LDNGuide
7 Central London Dessert Spots That Stay Open Past 9pm
Because you should always find room for dessert.
Dessert is traditionally a post meal thing. You have a steak? You end it with a trifle. You have some pizza? You finish off with some tiramisu. And yet dessert places in London don’t seem to take this into consideration when deciding on their closing hours. So for those times when it’s 9.30pm and you’re craving a slice of chocolate cake that would make Miss Trunchbull proud, these are our favourite spots around central London for a late-night dessert.
THE SPOTS
This takeaway gelato spot in Soho has a double pistachio flavour that’s so moreish we wouldn’t be surprised if it was laced with something stronger than the layer of pistachio cream. Every cone and cup here is topped with an additional baby cone, filled with melted chocolate—you know, in case double pistachio and white chocolate gelato isn’t indulgent enough. Pop in for a post-dinner dessert and just know that once you get a taste of their exciting flavours—and realise they stay open until 12am—you’ll be finding excuses to come back for more.
There’s cake, and then there’s L’Eto Caffé’s cakes. We’re talking honey cake as thick as a brick, chocolate sponge cake with chocolate glazing and jam oozing out, and a raspberry meringue cake we’d want to frame and eat at the same time. This seriously good Soho spot serves everything from brunch to healthy salads, but the impressive display of cakes that can be seen from clear across the street is the reason you should be here. Whether you sit inside or get a slice to go, your sweet tooth will most definitely be satisfied—and you’ll be glad to know they’re open until 11pm, seven days a week.
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Christopher's
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Christopher’s may very well have the best French toast in London. There, we said it. Thick brioche with a soft gooey centre, a layer of Belgian chocolate, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and more melted chocolate. This is the reason you come to this grand Covent Garden restaurant. Another reason is because a table at their moody ground floor bar, which stays open until 12am, is an excellent late-night dessert stop.
Cocomelt in Soho knows that melted chocolate cravings don’t end after 9pm. In fact, this Wardour Street spot gets it so much, that it stays open until midnight on the weekend. You’ll see huge chocolate fountains through the window, and there’s a menu which includes crêpe fettuccine drizzled with milk, dark, or white chocolate (or a mix of all three), waffle sticks drenched in chocolate, and fondue with chunks of brownie and marshmallows. Basically this is a chocolate-lover's dream. Sit down for an intense sugar session in their bright and neon sign-filled cafe and get the chocolate-covered strawberries—because fruit.
We like our French toast to be fluffy, topped with things like melted chocolate and ice cream, and available until 11pm. And this all-day spot on James Street makes very fluffy, very delicious French toast, topped with Nutella, brownies, and caramel popcorn, or Biscoff and salted caramel, or Kinder Bueno bars that melt and turn into a creamy, crunchy mess. Basically, it’s the place to go when you want a really good sit-down dessert in central. There are a bunch of covered tables outside, as well as a couple inside. The French toast dishes are all around the £10-£12 mark, but it’s the sort of thing you’ll want to share between two anyway.
A Marylebone favourite, this St James Street cafe has been open for over a decade. While it’s got all sorts of sweet treats—from big slices of cake, to Swedish waffles—the sticky toffee pudding is what you’ll crave on a chilly London night. It’s warm and comforting, with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce drizzled on top. Open until 10pm, this is a small and popular spot, so be prepared to wait a little bit if you’re looking for a table inside.
This Chinatown spot isn’t the only place doing soft serve in London. But it is one of the only places we’ve found that does excellent soft serve with brown tapioca. And it’s a big yes from us. There are four soft serve flavours—vanilla, black sesame, rose lychee, and matcha—which you can choose to have in a taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped waffle cone, or in a cup. Either way, it’s great. Our go-to order is the Oreo with tapioca or ‘The Little Mermaid’ with lychee rose. Oh, and it’s open until 10pm everyday.
