SWEET CELEBRATIONS
Spoil kids (and kids at heart) at these over-the-top dessert destinations (most of which also serve savory meals).
Also see our guide fun pop-ups - Cricket’s Candy Creations, The Color Factory and Museum of Ice Cream are tasty places for celebrations.
MANHATTAN
Angelina Paris NYC
⏱ Mon-Fri 8 am–8 pm Sat-Sun 9 am–7 pm
Travel to Belle Epoque France at an outpost of an iconic Parisian tea room and dessert café founded in 1903.
Get pastries, macarons, the iconic Angelina hot chocolate and the signature Mont-Blanc (meringue, light whipped cream, chestnut cream vermicelli) to go, or sit in the gorgeous dining room for brunch (served all day), afternoon tea, sweet treats and savory brasserie classics: Niçoise salad, Croque-Monsieur, onion soup, or the Angelina Croissant filled with scrambled eggs and cheese, ham, or smoked salmon. Light and modern seasonal dishes, from seasonal vegetable soup to a vegan quinoa salad, include gluten-free and vegetarian options, but the hot chocolate, served in a dramatic presentation, is worth the indulgence.
Alice’s Tea Cup
⏱ Mon-Fri 11 am - 6 pm
Sat–Sun 10 am - 6 pm
Enjoy scones in rotating flavors as magical as the decor (glazed pumpkin is a fave), sandwiches, salads and treats with optional fairy wings and glitter at a whimsical tea house inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Choose from hundreds of teas served in charming mismatching pots and cups. Gets crowded on weekends; reservations recommended. Go early to beat the crowds (or take the scones to go…
Max Brenner
⏱ Mon-Fri 12 pm-11 pm
Thu-Sat 11 am–midnight
Sun 10 am–11 pm
Select from nine hot chocolates – Italian Thick, Oreo, Peanut Butter and more – at this huge cafe and store that feels like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, with tubes of liquid chocolate criss-crossing the space. Choose from a variety of creative, high-quality chocolate concoctions to go, gift or to eat on site.
Salads, paninis, pizza, cocoa spiced waffle fries etc. available on the extensive menu, but the real draw is the over-the-top desserts from marshmallow chocolate pizza to three types of chocolate fondue to a melting s’mores sundae to a syringe full of chocolate goodness. Lots of cocktails, including a chocolate peppermint martini, available for grown-ups.
Advance reservations recommended.
Sugar Factory
⏱ Tue-Thu 4 pm–12am Fri-Sun 11am–12am
Indulge in ‘Insane Milkshakes’ giant $21 milkshakes stacked with candy, s;’mores and other treats and 36-ounce smoking candy goblets (available with or without alcohol) at a glitzy two-level concept restaurant. Cute photo-ops abound among the plush leather banquettes and celebrity photos. Pancakes (including a pink stack topped with cotton candy and a rainbow stack topped with a rubber ducky), sweet and savory crepes, salads, burgers…
Serendipity 3
⏱ Daily 11 am – 11 pm
Get the famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, a creamy secret blend of 14 exotic cocoas, and other decadent, over-sized desserts at this legendary restaurant and store with whimsical antique-store-meets-ice-cream-parlor decor. Hearty burgers, foot long hot dogs, mac ‘n’ cheese variations, salads and sandwiches are also available. A favorite of actors, artists and tourists for the last 67-years. Be prepared for a wait. Minimum food or drink…