Partial to a pastry? Interested in ice cream? Hankering for a hot chocolate? Well, you’re in the right city if you’ve got a sweet tooth. There’s no shortage of delicious sweet treats across Edinburgh, with everything from handmade croissants to your own handmade chocolate, to the best gelato you’ll ever eat.
We’re here to tell you the best of the best desserts you can find in Edinburgh!
Mary’s Milk Bar — for funky flavours of frozen fun
Pop by the award-winning Mary’s Milk Bar and you’ll find a new favourite every time! Specialising in quirky ice cream, gelato and sorbet flavours, this frozen treat bar is sure to defy your expectations.
How does fir tree white chocolate gelato sound? Or white sesame and miso cashew? Or fried banana in butter? Mouth watering yet? They’ve got plenty of options so you’re sure to find one you’ll love, including baked goods and handmade chocolate bars (toasted coconut and cherry dark chocolate anyone?) to satisfy those who aren’t fans of frozen treats.
Twelve Triangles — home to local favourites
Spread across seven bakeries throughout the city, Twelve Triangles is a local favourite for sourdough bread, deli sandwiches and decadent sweet pastries. Their cardamom and lemon pastry is a must-try. Or, if you’re a nut lover, their walnut and panela bun is top of the list. For the chocoholic, their olive oil and chocolate chip cookie is your pick.
As well as their pastries, they offer a selection of pantry items in their pantry shop, including rose and raspberry jam, whey caramel and their exclusive collaboration with artisan chocolate-makers Ocelot, for their Miche Crumb 70% Dark Chocolate bar. Yum!
La Barantine — the finest French pastries around
La Barantine is home to the best French pastries in the entire city. These artisanal pastry chefs whip up the finest pâte à choux delights, including chocolate eclairs, various macarons, and even full-on chocolate mousse cakes. With four locations across the city, you’re never far from your French-foodie-fix.
Best of all, you can buy entire cakes for celebrations, including their extravagant raspberry and pistachio Paris-Brest. Or, scratch the celebrations, why not buy yourself one just cause?
Moo Pie Gelato — creative chocolate and gelato choices
Moo Pie specialises in sweet treats, both as winter warmers (hot chocolate) and summer coolers (gelato and ice cream). Whatever you’re in the mood for, they’re sure to have something to satisfy your sweet tooth, with handmade, small-batch delicacies. Their options include plum crumble gelato, carrot cake scoop, pink marshmallow fluff mini eggs hot chocolate and vanilla cheesecake soft serve! We’ll take the lot.
The Chocolatarium — a chocoholic’s dream
Chocoholic? We don’t judge. And neither does The Chocolatarium, Edinburgh’s cosy chocolate emporium. In fact, they encourage your love of chocolate. With flavours sure to satisfy every flavour palette, from pure white, milk and dark chocolate, to other…interesting flavours. Haggis spice dark chocolate? Or maybe you’ll enjoy ghost pepper chilli white chocolate, banoffee pie milk chocolate, ice-cream float white chocolate and so on…!
Plus, taking part in their Tour of Chocolate experience, you can try up to 50+ chocolate flavours and make your own custom chocolate bar, complete with your favourite treats. What’s not to love?
Considerit — plant-based pastries, chocolates and more
Considerit is your one-stop shop for all things sweet. Offering a wide range of plant-based treats, they serve pastries with creative twists (Swedish cardamom semla buns, raspberry and pistachio empire biscuits, and blueberry crumble muffins), chocolates for all tastes (m*lk chocolate hazelnut praline seashells, mint Air-o bars, Dubai pistachio bars), and classic ice-cream choices (Biscoff, vanilla and coconut and cookies and cream). With so much on offer, you’ll be back here again and again to try them all.
The Pastry Section — simple sweet treats
Found in stunning Stockbridge and Leith, this gem of a bakery is a must-visit to satisfy your sweet tooth. Baking everything on-site, The Pastry Section offers everything from cakes to buns, to tarts and cookies, to scones and biscuits. Whatever you’re in the mood for, they’ve got it.
Enjoy a croissant alongside a cup of coffee, and finish it off with a slice of carrot cake, or two, or three. Once you start, you can’t stop. Truly one of the best dessert spots in all of Edinburgh.
Knoops — create custom chocolate drinks with flair
Whether you’re partial to a complex dark hot chocolate, or prefer something on the milkier, sweeter side, Knoops offers a plethora of options to create your dream hot chocolate. Offering a range of single-origin chocolates, each with robust tasting notes of fruits, spices and more, you can add the finishing touch with cinnamon, orange zest, vanilla, pepper or even a sprinkle of numbing Szechuan peppercorn. Go on, we dare you.
Not looking for a hot drink? Knoops offers the same chocolate options but in an iced or milkshake form, so whatever your mood, this pick-me-up-in-a-cup is sure to satisfy you.
