clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A cake.
The tres leches at Veracruz Fonda.
Veracruz Fonda/Facebook

20 Austin Restaurants Where Desserts Truly Shine

Sweet satisfaction

View as Map
The tres leches at Veracruz Fonda.
| Veracruz Fonda/Facebook

Dessert is the best course of any and every meal. No matter how full a person gets, everyone makes room for a sugary finale. And there are different ways to go about satisfying that sweet tooth, from something light and refreshing like a parfait, or indulgently rich like chocolate cake, here are Austin’s very best dessert restaurants. End your meal right, order dessert first, or just eat nothing but sweets, these restaurants will do just fine.

There are the composed plates from Japanese restaurants Uchi and Uchiko, the cakes of Chez Zee, Texas produced-filled wonders at Odd Duck, and much more.

For this map, only restaurants that have dessert menus (not businesses dedicated to desserts) are included. Look elsewhere for these picks: bakeries, cakes, pies, cookies, ice cream, soft serve, and icy treats.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Sugar Pine

Copy Link

Round out meals of onigiri, katsu, udon, and yaki soba with top-notch ice creams at the Wooten Japanese casual restaurant. The flavors are in the same vein, including matcha green tea, black sesame, taro root, and miso-caramel swirl. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

District Kitchen

Copy Link

The desserts at both locations of the New American restaurant (the other down in far south Austin) from executive pastry chef Dennis Van are decadent, like the blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting, almond crumbs, citrus curd, plus white chocolate ice cream. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bufalina Due

Copy Link

For classic desserts that pair well with wine, head to the Brentwood location of the wine-and-pizza restaurant. The desserts pair well with savory menu and drinks, like the exquisite ice creams and olive oil cakes. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Chez Zee

Copy Link

Indulge in the longtime West Austin restaurant’s wide array of classic desserts, like mile-high layer cakes, creme brulees, and shareable apple pies. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Choo Sando

Copy Link

The casual Japanese Allandale cafe is all about thick Japanese sandwiches. Along with savory options, the dessert ones are the perfect level of sweetness, with fillings like strawberries, kiwis, grapes, and mangos in whipped cream. Takeout orders can be placed in person or online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Uchiko & Uchi

Copy Link

The desserts at both branches of the Japanese restaurant — Uchiko in Rosedale and Uchi in Zilker — are under the helm of executive pastry chef Ariana Quant. This means sweet dishes with creative, thoughtful, and unexpected touches, like the earl grey panna cotta with habanero peppers and white chocolate crunch or the honey toast with cashew pralines. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are Uber Eats deliveries; and there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant

Copy Link

Austin is a lucky place because executive pastry chef Susana Querejazu came back into town for this luxury hotel restaurant in Hancock. Her dessert prowess is on full display, especially with the kouign amann-studded ice cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

Copy Link

The Mexican food truck’s Mueller restaurant is the only place to get co-owners and chefs Reyna and Maritza Vazquez’s rich tres leches cake slices. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Birdie's

Copy Link

The Chestnut wine restaurant’s luscious vanilla soft serve has already become an iconic dessert in Austin. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Nixta Taqueria

Copy Link

The sholeh zard — a blending of Mexican and Iranian rice puddings — at the Chestnut Mexican restaurant is fantastically flavorful and rich and bright. The seasonal paletas are also just as good. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Of the Emmer & Rye group’s businesses, it’s at East Austin Caribbean restaurant where the desserts shine because of executive pastry chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. Find tropical flavors such as the plantain mousse in a Rice Krispy Treat-esque dessert, rum punch sorbet, and the coconutty tres leches. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Thankfully for Austin’s sake, amazing pastry chef Laura Sawicki is whipping up sweets at this East Austin Korean restaurant. This means sweet corn cheesecakes made with silken tofu and strawberry gouchujang; sticky jujube cakes with a lotus root toffee sauce,; and banana milk-chile powder fudsicles. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are third-party deliveries (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub); there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Odd Duck

Copy Link

The South Austin restaurant’s often-changing dessert menu highlights Texas produce (hello, carrots and pecans) for desserts such as ice creams, cakes, and more. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

Copy Link

The Govalle cocktail lounge’s food offerings are quite good under chef Peter Klein. See: the simple yet fantastic olive oil cake, paired with a bay leaf rum syrup, whipped cream, and toasted pistachios. It’s a great way to end a meal, especially with one of the drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Justine's

Copy Link

For absolutely great French desserts, the East Austin restaurant is your answer. There are creme brulees, chocolate mousses, and eclairs. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Launderette

Copy Link

Okay, so founding pastry chef Laura Sawicki left the Holly restaurant, but her impact on the dessert menu still lives on. Take the ever-Instagrammable birthday cake ice cream sandwich, which is really that good. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Underdog

Copy Link

The Korean American wine restaurant in Bouldin Creek applies its fun approach to its desserts too. There’s its take on the FIlipino frozen cookie dessert, the silvana, made with a cashew meringue cookie sandwiching French buttercream that isn’t overly sweet. Then there’s the herby-sweet matcha tiramisu and donuts with compote and chantilly cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Maie Day

Copy Link

Alas, another amazing pastry chef has left Austin with the departure of former MaieB’s Jules Stoddart of Southern restaurant Olamaie and this hotel American restaurant (though she’s still a managing partner of sibling spot Little Ola’s Biscuits). Luckily, her decadent ginormous Texas chocolate cake slice is still available on the menu, a rich and delicious layer cake with coffee chantilly and benne seed cracker. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Jack Allen's Kitchen

Copy Link

For simply well-done desserts to fulfill those sweet cravings, the Texas comfort food restaurant mini-chain provides pies, cobblers, cakes, and a lot of chocolate from pastry chef Dee Dee Sanchez. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Dee Dee

Copy Link

For a simple take on mango and sticky rice, laced with drizzles of condensed milk, look no further than this Thai truck. The truck only makes it if it has the absolute perfect mangos. Preorders must be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Nadia Chaudhury is an editor for Eater Northeast and Eater New York and was the former Eater Austin editor, who often writes about food and pop culture.

Sugar Pine

Round out meals of onigiri, katsu, udon, and yaki soba with top-notch ice creams at the Wooten Japanese casual restaurant. The flavors are in the same vein, including matcha green tea, black sesame, taro root, and miso-caramel swirl. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

District Kitchen

The desserts at both locations of the New American restaurant (the other down in far south Austin) from executive pastry chef Dennis Van are decadent, like the blueberry-lemon buttermilk cake with a lemon cream cheese frosting, almond crumbs, citrus curd, plus white chocolate ice cream. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Bufalina Due

For classic desserts that pair well with wine, head to the Brentwood location of the wine-and-pizza restaurant. The desserts pair well with savory menu and drinks, like the exquisite ice creams and olive oil cakes. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Chez Zee

Indulge in the longtime West Austin restaurant’s wide array of classic desserts, like mile-high layer cakes, creme brulees, and shareable apple pies. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Choo Sando

The casual Japanese Allandale cafe is all about thick Japanese sandwiches. Along with savory options, the dessert ones are the perfect level of sweetness, with fillings like strawberries, kiwis, grapes, and mangos in whipped cream. Takeout orders can be placed in person or online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Uchiko & Uchi

The desserts at both branches of the Japanese restaurant — Uchiko in Rosedale and Uchi in Zilker — are under the helm of executive pastry chef Ariana Quant. This means sweet dishes with creative, thoughtful, and unexpected touches, like the earl grey panna cotta with habanero peppers and white chocolate crunch or the honey toast with cashew pralines. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are Uber Eats deliveries; and there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Lutie’s Garden Restaurant

Austin is a lucky place because executive pastry chef Susana Querejazu came back into town for this luxury hotel restaurant in Hancock. Her dessert prowess is on full display, especially with the kouign amann-studded ice cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Veracruz Fonda and Bar

The Mexican food truck’s Mueller restaurant is the only place to get co-owners and chefs Reyna and Maritza Vazquez’s rich tres leches cake slices. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Birdie's

The Chestnut wine restaurant’s luscious vanilla soft serve has already become an iconic dessert in Austin. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Nixta Taqueria

The sholeh zard — a blending of Mexican and Iranian rice puddings — at the Chestnut Mexican restaurant is fantastically flavorful and rich and bright. The seasonal paletas are also just as good. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Canje

Of the Emmer & Rye group’s businesses, it’s at East Austin Caribbean restaurant where the desserts shine because of executive pastry chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. Find tropical flavors such as the plantain mousse in a Rice Krispy Treat-esque dessert, rum punch sorbet, and the coconutty tres leches. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Oseyo

Thankfully for Austin’s sake, amazing pastry chef Laura Sawicki is whipping up sweets at this East Austin Korean restaurant. This means sweet corn cheesecakes made with silken tofu and strawberry gouchujang; sticky jujube cakes with a lotus root toffee sauce,; and banana milk-chile powder fudsicles. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are third-party deliveries (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub); there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Odd Duck

The South Austin restaurant’s often-changing dessert menu highlights Texas produce (hello, carrots and pecans) for desserts such as ice creams, cakes, and more. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Holiday

The Govalle cocktail lounge’s food offerings are quite good under chef Peter Klein. See: the simple yet fantastic olive oil cake, paired with a bay leaf rum syrup, whipped cream, and toasted pistachios. It’s a great way to end a meal, especially with one of the drinks. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Justine's

For absolutely great French desserts, the East Austin restaurant is your answer. There are creme brulees, chocolate mousses, and eclairs. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Related Maps

Launderette

Okay, so founding pastry chef Laura Sawicki left the Holly restaurant, but her impact on the dessert menu still lives on. Take the ever-Instagrammable birthday cake ice cream sandwich, which is really that good. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Underdog

The Korean American wine restaurant in Bouldin Creek applies its fun approach to its desserts too. There’s its take on the FIlipino frozen cookie dessert, the silvana, made with a cashew meringue cookie sandwiching French buttercream that isn’t overly sweet. Then there’s the herby-sweet matcha tiramisu and donuts with compote and chantilly cream. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Maie Day

Alas, another amazing pastry chef has left Austin with the departure of former MaieB’s Jules Stoddart of Southern restaurant Olamaie and this hotel American restaurant (though she’s still a managing partner of sibling spot Little Ola’s Biscuits). Luckily, her decadent ginormous Texas chocolate cake slice is still available on the menu, a rich and delicious layer cake with coffee chantilly and benne seed cracker. There are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Jack Allen's Kitchen

For simply well-done desserts to fulfill those sweet cravings, the Texas comfort food restaurant mini-chain provides pies, cobblers, cakes, and a lot of chocolate from pastry chef Dee Dee Sanchez. Takeout orders can be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in services.

Dee Dee

For a simple take on mango and sticky rice, laced with drizzles of condensed milk, look no further than this Thai truck. The truck only makes it if it has the absolute perfect mangos. Preorders must be placed online; there are indoor and outdoor dine-in areas.

Related Maps