Best Desserts in London | Freakshakes, Sweets & More

Are you looking to satisfy your sweet tooth with some of the best desserts in London? Luckily for you, there are plenty of delights in the city. Here you’ll find a variety of restaurants, cafés, and food stands serving the sweetest and most decadent treats.

Best Dessert Places in East London

In this guide, you’ll be introduced to some of the best desserts in the world that you’ve got to try! From ice cream surrounded by clouds of pink candy floss to height-defying vegan freakshakes, cross-breed croissant doughnuts, and waffled filled concoctions, London’s best dessert shops are keeping us on a constant sugar high

freakshakes

That plain vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake from your childhood just won’t do.

These days, dessert shops around London are creating inventive, eye-catching, mouth-watering masterpieces.

Struggling with knowing what to do in London?

pWVCNWm1KnioDzDCUoZmb3

    Grab this hassle free checklist of the top 110 things to do in London from a local, includes:

    ✅ Top Free Things To In London

    ✅ Cool Touristy & Non-Touristy Things To

    ✅ Epic Free Viewpoints

    ✅ Cute Instagrammable Places in London

    Gone are your average milkshakes; in their place has risen the freakshake, a milkshake that is piled with anything: ice cream, Oreos, brownies, pretzels – even pancakes.

    The humble croissant wasn’t safe either and was skillfully cross-breed with a doughnut to create their love child, a cronut.

    Camden Market Food

    London desserts have been skillfully upgraded. A popular treat is Bubblewrap — an interesting take on a waffle ice cream.

    Filled with ice cream and covered in whatever topping you desire and rules in London Chinatown, these are just a few of the best desserts in London.

    With so many dessert shops popping up around London, it can be confusing to know which ones to try.

    So, I’ve put together a list of the best dessert places in London for you to try.

    You may also like: Unusual Things To Do in London | Food Tours in London


    Must-Try London Dessert Places

    I’ve compiled a list of some of the best dessert places in London that will get your mouth watering.

    Peanut butter, hot chocolate, dark chocolate, egg waffles, or cheesecake, anyone?

    HumbleCrumbleInstagrammableDessertsinLonddon

    These decadent options are some of the best desserts London has to offer for sugar lovers. Are you ready to try some of these tasty treats?

    Tip: London is home to some of the most Instagrammable desserts, so be sure to bring along your travel camera to capture every moment.

    Miki’s Paradise | Best Freakshakes London


    If you’re looking for the ultimate freakshake, London has plenty to offer. Some of the city’s most sugary creations can be found at Miki’s Paradise.

    This is a milkshake and juice bar owned by a Mediterranean couple who are creating some of the freakiest London desserts.

    Miki’s Paradise

    With its relaxed and welcoming vibe, Miki’s Paradise is bringing the Mediterranean sunshine to London via their deliciously wicked freakshakes.

    The owners, whose inspiration was to be more creative and upgrade the average milkshake into the freakshake of your childhood dreams, make all the toppings for the shakes in-house.

    On some weekends, you can also enjoy live music and boozy shakes. I would recommend the Naughty Naughty Freakshake on your first visit – trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

    In addition to some of the best milkshakes in London, other Miki’s Paradise desserts that you should try are the topping-filled crepes and waffles. If you’re feeling brave, you can pair the sugary beverage and dessert together!

    READ MORE | Best Bottomless Brunches in London

    Address | 221 Holloway Road, London, United Kingdom N7 8HG

    Opening Time | Monday – Thursday: 9:00 – 18:00; Friday – Saturday: 9:00 – 19:30 pm; Sunday: 10:00 -19:30

    Cupcakes & Shhht  | Vegan Desserts London

    Cupcakes & Shhht

    This is another freakshakes London experience, but for the health-conscious vegan’s amongst us. Cupcakes and Shhh is one of the few places serving strictly vegan desserts in London.

    I had the opportunity to meet the two London besties, Cait & Soph, who own Cupcakes and Shhht , at an event where I sampled their vegan freakshake and doughnuts.

    I knew I had to visit their cafe in Elephant and Castle and test out their Unicorn freakshake.

    They also make birthday cakes. I am happy I did – their shakes are surprisingly very light and won’t have you feeling bloated.

    They also serve breakfast on weekends. The cafe is small but cosy and is busiest on weekends, so be an eager beaver and go early.

    READ MORE | Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden

    Address | 10, The Artworks, Elephant Rd, London SE17

    Opening Time | 9:00 – 20:00


    I wanted to include some fun facts about the creators of these tasty desserts: like what inspired them to create these treats and how they create new flavours for one of the best dessert restaurants in London.

    I asked the creators of Cupcake & SHHHT where they found the inspiration behind their amazing vegan desserts. Here’s what they had to say about their London desserts:

    1. How do you come up with or find inspiration for the different flavours and shakes you create? Our flavours and ideas are inspired by pics on Instagram, Pinterest, magazines and a bunch of our favourite foods from magazines. We always managed to put a C&S twist on things.

    2. What was the inspiration behind starting your company? Soph and I had very little responsibilities, so it was easy to quit our jobs and follow our dreams. We’d always wanted to own our own businesses, and our friendship has made it an enjoyable experience. It was a very spontaneous decision, and we were very young. We just wanted to do something with our lives that we were passionate about.

    3. If you could only eat one dessert or thing on your menu for the rest of your life, what would it be? I think we’d both agree on the facon pancakes! They’re sooooo good! The right amount of sweet and the right amount of salt! Can’t go wrong.

    You may also like | Best Coffee Shops in Shoreditch | London Walking Tours


    Dum Dums Donutterie | Cronut Desserts London

    Dum Dums Donutterie

    It’s a doughnut…it’s a croissant…No! It’s a cronut! The cronut craze that swept New York found its way to London.

    It originated by artisan doughnut chef Paul Hurley, who came up with the world’s first baked (not fried) handmade doughnuts, along with the famous Dum Dum cronut.

    Dum Dum’s is the place to go if you’re looking for the best dessert in Shoreditch. Flavours include Crême Brûlée, Boston Creme, strawberry cream and the Zebra.

    The Zebra contains layers of both regular and chocolate croissant dough and is filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache. It is one of the best sellers on the menu at Dum Dums.

    I found the cronuts really filling, and one was enough to hold me over until dinner.  So, get one to share with a friend. I also love their raspberry glazed dough.

    Address | Boxpark Shoreditch Unit 31 ( Harrods)

    Opening Times | Monday – Saturday: 8:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 11:00 – 22:00


    I asked the creators of Dum Dums Donutterie where they found their inspiration behind the crazy cronuts. Here’s what they had to say:

    1. How do you come up with or find inspiration for the different flavours of cronuts and doughnuts? We get our inspiration from our amazing customers (Donutters) and source only the best ingredients. That way, we create and bake something unique, delicious and what people want.

    2. What was the inspiration behind starting your company? Paul Hurley the Founder has been in the Donut business for over 20 years…He wanted to improve the traditional deep-fried doughnut and spent years creating and perfecting his patented baked doughnut…the result is Dum Dum Donutterie, and many have said “It’s the best doughnuts in the world”. So you can be sure that this is a sought after dessert place in London.

    3. If you could only eat one dessert or thing on your menu for the rest of your life, what would it be? Too difficult to choose but if you haven’t tried our cross between a Croissant and a Donut…We call them Cro’s…We think they are amazing anytime.


    Soft Serve Society | Ice-Cream Dessert London

    Soft Serve Society

    This is not the ice cream from Mr. Whippy or from your childhood – this is special. Soft Serve Society is one of the original dessert places in London and is one of the best dessert places in London.

    Your standard ice cream is upgraded to a heavenly creation that comes on a cloud of pink candy floss called Cloud 9.

    And if candy floss ice cream doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can choose from the matcha, charcoal or coconut ice cream flavours.

    A Japanese toy specialist and a body-piercing aficionado founded Soft Serve Society after travelling to Asia and seeing the amazing and interesting dessert parlours there.

    They brought the idea back to London, creating Soft Serve Society, a place where you can get premium ice creams with endless toppings.

    Address | Boxpark Shoreditch Unit 35

    Opening Time | Monday – Saturday: 8:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00  – 22:00


    Bubblewrap Chinatown | Best Dessert in Chinatown

    Bubblewrap

    This egg waffle concoction first appeared in Hong Kong as a street food snack created by using broken eggs that couldn’t be sold to customers. Bubblewrap is another London dessert shop that should not be missed.

    This quirky shaped bubble wrap waffle is one of the hottest dessert places in central London, with hoards of people willing to queue for 30 minutes or more to get their hands on one in London Chinatown.

    Choosing between an original or chocolate base, you then pick your fillings from strawberries, nuts, Oreos, avocados and eggs (for a healthy choice) Bubblewrap has it all. If you like these bubble wraps, be sure to read my guide on the best places to eat in London Chinatown.

    You can then have your bubble wrap drizzled with various toppings, like salted caramel, Nutella, condensed milk, peanut butter or chocolate.

    Address | 24 Wardour Street, London Chinatown W1D 6QJUK

    Opening Times | Monday – Sunday: 12:00 – 19:00

    Chin Chin Labs | Best Desserts In Camden

    Visiting Chin Chin Labs is among the best things to do in Camden. It slayed as Europe’s first liquid nitrogen ice cream shop and is ‘THE’ dessert place in Camden Market.

    The soft scoop of ice cream is frozen and churned using clouds of liquid nitrogen, which reduces the ice crystals in the mix, resulting in silky smooth and creamy ice cream.

    Chin Chin Labs

    Along with the standard vanilla and chocolate flavours, there are weekly changing flavour combinations, such as brownie cookie sandwiches and sticky toffee pudding sundaes, that will keep customers on their toes.

    When I first saw this nitro ice cream, I thought it was all hype and visited their Camden branch with pessimism. But I swiftly ate my words after only one spoonful of their burnt caramel – the texture of the ice cream was so soft and with just the right amount of sweet (not sticky or sickly sweet).

    You can definitely have more than one serving of Chin Chin Labs’ ice cream. They only take cash in the Camden branch, and all toppings cost an extra £0.55.

    Address | Camden Lock Place, London NW1 8AF

    Opening Times | Monday – Sunday: 12:00 – 19:00

    Cutter and Squidge | Best Dessert Soho, London

    Cutter and Squidge

    The newest players on the hybrid dessert scene are Cutter and Squidge. This Soho cake shop also offers the best afternoon tea in Soho, in ‘the potion room’. Their wizardry themed afternoon tea experience.

    Cutter & Squidge are the nicknames of the sisters who started out in a Kitchen in North West London. Cutter & Squidge is known for its unique invention: Biskies. And what’s a Biskies, I hear you ask?

    Well, a Biskies is a cross-breed between a biscuit/cookie/cake filled with lightened buttercream, jams and caramels. Other flavours include black forest, raspberry s’more, salted caramel s’more and salted caramel brownie, which has a soft and chewy texture.

    Address | 30 Brewer St, Soho W1F 0SJ, London

    Opening times | Monday to Wednesday 9:30 – 20:00, Thursday 9:30 – 21:00; Friday 9:30 – 22:00; Saturday: 11:00 – 21:00; Sunday 11:00 – 20:00


    I asked the creators of Cutter & Squidge where they find the inspiration behind their unique Biskies and flavours. Here’s what they had to say

    1. How do you come up with or find inspiration for the different flavours? Inspirations are from desserts all over the world e.g. affogatos from Italy or green tea desserts from japan and what flavours we think go really well together.

    2. What was the inspiration for starting your company? We’re all dessert fiends and love eating desserts and soft-serve ice creams. Ice cream is everywhere in Asia, and we just wanted to put a twist on it and bring it over to London.

    3. If you could only eat one dessert or thing on your menu for the rest of your life, what would it be?  ESPRESSO YOURSELF! Good espresso and good vanilla ice cream is a bomb combo!

    BAKE | Ice-Cream Dessert in Chinatown

    Bake Chinatown

    Bake is one of the two local bakeries in London Chinatown that makes the delicious Taiyaki fish matcha green tea ice cream that you will see flooding your Instagram feed, amongst other cute and quirky London desserts.

    In addition to the fish-shaped, ice-cream-filled Taiyaki, an ice treat you’re sure to enjoy is the ‘Sweet Joy’.

    This is a twirly corn spiral that is injected with ice cream. Bake is also one of the best places in London to pick up a ready-made birthday cake, as they have more than 60 types of cake on offer.

    Address | 9 Wardour Street, London, W1D 6PF

    Opening Times | Monday – Thursday & Sunday: 09:30-21:30; Friday-Saturday: 10:00-22:00

    Yauatcha | Best Sweets in London

    Another establishment offering Asian-themed desserts is Yauatcha. This is a popular Cantonese dim sum restaurant in the heart of London. While their food menu is sure to get your taste buds tingling, their desserts are pretty spectacular, too.

    The most popular dessert offering at Yauatcha is their vast collection of macarons. This includes a variety of unique flavours that are inspired by the seasons. Popular flavours include sakura and raspberry, salted toffee nut, and yuzu — a Japanese citrus fruit similar to a lemon or mandarin.

    Other sweet treats you can enjoy include the restaurant’s homemade chocolates and signature ‘petits gateaux’ cake known as the Raspberry Delice.

    This is a small, carefully-constructed cake comprising Madagascan chocolate and raspberry mousse, lychee panna cotta, crunchy biscuit pearls, and a cocoa butter finish.

    Address | 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho, London, W1F 0DL

    Opening Times | Sunday – Wednesday: 11:00 – 00:00; Thursday – Saturday: 11:00 – 1:00

    Lockdown Bakehouse | Best Croissant in London

    If you’re looking for the best croissant London has to offer, then you can’t go wrong with Lockdown Bakehouse. This recently established bakery quickly became a favourite amongst locals by serving a tasty selection of pastries and desserts.

    At Lockdown Bakehouse, everything is freshly-baked. This includes everything from the many unique breads to the croissants, danishes, brownies, and muffins.

    The bakery is also home to some of the best London doughnuts. These come with a variety of fillings — namely pistachio, white chocolate, lemon curd, vanilla custard, and raspberry jam.

    Each of these pastries and desserts pairs perfectly with Lockdown Bakehouse’s house blend coffee.

    The bakery provides a 7-day delivery service to homes throughout South London. It also has a cafe, which is open every day of the week. This way, you can enjoy your sweet treats at the bakery or in the comfort of your home.

    Address | Unit 6, Ferrier St, Wandsworth Town, London, SW18 1SN

    Opening Times | Monday – Friday: 7:00 – 15:00; Saturday & Sunday: 8:00 – 16:00

    Bears Ice Cream | Best Ice Cream Cake London

    Bears Ice Cream Company is a small family-run ice cream parlour in West London. At the parlour, you can purchase high-quality soft serve made with Jersey milk and cream. These come in a variety of unique and quirky flavours.

    Some popular picks include the salted pumpkin seed nougat ice cream, milk chocolate, raspberry and hazelnut swirl ice cream, and of course, the Bears Jersey Milk ice cream.

    For those who are more health-conscious or have specific dietary requirements, you’ll be pleased to know that the parlour’s menu includes sorbets and vegan alternatives too. These are also available in a wide range of innovative flavours, so be sure to give them a try.

    While the ice cream and sorbet are superb, the parlour’s most popular item is their ice cream cakes. These are handmade and can be customised to suit your taste buds. For the base, choose between a thick and thin layer of sponge, a layer of brownies, or crunchy cookies. Then, decide on the perfect flavour to pair it with.

    There are also several ready-made cakes — namely the strawberry and ice cream, vegan ice cream cake, Bears epic celebration cake, and the popular gummy galore ice cream cake. These are available for delivery to various areas throughout London.

    Address | 244 Goldhawk Rd, London W12 9PE, United Kingdom

    Opening TImes | Monday – Friday: 13:00 – 20:30; Saturday & Sunday: 11:30 – 20:30 

    Note: For ice cream scoops, visit the store at The Pavilion, Brook Green. The store is open every day from 8:30 to 20:30.

    Paul.A.Young Fine Chocolates | Best Hot Chocolate Central London

    During the winter and autumn months, there’s no better way to beat the chill than with a cosy cup of hot chocolate.

    There are many restaurants and cafés throughout London that serve hot chocolate; however, one of the best can be found at Paul.A.Young Fine Chocolates.

    This is a charming store located in central London founded by London’s renowned chocolatier, Paul Young.

    At the store, you’ll find many chocolaty goodies. This includes brownies and cookies, chocolate bars, spreads, gift boxes, and more.

    However, the main highlight is the chocolatier’s award-winning Aztec hot chocolate. The warm and hearty beverage is rich and is usually infused with cardamom, ginger spice, and nutmeg.

    If you wish to have your hot chocolate at home, you can also purchase the store’s instant hot chocolate powder.

    Address | 33 Camden Passage, Islington, London, N1 8EA

    Opening Times | Monday – Thursday: 10:00 – 18:30; Friday: 10:00 – 19:00; Saturday: 10:00 – 18:30; Sunday: 11:00 – 18:00

    Have a Yummy Treat at the Best Dessert Places London

    This list shows the inventiveness and creativity of young Londoners, who are using their skills and energy to make amazing desserts that keep the masses on a constant sugar high.

    I hope this round-up of the best desserts in London can be your guide. The next time you have a craving for something sweet, visit one of these London restaurants to satisfy your sweet tooth.

    You’re sure to find your favourite desserts in London. Whether you’re looking for a pastry chef to whip up some sweet London treats, wanting to sample the best white chocolate sauce, or searching for the cookies or brownie of your dreams, there’s a restaurant to satisfy any taste. For more London sweets, check out this guide to the best desserts in East London


    Sharing is caring!

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *