, and a milk chocolate ganache coating. This is my favorite chocolate peanut butter themed dessert in NYC.

Roscioli (The West Village)

The best tiramisu I’ve had in my life is from the Italian restaurant Roscioli. It may not be traditional, but it is elite. It’s custardy and sweet, with no detectable taste of alcohol, and gets topped with a buttery chocolate cookie crumble. It’s part of the downstairs tasting menu, and can also be ordered á la carte at their more casual upstairs space, “The Alimentari.”

Dame (Greenwich Village)

Dame is a small and charming English seafood restaurant in Greenwich Village that’s perfect for an intimate date night. I’ve been here many times, and have never had a bad bite, but the most memorable dish is always the Sticky Toffee Pudding. The cake is soft with a deep molasses flavor and crunchy caramelized edges, and it gets drenched in their homemade salted caramel bourbon sauce. You can sometimes find this in ice cream form, or even as a pancake, at their sister restaurant Lord’s.

Buvette (The West Village)

Buvette is an absolute gem, and there’s no wrong order here (for dessert or otherwise), but I highly recommend trying their off-menu créme brûlée topped with a salty chocolate mousse. The custard is warm, and flecked with vanilla beans, and the layer of sugar is extra thick and crunchy. It doesn’t need the extra toppings in my opinion, but they certainly don’t hurt!

Tatiana (Lincoln Center)

Tatiana was named the #1 best restaurant in New York City by Pete Wells in the New York Times in both 2023 and 2024. The food here is exquisite, and it’s worth going out of your way to come here. If and when you do, save room for dessert! Their “Bodega Special” featuring a homemade cosmic brownie and powdered sugar donut ice cream is both nostalgic and a chocolate lover’s dream!

Claud (East Village)

I wouldn’t blame you if you came to Claud just for dessert- I’ve done it myself on more than one occasion. Their Devil’s Food Cake “for two” (arguable) has six thick layers of plush chocolate cake, and is generously lathered with a fudgy chocolate frosting. It’s one of my top three favorite chocolate cakes in New York City, and I’ve tried quite a few of them. The other desserts here are great too, and I recommend tasting their seasonal ice cream as well.

L’artusi (West Village)

Nobody does Olive Oil Cake better than L’artusi, and it’s no surprise that this is one of their most popular dishes. The cake is tender with a light crumb, it’s sweet, but not cloying, and the olive oil flavor is detectable yet subtle. I could personally do without the golden raisin marmellata and créme fraîche mousse. This cake is perfect on its own. You can find a similar version (same recipe, but baked in loaf form) at their sister cafe Via Porta just down the street.

Gramercy Tavern (Gramercy)

Gramercy Tavern is Michelin-starred upscale American restaurant from Danny Meyer with a tasting menu in the dining room, and an á la carte menu in “The Tavern.” On the á la carte menu, you’ll find this Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookie served with a side of Vanilla Bourbon Milk. It’s served warm, and has crispy edges and a soft center. I believe the recipe was developed by Gramercy Tavern’s long-time pastry chef Miro Uskokovic, who left in 2022 to open a bakery of his own. You can find a similar (if not identical) version of this at his bakery Hani’s

Sip & Guzzle (West Village)

Sip & Guzzle is a bi-level restaurant that is home to two separate dining spaces, with the more casual restaurant Guzzle upstairs, and the more intimate restaurant Sip downstairs. You can make a reservation at both and move from one to the other, or just dine at one. Both menus feature a rich and thick house-made Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve with seasonal fruit, and it’s worth coming here for this alone.

Other contenders:

• Créme Brûlée from Blue Ribbon Brasserie

• Espresso Créme Brûlée + giant Chocolate Chip Cookie from Jean’s

• Créme Brûlée from Chez Fifi

• Rainbow Cookies from Red Hook Tavern

• Caramelized White Chocolate Budino from Raf’s

• Sticky Toffee Pudding from Crown Shy

• Pistachio Soft Serve from Casa Tua

• Ice Cream Sundaes from Kellogg’s Diner

• Texas Sheet Cake from Yellow Rose

• Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies from Little Maven

• Ice Cream Sundae from Peter Luger Steak House