From Italian cannolis to 3D-printed cakes, there are plenty of amazing desserts in Boston to try. This is the ultimate, in-depth bucket list of the 31 best desserts in Boston in 2024.
Last Updated: January 11th, 2024
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1) 3D Printed Pastries at Jonquils Bakery & Cafe
First on the best desserts in Boston guide is Jonquils, an elegant cafe on Newbury Street selling beautiful and delicious 3D-printed pastries. While the desserts aren’t actually 3D printed (they just use a 3D mold), they come in cool, unique shapes.
The cakes are mousse-like and filled with various creams, chiffon, and chocolates. The mango and passionfruit-flavored Exotique Spheres cake is my favorite here.
For drinks, try their flora tea. There is a flower that blooms inside the drink in front of you!
125 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116 / Visit Website
2) Matcha Crepe Cake from Lady M
Located on Newbury Street, Lady M is a world-famous chain for mille-crepe cakes. Each cake has 20 thin, alternating layers of crepes and cream. The texture is airy and light.
The most popular item is the matcha crepe cake, served with a generous portion of matcha powder on top. You can get a slice (~$10) or a full cake (~$80). It’s quite pricey so I only get it for special occasions.
304 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115 / Visit Website
3) Red Velvet Cupcake at Georgetown Cupcakes (CLOSED)
Georgetown Cupcakes is a popular DC cupcake chain with a location on Newbury Street. Their signature flavor is red velvet. It’s a classic red velvet cupcake with vanilla cream cheese frosting and a red fondant heart on top. The cupcakes here are freshly made and not overly sugary.
83 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116 / Visit Website
JULY 2023 UPDATE: It’s closed now!
4.) Matcha Parfaits at Matcha Maiko
If you love matcha, you need to visit Matcha Maiko in Fenway. They specialize in premium matcha and hojicha soft serves, matcha ice cream parfaits, and boba teas. They use quality matcha imported from Japan.
Their most noteworthy dessert is the “Golden Shogun” matcha soft serve. The Instagrammable dessert is a matcha soft serve cone covered with a 23.75K edible gold leaf.
I also highly recommend the soft serve parfaits like the Matcha Maiko Special. It has layers of matcha cream, matcha chiffon, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi topped with creamy matcha ice cream. It tastes just like the ones I’ve had in Japan!
If you don’t like matcha, don’t worry. They serve vanilla soft serve and parfaits as well.
115 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215 / Visit Website
5) Taiyaki Soft Serve at Taiyaki NYC
This is another Japanese-inspired dessert on this best desserts in Boston guide, based on the street food taiyaki. Taiyaki is a warm, fish-shaped cake that is filled with either red bean or custard. Taiyaki NYC puts a modern spin on the dessert by filling half the cake with soft serve!
They have a variety of preset flavor and topping combinations as well as a “build-your-own” option. Many people order the “Straight Out of Japan”, a red bean taiyaki filled with a matcha-vanilla ice cream swirl.
During certain seasons and holidays, they have cute and Instagrammable Taiyaki designs!
119 Seaport Blvd Suite B, Boston, MA 02210 / Visit Website
6) Belgian Waffle Pops at Sweet Waffles & Boba
This boba and Belgian waffle shop in Chinatown opened in 2019 and has quickly gained popularity among both locals and tourists. Their liege Belgian waffles are served fresh on a popsicle stick and topped with cream and various toppings. Flavors include churro crunch, strawberry shortcake, matcha crunch, etc. The sweetness of the toppings isn’t too overpowering, allowing you to savor the waffle.
Their boba and lemonade are also really good. If you have a big sweet tooth, you need to try their brown sugar boba milk.
Note: They are only open on weekends and lines get long!
18 Hudson St, Boston, MA 02111 / Visit Website
7) Crepe Cakes at Bao Bao Bakery
Next, down the street from SWB is an unassuming Chinese bakery and cafe. They specialize in fun crepe cake flavors like brown sugar and rainbow!
Looking for more food and desserts in Chinatown? Read my official Chinatown Boston guide.
84 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA 02111 / Visit Website
Further Reading: 17+ Boston’s Best Bakeries
8) Shaved Snow at C-Fruit Life
This Chinese dessert shop in Allston is one of my favorite hidden gems. They serve Hong Kong/Chinese desserts including sweet soups, pochettes, and boba drinks that you can’t find elsewhere. They even serve durian and taro-flavored desserts!
My go-to is the mango shaved snow. The dessert is layers of soft, mango-flavored “snow”, topped with sliced mangoes, lychee, mango boba, and pomelo.
2003, 171 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134
9) Mangonada & Che at Coco Leaf
Coco Leaf in Dorchester and Back Bay is my favorite shop for Vietnamese che, or shaved ice. It’s similar to a parfait and is often composed of red beans, coconut milk, pandan jelly, and mung beans topped with ice. It creates a perfectly sweet, slightly nutty taste.
Surprisingly, my favorite item here is the mangonada. It’s a mango smoothie mixed with chamoy, tamarind, and chili-lime salt. The taste is sweet yet addictingly tangy.
10) Waffle Ice Cream at LimeRed Teahouse
LimeRed specializes in egg puff waffle sundaes – a traditional Hong Kong waffle paired with two scoops of ice cream.
Pairing a bite of ice cream with a piece of warm bubble waffle is my favorite way to eat it. They also serve boba milk and fruit teas.
1092 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 / Visit Website
11) Cakes at Tous Les Jours
Last on the topic of Asian desserts in Boston is Tous Les Jours. This South Korean-based chain has plenty of pastries, cakes, and drinks to choose from. I always get strawberry cream croissants. It’s the perfect choice if you don’t like anything too sweet. Paris Baguette in Cambridge’s Central Square is a similar pastry shop!
152 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134 / Visit Website
12) Florentine Cannoli at Bova’s Bakery
No visit to Boston is complete without getting an Italian cannoli! There has been a long-standing debate among Bostonians about which cannoli is the best. You’ve probably heard of Mike’s, but have you heard of Bova’s? Bova’s is a favorite amongst many locals including myself!
They have a wide variety of flavors including chocolate chip, oreo, hazelnut, pistachio, peanut butter, etc. My #1 recommendation here is the Florentine cannoli. The shell is crunchy and sweet, consisting of honey and almonds. Paired with their smooth and creamy ricotta, it’s the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
Bova’s is open 24/7, making it the perfect option for late-night desserts in Boston.
134 Salem St, Boston, MA 02113 / Visit Website
13) Cannoli & Lobster Tail at Mike’s Pastry
Next is the most notable bakery in the entire city. Mike’s is extremely popular with tourists but for good reason. You can’t go wrong with any of the cannolis. For first-timers, I recommend a simple chocolate chip cannoli.
Their second most popular item is the lobster tail. It is very similar to sfogliatelle, consisting of a layered crunchy shell and sweet cream filling.
300 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113 / Visit Website
14) Cannoli at Modern Pastry
An alternative to Mike’s is Modern Pastry. What sets Modern apart from the other cannoli shops is the fact that the cannolis are made-to-order and customizable. You can be assured it will be fresh and never soggy.
You choose your type of shell (regular vs chocolate-dipped), filling (ricotta vs vanilla cream), and toppings (chocolate chips vs pistachio).
257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113 / Visit Website
15) Tiramisu at Caffe Vittoria
Caffe Vittoria is the perfect cafe for a post-meal dessert and coffee. Their tiramisu is very popular here. You see many patrons pairing it with a hot cup of cappuccino. They open up their outdoor seating in the summer, making it the perfect spot to relax and people-watch after a meal.
Want to find more to eat and do in the North End? Read my complete neighborhood guide to the Little Italy in Boston.
290-296 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113 / Visit Website
Further Reading: 27+ Fun & Unique Boston Date Ideas
16.) Shaved Ice at Helado Juli’s
Up next on the best desserts in Boston are Latin American desserts. Just minutes away from the Blue Line’s Airport station you can find Helado Juli’s. It’s an unassuming convenience store from the outside, but every time I step inside I feel like I’m in a candy store!
My go-to here is the Minuta tropical. It’s a giant shaved ice with 3 flavors of your choice, a scoop of ice cream, fruit, condensed milk, and tamarind sauce on top.
The flavor options can be overwhelming, so here is my favorite order: Mango, Pineapple, and Passionfruit shaved ice flavors with vanilla ice cream.
The dessert is very refreshing in the summer and is best shared with someone (It’s huge). Other dessert options include mangonada, salpicon, cholada, etc.
17) Peruvian Shaved Ice at Frio Rico
Also located in Eastie, this convenience store sells Peruvian shaved ice. It’s also the only shop I’ve seen that sells the fruit lucuma. I recommend their mango and lucuma-flavored minutas.
I appreciate how they poke holes through the shaved ice so that the flavor is distributed evenly. That way, you’re not stuck with flavorless ice at the bottom.
360 Bennington St R, East Boston, MA 02128
18) Chocolate at L.A. Burdick
This cafe sells European-inspired chocolates and confections. Their artisanal chocolate assortment is a best-seller. They come in a beautiful wooden box that sometimes includes mouse and penguin-shaped chocolates. It’s the perfect gift.
The interior of the cafe is elegant with chandeliers and brown-beige color tones. In the winter, hot chocolate is very popular.
220 Clarendon St, Boston, MA 02116 / Visit Website
19) Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie at Blunch
Blunch is a beloved sandwich shop in Boston’s South End. Their triple chocolate chip cookie has been featured in the press plenty of times. The cookie is soft, stuffed with gooey chocolate chips, and is on the chewier side.
59 E Springfield St, Boston, MA 02118 / Visit Website
20) Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie at Levain Bakery
In 2021, the famous NYC-based chain Levain opened its first branch on Boston’s Newbury Street. Their cookies are very, very thick compared to your standard cookie. Each cookie is 6oz!
For first-timers, try their signature chocolate chip walnut flavor. I recommend sharing it with someone else – it’s very decadent and hefty.
180 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116 / Visit Website
21) Ice Cream at JP Licks
Next on my list of desserts in Boston are all the best ice creams and gelatos. JP Licks originated in Jamaica Plain in 1981 and has expanded to locations across the city since then. It’s my go-to for a simple scoop. I like their cookie dough!
150 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114 / Visit Website
Further Reading: 39 Best Free Things to Do in Boston
22) Ice Cream Sundae at Scoop & Scootery
Scoop and Scootery in Allston is another amazing ice cream parlor. They specialize in a huge variety of ice cream sundae flavors including Holy Cannoli, Strawberry Cheesecake, Moose Tracks, etc. I always order the Cookie Monster and sub the M&M’s for Oreos.
Their homemade whipped cream topping is a must. The only con about this place is that it’s very pricey (~$10+) compared to other shops.
75 Linden St, Allston, MA 02134 / Visit Website
23) Gelato at Amorino
There are two must-try Italian gelato shops in Boston. The first is the popular French chain Amorino. You can get up to 3 flavors of their gelato in a beautiful flower shape. They also sell French macarons and vegan gelato.
249 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02116 / Visit Website
24) Sorbet & Gelato at Eataly
The next gelato spot on this best desserts in Boston list is located in an Italian market. When I first tried the gelato and sorbet from Eataly, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t think that a food stall in a supermarket would be of such high quality. I honestly like Eataly’s gelato even more than Amorino’s. Try the pistachio flavor here!
800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199 / Visit Website
25) Vegan Ice Cream at FoMu
My last ice cream recommendation is a plant-based ice cream for the vegetarians/vegans out there. FoMu’s ice cream is made from scratch with coconut milk and natural sweeteners. (If you don’t like coconut-flavored desserts, I do NOT recommend coming here. The coconut flavor is quite strong in most of their flavors.)
My favorite flavor here is strawberry cheesecake! It includes addicting pie crust chunks and strawberry pieces. Their menu often rotates with the season, so visit their website for current flavors. It’s in my top 3 vegan desserts in Boston.
655 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118 / Visit Website
Further Reading: 21 Best Vegan Restaurants in Boston
26) Creme Brulee Donut at Kane’s
This is many Bostonians’ favorite donut shop. Kane’s originated in Saugus, MA, but now has a location in Downtown Boston. The creme brulee donut is very popular. It has a caramelized, creme brulee-shell top and with a sweet cream filling. Warning: it is very sweet and indulgent!
They also have a variety of Gluten-Free Donuts!
Kane’s is also part of an in-person guided Boston food tour! It’s two hours long and you get to discover Boston’s local history while eating plenty of donuts. Check it out here:
90 Oliver St, Boston, MA 02110 / Visit Website
27) Mochi Donuts at Pon De Joy
Honestly, I might like mochi donuts even more than regular donuts. The mochi donuts at Pon De Joy are served in a pon-de-ring style, making it easy to tear off and share. They are chewy, airy, and the frosting has a subtle sweet flavor. It doesn’t make me feel heavy and stuffed like normal donuts do.
The flavors here rotate but are often Asian-inspired like black sesame, strawberry milk, and matcha. So far, every donut I’ve tried has been amazing! This is a must-visit. More details are in this TikTok. Other places that sell mochi donuts are Mochi Dough on Newbury Street in Back Bay and Mochinut in Boston’s Allston neighborhood.
1 Brighton Ave, Boston, MA 02134 / Visit Website
28) Baklava at Yafa Bakery & Cafe
Last on the best desserts in Boston guide is this Greek, Turkish, and Middle-Eastern influenced bakery in Somerville. Yafa bakery sells baklava variations, stuffed dates, and cakes. Their kunafah cream is also popular. It has a flaky outer shell, cream inside, and rose water syrup for balance.
594 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA 02143
Honorable Mentions: Best Desserts in Boston
- New Zealand-style Ice Cream at Far Out in Brookline – you’re probably wondering, “What makes it New Zealand-style.?”. It’s known as real fruit ice cream, where they blend together hard-packed ice cream with frozen fruits. It’s one of the best spots for refreshing desserts in Boston.
- Crepes at Crispy Crepe Cafe or Phinista – Located near Fenway & Brookline, these are the best Boston-area crepe shops! They also serve addictive Nutella milkshakes.
- Sticky Bun at Flour Bakery – Although they advertise it as a breakfast item, the sticky bun at Flour Bakery is the perfect sweet dessert/snack. The top of the bun has a thick, sweet caramel mixture with pecans.
- Frozen Yogurt at Berryline – Although this is a best desserts in Boston list, this frozen yogurt shop in Cambridge has been my favorite since childhood. The original flavor is incredible — it’s tart and not too sweet. It’s best complimented with their homemade mochi and an assortment of fruit.
- Original Boston Cream Pie at Omni Parker House – Previously known as Parker House, this hotel was the first to create and serve the original Boston cream pie. While I haven’t tried this dessert myself, it’s supposedly the best place to get it!
- Maple Bacon Donut at Union Square Donuts – This is a contender against Kane’s for the best donuts! Their most famous flavor is Maple Bacon.
- Blackbird Donuts – Last on the list is another great donut option with locations across Boston and Cambridge.
Conclusion: Best Desserts in Boston
There are many options for the best desserts in Boston to choose from, but these are my top 31 picks (and a few honorable mentions). I included everything from famous Boston desserts to local gems. In all honesty, I don’t like sweets much so I was especially picky with this list. I recommend bookmarking or pinning it for your next trip and please share it with friends! 🙂
2024 Boston Guides to read after this best desserts in Boston list:
- 3 day Boston Itinerary
- Best Boston Sandwiches
- Best Thai Food in Boston
- The 15 Best Tacos in Boston
- 17+ Best Boston Cheap Eats
- The Best Breakfast in Boston: 27 Must-Try Spots
Or, check out other things to do in the city:
Have feedback? Leave a comment or fill out my contact page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 🙂
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