Arcadia England

By Abigail Nelson

We all have a sweet tooth. Especially in summer when people everywhere are looking for the perfect place to hit that sweet spot. Here are the six best sweet joints in London.

Ruby Violet

With the scorching heat in London this time of year, no one can pass up a scoop of ice cream from Ruby Violet. This quaint ice cream parlor looks like something out of a story book. With rustic wooden tables and chairs, you feel as though you’ve been transported to the English countryside. This sweet joint uses seasonal ingredients and changes their menu daily to give customers various options to try out. Most ingredients Ruby Violet uses are grown locally in the owner’s, Julie, village of Flintham in Nottinghamshire. The ice cream parlor allows you to mix and match ice cream and sorbet flavors to create your perfect summer dessert dish – I personally recommend the Madagascan vanilla ice cream with the watermelon and granite sorbet. With Tufnell Park playing fields being just across the street from the parlor, it’s a perfect summer afternoon to stop by a grab an ice cream or sorbet between games.

Ruby Violet (www.rubyviolet.co.uk/). Dishes cost approximately £5-£10. Open from 10am-10pm Tuesday to Sunday and 10am-7pm Monday.

Basement Sate

After a long summer night on the town, locals can stumble into this late night dessert bar. This luxury bar offers an exclusive experience to patrons with its leather furniture and dim lighting. The owner, Cathleen McGarry, lived in Paris for four years to train under world-renowned French pastry chef, Christophe Michalak. “If I was going to open up a dessert bar, I wanted it to serve the most authentic Parisian desserts possible…It was truly an honor to work under Christophe.” McGarry paired her training with an unstoppable combination of dessert and specialty alcoholic drinks. I enjoyed their most popular dessert, the Tonka Lava, which was a sensation of chocolatey and caramel flavor, paired with their Keep on Stirring drink – a very unusual yet enjoyable creamy tequila drink. Yes, creamy and tequila in one sentence.

Basement Sate is a little slice of France found right in SoHo. Basement Sate (www.basementsate.com/, +44 020 7287 3412). Desserts and drinks range from £8-£15. Open 6pm-midnight Monday & Sunday and 6pm-1:30am Tuesday-Saturday.

Wafflemeister: South Kensington

Although it is a chain, Wafflemeister is one of the top sweet spots in London. In particular, their South Kensington store, which offers an overwhelming journey of endless options. Although they serve delicious gelato, Wafflemeister is most famous for their waffles. An authentic, Belgian dough recipe that dates back to the 1950s and has been passed down in the family for generations. A worker at the restaurant gave me an insider tip: “Most people don’t know we have a secret menu where you can add gelato onto any waffle dessert.” It’s the perfect place for a family outing with young kids. The endless options will entertain them for a whole afternoon.

Wafflemeister (www.wafflemeister.com/, +44 20 7584 4688). Dishes range approximately £10. Open 8:30am-midnight Monday-Sunday.

Molly Bakes

After owner, Maria Goodman, found herself out of a job as a talent agent after the recession, she turned her new found freedom into what she now calls Molly Bakes. This cute, hole-in-the-wall bakery provides many sweets ranging from cupcakes to pastries, but people come from all over to try their loaded milkshakes – or what they call “freakshakes”. An overflowing mason jar of creamy milkshake topped with just about any pastry Molly Bakes offers drizzled in chocolatey goodness. They are a journey themselves. Perhaps the most interesting part of Molly Bakes doesn’t involve the food however. Molly Bakes used to be an elite, underground bar for the rich and famous in the 1800s. Half of the bricks used for the interior of the bakery are still the original bricks from the bar. Patrons can sit in the same place that housed Charles Dickens and so many more.

Molly Bakes (www.mollybakes.co.uk/, 020 7241 1740). Milkshakes range between £5-£15. Open 9am-6pm Tuesday-Wednesday, 9am-9pm Thursday-Friday, 10am-9pm Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday closed Monday.

Crumbs and Doilies

People go crazy for Crumbs and Doilies innovative cupcake flavors. From Mexican Hot Chocolate and Caramel Pretzel to Maple and Bacon, no one can get bored dissecting the endless flavors. “I come here every afternoon on my lunch hour. It never disappoints” A fellow customer at this quirky bakery told me while waiting in line. The owner even told me they allow for customers to come up with their own flavors and, if they have the ingredients, they will make it for them. This unique aspect of the bakery makes it the perfect girls night out or date night. I personally went for the Cookie Dough and Chocolate Guinness cupcakes and was not disappointed. The moist cupcakes were topped with a mountain of frosting. Not only are the desserts delectable, the atmosphere is perfect for any relaxing afternoon. They have benches outside for customers to sit on and take in all the SoHo vibes around them. If you don’t take my word for it, take it from the Duchess Kate Middleton who is a fan of Crumbs and Doilies.

Crumbs and Doilies (www.crumbsanddoilies.co.uk/, 020 8874 8885). Cupcakes range between £5-£10. Open 11am-7pm Monday-Saturday and 12pm-6pm Sunday.

Rococo Chocolates

If there is one thing that is universally a weakness for people everywhere, it is chocolate. Chocoholics like myself can rejoice for Rococo Chocolates. Chocolate covered wafers. Chocolate covered nuts. Chocolate covered bacon. The owner, Chantal, will cover just about anything in chocolate. Chantal set out to change the fine chocolate industry from having a conservative and stuffy reputation to a fun and friendly experience for all. Not only can you visit Rococo’s to buy chocolate, but they also offer events for chocolate lovers everywhere. Anyone can come and take an introduction to chocolate tasting or a gin and chocolate tasting and much more you can find on their blog.

Rococo Chocolates (www.rococochocolates.com/, 020 3691 5719). Chocolates vary £5-£50. Open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday and closed Saturday-Sunday.