Keki Modern Cakes Cheesecake: Keki is a mini storefront in Chinatown selling a small selection of baked items. Their cheesecake must be purchased as a whole cake (no slices available). If you’re looking for a non-traditional dessert to bring to an event, this cheesecake may be it. It’s a Japanese style cheesecake, so it’s fluffy in texture, yet deeply rich in flavor. Definitely not diet food, but it’s so light and airy that you won’t feel heavy eating it. One of the more distinct and delicious cakes I’ve had in some time. 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc dessert cake kekimoderncakes cheesecake 4.0
Cones Lychee and ginger sorbet: Cones in the West Village never disappoints with its superbly fresh sorbets. I realize in the handful of times I’ve been to this independent ice cream shop, I’ve never had any of their actual ice cream because I’m always lured by their excellent sorbets. This time it was their lychee and ginger sorbets, which were both very sharp and clean tasting. The ginger had a great level of spice, which paired well with the tropical lychee scoop. Smooth and consistent texture as well. 4.0/5.0
nyc dessert cones lychee ginger sorbet 4.0 recommended
Il Laboratorio del Gelato Gelato crunch cup: Available at Oath’s Upper East Side location, this gelato cup from Il Laboratorio del Gelato (my favorite Gelato spot in all of NYC) is a significant upgrade from ice cream cups i had growing up. Vanilla ice cream is mixed with crunchy cinnamon bits reminiscent of smashed up Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but less sweet and more spiced. It also has some oats tossed in as well for added texture. Great nostalgic snack that’s better than the sum of its components. 3.5/5.0
recommended icecream nyc dessert illaboratoriodelgelato gelato crunch cup 3.5
Roberta’s Sweet corn soft serve: Truly tastes of sweet corn and cream. Texture is mostly smooth but a little bit grainy. Pricy for its size, at $6.50. Based on flavor alone, I would give it a 4, but accounting for texture and value, it’s a 3.5. Available at the take out section of Roberta’s in East Williamsburg. 3.5/5.0
recommended nyc dessert icecream brooklyn robertas sweet corn soft serve 3.5
Golden Steamer Egg Yolk Bao: This is one of my favorites from Golden Steamer, which I liked so much that I purchased it twice (I haven't done that for any other bun, mostly because I wanted to try buns I hadn't had before every time I went). It is a steamed white bun filled with an egg custard, textured like a cross between pudding and paste. It is very simple yet delicious and costs only $0.90. The best of the dessert bao offerings at this hole-in-the-wall bakery in NYC's Chinatown. 4.0/5.0
recommended chinatown nyc dessert bread goldensteamer egg yolk bao 4.0
Eileen’s Special Cheesecake Pumpkin cheesecake: Humble but well executed pumpkin cheesecake from longstanding pastry store Eileen’s Special Cheesecake. Over a dozen cheesecake flavors are available, in snack-size portions. The cheesecake tastes homemade: neither light nor dense, with just the right level of sweetness. Reminiscent of canned pumpkin used in for Thanksgiving dessert. 3.5/5.0
recommended cake dessert eileensspecialcheesecake pumpkin cheesecake 3.5