In London, you can get almost anything you want food-wise and it’s bloody GREAT. With that said, you won’t be surprised to hear that our sweets game is on-point too. In this article you’ll hear about some of the yummiest and most unique sweet treats to try in London. Your sweet tooth will certainly be satisfied…
If you prefer to watch instead of read, here’s the video version of this article…
Right, on with the sweets…
Photo Credit: Bageriet Instagram
1. Cinnamon Bun from Bageriet
Bageriet is on a teeny little street, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden. Most people would never even notice it. But I discovered it a few years ago purely because I could smell the cinnamon buns being baked, and I followed my nose right to this teeny little Swedish bakery.
Here they fresh-bake Swedish bread and sweets, and the absolute go-to is their Cinnamon Bun. To make this delicious pile of sweetness, they use sweet yeasted Cardamom dough, which apparently is extra special.
Pair your cinnamon bun with a coffee or tea and you’re sorted.
££ | Covent Garden | Bageriet Website
2. Donuts from St. John Bakery
St. John is a restaurant in Smithfield, and it’s absolutely a London institution. The founders/chefs Trevor Gulliver and Fergus Henderson and also the te restaurant are known for really pioneering nose-to-tail cuisine back in the 90’s, and now foodies from all over the world make sure they get a reservation here when in London.
The St. John brand also has a fantastic bakery, where they make bread, sweets, and their famous donuts for restaurants around the city and to sell at their own bakery and wine shops in Spitalfields and Neal’s Yard. You can also go directly to the bakery in Bermondsey, as on the weekends they open their factory doors and sell directly to passersby on the Bermondsey Beer Mile.
Ok so about the donuts… they are so light and fluffy, are fried and coated with sugar, and then are filled with some kind of filling which you get to choose depending on what’s still available when you visit. My personal favorites are lemon, and cookies and custard.
I’ve got the Bermondsey and Neal’s Yard locations marked off on the 3-Day London Itinerary so you can easily fit a donut trip into Day 1 or Day 2.
££ | Seven Dials and Bermondsey | St. John Bakery Website
3. Gelato from Hackney Gelato
Now there are quite a few good places to get yummy ice cream in London, but I personally love to go super local. Enter Hackney Gelato. They produce their ice cream in Hackney, East London and it’s all handmade using Italian techniques.
The brand was started by two guys who used to work at a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant in London together. One day, they thought, you know what? London needs better gelato. So they traveled all over Italy learning how to make the best gelato, and then they set up Hackney Gelato upon their return.
You can get Hackney Gelato from Seven Dials Market where they have a stall selling cups and cones, with vegan options available. They also have a little gelato stand in Victoria Village, sat in front of Village Organic.
Seven Dials Market is in the 3-Day London Itinerary, on Day 2.
££ | Seven Dials Market and Victoria Village | Hackney Gelato Website
4. Portuguese Custard Tart from Cafe de Nata
So… Cafe de Nata is very niche. Besides coffee, they only serve Pastel de Nata, which are Portuguese Custard Tarts, THE sweet treat of Portugal. If you’ve been wanting to try one, this is the place to do it. They’re baked fresh every day right in front of customers, and they’ve really got it down to an art.
Cafe de Nata has locations in Soho, South Kensington and Hammersmith, and the cool thing about the Soho location is that it’s open till MIDNIGHT on the weekends. A nice spot to grab a little drunk snack on your way back to your hotel…
£ | Soho, South Kensington and Hammersmith | Cafe de Nata Website
5. Biskies from Cutter and Squidge
A Biskie is a sandwiched dessert that’s essentially a cross between a cake and a cookie and is filled with cream or other ingredients. You can find Biskies only at Cutter and Squidge, a cute little bakery with locations in Soho and Bank.
Their Salted Caramel Biskie is award winning and if you’re vegan or GF you’ll still find delicious options to choose from.
££ | Soho and Bank | Cutter and Squidge Website
6. Cupcakes from Crumbs and Doilies
Crumbs and Doilies is the place to go if you’re after homemade cupcakes, brownies, cake and more. This brand is actually the brainchild of a fellow Youtuber, Cupcake Jemma. She started off with just a stand at Spitalfields Market (already impressive!) and then transitioned into a brick-and-mortar location tucked away in Kingly Court. I’d like to have my own tourism shop in the city one day so this is pretty cool to me!
Their menu changes every day since it’s all fresh baked, so check their shop Instagram account before you come visit to see what’s available. Two recommendations from me– the vegan Biscoff cupcake and the “Homer” cupcake, which has a little Simpsons-inspired donut on top.
££ | Soho | Crumbs and Doilies Website
7. Cookie Dough from Naked Dough
If you’ve ever wanted to eat raw cookie dough while baking, then head to this Camden Market stall called Naked Dough. You can get yummy, safe-to-eat cookie dough, complete with vegan options.
The brand was started by two friends who worked in the food industry. They knew that the UK needed cookie dough in their lives after seeing that the Americans were loving the concept, so they started Naked Dough and opened the Camden Lock Market shop.
They have funny names for the flavours like Unicorn Food, Emoji Poo and Hazel’s Nuts. Of course, you can’t go wrong with “classic”.
£ | Camden | Naked Dough Website
8. Bilog from Mamason’s
Mamason’s Dirty Ice Cream is a Filipino ice cream parlour that does SUCH GOOD STUFF. The BEST thing to get here is the Bilog, which is a traditional Filipino milk bun, with ice cream inside, and then it’s toasted. It’s essentially a hot ice cream sandwich. Their signature ice cream flavour is the Ube (pronounced oo-bae), made with native Filipino purple yam, and it’s FREAKING GOOD people!!
Get a Bilog at one of their two locations.
££ | Soho and Camden | Mamason’s Website
Enjoy your sweet treats!
Read next:
- 10 Amazing African Restaurants In London You Need To Try
- 11 Books Based In London And The UK To Read During Lockdown
- 10 Hidden Gems to See with Three Days in London
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