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29 Best Desserts in Austin, TX (High to Low Rating Dessesrts of Austin)
Nicole Diaz | June 12, 2023
Trying to compile a list of the best desserts in Austin is a hard task to complete. There are so many bakeries and pastries spots in Austin city. However, I managed to compile a list of the best desserts with a multitude of styles, from farm-to-table to vegan and gluten-free, to just pure decadence.
List of the 29 Best Dessert Places in Austin, Texas (Spots of Sweetness Near You)
So the next time you are wondering about the best dessert places near me – this is the list you should see before choosing a dessert restaurant.
My sister found this charming food truck after a stroll on South Congress. Manoli’s is a family-run and operated where everything is made from scratch. You’ll be frequently greeted by a family member’s smile as they take your order.
For indecisive people like me, they will happily explain the varieties of desserts they have to offer. Manolis’s menu includes pastries, ice cream, paletas, and Italian ice. I’m personally a fan of their pastries so make sure you try their Fragola and Dark Cacao.
For those of us who sometimes struggle with choices, Manolis’s Dessert Place is a welcoming haven. Their friendly staff is always ready to guide you through the delightful array of desserts they have in store. The menu at Manolis’s features an enticing selection of pastries, ice cream, paletas, and Italian ice. Personally, I’m a huge fan of their pastries, so when you’re in search of a dessert open near me, do yourself a favor and try their delectable Fragola and Dark Cacao pastries. You won’t be disappointed at this top-notch dessert place.
A visit to this truly French bakery is an absolute must for dessert enthusiasts. You’ll be greeted by a stunning display of desserts that showcase the artistry of creams, custards, and curds, all elegantly presented in their glass case. And if you’re seeking a dessert spot or sweet places near you, you’re in for a treat! They even offer a selection of savory puff pastries, just in case you need an excuse to indulge in one of everything on offer.
Heaven’s Bakery tops off its collection with several slices of scrumptious cakes. It is on the 2nd list of the Best Desserts in Austin.
When it comes to cakes, Austin boasts a hidden gem with Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery. This cakery is part of the Quackenbush family, associated with 43rd Street Bakery and Captain Quackenbush’s Coffeehouse. If you’re on the hunt for dessert spots, desserts around me, or local dessert options, Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery should be on your radar.
Lady Quackenbush specializes in cakes, which are arguably the best-baked goods around. They excel in crafting incredibly professional and undeniably cute cakes that are sure to satisfy your sweet cravings.
If you ask the internet for the “tastiest bakery birthday cakes near me,” Upper Crust is sure to be on the list. With baked goods and entrees made from scratch every day, Upper Crust is a laid-back way to get through your day. The local eatery has been around for over 28 years and is sure to stay for plenty more.
Another quirky bakery is Zucchini Kill. The local feminist musician-owned bakery stocks vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free desserts. It also looks after the environment with its 100% compostable packaging.
Capital City Bakery is a community-driven shop with a busy, expansive menu. The shop focuses on making eating healthy a delicious experience, and all selections are cholesterol-free and vegan. Grown from a home baking business, Capital City Bakery makes a great and tasty new home away from home.
Sweet Caroline’s is a snow cone truck located in south Austin that serves New Orleans-style snow cones during the summer. Every time I drive past this truck the line is always at least a dozen people long, and for a good reason. This place is unique because they offer a secret sweet cream as an option you can get drizzled on your snow cone, and it is wonderful.
They offer over 50 different flavors, in addition to their own special combinations as well. My favorite is the Sweet Caroline which has coconut, strawberry, and cream. It is one of my favorite ways to cool off in the summer and enjoy a delicious treat.
They offer over 50 different flavors, in addition to their own special combinations as well. My favorite is the Sweet Caroline which has coconut, strawberry, and cream. It is one of my favorite ways to cool off in the summer and enjoy a delicious treat.
A popular bakery based in Austin nearby lake Travis, Hayley Cakes and Cookies has hundreds of unique designs and wonderful flavors. With custom orders available and a large selection, these desserts are perfect for catering events or gatherings.
My personal favorite dessert is a crème brûlée, and Capital Grille’s take on mixing a crème brûlée and cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts. It is a classic vanilla cheesecake with a thick graham cracker crust, and the top of it is brûléed with sugar.
Finally, it is served with a strawberry sauce and fresh berries that cut through the richness of the cheesecake and balance out the dish to make one of my absolute favorite desserts in Austin.
S H Donuts is a family-owned donut shop with friendly staff, affordable prices, and the best donuts in Austin. Walk in and feel like you are a kid again, this bakery has all of your favorites from your childhood.
Uchiko also has some seasonal desserts, but they have a few classics that stay on the menu year-round for a good reason. My favorite is the Milk and Cereal which has fried milk, chocolate mousse, and toasted milk ice cream. The ‘fried milk’ is a fried dough filled with warm vanilla pastry cream.
The two other desserts that stay on year-round are their banana cake and jasmine cream. Both are great, but the Milk and Cereal is a wonderfully delicious play on textures that overshadows the rest.
S H Donuts is a beloved family-owned donut shop that’s not just about the best donuts in Austin but also a wonderful place to relive the sweet memories of your childhood. If you’re looking for dessert places nearby, the best dessert around you, or simply a sweet place to eat, you’ve come to the right spot. Step inside, and you’ll be transported back to the days when you felt like a kid again. This welcoming bakery in Austin, tx offers all your childhood favorites with no frills – from mouthwatering donuts and kolaches to delightful cinnamon twists, along with a tasty selection of tacos and breakfast sandwiches.
Churro Co. started with two friends from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico who shared a passion for Mexican street foods, and Churro Co. was born in 2014. The churros alone here are the best I have ever had. They are perfectly crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, covered in cinnamon sugar.
You can order them plain like I like to do, or you can get one of their many combinations. One of their most popular is the Campfire which features churros tossed in graham cracker sugar, topped with Mexican chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and torched marshmallows. I highly recommend trying this top dessert spot if you haven’t already.
Elisa Pastry offers a welcoming atmosphere as you decide on the cake of your dreams alongside a dedicated consultant. Middle Eastern flavors marry European and Austinite tangs within fun custom designs. Elisa Pastry has some of the most versatile decorating expertise, and any design is possible.
Next time you are craving dessert, you must try this homemade gelato from Dolce Neve. With inspiration driven from the owner’s Italian roots and raw natural ingredients locally sourced at farmers’ markets, Dolce Neve’s gelato and sorbets are among the best desserts in Austin.
A popular dessert restaurant in Austin, but with one of the top dessert lineups that we had to include in this list, Launderette has the perfect solution for your sweet tooth. They offer handcrafted specialty desserts with delectable ingredients, from mousse to seasonal ice cream.
A popular restaurant just west of downtown, Bar Peached has one of the finest dessert selections in Austin. They serve Bingsu, Korean-style shaved iced, which brings the snowflake texture of shaved iced combined with the best toppings. From birthday cake to the match parfait, you won’t be disappointed.
For the best birthday cakes, Austin has Tous Les Jours. A well-known chain, Tous Les Jours mixes French and Asian tastes with stunning results. Despite being a standardized chain, Tous Les Jours’ cakes use yogurts and creams to make cloud-soft, fluffy, light desserts that tempt the tongue.
Amy’s Ice Cream is a classic Austin dessert staple. Amy’s offers handcrafted artisan premium ice creams, dairy-free fruit ice, and frozen yogurt. Pick one of their many flavors in rotation and then mix in any toppings of your choice!
Seasonal and sustainable, Lick Honest Ice Cream is your next stop with flavors that celebrate the culture of Texas. They use the purest ingredients to use in their artisanal ice cream. With fresh ingredients, hand-made sauces and toppings, and sustainable packaging, we are honest when we say this is the best dessert in Austin.
La Pâtisserie leans on classic French techniques and a chemistry background to produce elegant, tasteful pastries, desserts, and cakes. While macarons are this shop’s specialty, the cakes are just as impressive. Follow the advice of your eyes as you decide on which colorful dessert near you you to take home.
Tiny Pies celebrated 10 years in Austin this year, as the family-owned shop opened in 2011. Now with locations in 13 cities, Tiny Pies uses their family recipes to create amazing mini pies from scratch daily. They use high-quality ingredients that are locally sourced.
Tiny Pies offers sweet and savory tiny pies, and you can order them gluten-free or vegan if you choose. Their apple pie and key lime meringue are my favorite pies I have tried and loved. However, they have a very large assortment from breakfast pies to chocolate cream and pumpkin chai.
Hot and fresh mini donuts? Sign me up! Little Lucy’s Mini Donuts has a wide variety of mini donuts in various flavors. This mobile food truck bakery is located on Rainey street and will bring you back to your childhood.
85C Bakery Cafe is the First on the list of Best Desserts in Austin. It has a cult-like following for a very good reason. With a variety of bread and desserts from Asian to European inspired and sweet to savory tasting, there’s something for everyone.
Nobody does fondant figurines like Bento Bakes. A childhood full of creation and diversity of experience has prepared this chef for any challenge thrown at them, and it shows in the final bakes. This is the perfect bakery to help keep Austin weird on every occasion.
Barley Swine is one of my favorite places to splurge on a date night. Their tasting menu features over ten courses of purposely crafted farm-to-table dishes. Their desserts are just as local and delicious as the rest of their menu.
Currently, they are serving a masa semifredo with sage-pressed apple and smoked apple butter. Also, a poblano Texas sheet cake with peach sorbet and peach chamoy jam. These are just two examples of the wonderful desserts they produce as the menu changes seasonally.
This specialty cupcake bakery and coffeehouse sports a clever array of revolving flavors each week. These cakes may be mini, but they are mighty. Familiar childhood sweets like Nutter Butters, Heath bars, Oreos, and Reese’s make an appearance on Cupprimo’s menu alongside adult treats like margarita, mimosa, and drunk pineapple.
Possibly the best bakery in Austin for birthday cakes, Sugar Mama’s offers highly stylized and personalized cakes. The array of options and creativity available to those ordering special cakes and cupcakes is absolutely astounding. Sugar Mama’s also has seasonal savory items like pot pies to look forward to.
Sour Duck Market is one of my favorite lunch spots for great café style comfort food. However, they also have a bakery as an addition to the restaurant that features some amazing pastries. Their most popular are their Texas-sized chocolate chip cookies, chocolate croissants, and my favorite the kouign-amann.
A kouign-amann is a French pastry like a croissant but layered with granulated sugar, with butter, in between the layers of pastry. This makes for a caramelized, crunchy, chewy croissant-like pastry.
Hours:
Saturday 9 am–10 pm
Sunday 9 am–9 pm
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 10 am–9 pm
Thursday 10 am–9 pm
Friday 10 am–10 pm
Happy Hours:
Saturday 8–10 pm
Sunday 8–9 pm
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday 3–6 pm
Thursday 3–6 pm
Friday 8–10 pm
Service Options:
Dine-in
Kerbside pickup
No Contact Delivery
Conclusion
In conclusion, the list of the 32 best desserts in Austin showcases your discerning taste and passion for indulgent treats. From hidden gems to well-known establishments, each recommendation promises to satisfy sweet tooth cravings and deliver unforgettable dessert experiences in the vibrant city of Austin. Do check out these places.