The 5 Best Places For A Sweet Treat On The UWS

A rectangular slice of cheese cake

There’s something so nice about wandering back out into the city after a dinner at home and stopping by a bakery for a sweet treat, no? Treat yourself to a stroll along the gorgeous, brownstone-lined Upper West Side, and make sure you stop at one of these five spots for a sweet little something, something.

Four cookies sitting on a wooden tray behind a glass case.
Photo Credit: https://chocolatenyc.blogspot.com/

For Cookies: Levain Bakery

Dense, moist, gooey…yep, pretty much describes the four cookie flavors on tap at Levain Bakery. An UWS institution, this small bakery (easy to miss if you’re not looking!), makes in-house legendary cookies in the flavors of: chocolate chip walnut (my fave), oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate chocolate chip, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip.  One will set you back $4, but there’s enough ingredients packed into that thing that it’s totally worth it, promise.

A person wearing a red apron, rolling a pretzel on a spinning wheel of white chocolate
Photo Credit: https://www.harpersbazaar.com

For Crepes: Crepes & Delicies

I stumbled into Crepes & Delicies after yoga one night, and have been returning ever since. There’s not too much that can top my dessert choice over a solidly made Nutella Crepe, and at $7.50 a pop, these guys do them right. If you’re into the whole wheat crepe, they’ll make that for you, too. The savory options are also delicious, I love the goat cheese, honey, and spinach.

Four treats in a plastic container, onw with a pretzel on top, one with sprinkles and and edible marshmallow duck, a smores' square and a chocolate square with a cherry on top

For Rice Krispies Treats: Treat House

Treat House will transport you back to your childhood in seconds.  Remember afternoons melting down marshmallows and stirring in your favorite cereal?  Yep, this place is all that, with some grownup twists.  A bitesized treat will cost you $2.50, and with flavors like Caramel Sea Salt, Chocolate Pretzel, and Birthday Cake (my fave), there’s really something for everyone.  Bonus: all treats are certified Kosher (meaning no meat products in those marshmallows!), and are also dairy-free and gluten-free, making it the perfect spot to take your friends with dietary restrictions.

A variety of cream puffs. From left to right there is an original cream pull, cocoa puff and an eclair puff all behind a glass case.
Photo Credit: https://www.butterflydiary.com/

For Cream Puffs: Beard Papa’s

“World’s Best Cream Puff”, anyone?  That’s the motto for Beard Papa’s, and I have to say, they’re pretty spot on!  These little guys are light, fluffy, and filled with creamy sweetness that will make you want to waddle back up to the counter to order just one more.  I love the original ($2), but there’s plenty of other flavors to try, such as the chocolate covered Eclair Puff.

A landscape shot of a bakery setting with two women on the left side of a glass case of treats and cakes.
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/philjames

For The Sweetest Parisian Cafe Vibe (Where Everything Tastes Amazing): Cafe Lalo

I’ve never had anything on Cafe Lalo’s menu I didn’t love, so I’d say it’s pretty hard to go wrong here (cheesecakes, tarts, mousse, you name it!)  You’ll probably recognize this twinkle light-strewn cafe as the backdrop in scenes of the movie You Got Mail.  While it’s small and there may be a bit of a wait, it’s seriously such a cute and delicious way to #treatyoself.

Where’s your favorite place to grab a sweet treat on the UWS?  Share your spot with us on Twitter and Facebook!

Posted in manhattan living, NYC Dining, Upper West Side, Westside |