Does your mouth water at the sight of sugary treats? Is dinner never complete without a sweet ending? We’ve got just what you need. From DIY s’mores to towering pies and loaded ice cream sandwiches, here’s our insider guide to the 10 best desserts in London.
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The Melting Chocolate Orb: Bob Bob Ricard
Fusing English luxury with Russian cuisine, Bob Bob Ricard is the opulent restaurant famed for its 'Press For Champagne' button. But that's not all. Sitting pretty alongside fondants, soufflés and flaming brûlées, the BBR signature chocolate glory (£16) is a melting mix of Valrhona dark chocolate, praline crunch, coffee mousse and a dash of caramelised hazelnuts with a hot choc sauce.
Worth the price tag? Decide for yourself... after getting a snap or two.
The Bubble Waffle: Hans & Gretel UK
Not for the faint of heart, Hans & Gretel UK in Camden are killing it when it comes to Instagrammable desserts, particularly their bubble waffles (from £6.90). You'll definitely have seen them scattered across your feed at some point. You can choose up to two flavours of gelato, smothered in chocolate spread and nostalgic toppings like fizzy sweets, multicoloured sprinkles and Smarties. Their chimney cakes are worth checking out, too.
It's raining sprinkles and love hearts.
The Classic With A Twist: Humble Crumble
If there's one dessert that's almost perfect as it is, it's got to be this warming dish on a rainy day. However, Humble Crumble, the world's first dedicated crumble bakery, has managed to elevate it so that it's borderline elite. What started as word-of-mouth by founder Kim now has three locations across the city in Borough Market, Spitalfields and Camden, serving up artisan apple crumble with hot custard (£7). Watch out for specials like the crumbrûlée, or even have a go at building your own.
Wrap your lips around this.
The Incomparable Lemon Pie: Gloria
Does a nine-inch high layer of meringue sound up your street? Same. This is why you'll love the aesthetically pleasing Italian restaurant Gloria's dessert offering, mightily named the incomparable lemon pie (£8). Graze your fork through the soft surface to meet a zingy, refreshing layer of citrus before reaching the crumbly bottom.
From Instagram to in your belly.
The Custard Bun: Bun House
Oozing with a yellow-tinged salted duck egg custard, the custard bun (£3.80) at Bun House has built a cult following among foodies. Expect the classic Cantonese-style bun, this time filled with a runny mixture that’ll have you licking up every single drop. Not quite sweet, not quite savoury; it’s a lip-smacking mouthful and one of the most affordable desserts in London.
Suns out, buns out: one of the best Asian desserts in London.
The Brownie Ice Cream Sando: Chin Chin Labs
What started as an ice cream store dedicated to liquid nitrogen creations, Chin Chin Labs has come a long way in delivering some of the best desserts in Soho and Camden. Burnt butter caramel ice cream pies and loaded tiramisu sundaes join this mouthwatering brownie cookie ice cream sando (from £5.95). Customise it with the likes of black sesame ice cream, molten chocolate, bee pollen honeycomb and whatever else takes your fancy.
Now that's our kinda sandwich.
The S’mores: Flesh and Buns
One of the most indulgent desserts in London, the s’mores (£9.80) at Flesh and Buns need no introduction. Swapping campfires for swish interiors and an Insta-worthy table-top flame, the Fitzrovia favourite offers strawberry marshmallows that you can toast to perfection before smothering with almond chocolate and sandwiching between graham crackers.
All fired up and ready to go.
The Tiramisu Radio Lamington: Scarlett Green
Antipodean-inspired fare is the name of the game at Scarlett Green, and whether you came for brunch or after-work cocktails, this tiramisu radio lamington (£6.50) should be on your radar. Served with a shot of Mr Black coffee liquor for an extra £3, it's absolutely delicious and bound to wake you up (in dessert heaven). No trip to the Soho spot is complete without it.
Get your rich and chocolatey pudding fix at Scarlett Green.
The Dessert Platter: Roka
If, like us, you’ve got a proper sweet tooth, then Roka is right up your street. Bringing you neither one, nor two, but a whole assortment of treats, the dessert platter (£15) does feasting right. Between exotic fruits and delicate sorbets, exquisite cheesecakes and the cutest chocolate Buddha, there’s a little bit of everything.
Buddha brings you five a day, dessert-style.
The Horlicks Ice Cream Fried Bun: BAO
Up there with the best dessert restaurants in London, BAO is in a bid to win with its moreish Horlicks ice cream fried bao (£6.25). Sandwiched between two golden, crisp Tawainese-style buns is a spherical scoop of malty goodness, which delicately drips down between your fingers as you pick this sensational creation up and devour it in one (okay, maybe three).
Luxury dessert places in London don't have anything on this bad boy.
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