Where to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth in Charlotte: A 2022 Guide
Dessert is the surest way to end your dinner on a high note. It can be chocolaty, fruity, simple, or decadent—and many are perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast, too. From milkshakes and macarons to custards and crumb cakes, the city is full of places to get your sweet fix. Here are some highlights.
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Crave Dessert Bar
500 W. Fifth St., Ste. 120
704-335-0588
This uptown nightspot serves exquisite desserts, signature cocktails, hookah, and house beats. Grab a seat at the bar of this art-filled, loftlike lounge and sip a Hibiscus Bellini or cozy up on a couch and indulge in some Drunken Tiramisu or a piece of Molten Lava Cake. If you prefer to drink your sweets, get a “sippable” dessert like Thicker Than a Snicker, Lemon Meringue, or Key Lime Pie. Either way, you’re bound to go home in a sugar coma.
Crave’s Thicker Than a Snicker is a sweet cocktail of caramel vodka, crème de cacao, Irish cream, and amaretto.
BW Sweets Bakery
Multiple locations
The dessert bar is full of grab-and-go goodies like brownies, doughnuts, and 16 flavors of cake slices.
300 East
300 East Blvd.
704-332-6507
Splurge on Caramel Cake, Callebaut Brownies, and seasonal cheesecakes.
Ninety’s Milkshake Bar
9009 JM Keynes Drive, Ste. 4
704-547-1856
This family-owned dessert shop serves handcrafted ice cream, over-the-top milkshakes, and giant cookie sundaes.
Bar Cocoa
201 E. Trade St.
704-972-4397
Located in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, the chic dessert bar serves pastries, French macarons, cakes, and gelato.
The Secret Chocolatier
2935 Providence Road, Ste. 104
704-323-8178
Stop by this family-owned shop for truffles, caramels, barks, and toffees.
Amélie’s French Cafe and Bakery
Multiple locations
Enjoy a flaky croissant on the patio or peruse the dessert case, which brims with macarons, tarts, and éclairs.
Suárez Bakery
4245 Park Road
704-525-0145
This Cuban-inspired bakery with a second location inside Optimist Hall serves cookies, doughnuts, pastries, and made-to-order cakes.
Villani’s Bakery
901 Pecan Ave.
704-334-0550
Come to this New York-Italian style bakery for gigantic slices of cake, homemade pie, tiramisu, cannoli, and authentic Italian cookies.
Swirl
1640 Oakhurst Commons Drive, Ste. 103
704-258-1209
Celestial Cakery owner Ella Stone expanded her dessert domain with this full-service bakery, which serves colossal ice cream sandwiches, signature cupcakes, and “DIY” cupcakes with toppings like Fruity Pebbles, gummy bears, pretzels, and Nutella.
Wentworth & Fenn
270 Camp Road, Ste. 103
704-291-0388
This from-scratch bakery in Camp North End specializes in custom cakes, pastries, tarts, and artisan breads.
The Goodyear House
3032 N. Davidson St.
704-910-0132
Pastry chef Becca Rankin’s creations include Chocolate Ginger Chess Pie, Apple Crumb Cake, and Blackberry Custard.
Church & Union
127 N. Tryon St., Ste. 8
704-919-1322
Splurge on Carrot Cake and White Chocolate Crème Brûlée at this uptown hotspot.
The Batch House
901 Berryhill Road
Cristina Rojas-Agurcia, aka “The Batchmaker,” slings signature treats like Snickers Cheesecake, Dirty Oreo Truffles, and Oatmeal Creme Pies, plus quirky confections like Peanut Butter and Jelly Pop Tarts and Batcheroos.
Gallery Restaurant
10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway
704-248-4100
Reserve a table at The Ballantyne hotel’s on-site restaurant and save room for Executive Pastry Chef Christine Clancy’s Lemon Pistachio Olive Oil Cake.
The Strawberry Pie, with strawberry lemon filling, lemon confit, macerated strawberries, and mascarpone cream.
Supperland
1212 The Plaza
704-817-7514
The dessert menu includes a rotation of pastry chef Liana Sinclair’s individually sized pies in flavors like Chocolate Peanut Butter, Citrus, and Sweet Potato.
Burney’s Sweets & More
Multiple locations
Kimberly Johnson owns the Optimist Park and Waxhaw locations of this Elizabethtown-based bakery that’s known for its fried stuffed croissants.
Renaissance Pâtisserie
6401 Carnegie Blvd., Ste. 4A
980-819-8771
Chef Sylvain Rivet peddles authentic French tarts, mousses, cakes, pastries, and custards.
Mocco Bistro
4004 South Blvd., Ste. E
980-207-0508
Despite the sounds of South Boulevard, the Greek pastries and coffees here can transport you to the Aegean Sea in just one taste.
Davidson Chocolate Co.
610 Jetton St., Ste. 150, Davidson
704-896-7245
Owner and pastry chef Ana Vogel pilots this family-owned sweets shop, which sells truffles, bonbons, and other small-batch treats.