One of the best parts about living in Los Angeles is the endless amount of amazing food. The desserts are so decadent, fun, and Instagram-worthy! I have a big sweet tooth and have made it my mission to eat as many artisanal desserts as I can, and here are some of my favorites you need to try!
1. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – @jenisicecreams
Locations: Venice, Larchmont, Los Feliz, Calabasas
If I had to pick an all-time favorite dessert in LA, it would be Jeni’s, and my camera roll definitely reflect it. Jeni’s is actually headquartered in Columbus Ohio, but I discovered it in Venice Beach, CA. My friends and I had just eaten at Cafe Gratitude, which is the epitome of LA vegan casual sit-down dining where the meals are named things like “I am thankful” and you have to say that to your waiter when you order. It wasn’t my favorite place, but when we were parking, we noticed the Jeni’s storefront across the street and planned to go there for dessert since none of us were actually vegan. I immediately fell in love with the Brown Butter Almond Brittle ice cream and the Brambleberry Crisp ice cream!! Every time I want to try their other interesting flavors, but I end up going with those two more often than not. There are several Jeni’s locations throughout LA, but Venice has a special place in my heart, and it’s the one I go to most often since my friend lives within walking distance. Also, it has this green wall with a neon sign that looks great on the gram. In non-pandemic times, there are chairs to sit on along the back wall, but I usually get my ice cream to-go and walk down to the beach or up to Abbot Kinney.
2. Randy’s Donuts – @randysdonuts
Locations: Inglewood, Century City, El Segundo, Downey, Pasadena, Torrance
I haven’t met an apple fritter I didn’t like! I first heard of Randy’s Donuts years ago when I saw that scene in Iron Man 2 where Robert Downey Jr. ate donuts from inside the giant donut sign. When I found out it was only a 20 minute drive down La Cienega Blvd in Inglewood, I made my friends come with me. Guys, these donuts fabulous and they are CHEAP. I guess I’m so used to expensive artisanal donuts that when these were only $1.25 to $2.80 each I was shook and bought four of them. Then I ate so much that I thought my stomach would explode and it actually kind of hurt to breathe. But still, 10/10 would recommend!
3. Go Greek – @gogreekyogurt
Locations: Beverly Hills, Santa Monica
I studied abroad in 2016 and went to Athens, Greece where there was a froyo place that used Greek yogurt for their soft serve. I can’t remember what flavor I got, but I topped it with pomegranates and melted white chocolate sauce and it was amazing! A few years later, I discovered Go Greek frozen yogurt with a friend and it was super cute! You can customize your own bowl of Greek froyo like you do at Menchie’s and similar places, but there are also pre-made bowls on the menu. You can also order savory Greek yogurt bowls if you’re not feeling the sweet kind. I’ve been to both locations but I prefer the Santa Monica shop by the beach!
4. The Bigg Chill – @thebiggchillofficial
Location: West LA
This is a popular place among UCLA college students and that’s evident by the fact that it is popping at night. My first time going was actually on a weekday during the day. It was empty and my friends and I easily got a table. When going on a Saturday night, the little parking lot is super crowded and you’ll probably have to eat in your car (in pandemic times, you probably for sure have to). The Bigg Chill is technically a froyo shop, and while I do really enjoy the froyo, the true draw is the vegan cookie dough. The flavors of cookie dough and froyo change all the time. I usually get the vanilla custard and a couple of the cookie doughs that don’t have chocolate chips (it just gets too chocolatey for me). And of course, there’s an Insta-worthy neon pink sign inside. Note: I haven’t been in a while, but they may still only take cash.
5. Cha Cha Matcha – @chachamatcha
Locations: Venice, West Hollywood
Matcha and lavender CBD soft-serve. Need I say more? This is as LA as it gets! I cannot confirm if the CBD does anything, as I split this cup with my friend. Cha Cha Matcha is mostly a cafe that serves matcha drinks, but when I saw that there was ice cream on the menu, you know I had to try it. I’d recommend it! Very refreshing and photogenic. The shop in Venice is on a corner in Abbot Kinney and you can’t miss the open storefront and bright pink interior!
6. McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams – @mcconnellsicecreams
Locations: Studio City, Pacific Palisades, Downtown LA
I first tried McConnell’s at the Museum of Ice Cream when it was in Los Angeles a few years ago. The first ice cream sample in the pop-up museum was the Earl Grey & Shortbreak Cookies flavor, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. A year later, I took a trip up to Santa Barbara and went to the original McConnell’s shop on State Street. Luckily, you don’t have to drive that far for this artisanal ice cream. McConnell’s has a stall in Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles!
7. Souffles – @souffles_la
Location: Koreatown
Have you ever seen those videos of pancakes that are so fluffy that they jiggle when you move the plate? This is a place you can get them! These pancakes are soft and the whipped cream isn’t too sweet! It was all so light and airy, and the serving size was perfect and I left with my high-waisted jeans fully buttoned. Souffles is very Instagram-worthy and the pancakes are definitely a unique dessert. Souffles is located in Koreatown, which is my least favorite place in Los Angeles because of the lack of parking. All the strip mall parking lots are paid lots, so have some cash on hand and save yourself 30 mins trying to look for a free spot!
8. Little Damage – @little.damage
Location: Downtown LA
This little ice cream shop is in the jewelry district and it was basically made for Instagram! Little Damage serves charcoal ice cream and ice cream cones, with some other cool flavors like Cookie Monster. The cones are pretty massive and I don’t think I’ve ever been able to eat the whole thing. There was also a little free photo booth inside when I went, which was super cute!
9. Holy Roly – @holyrolyicecream
Locations: West Hollywood, Koreatown
Rolled ice cream is so much work, and you definitely get less ice cream than you would if you got regular scoops of ice cream, but they are truly works of art! I mean look at those expertly torched marshmallows! Holy Roly was a cute little shop you should definitely stop by, also their ice cream is organic!
10. Pressed Juicery – @pressedjuicery
Locations: Santa Monica, Venice, Century City, Brentwood, Westwood, West Hollywood, Mid City, Downtown LA + Orange County
This is LA trendy aka it’s somewhat healthy. Pressed Juicery has locations all over LA and most of them have the Pressed Freeze, which is their version of soft-serve. It’s basically the frozen version of their almond milk drinks, so it’s dairy-free! Freezes are super refreshing, and they do the job when you want dessert but don’t want to get anything too heavy. I usually get a small vanilla Pressed Freeze, which comes with three free toppings, so I get blueberries, strawberries, and the cacao drizzle. The drizzle is warm, but it condenses on the soft-serve, and it gets cold and chewy which makes a strange texture that I enjoy. Alternatively, the peanut butter drizzle is also a good choice. Whenever they do Instagram ads for $2 Freezes, I’m all over that!
11. Milk – @themilkshop_la
Locations: Mid City, Silverlake
Not to be confused with Milk Bar, Milk has ice cream, cookies, and macaron ice cream sandwiches. The latter is the reason I go, and the little shop on Beverly Blvd is small and cute. Flavors change, but one of their signatures is the Fruity Pebbles one which is the one I got. All the desserts are very photogenic. Don’t forget to take a photo with the sign in front of the store!
12. Milk Bar – @milkbarstore
Location: West Hollywood
The founder, Christina Tosi, is a girl boss and worked under David Chang at Momofuku in NYC before she set up Milk Bar next door. The Milk Bar pie is heavenly, I could probably eat an entire pie but I don’t because it costs $46. But maybe one day I will…It’s buttery and gooey and sweet and it tastes good cold and warm. I realize I don’t have any photos of it because every time I order a slice, I get too excited and forget to take photos of it. The soft serve and cookies are also good. Actually, everything at Milk Bar is just delicious and you can’t go wrong. The store is pink and white and super Instagrammable. You’ve probably seen pictures of the exterior wall which says “Please don’t Instagram this.”
Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!
Be sure to check out my post on Trendy Desserts in Orange County for some even more over-the-top treats and stay tuned for my LA dessert bucket list!
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