Everyone knows food shouldn’t just be about the taste, it’s also about the experience! This especially applies to dessert, something that can be created and designed in so many different ways. Instagram lovers, let us unite in our love for taking pictures of aesthetically-pleasing food and in our endeavors to find the next culinary feature for our feeds. Here are five dessert places in New York City that will brighten up your Instagram feeds and hopefully end up on the top of your to-eat list.
- LRoom Cafe // 41 W 14th St
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LRoom Cafe is a gorgeous, high-end, floral-themed cafe within walking distance from Union Square Park. Famous for its beautiful floral arrangements on its walls, tables, and yes, even in the food! This cafe is perfect for those who wouldn’t mind spending a little extra for a cute and lavish dessert. Some popular dishes on the menu include:
– “Sweet Fantasy Honey Toast” – A slice of honey toast topped off with the PUFFIEST cloud of cotton candy and sprinkles of tiny flowers.
– “Rose Garden” – Scoops of strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberries nestled inside an egg waffle cup, and garnished with edible flowers. (I have personally tried this, and can confirm that this is a must-try!)
– “Head in the Cloud” – Just as the name says, this dish has a “cloud” of light and fluffy cotton candy hovering above it! Enjoy layers of cake and cream topped off with ice cream and berries as you munch on the cloud.
– A variety of milk teas – How can anyone pick?! LRoom Cafe offers a wide variety of colorfully-layered and exquisite drinks including mocktails and lattes, but the milk teas are arguably the most unique and aesthetically-pleasing. Flavors include matcha tofu, lavender sweet potato, and rose red bean! And of course, there is an option to add tapioca bubbles.
- Sweet Moment // 106 Mott St
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Love bingsoo? Sweet Moment is the perfect place for you! Set in a cozy cafe in the Chinatown / Little Italy area, this location offers a variety of different flavored bingsoo, including black sesame & red bean (my personal favorite), mango & cheesecake, and tiramisu. The bingsoo comes in small, which is served in a cup, or (if you want to challenge yourself) a large, which is served in a cute mini wok.
Shaved ice aside, Sweet Moment is popularly known for its adorable lattes (also available in a variety of flavors), with designs of cute animal faces on the top, such as bears and bunnies. Talk about service with a smile! It’s so hard to resist taking a picture and admiring it…they’re almost too cute to drink.
Finally, Sweet Moment serves intricate waffles topped with ice cream, fruit, and other various toppings. The most popular one is matcha & strawberry, which includes matcha ice cream, strawberries, mascarpone cream, white chocolate shavings, and matcha sauce! Visit this cafe and discover your favorite!
- Bibble & Sip // 253 W 51st St
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Go “alpaca” your bags and head over to Bibble & Sip for their adorable alpaca-themed desserts and drinks! Featuring mini cakes and tarts, Bibble & Sip is an iconic place to browse the wide variety of pastries on display. However, this cafe is most famous for its beautiful cream puffs. Take a peek on Instagram and feast your eyes on all the cute and puffy matcha, earl grey, and black sesame cream puffs, oozing with creamy and delicious filling (the most popular is matcha). Instagram fanatics, I strongly recommend taking a boomerang when opening up these sweet treats!
Some desserts are based on the time of the year, so there are some seasonal pastries as well! Bibble & Sip is known for incorporating cute cartoon characters into their macarons and cakes, such as Totoro and Minnie Mouse. The cafe also often designs their macarons based on the holiday/occasion at the time. Examples in the past include Halloween-themed Sanrio macarons, Pikachu macarons in honor of the release of the movie Detective Pikachu, and adorable pig macarons in honor of the Year of the Pig (last Lunar New Year).
Of course, don’t forget to complement your sweet treat with a drink! Come in during a cold day and relax with a matcha or jasmine latte, topped with a pretty design in the foam; if you’re lucky, you’ll be served a smiling alpaca.
- Taiyaki NYC // 119 Baxter St
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Who doesn’t love ice cream? At Taiyaki NYC, servers prepare freshly-made taiyaki (directly translating to “fried fish”) waffle cones and swirl soft swerve right in the mouth of the cone… literally! Taiyaki offers signature styles including:
– “The Classic” – vanilla ice cream, custard taiyaki cone, crushed oreos, wafer stick, and chocolate drizzle
– “Matcha Better” – matcha ice cream, red bean taiyaki cone, rainbow mochi, and strawberry drizzle
– “Unicorn” – soft serve of your own choice with a unicorn horn and ears!
Go with a friend and shamelessly take pictures of your ice cream until you get the perfect shot.
- Alimama // 89A Bayard St
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Everyone’s heard of boba milk tea, but what about boba cream puffs? Alimama serves aesthetically-pleasing cream puffs with boba filling inside of them, along with other unique pastries such as mochi donuts and mochi munchkins. Two unique flavors of the mochi donuts are the onyx (coated with a glossy, dark chocolate, and caramel glaze) and the brulee (coated with a burnt caramelized sugar glaze).
But let’s be real, most people come here for the star dessert: the boba royal milk tea cream puff (try saying that three times fast). With the crunchy shell, the rich and creamy filling, and the cute and chewy tapioca bubbles, who can resist!
In addition, Alimama serves both hot and cold drinks, ranging from fruit teas to milk teas in both categories. I highly recommend the cold brew teas, which can be served with chia or mini bubbles (10/10 would recommend lychee rose). If you are looking for fancy but affordable artsy, layered drinks, Alimama has you covered!
*As an added bonus, this cafe serves organic, gluten-free, and vegan options*
So what are you waiting for? Grab your favorite foodie friend and head over to these delicious dessert places the next time you head to NYC and want that perfect food photoshoot.