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A colorful array of desserts in white wrappers and plastic containers laid out on a table.
An assortment of desserts from Malaysian and Chinese spot Little House Cafe in Elmhurst.
Liza de Guia

18 Excellent Asian Desserts in NYC

Creamy, caramelized cassava cakes, chewy mochi doughnuts, bing fen topped with black sticky rice and coconut shaved ice, and more

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An assortment of desserts from Malaysian and Chinese spot Little House Cafe in Elmhurst.
| Liza de Guia

New York is undergoing an Asian dessert renaissance, from bing fen in the East Village to Filipino doughnuts in Long Island City. Desserts hold a special place in the Asian food scene: They are time- and labor-intensive, and often works of passion, like the tender, saffron-colored balls of motichoor laddoo at Shaheen Sweets. To walk into many of these shops is a visit to another country through the eyes of the owner, perhaps even a specific time and place. To note: Asian ice cream, shaved ice, and boba shops, along with restaurants with great pastry menus, also offer standout desserts — but this particular list focuses on largely dessert-heavy shops or markets in NYC.

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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.

Bite-sized, pastel desserts stacked in a clear plastic takeout container.
A variety of honey songpyeon from Yedang.
Liza de Guia

Soy Bean Chan Flower & Gift Shop

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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.

Eggcellent Soufflé Pancake

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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.

Chef and owner Kimberly Camara creates high-concept Filipino brioche donuts with whimsical, colorful designs out of a family-run commercial kitchen in Queens. The finely placed details celebrate the joy and vibrancy of Camara’s Filipino culture. Week to week, the preorder for pickup rotates through a variety of flavors. The fan-favorites: the caramel custard-filled Leche Flan ni Lola, and a monochromatic doughnut with a semisweet ube creme piped inside an ube-flavored dough and topped with purple yam crisps. The maraschino cherry- and coconut-topped halo halo and crunchy cashew meringue Sans Rival are also must-tries.

Five colorful doughnuts with artful toppings set in a cardboard box.
A box of five Kora doughnuts.
Liza de Guia

3 Aunties Thai Market

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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.

Little House Cafe

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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.

A colorful array of desserts in white wrappers and plastic containers laid out on a table.
An assortment of desserts from Little House Cafe.
Liza de Guia

Indo Java

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Inside the aisles of Indo Java Groceries, find stacks of intriguing grab-and-go Indonesian food peppered over every packed corner of this friendly specialty grocer. Look for dadar gulung, a spongy, fluorescent-green pandan pancake with sugared coconut shreds rolled inside for added texture; fragrant kue lapis pandan coklat (chocolate) tapioca cakes; or lapis legit (original or prune flavor), a moist, thousand-layer cake peppered with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. The shop also sells extra-special in-house desserts like sweet cassava porridge with set-lunch meals every Tuesday.

Green and brown desserts are displayed on a white patterned plate.
An assortment of desserts from Indo Java.
Liza de Guia

Cha-An Bon Bon

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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.

A light purple mochi with a yellow topping sits on a small white plate.
A chestnut mochi from Cha-An Bon Bon.
John Tsung

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.

A whole, round white cheesecake with a brown crumb on the sides, set inside a pastry display case.
A HARBS cheesecake.
John Tsung

Jell and Chill

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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 hand holding a clear plastic cup of bing fen with haw flakes and mochi toppings.
Rosie’s Evil Twin from Jell and Chill.
John Tsung

Deluxe Food Market

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Selling everything from produce to prepared foods, Deluxe Food Market is a bustling whirlwind tour of Chinese culinary fundamentals. That it also boasts a wide selection of pastries and sweets is less-known. The one-stop shop has everything from the familiar staples like egg tarts and mooncakes to less common pastries like the flaky, winter melon-filled “sweetheart” buns and moist, translucent water chestnut cakes.

A tray of buns sits inside a pastry case.
Winter melon buns at Deluxe Food Market.
John Tsung

Kam Hing Coffee Shop

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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.

Patisserie Tomoko

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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.

Three desserts set in dark red paper and laid out inside a white takeout box.
An assortment of desserts from Patisserie Tomoko, including the signature dacquoise cookies.
Liza de Guia

Alimama

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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.

46 Mott

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Known for making its own soy milk and tofu, 46 Mott also features a selection of unique desserts handmade by the Cantonese owners. These include steamed rice red bean bozai cakes, coconut-paste dumplings filled with custard, soft silver dollar-sized ground peanut powder cookies, and bouncy, fermented rice squares known as yellow sugar cakes. Most of the desserts are very lightly flavored and sweetened, which may surprise first-time visitors, but well worth a visit for a glimpse of the owners’ personal vision.

A clear plastic takeout container filled with four yellow dumplings.
Custard-filled dumplings from 46 Mott.
John Tsung

Shaheen Sweets of Queens

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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.

An assortment of bite-sized desserts in white paper wrappers.
Mithai from Shaheen Sweets.
Liza de Guia

Mountain Province

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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.

Two pastries sitting on two white plates side-by-side with a to-go coffee cup between them.
Cassava cake and ube ensaymada from Mountain Province.
Liza de Guia

Meet Fresh

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Meet Fresh, the popular Taiwanese dessert chain, offers a combination of generously portioned hot and cold desserts from red bean soup to purple rice.  Most desserts on the near-endless menu are built with classic sweet toppings one might find at a Taiwanese street stall, including grass jelly, chewy mochi, red bean, sesame rice balls, and peanuts. The maximalist signature soup series with an overflow of toppings is a great place to start — try the Purple Rice Dessert Signature ($9.15) for the more adventurous. They’re great for sharing, as the portions are generous.

Yedang

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.

Bite-sized, pastel desserts stacked in a clear plastic takeout container.
A variety of honey songpyeon from Yedang.
Liza de Guia

Soy Bean Chan Flower & Gift Shop

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.

Eggcellent Soufflé Pancake

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.

Kora

Chef and owner Kimberly Camara creates high-concept Filipino brioche donuts with whimsical, colorful designs out of a family-run commercial kitchen in Queens. The finely placed details celebrate the joy and vibrancy of Camara’s Filipino culture. Week to week, the preorder for pickup rotates through a variety of flavors. The fan-favorites: the caramel custard-filled Leche Flan ni Lola, and a monochromatic doughnut with a semisweet ube creme piped inside an ube-flavored dough and topped with purple yam crisps. The maraschino cherry- and coconut-topped halo halo and crunchy cashew meringue Sans Rival are also must-tries.

Five colorful doughnuts with artful toppings set in a cardboard box.
A box of five Kora doughnuts.
Liza de Guia

3 Aunties Thai Market

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.

Little House Cafe

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.

A colorful array of desserts in white wrappers and plastic containers laid out on a table.
An assortment of desserts from Little House Cafe.
Liza de Guia

Indo Java

Inside the aisles of Indo Java Groceries, find stacks of intriguing grab-and-go Indonesian food peppered over every packed corner of this friendly specialty grocer. Look for dadar gulung, a spongy, fluorescent-green pandan pancake with sugared coconut shreds rolled inside for added texture; fragrant kue lapis pandan coklat (chocolate) tapioca cakes; or lapis legit (original or prune flavor), a moist, thousand-layer cake peppered with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. The shop also sells extra-special in-house desserts like sweet cassava porridge with set-lunch meals every Tuesday.

Green and brown desserts are displayed on a white patterned plate.
An assortment of desserts from Indo Java.
Liza de Guia

Cha-An Bon Bon

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.

A light purple mochi with a yellow topping sits on a small white plate.
A chestnut mochi from Cha-An Bon Bon.
John Tsung

HARBS

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.

A whole, round white cheesecake with a brown crumb on the sides, set inside a pastry display case.
A HARBS cheesecake.
John Tsung

Jell and Chill

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 hand holding a clear plastic cup of bing fen with haw flakes and mochi toppings.
Rosie’s Evil Twin from Jell and Chill.
John Tsung

Deluxe Food Market

Selling everything from produce to prepared foods, Deluxe Food Market is a bustling whirlwind tour of Chinese culinary fundamentals. That it also boasts a wide selection of pastries and sweets is less-known. The one-stop shop has everything from the familiar staples like egg tarts and mooncakes to less common pastries like the flaky, winter melon-filled “sweetheart” buns and moist, translucent water chestnut cakes.

A tray of buns sits inside a pastry case.
Winter melon buns at Deluxe Food Market.
John Tsung

Kam Hing Coffee Shop

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.

Patisserie Tomoko

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.

Three desserts set in dark red paper and laid out inside a white takeout box.
An assortment of desserts from Patisserie Tomoko, including the signature dacquoise cookies.
Liza de Guia

Alimama

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.

46 Mott

Known for making its own soy milk and tofu, 46 Mott also features a selection of unique desserts handmade by the Cantonese owners. These include steamed rice red bean bozai cakes, coconut-paste dumplings filled with custard, soft silver dollar-sized ground peanut powder cookies, and bouncy, fermented rice squares known as yellow sugar cakes. Most of the desserts are very lightly flavored and sweetened, which may surprise first-time visitors, but well worth a visit for a glimpse of the owners’ personal vision.

A clear plastic takeout container filled with four yellow dumplings.
Custard-filled dumplings from 46 Mott.
John Tsung

Related Maps

Shaheen Sweets of Queens

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.

An assortment of bite-sized desserts in white paper wrappers.
Mithai from Shaheen Sweets.
Liza de Guia

Mountain Province

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.

Two pastries sitting on two white plates side-by-side with a to-go coffee cup between them.
Cassava cake and ube ensaymada from Mountain Province.
Liza de Guia

Meet Fresh

Meet Fresh, the popular Taiwanese dessert chain, offers a combination of generously portioned hot and cold desserts from red bean soup to purple rice.  Most desserts on the near-endless menu are built with classic sweet toppings one might find at a Taiwanese street stall, including grass jelly, chewy mochi, red bean, sesame rice balls, and peanuts. The maximalist signature soup series with an overflow of toppings is a great place to start — try the Purple Rice Dessert Signature ($9.15) for the more adventurous. They’re great for sharing, as the portions are generous.

Related Maps