Best Sweet Treats Restaurants in Upper West Side (Central)
13 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Levain Bakery - Upper West Side
Oversized, ultra-dense cookies that helped define the modern NYC cookie craze.
Notable Picks
Levain’s original Upper West Side shop is a basement-level bakery famous for six-ounce cookies that draw steady lines for most of the day. The tiny space focuses on a short list of ultra-rich cookies and a few baked goods, making it a go-to stop for serious dessert runs before or after a walk in the neighborhood.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
What Makes it Special: Oversized, ultra-dense cookies that helped define the modern NYC cookie craze.
#2
Zabar's
8.5
Zabar's combines a landmark appetizing store with a busy upstairs café where bagels, smoked fish, and coffee fuel classic Upper West Side breakfasts. Regulars treat it as a one-stop morning ritual, grabbing lox sandwiches, blintzes, and baked goods before or after shopping the market downstairs.
Must-Try Dishes:
Toasted bagel with Nova lox, Cheese blintzes with sour cream, Smoked fish platter
What Makes it Special: Iconic appetizing market with an upstairs café for classic lox breakfasts.
8.4
Mille-Feuille brings a distinctly French patisserie style to Broadway with laminated pastries, macarons, and coffee served off the lobby of Hotel Belleclaire. Regulars use it for morning croissants, mid-day sweets, and light snacks where the focus stays on classic French techniques.
Must-Try Dishes:
Almond Croissant, Macarons, Chocolate Croissant
What Makes it Special: French-trained baking with croissants and macarons that feel close to Paris standards.
Janie’s Life-Changing Baked Goods is a compact Upper West Side bakery built around its signature pie crust cookies and nostalgic cakes. The shop leans into rich, layered cookies and seasonal flavors that have earned citywide attention and steady takeout traffic.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pie Crust Cookie, Caramel Apple Pie Crust Cookie, Pecan Pie Crust Cookie
What Makes it Special: Inventive pie crust cookies turn classic pie flavors into handheld desserts.
8.2
By the Way Bakery is a small gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher bakery where layer cakes, bundts, and cookies are baked in a narrow Broadway storefront. It doubles as a go-to for celebration cakes and everyday sweets for those avoiding gluten or dairy without sacrificing flavor.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake, Sour Cherry Cake, Coconut Cloud Cake
What Makes it Special: Gluten-free, dairy-free cakes and cookies that feel like classic bakery treats.
8.1
A long‑standing Upper West Side pâtisserie known for its French‑style donuts and pastries, Mille‑Feuille balances classic technique with approachable sweetness. The flaky layers and delicate textures make its donuts and viennoiserie stand out among neighborhood bakeries.
Must-Try Dishes:
Vanilla Bean French Donut, Raspberry French Donut, Cinnamon Bun
What Makes it Special: Classic French pastries including well‑executed French donuts
The Upper West Side Orwashers outpost extends the century-old bakery’s bread credentials into bagels, morning sandwiches, and coffee. It’s less of a pure bagel shop and more of a bakery café, but the bagels, spreads, and smoked fish options make it a strong choice when you want a bagel alongside excellent bread and pastries.
Must-Try Dishes:
Sesame bagel with cream cheese, Bagel with smoked salmon and tomato, Freshly baked sourdough or rye loaf to take home
What Makes it Special: Historic New York bakery bringing serious bread chops to its bagels and breakfast sandwiches.
Vibes:
Comfort Food Classics
Family Friendly Favorites
Sweet Treats Escapes
Birthday & Celebration Central
Billy’s Upper West Side outpost leans into old-fashioned American baking with cupcakes, banana pudding, and cakes that feel geared toward parties and everyday cravings alike. The small Columbus Avenue shop works as a dessert stop after dinner or a pick-up spot for celebration desserts.
Must-Try Dishes:
Banana Pudding, Chocolate Cupcake, Coconut Cupcake
What Makes it Special: Cupcakes and banana pudding aimed at classic, crowd-pleasing American flavors.
8
Gluten-free dessert bakery with a strong baked-donut lineup, including apple cider and pumpkin donuts alongside an array of cakes and bars. Guests treat it as a destination for sweet-tooth runs where donuts are part of a broader, colorful dessert spread.
Must-Try Dishes:
Apple Cider Donut, Pumpkin Donut, Mini Apple Cider Donut Six Pack
What Makes it Special: Gluten-free donuts and desserts served in a bright, dessert-first space.
Worthy Picks
7.9
Chip City’s Upper West Side location is a late-night cookie shop built around rotating oversized flavors from chocolate chip to s’mores and limited-time collaborations. It’s more of a grab-and-go dessert stop than a café, with long hours that make it a common detour after dinner or a movie.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate S'mores Cookie, S'mores Crookie
What Makes it Special: Rotating oversized cookies and crookies served late into the night.
7.8
La Farine Pâtisserie et Café is a newer French-style bakery on Broadway that pairs croissants, cakes, and breads with espresso and an upstairs seating area. Locals treat it as an all-day stop for coffee, pastries, and light bites with more room to sit than many neighboring bakeries.
Must-Try Dishes:
Butter Croissant, Almond Croissant, Signature Cakes
What Makes it Special: French-inspired pastries served in a two-level café with space to linger.
#12
Moka & Co
7.7
A newer Yemeni café (established 2024) that brings Middle Eastern coffee culture to the Upper West Side with spiced drinks, sweets, and a sit-and-sip rhythm. Come for one signature latte or tea plus one pastry or cake—treat it like a focused coffee-and-dessert stop, not a full meal destination.
Must-Try Dishes:
Yemeni coffee drink, Pistachio latte, Saffron milk cake
What Makes it Special: A Yemeni coffee-and-sweets café that feels built for lingering.
#13
Patis Bakery
7.7
A French-American bakery-café that shines as a daytime utility stop: one standout pastry or viennoiserie plus coffee, with savory options if you need a fuller bite. It’s best treated like a focused grab-and-go or work break—pick a hero pastry and keep the rest simple.
Must-Try Dishes:
Kouign-amann, Almond croissant, Quiche slice
What Makes it Special: A pastry-forward bakery café built for one excellent sweet (or quiche) and coffee.