Alice Bakery & Confectionary
A North Wales bakery with a pastry case that empties by Saturday afternoon. The cakes and confections come out of the Main Street kitchen, not off a truck.
Dessert in the burbs
Every dessert spot we vouch for, across every town we cover. Cross a town line for the good ones. That's the whole point.
The picks
- Alice Bakery & Confectionary
- Amy's Creative Cakes
- Ann's Cake Pan
- Annie B's Sweets
- Arnold's Way
- Asher's Chocolates
- Bakers of Buffington
- The Bakery House
- Banana Nana Pudding
- Bella Vita Coffee & Cream
- Big Jim's Chocolate Chip Cookie Co.
- Brown's Cow
- The Butter Pecan Cafe
- Cake Crafter
- The Caketeria
- The Candy Lab
- Cariad Cookies
- Carminati Creamery
- Chocolate Therapy
- CHUMS Poke & Yogurt Bowl
- CJ’s Sweet Palace
- The Confectionary
- The Confident Baker
- Cookie Dope
- Crazy Over You Cakes
- Cup & Cake Company
- D'Ascenzo's Gelato
- Deisy's Cake Shop
- Dollop Frozen Yogurt
- Dough Sweet
- Downtown Scoop
- Dreams Ice Cream Factory
- eDiBLeS Bakery by ChefLoka
- Factory Girl Bake Shop
- Fruitella
- Gemelli - Artisanal Gelato & Dessert Café
- Grandma Jannah's Ice Cream Parlor
- Half a While
- Hangry Bear Creamery
- Hickory Stick Ice Cream
- Ice Cream West Chester
- Karen's Sugar Love Bakery
- Kool Licks
- Kresha Kreations
- A La Mousse
- La Pastry Ville
- Last Temptation
- Little's Ice Cream & Water Ice
- Lu & Aug's
- The Main Freeze
- Mandee's Treats
- Mompops
- Naked Chocolate
- Narberth Scoops
- New Hope Ferry Market
- Newtown Chocolatier
- Newtown Ice House
- Nina's Waffles & Ice Cream
- Nina’s Waffles and Sweets
- Nomadic Pies
- Owowcow Creamery
- Philly Cheesecake Lady
- Pho Today
- Piccola Venezia Crepes, Gelato & More
- Pierre's Chocolates
- Pink Skirt Desserts
- Pretty Burger
- Richie's Water Ice & Ice cream
- Rosemarie's Real Italian Ice
- Roses Little Donuts
- Santina's Pastry Shop by Nino
- Sciascia Confections
- Scoop Happy
- Scoops
- Scoops and Smiles Ice Cream & Water Ice
- Shelby's Sweet Things
- Sublime Cupcakes
- Sundae World
- Sweet Rora’s
- Sweet Street Desserts
- Thriving Hive Tea Room
- Ultimate Bake Shoppe of Ardmore
- URBAN SCOOP
- Urban Scoop
- Velvet Sky Bakery
- The Worthy Dessert
- Yori's Church Street Bakery
- Yum Yum Bake Shops
- Zebra Striped Whale
Amy's Creative Cakes
Custom wedding and all-occasion cakes out of Quakertown since 2006, with Best of Weddings nods from The Knot three years running. Everything is made to order, so call before you need the cake, not after.
Ann's Cake Pan
A family cake operation that began as a hobby more than 50 years ago; sons Bill and John run it now, and it's grown mostly on word of mouth. Wedding and occasion cakes by order, bar mitzvahs to bridal showers.
Annie B's Sweets
A stand inside the Ferry Market baking dessert in miniature: two-bite tarts and mini bundts made on the same recipes Annie ran at her old Confections shop before it closed in 2010. Open weekends only in New Hope, Saturday till 8 and Sunday till 7.
Arnold's Way
The raw-food cafe and juice bar that has held down West Main since 1995, banana whips and green smoothies leading the menu. The shelves of nutrition books aren't decoration — education in the raw-food lifestyle is part of the point here.
Asher's Chocolates
Five generations of the same family have been making chocolate since 1892, and the factory store on Wambold Road sells it straight from the source. This is where the milk-chocolate-covered potato chips and dark chocolate grahams come from.
Bakers of Buffington
A longtime Downingtown bakery on East Lancaster Ave doing cakes, cookies, and pastries by the dozen. The counter has been a birthday-cake stop around here for years.
The Bakery House
A Lancaster Ave bakery since 1989, started on cookies and pies and now known mostly for custom cakes. Order a whole one ahead through the site, or take a slice from the case.
Banana Nana Pudding
A York Road shop devoted to banana pudding, layered into cups and jars with a rotating set of flavors. Order it cold and it's gone before you get home.
Bella Vita Coffee & Cream
Coffee and ice cream under one roof on Main Street, which is the correct arrangement. Espresso in the morning, a cone in the afternoon.
Big Jim's Chocolate Chip Cookie Co.
A whole storefront on West Main devoted to one thing: the chocolate chip cookie. Big Jim skips the cupcake-and-macaron sprawl most bakeries chase and just bakes the cookie he put his name on.
Brown's Cow
Bassetts ice cream — a brand older than the borough's steel mills — scooped from a cash-only counter on South Main. Tripadvisor's pick for best ice cream in town, for whatever that's worth.
The Butter Pecan Cafe
The Butter Pecan Cafe works the sweet end of Lincoln Highway in Coatesville. The name points straight at the sweet tooth.
Cake Crafter
Custom cakes, decorated cookies, and cake truffles from a licensed home bakery, with thirty years of decorating behind every order. Order ahead; this is a by-request operation, not a walk-in shop.
The Caketeria
Custom cake shop that's been handling Newtown weddings and birthday orders since 2010, back when it went by Felix's Caketeria. The cannoli cream cake is the one to ask for, and the vegan cupcakes aren't an afterthought.
The Candy Lab
A kids' candy-crafting studio on Haverford Avenue running summer camps and candy-science classes, where the projects are edible experiments. Around Halloween the crafts turn spooky and costumes are encouraged.
Cariad Cookies
A small licensed family bakery whose name is the Welsh word for love. The shortbread list carries a Bakewell Tart with dried cherries and a coffee and walnut version built on espresso beans, sold by the dozen and at a monthly cookie table on N. Tyson Ave.
Carminati Creamery
An ice cream shop on Yorkway Place scooping the house-made stuff. The Jenkintown answer to where to go after dinner.
Chocolate Therapy
A Marchwood Road bakery whose name tells you what to order. Closed Mondays; the other six afternoons it runs till 7, late enough for an after-dinner detour.
CHUMS Poke & Yogurt Bowl
Yogurt bowls built on yogurt the shop cold-strains for 48 hours, topped with fresh fruit, granola and drizzles. The whole place runs on a two-tone cat mascot called Chummy. Poke bowls and skewers are at the Berwyn sibling, not here.
CJ’s Sweet Palace
Water ice is the headline here and ice cream plays second, with soft pretzels, funnel cake, milkshakes and cookies filling out the rest of the counter. Hours run seasonal and get posted week to week on their Instagram.
The Confectionary
A small bakery on North Main in Souderton, running to cakes, cookies, and a pastry case. The kind of counter you use for a real birthday cake instead of a grocery-store one.
The Confident Baker
Skippack Pike bakery with a decorator's hand, turning out cakes and pastries made to look as good as they taste. The counter you hit when the occasion needs something that photographs.
Cookie Dope
Edible cookie dough by the scoop on South High Street, served in a cone like soft serve. Ice cream too, if you want both.
Crazy Over You Cakes
A cake bakery on South 8th doing custom and celebration orders. Where the neighborhood goes when the occasion calls for something better than a grocery-store sheet cake.
Cup & Cake Company
Scratch-made cupcakes out of a Main Street Marketplace storefront, hours posted week to week on Instagram. Check before you make the trip — this one keeps its own schedule.
D'Ascenzo's Gelato
House-made gelato on East Gay Street from a West Chester family. The case rotates through classics like stracciatella and pistachio plus whatever's in season.
Deisy's Cake Shop
A cake shop and Mexican bakery on West State, part of the Panadería Estrella family. Custom cakes plus a case of everyday pan dulce.
Dollop Frozen Yogurt
Self-serve fro-yo on North Broad with a toppings bar the little-league teams have memorized. Summer's default ending.
Dough Sweet
Edible cookie dough by the cup, flight, and party tray, in flavors from chocolate chip to birthday cake, out of the Artisan Exchange on Carter Drive. It's a pre-order pickup operation, not a shop; order online, swing by, done.
Downtown Scoop
Ice cream in downtown Souderton, scooped a block off Main on Chestnut. The warm-night stop after dinner or a walk down Broad.
Dreams Ice Cream Factory
Family run for eleven years, by their own count, and the menu goes well past scoops: gelati layered however you ask for it, water ice, vegan and sugar free pints, plus sundaes built around the Eagles and the Phillies.
eDiBLeS Bakery by ChefLoka
ChefLoka's bakery on East Lancaster Ave, making cakes and sweets to order. A small operation built around one baker's kitchen.
Factory Girl Bake Shop
A Friday-to-Sunday bakeshop on North Main where the scones come out fresh each morning and the case turns over week to week. The English muffin bread toasts into something you'll ration, and the layer cakes get iced with organic flowers cut from the garden out back.
Fruitella
Sweet and savory crepes from a small counter on E Broad, run off a Facebook page more than a website. Everything is made to order, so build in a few minutes of standing around.
Gemelli - Artisanal Gelato & Dessert Café
Gelato made in-house on West Market Street, with espresso and dessert if you want to linger. Get a scoop and walk it down High Street.
Grandma Jannah's Ice Cream Parlor
An ice cream parlor on West Ave with the kind of name that tells you the recipes came from somebody's kitchen. Scoops, sundaes, and a counter to eat them at.
Half a While
A tea and cake shop in the old Kung Fu Tea storefront, run by Leo Wei and Haley He. Cold-brewed leaf teas, handmade crepe and tiramisu cakes, and buns filled with taro or minced pork.
Hangry Bear Creamery
Ice cream with a make-it-yourself angle: book the private studio and churn a custom flavor, or hit the counter for ice cream, coffee, and lunch to go. A newly fitted ice cream truck takes the operation on the road for the 2026 event season.
Hickory Stick Ice Cream
Hand-dipped ice cream and water ice on 7th Street, the counter you hit on a walk through downtown Perkasie in July. Regulars go for the salted caramel truffle, and the sister shop out on Telegraph Road sits inside a one-room schoolhouse that ran until the 1950s.
Ice Cream West Chester
The scoop-shop follow-up from the owner of Pizza West Chester and Steaks West Chester: soft serve, custard, and sorbet on Church Street. Family-run, with the pitch resting on all-natural ingredients.
Karen's Sugar Love Bakery
Karen turns out custom cakes, cupcakes, and cookies from a small shop on Washington Ave. Order ahead for anything with a candle in it.
Kool Licks
Forty-plus flavors of homemade water ice, soft serve in thirty-some more, and hand-dipped scoops by the dozen. Cash only, open 3 to 9, and yes, they'll make the dog a pup cup.
Kresha Kreations
A custom-cake bakery on Leedom Street in Jenkintown, working mostly to order rather than a walk-in case. Small shop, steady regulars.
A La Mousse
A French patisserie on Montgomery Ave, big on mousse cakes and macarons, with a glass case worth a look before you order. Good for a birthday cake or an afternoon that needs pastry.
La Pastry Ville
Hand-laminated croissants and puff pastries in the French style, sold Saturdays from a booth at the Artisan Exchange market on Carter Drive. Order by Thursday evening; the twice-baked almond croissant carries a quiet kiss of rum.
Last Temptation
A scoop shop on South Main serving Thomas Sweet ice cream, the handcrafted kind out of Princeton, alongside sorbet and dairy-free options. It stays open till 10, which is about when the after-dinner walk down Main goes looking for a cone.
Little's Ice Cream & Water Ice
Ice cream and water ice on East Montgomery, built for a summer-evening walk. Cones, gelati, and a line that forms the second it warms up.
Lu & Aug's
Small-batch soft serve built on local dairy, with flavors that rotate between the classics and the ones nobody asked for. Affogato, made-to-order hot chocolate, build-your-own pints, and espresso running past 5pm.
The Main Freeze
Frozen-treat stand on West Main, open daily from noon to 10. The ice cream comes from the MacIvers, second-generation ice cream makers out of Emmaus, and the Italian ice is Via Veneto.
Mandee's Treats
The stuffed cookie bars are the reason to come: Nutella Oreo, Cookie Butter and Twix, a lineup that changes weekly. There's ice cream too, for anyone who thinks a cookie bar needs company.
Mompops
Handmade ice pops out of a shop on Birch Street, just off the downtown grid. Cold, fruit-forward, and easy to eat on the walk.
Naked Chocolate
Family-run chocolate shop on S Eagle Road where the cacao is direct-traded from small equatorial family farms. On Fridays, Curiosity Doughnuts takes over the case.
Narberth Scoops
A teen-owned popup in downtown Narberth, scooping Bassett's and nothing else into cones, sundaes, and floats. It only runs when the Lower Merion High kids are out for summer, so check their Instagram before you walk over.
New Hope Ferry Market
A dozen vendors under one roof on South Main, from Peruvian empanadas and ramen to Pork Shack pulled pork and Annie B's tarts. Everyone in your group pays a different counter and meets back at a shared table, which settles most who-picks-dinner standoffs.
Newtown Chocolatier
Handcrafted Belgian chocolate from a shop on Newtown Richboro Road. Newtown residents get free delivery with a $25 minimum — file that away for Valentine's week.
Newtown Ice House
Handcrafted water ice and frozen custard from a warm-months-only stand, with a flavor board that swings from Butterbeer to Dubai Chocolate to Cookie Monster. Same crew runs the Yardley shop, and both reopen each spring, so the July list is gone by January.
Nina's Waffles & Ice Cream
The Village at Newtown branch of the New Hope waffle-and-ice-cream shop, churning its ice cream from local dairy with less sugar and no corn syrup. The move is a warm waffle under a scoop.
Nina’s Waffles and Sweets
Liege waffles served warm, topped with ice cream they churn from local dairy with no corn syrup. Making them since 2011, and the waffle-plus-scoop order has not needed improving since.
Nomadic Pies
A small pie shop on West State, sweet and savory both. Time it around what just came out of the oven.
Owowcow Creamery
Ice cream hand-crafted from scratch daily since 2009: they pasteurize their own base with local organic cream and roast the fruit themselves. Even the signature popsicles get dipped by hand.
Philly Cheesecake Lady
Cheesecake as the whole point, in more flavors than you'd expect one bakery to carry. A Jenkintown go-to for the birthday-and-holiday order.
Pho Today
Vietnamese cooking in a Cowpath Road storefront: phở, bánh mì, rice plates, and vermicelli bowls, plus a run of vegetarian dishes. Save room for the Vietnamese desserts.
Piccola Venezia Crepes, Gelato & More
Gelato and crepes on South Union Street, plus a case of rotating sweets. A good stop after dinner when you want something cold or something warm.
Pierre's Chocolates
Chocolates worked by hand on West Bridge Street since 1986, from filled truffles to small-batch bonbons hand-painted like little marbled eggs. Book the truffle-making class if you'd rather roll your own and carry the evidence home.
Pink Skirt Desserts
Custom cakes and party-grade desserts from a little shop on Doyle Street. The kind of baker you book, not browse.
Pretty Burger
Crispy-edged smash patties, hand-cut fries, and milkshakes from the crew behind Pretty Bird Coffee up the street. The menu is short on purpose, and the kitchen only fires Tuesday through Sunday, 3:30 on.
Richie's Water Ice & Ice cream
Water ice and soft serve on Lincoln Highway, the Philly-summer standard. Order a gelati and you get both layered in one cup.
Rosemarie's Real Italian Ice
An independent water ice stand on West Broad, scooping the Italian ice the name insists is the real thing. Cup in hand, you're a short walk from the rest of downtown.
Roses Little Donuts
Mini donuts made to order on North Darlington Street, rolled in cinnamon sugar or whatever topping you point at. Small shop, best eaten warm.
Santina's Pastry Shop by Nino
Nino was born and raised in Palermo and worked bakeries in Philadelphia, New York, and Trenton before opening this pastry shop on South Eagle Road in 2024. Cannoli get filled to order; the Danish walnut ring is a best seller for a reason.
Sciascia Confections
Tom Sciascia's chocolate counter inside the Ferry Market makes everything gluten-free, from the truffles to the French macarons. The drinking chocolate comes thick enough to stand a spoon in, and those macarons will ship anywhere in the country.
Scoop Happy
Scoop Happy is the ice cream window at 4114 Skippack Pike, right next door to Pizza Villa. Cones and sundaes, and a crowd out front on warm evenings.
Scoops
An ice cream shop on the Fayette Street strip, cones and sundaes for the warm-weather crowd. The classic after-dinner walk in Conshy.
Scoops and Smiles Ice Cream & Water Ice
Scoops and Smiles does ice cream and water ice on East King Street, the summer-evening kind of stop. Cones, sundaes, and a walk-up window when the weather's right.
Shelby's Sweet Things
Richele Brisbon bakes to order out of a kitchen on Shaw Avenue, and the sour cream pound cake is the one to call about. Cookies, apple dumplings, and gluten-free and vegan versions round out a list you order by phone, not off a shelf.
Sublime Cupcakes
The cupcake case changes with the day of the week — a Tuesday brings Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, and Sublime Key Lime. There are gluten-free versions too, including a Choc PB Crunch.
Sundae World
Sixty-seven flavors of hard ice cream, plus real soft serve, water ice, and boba, at the seasonal stand on North Broad. Deciding is the hard part — reviewers admit to ten minutes at the flavor board.
Sweet Rora’s
Sweet Rora's is a candy shop on Skippack Pike, all glass jars and sugar by the scoop. Stop in when the kids need a reward or you need one yourself.
Sweet Street Desserts
A dessert-only counter running out of The Pizza Stop on East Main, ordered through DoorDash. Sweets to tack onto the end of a takeout run.
Thriving Hive Tea Room
Afternoon tea taken seriously: call ahead, especially for a Saturday table, and a spread of finger sandwiches, scones, and rotating desserts shows up. A gift shop sits up front, and the Bebe & Pop's ice cream counter shares the address for when scones aren't the mood.
Ultimate Bake Shoppe of Ardmore
A counter inside the Ardmore Farmers Market at Suburban Square, baking since 1982. Custom cakes and decorated cookies are the main trade, with vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free versions coming off the same bench.
URBAN SCOOP
Urban Scoop makes small-batch ice cream on the east end of Gay Street, with globally-inspired flavors like ube cookie dough and Thai tea. A scoop shop that goes well past vanilla.
Urban Scoop
Small-batch ice cream in flavors like Ube Cookie Dough, Thai Tea, and Black Sesame, scooped daily till 10. This Lincoln Highway shop is the original — it did well enough to spawn a second in downtown West Chester.
Velvet Sky Bakery
A Jenkintown bakery on Leedom Street doing custom cakes and cupcakes, wedding work included. Order ahead for the big stuff.
The Worthy Dessert
Small-batch bakery on E Broad turning out cakes and sweets, new enough that the rest of Broad Street hasn't caught up yet. Worth getting in early.
Yori's Church Street Bakery
Church Street bakery in West Chester, a longtime stop for cakes and morning pastry. The counter locals reach for come birthdays.
Yum Yum Bake Shops
Donuts and bakery-case standards on W Broad. A Lehigh Valley name people will drive out of their way for a dozen glazed.
Zebra Striped Whale
The signature is the Whirlwind: ice cream hand-mixed with your toppings at the counter until it's one swirl. Family-run on State Street since 2004, named after a children's book the founder wrote and illustrated herself.
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