Restaurants
Boston’s dessert scene is getting sweeter with new ice cream shops, shaved ice, Korean pastries, and handcrafted chocolates opening this summer and fall.
For a limited time, Salt & Straw is offering “cool dogs”—or double-fold vanilla ice cream topped with crème anglaise and dark chocolate fudge, all tucked inside a vanilla cake bun. Courtesy
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No offense to breakfast, but we’d like to propose that the most important meal of the day is actually dessert. Lucky that summer is getting a whole lot sweeter in Boston thanks to the wave of new sweet shops opening around the city. From an upcoming Korean dessert cafe where cakes come with a side of peace and quiet, to a cult favorite west coast ice cream brand bringing Boston-specific flavors and “cool dogs” to the Seaport, check out these new spots to satisfy your sweet tooth.
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We’re very much behind the idea of dessert as self-care. Come late August or early September when this modern Korean dessert cafe opens their second stateside location—behind a viral spot that opened in New Jersey in late 2024—sweets and serenity go hand-in-hand. Cheongsu is inspired by the “aesthetics of slowness,” per the brand, and that means being present in a garden-like environment that provides an escape from the bustle of the city. The menu will offer familiar dishes, while also introducing diners to traditional Korean ingredients and flavors like black sesame, walnut, and red bean. Find soufflé castella (eggy, rich sponge cakes), decadent cheese-based desserts, mousse cakes, bingsu (bowls of shaved ice with a host of toppings), yakgwa (ornate, deep-fried honey cookies), Korean takes on French madeleines, Dubai-style chewy cookies and more. Wash these delights down with sips from the sprawling beverage menu that includes espresso drinks, matcha, misugaru milk (a filling, protein-packed drink made of roasted grains and nuts), strawberry milk, and crème brûlée-style coffees. All this surrounded by greenery, neutral tones, and natural materials, encouraging diners to enjoy the delicious quiet.
Opening date: Late August or early September
144 Harvard Ave., Allston
Gorgeous, fluffy clouds of shaved ice take center stage at this new dessert shop in Jamaica Plain. Owner Delasie Dela-Seshie was inspired by kakigori, a traditional Japanese dessert that sees shaved ice graced by flavored syrups and toppings like fresh fruit. Unlike the artificial, neon-colored carnival shaved ice that tends to taste cloying, Dela-Seshie’s crafted-to-order confections center on house-made syrups made of natural ingredients. Flavors include matcha and sweet red bean, plus classic strawberry and chocolate. Boston-native Dela-Seshie was raised by Ghanaian immigrants and his global mindset shines through other flavor options. Take the mango chamoy. Sweet, salty, tangy, and with a hint of spice, the dessert sees shaved ice topped with house-made mango syrup, fresh mango, and the Mexican pickled fruit condiment called chamoy. A dash of fresh lime juice and Tajín spice makes this offering as unique as the shop itself.
Open Now (June)
660 Centre St., Jamaica Plain
They say good things come in threes, and the third location of this family-run sweets shop sure is proof. Founded in 1976, Ron’s dishes out fresh, indulgent ice cream in Hyde Park and Dedham. Plus—the Hyde Park location pairs bowls of ice cream with candlepin bowling, and “National Geographic” once dubbed the vintage-chic spot the third best ice cream parlor in the world. The newest Westwood location, once a Juicygreens, just opened up. Like its two older siblings, the Westwood location serves ice cream ranging from the classic (milk chocolate, vanilla, pistachio) to the unexpected (“brookie dough” sees brownies, and cookie and chocolate chunks dotting a chocolate base, while Oreo cake batter is chock full of the chocolate-and-cream cookie). Rotating seasonal flavors like peach and cherry tap the season’s best produce. On offer are cakes, wine, beer, and seltzer, too.
Open Now (July)
305 Washington St., Westwood
Boston Cream Pie flavor from Salt & Straw. – Courtesy
Seaport? More like Sweetport, with dessert shops including Ben & Jerry’s, Taiyaki NYC, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream as stops on a potential dessert dining crawl through the neighborhood. Add to the list: a new location of a Portland, Oregon-based cult-favorite brand just set up shop at Commonwealth Pier. Founded by cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, the shop serves up classic flavors favored by kids the world over (double-fold vanilla, cinnamon snickerdoodle, chocolate gooey brownie) plus more culinary-inspired confections for the adults/kids-at-heart like Arbequina olive oil, honey lavender, and pear and blue cheese. Yes—blue cheese. Trust us. Salt & Straw serves both limited editions and signature flavors, with pistachio ricotta cannoli (pistachio ice cream with ricotta ribbons, cannoli pieces, and candied nuts) and Boston cream pie (with vanilla chiffon cake ice cream, dark chocolate fudge swirls, and vanilla bean custard) among the Boston-specific offerings. Order up cakes and an ice cream “taco” with a waffle shell, too. For a limited time, Salt & Straw is offering “cool dogs”—or double-fold vanilla ice cream topped with crème anglaise and dark chocolate fudge, all tucked inside a vanilla cake bun.
Open Now (July)
200 Seaport Blvd., Seaport
Spindler’s Confections will open in September at 1316 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge.
A favorite sweet shop in North Cambridge is soon getting a sequel. Spindler’s Confections will be opening a small outpost within Leavitt & Pierce, the tobacconist, gift, and game shop that’s been a fixture in Harvard Square since 1883. The shop will carry Spindler’s chocolates and candies made in their North Cambridge flagship—everything from boxes of bon bons and cherry cordials, to chocolate-dipped candied ginger—as well as imported sweet and savory goodies. Come springtime, the shop’s upper shelves will be home to a mini museum of chocolate and confectionery, with boxes, advertisements, equipment, and ephemera unwrapping Cambridge’s history of candy production.
Opening date: September
1316 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
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