This iconic family-run Italian bakery and gelateria has been pleasing ice cream fanatics for more than 100 years with classic flavors like Sicilian pistachio, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and salted caramel. Also home to a great spumoni, freshly piped cannoli, and variety of Italian cookies. Be prepared for a line out the door after dinner on weekends, though it’s a pleasant wait.

This unassuming Creole cottage may be the best place for a romantic night cap in the French Quarter, if not the entire city. The bar’s extravagant desserts pair just as well with the dreamy courtyard as it does with one of Chris Hannah and team’s refined, extravagant cocktails. Though the desserts change, expect the incorporation of spirits and savory flavors — for example, an Eccles cake served with Point Reyes blue cheese or a rum baba with Chantilly cream.

What pairs well with dessert besides a glass of champagne? An espresso martini, also, but the answer is live music. Wednesday to Saturday nights, catch local crooner Jeremy Davenport’s live jazz at the Ritz-Carlton’s jazz bar and don’t miss the lounge’s equally swoon-worthy powdered beignets. The Ritz Carlton’s iteration comes accompanied by a trio of chocolate, caramel, and vanilla sauces for dipping. For those who are all beignet’d out, there’s also offerings like cafe au lait Doberge cake, strawberry shortcake, and seasonal bread pudding.

Not sure if it’s ice cream or coffee you’re craving? Why not both? Drip Affogato Bar is in the process of moving into its new digs on Camp Street, saying it outgrew its original Warehouse District digs after an interior revamp. Specializing in the traditional Italian dessert, Drip’s gelato flavors may include praline, Bourbon Street beignet, and bananas Foster, just to name a few. Enjoy it in the comfort of this small but mighty café with eclectic décor that feels like it’s straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Many options on the cocktail menu can also double as dessert.

There may be no sophisticated way to eat beignets, however, there is a way to eat them in luxury, and that’s underneath the twinkling crystals at the Four Seasons Hotel’s Chandelier Bar. It’s best to eat the butter-fried beignets, which come served with a side of toasted vanilla sauce for dipping, with an espresso martini to wash it all down. During the holidays, look out for specialty dessert-drink hybrids, like the incredible s’mores milk punch.

The ice cream sandwich is one of those traditional desserts that takes you back to childhood. Whether it was at the pool, on the porch, by campfire, or at a birthday party, the reliable ice cream sandwich was a summer staple. Luckily, the Chloe’s version can still be experienced at the boutique hotel’s pool, by a fire pit on the St. Charles Avenue porch, or after a birthday celebration in the dining room. It includes a two-inch slice of brown butter ice cream snuggled in between two huge praline crunch cookies, and it tastes even better than childhood. Seasonal hand pies are another highlight.

Part coffee shop, part café, part bar, the Vintage on Magazine Street thrives with its array of offerings in a city full of people who like to start the day with a cocktail, end with caffeine, and enjoy a beignet at any time of day without waiting in the offensive line at Café du Monde. That said, the options include traditional, beignet bites, and stuffed seasonal flavors like s’more or raspberry filled. Close out the night (or start the day) in this cozy, Parisian-inspired café with a beignet flight, accompanied by some bubbles and good company. 

Part wine bar, part jam shop, part brunch spot — Bar Pomona does it all. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, pair a glass of natty wine with fresh soft serve, made in house. Rotating flavors like strawberry and blood orange can be topped with delights like Luxardo cherries, chili crisp, and chocolate tahini. There’s also tiramisu, and keep an eye out for special appearances by cookies, cake by Bronwen Wyatt of Bayou Saint Cakes, and other occasional sweets. Incredible donuts are available during weekend brunch service.