SEAGuide
Where To Get Dessert After 11pm
photo credit: Nate Watters
It’s late, dinner was hours ago, and you’re in the bathroom, having a Spaghetti Western-style standoff with your toothbrush. Maybe you say something like, “It’s you or me, pal.” The toothbrush says nothing, because it’s a toothbrush. The point is, once you swish around that final mouthwash rinse, eating is officially over for the day. But you don’t want it to be over. You want dessert - and not the pint-of-rocky-road-from-Safeway kind, either. You can do better than that, and this guide will tell you how. Here are our favorite desserts in Seattle that you can get after 11pm.
The Spots
If you’ve ever snuck out of your bed on Thanksgiving night for an encore slice of pie and glass of bourbon, Pie Bar will be your personal Disneyland. And instead of your aunt catching you with your whipped cream-covered face in the fridge, you’ll be surrounded by other happy people eating delicious pie a la mode. It’s all excellent, whether you go for the warm apple crumble, whiskey chocolate pecan, the peanut butter mud (our favorite), or one of the rotating specials. If you’d rather drink your dessert, the pietinis made with fruit, cream, and a crust crumbles are very boozy - and very good.
Open till 1am every day.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Full Tilt is an arcade and ice cream parlor with classics like salted caramel and dark chocolate, as well as more colorful flavors, like Fruit Loop, Thai iced tea, coffee oreo, and mint chocolate chip with strawberry and bacon (yeah, that one took a turn there - we promise it’s good). If your idea of a worthwhile Saturday night is grabbing a cone in lieu of hitting another bar, come here.
Open till 12am Friday & Saturday.
Sometimes you need a molten chocolate cake with your ice cream. Hot Cakes specializes in volcanoes in dessert form, and they come in varieties like peanut butter, s’mores, and vegan among others. You’ll also want to take advantage of their excellent vanilla soft serve covered in smoked chocolate magic shell.
Open till 12am Friday & Saturday.
Eat a couple scoops of D’Ambrosio’s gianduja and biscotti gelato on the cobblestone streets of Ballard Avenue and it’ll almost feel like a moonlit night in Rome - until a rogue bachelorette party stumbles across the sidewalk scream-singing Cardi B lyrics. At least you still have some excellent Italy-level gelato despite your sudden need to pop an Advil.
Open till 12am Friday & Saturday.
Maybe it’s date night, and the restaurant’s only dessert option of “seasonal tuile” isn’t enticing you. Head to R&M instead for champagne and a last course. Despite the fact that it’s located in the lobby of an apartment complex, it’s a charming space to share after-dinner drinks and fancy pastries like cheesecakes, tarts, and a delicious mini carrot cake that looks like it belongs at Polly Pocket’s wedding.
Open till 12am Wednesday & Thursday, open till 2am Friday & Saturday.
We endorse buying an entire layer cake from Simply Desserts and chipping away at it with a fork and calling it a meal. And the fact that they’re open late is even better. If you’re not down to eat 24 servings of red velvet in one sitting, they sell slices. Hope that the lemon blueberry, mocha, or chocolate raspberry are available.
Open till 11:30pm every day.
Every diner experience should involve a milkshake - especially if it’s after 10pm. North Star is one of our favorite late-night spots, and you can get one of their delicious shakes 24 hours a day, whether you go for something classic or one with espresso or homemade cookie dough blended in. Get a spiked one if you’re trying to party at their attached karaoke bar next door.
Open 24 hrs.
Normally, we’d go to New Luck Toy for some alcoholic slushies, Chinese food, and karaoke, but their secret weapon is the rice krispies treat soft serve ice cream. It’s a cup of vanilla topped with rice cereal, five-spice candied pecans, and honey. You can find us hunched over in the corner with a few orders of them.
Open till 2am every day.
Maybe you’re out with your friends after a Cap Hill bar crawl, and they’re all possessed by the idea of getting 2am burgers, but you’re set on something sweet. Li’l Woody’s is your move here. You can sit back with a milkshake or an ice cream float topped with hard root beer while they eat cheeseburgers. For something sweet and salty, get the “crack” - French fries with a side of milkshake for dipping. Fries count as dessert too. We just decided.
Open till 3am Friday & Saturday.
Ba Bar is our late-night go-to for Vietnamese food like pho and bun cha, but to the right of the front door is a pastry case that shouldn’t be ignored (except the too-brittle macarons - feel free to ignore those). While we’re fans of the molten chocolate cake and the pistachio cake with raspberry jam, you also can’t go wrong with the coconut ice cream float topped with coffee.
Open till 2am Sunday - Thursday, open till 4am Friday & Saturday.
