In the residential Korean community of Bayside, Queens, is a Korean rice cake, bingsu, and tea shop that stands apart from other Korean bingsu establishments for its selection of Korean desserts using traditional ingredients like dried persimmon and black soybeans. The standout items are the honey songpyeon, multicolored, bonbon-sized soft rice cakes with a sweet honey sesame filling; the dark brown glutinous yaksik rice cake with chestnuts, jujubes, and nuts infused with sesame oil and caramelized sugar; and the silky-soft chapssal dduk, a Korean-style mochi coated with fine rice powder and filled with subtle red bean paste.

Soy Bean Chan Flower Shop is the kind of wonderful amalgam that one finds only in New York City. Part tofu shop, part florist, they carry fresh and silky tofu in a few flavors, including a ginger syrup topping, that reveals great craft in its simplicity. While there’s not much variety on hand, this long-running shop is a must-visit for its well-made, generously portioned, and affordable namesake item.

While the pancake souffle trend has come down from an initial customer frenzy, Eggcellent Soufflé Pancake, tucked away in a small food court in Flushing, continues to offer reliably fluffy, smile-inducing souffle pancakes that, thankfully, no longer require waiting in hour-long lines.  Available in several levels of sugar-shock sweetness from original (recommended) to chocolate banana and caramel, these souffles are best eaten quickly, with a side of the available cheese and sweetcorn egg bubble waffle.

Scattered around the larger second location of 3 Aunties Thai Market in Woodside are bright colored signs with playful “Auntie” food recommendations. Look for the savory-sweet, bite-sized kanom krok scallion and coconut milk-stuffed pancake balls, the pearly Job’s tears millet suspended in sugary jelly dressed with coconut milk, or the popular mango sticky rice. Don’t miss the unique faktong sangkaya Thai pumpkin custard, a delicious eggy, soft coconut custard molded into a hefty slice of sweet steamed kabocha pumpkin. The aunties also make their own durian and Thai iced tea ice cream in the back.

This mom-and-pop Malaysian restaurant carries a noteworthy selection of Malaysian and Chinese baked goods and traditional desserts at the register. The semisweet pineapple tambun cookies are flaky and delicious, but bite-sized kuih are highlights, including the soft and steamy tortoise-shaped mung bean-filled ang gu kuih, and the the glutinous, slightly salty pandan blue butterfly pea sago kuih with a middle layer of sweet coconut.

The counter service dessert offshoot of Cha-An Teahouse, Bon Bon is the best source for locally made Japanese wagashi (mochi and confections) in New York City. Many New Yorkers are likely familiar with ice cream mochis or coconut-covered red bean versions in Chinatown, both great but usually made from pre-mixed mochiko flour. There’s a discernible difference in Cha-An Bon Bon’s closely guarded mochi recipe: The exterior is softer and more pliable, and the fillings, whether black sesame or yuzu, are distinct. Starting at $4.75 per mochi, these vegan desserts are not inexpensive, but they are worth the premium price and the leisurely service. Visit frequently for seasonal flavors. Aside from the mochi, be sure to try the soft serve-topped parfait made with anmitsu, a cubed jelly, the hoji tea tiramisu, and their quality matcha tea.

Best known for their visually striking cream cakes, HARBS, the NYC offshoot of a Tokyo-based cafe, has the same eye for minimalist, precise detail in both the store experience and the cakes. Delicately light in flavor with well-structured sponge, HARBS cakes may not be for those faint of dairy, but every cake bears a distinct HARBS interpretation. The mille crepe, for example, has few layers but is stuffed with banana, strawberry, and other fresh fruit. Their marron (chestnut), strawberry cream, and banana cream cakes are standouts. Dine in at the airy Soho flagship to get the full HARBS experience, including sharply attired servers, delicate flatware and tea sets, and a window display-like cake counter.

Hard to find outside of Asia, bing fen, translated as ice jelly, is a vegan street food that originates from Chengdu in southwest China and straddles the line between drink and pudding. Made from seeds of the apple of Peru flower, bing fen is a transparent, lightly flavored jelly from which desserts are built with unique toppings that are the stars of the show. Jell & Chill gives customers traditional offerings that make for a great introduction, like Rosie’s Evil Twin with its haw flakes and mochi toppings, and modern twists like Jon Snow, with black sticky rice and coconut shaved ice.

A Kam Hing sponge cake is happiness baked into a $1.25 pastry. An institution dating back nearly 30 years, Kam Hing Bakery is known for its airy yet moist sponge cakes, which are nearly souffle-like in the middle. While they’re offered in a variety of flavors from matcha to chocolate chip, most are fairly subtle variations on the original vanilla sponge cake. Each order is extracted from a stack of giant Tupperware containers precariously perched like a Jenga tower. Kam Hing’s main location is discretely tucked into an office building, but they are also carried at sister concept Tonii’s Rice Noodles Rolls two blocks away on Bayard Street.

This French Japanese dessert spot by chef Tomoko Kato continues its tradition of serving delicately crafted, technique-driven confections at its Williamsburg location. Known for their counter-service, three-course tasting menu ($28), Patisserie Tomoko also offers a wide and rotating selection of Japanese-influenced pastries and desserts to go, from a fragrant yuzu mousse to an earthy chestnut tart. Be sure to try their signature dacquoise and macarons.

Mochi doughnuts are all over the city now, but Alimama was one of the first to carry the dense and chewy hybrid treat, and remains one of the best. Start with the creme brulee or matcha doughnuts, and eat immediately while still hot. There’s nothing stickier, stretchier, and more fun to split after a night out with friends. Alimama also carries a variety of cream puffs, including one filled with mini boba for those looking for a flufflier dessert.

On a commercial street in Jamaica, Queens, sits a tiny Indian and Pakistani sweets kitchen cooking up daily, made-to-order batches of exceptional mithai confections. Find golden motichoor laddoo made of chickpea besan pearls, a nutty and aromatic habshi halwa, a syrupy gulab jamun with rosewater essence, and the sweet cream-filled kheer mohan. Owner Tariq Hamid still has his grandfather’s mithai recipes handwritten in a box in the shop since launching their family business in 1973. Order 24 hours in advance for pickup.

Flavorful coffee beans from Cordilleras farmers in the Mountain Province of the Philippines are ground and served at this charming Filipino-inspired full-service coffee shop in East Williamsburg. Their small pastry case features well-executed homey recipes for popular Filipino treats like a soft ube ensaymada, a creamy, smooth caramelized cassava cake, and semisweet coconut bibingka. The servings are small in comparison to other Filipino shops’, meant to be little complements to their well-known taro and matcha lattes.