Best places to get dessert in the West End

Satisfy your sweet tooth with London's finest ice cream, cakes, brownies, and more.

“Don't waste your pucker on some all-day sucker / And don't try a toffee or cream / If you seek perfection in sugar confection / Well there's something new on the scene”, sings candy inventor Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While his “Toot Sweets” that last forever have yet to be invented, we think it’s more fun trying out lots of different options and there’s no shortage of imaginative offerings in London's West End.

From ice cream to cinnamon buns to French patisserie, read on for our guide to the most truly scrumptious desserts in the West End. All are utterly irresistible!

Bubblewrap

In 2015, a group of students at Imperial College wanted to put their own spin on sweet egg waffles, a traditional Hong Kong street food offering, and their Chinatown store was an instant social media hit in 2017. Hot and cold, smooth and crunchy, these hexagonal waffle cones (choose your preferred base) are filled with ice cream and sprinkled with toppings. Truly Insta-worthy!

Address: 24 Wardour Street, London W1D 6QJ

Price: £

Buns From Home

A relative newcomer that’s springing up everywhere in London, Buns from Home started as a lockdown project in founder Barney Goff’s mum’s kitchen in March 2020 and the franchise now has almost 20 branches across London, including Covent Garden, Soho, and Piccadilly. Try the traditional cinnamon or cardamon buns, or specials that include matcha-misu or Brazilian popcorn. The queues speak to the quality!

Address: 140 Long Acre, WC2E 9JT / 63 Broadwick Street, London W1F 9QS / 166 Piccadilly, London W1J 9EF

Price: £

Café de Nata

Café de Nata was the UK’s first café to specialise in premium pastéis de nata and its offerings are definitive. You can watch the chefs preparing these wonderful Portuguese custard tarts as you sip coffee and chat. As well as the classic option, you can also enjoy them filled with fruit – the apple and cinnamon version is perfect for autumn. The plant-based options have also been rapturously received.

Address: 25 Old Compton Street, London W1D 5JN

Price: £

Cake & Bubbles

For sit-down luxury, try the Cake & Bubbles experience (what better combination is there?) by Michelin-starred chef Albert Adrià at the 5-star Hotel Café Royal. It’s no problem if a bottle of £1700 of Dom Pérignon is slightly out of reach – you can enjoy a glass of Cava for £11 and the selection of bespoke seasonal desserts are reasonably priced and utterly delicious.

Address: Hotel Café Royal, 10 Air Street, London W1B 5AB

Price: ££-££££

Chin Chin Ice Cream

Europe’s first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour (how high-tech!), Chin Chin has been hailed as “The future of ice cream,” by the Observer. This tiny minimalist joint is known for its unusual flavours, including coffee and olive oil to black sesame tahini halva, that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else. The hot chocolate is rightly famous too.

Address: 52 Greek Street, London W1D 3DS Price: £

Crosstown

Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, Crosstown doughnuts are among the most popular in London, with branches in Soho and Fitzrovia. These handcrafted sourdough offerings (made by combining sourdough and fresh bakers’ yeast) are the perfect pick-me-up. Limited edition flavours include pumpkin and dulce de leche and matcha and strawberry.

Address: 4 Broadwick Street, London W1F 8WA / 13 Newman Street, London W1A 1PB

Price: £

Cutter & Squidge

London’s only all-natural bakery is run by a pair of dessert-obsessed sisters who believe in using “just as much [sugar and fat] as needed to make something delicious”. In their modern, light-filled Soho café, try their signature Biskies, a special sandwiched dessert that’s a cross between a cake and a cookie, or the Diwali cakes this autumn. The brownies are also a great favourite.

Address: 20 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SJ

Price: ££

Gelupo

Gelupo has been a central London favourite for ice cream since 2010 with its imaginative flavours (such as ricotta sour cherry and rice pudding and strawberry jam – as well as more traditional options) and dedication to quality. Seasonal specials abound, including fig leaf ripple and strawberry grape sorbet for autumn. The bitter chocolate sorbet is a classic.

Address: 7 Archer Street, London W1D 7AU

Price: £

Maison Bertaux

Soho’s famous cake shop Maison Bertaux was established in 1871 and is London’s oldest French patisserie. It has been run by sisters Michele and Tania Wade since 1988 and everything is made on the premises. The bohemian vibe and lively atmosphere elude back to the Soho of old. The cakes, tarts, viennoiserie, and other fancies are very generously sized – no one will feel short-changed here!

Address: 28 Greek Street, London W1D 5DQ

Price: ££

Udderlicious

Udderlicious is, well, utterly delicious! Founded by ice-cream obsessed couple Raj and Raj, who have over 35 years of experience in the business. All ice creams and sorbets are made in store with the finest ingredients. Flavour of the month for October in Covent Garden is rhubarb crumble and you can make your own suggestions for what you would like to see on the menu – not that there’s any shortage of choice at any time!

Address: 24 Earlham Street, London WC2H 2LN

Price: £

Barnaby

Barnaby's Handmade Bars is located on Upper St Martin's Lane, within a stone's thrown of historic venues such as the London Coliseum, Duke of York's Theatre, and St. Martin's Theatre, home to The Mousetrap. This new establishment develops handmade chocolate bars that look as though they belong in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Choose from flavours such as TipTap (peanut butter, salted caramel, peanut crunch) and Cinema (popcorn and toffee).

Address: 4 Upper St Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9EA

Price: ££

Photo: Joan Puig Massuet (Flickr)