An assortment of macarons from Bottega Louie (Nika Shahery/Neon Tommy)

Bennett’s Ice Cream

It’s out with the new and in with the old. Bennett’s Ice Cream, located in the Farmer’s Market at the Grove, makes favorite homemade flavors with a twist.

Homemade waffle cones, chocolate hard-shells, soft-serve, floats, you name it, they have it. Popular flavors include Choffee (coffee ice cream with chocolate chips and a chocolate swirl), White Chocolate Raspberry, Pistachio, Fancy Nancy (coffee, banana, and chocolate mix) and Salted Carmel. If you don’t believe the ice cream is fresh, watch it mixed through a window next to the side of the outdoor stand.

Their offerings change daily, so if you see a flavor that sounds appealing, try it right away as it may not be back for a while. Some well-liked flavors include Cabernet Sauvignon sorbet and Pumpkin Ice cream, perfect for those who want a fall flavor. Also be sure to hit an ATM beforehand as they only accept cash. Make sure to grab your ice cream to go so you can check out the Farmer's Market; it’s always bustling with people and is especially vibrant at night.

Ice cream fanatics and dieters beware: their ice creams are incredibly sweet and creamy.

Price Range*: $$

Good For: smooth and creamy old-fashioned ice cream.

Address: 6333 W. Third St., Stall 548, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Milk

Ice cream bars, cookies and brownies, oh my! Milk aims to redefine the ice cream experience. With everything from cupcake cones to blue velvet cake to fresh ice creams that are made in the back of the shop, Milk redefines the sweet indulgence. Some of the most popular flavors served are classics like Vanilla and Cookies and Cream, as well as unique flavors like Grasshopper (their mint chip) and Thai Tea. Nutella, also a popular flavor, gives an ice cream experience like no other: it looks like ice cream, but it barely melts and remains extremely creamy.

One of my favorite Milk treats is the Blondie sundae. I’m a huge chocolate fan so Blondie sundaes are not my usual go to, but I made an exception this time and I couldn’t have been more pleased. The combination of toffee, carmel and brown sugar with vanilla ice cream was mind-blowing; it was incredible how many dimensions of flavor were packed into a single sundae. I do suggest sharing it though because I was barely able to finish half.

Another exciting offering is the shop’s ice cream sandwiches: fresh ice cream in between two French macaroon cookies. They also offer a wide variety of freshly dipped ice cream bars. If that wasn’t enough to get your mouth watering, they even sell prepackaged cookie dough and cookie baskets to bake at home.

Price Range*: $$   

Good for: indulgent desserts unlike anywhere else; come hungry and with friends.

Address: 7290 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Whipp’d LA

If you’ve tried this Disneyland delicacy, Dole Whip, served at the Tiki Juice Bar next to the Indiana Jones ride in “Adventure Land,” then you may be excited to hear that you can get your serving of the Dole without paying the $70 park entrance fee. Having just opened two years ago, Whipp’d LA in West Hollywood features the classic Dole Whip flavor, World Famous Pineapple, and five others including Mega Mango, Outrageous Orange and Venturous Vanilla.

If you have not tried Dole Whip before, be sure to try the pineapple. There is no other frozen yogurt place that has mastered its flavor quite like Dole Whip. If you are really feeling the need for tangy pineapple, try the World Famous Dole Whip Float, featuring fresh Dole Pineapple Juice, topped with a serving of the pineapple Dole Whip, pineapple chunks, a cherry and an umbrella.

Along with Dole Whip, Whipp’d LA also features rotating flavors of the rarely found Blue Bell Ice Cream, the authentically old-fashioned made ice cream from Brenham, Texas.

Price Range*: $   

Good for: Fruity flavored frozen yogurt of the highest caliber.

Address: 7901 Santa Monica Blvd #106, West Hollywood, CA 90046

Bottega Louie

It’s not just a trendy gathering place for hoards of people to indulge on their French inspired dishes. Bottega Louie is also a hotspot for uniquely Louie, one-of-a-kind French desserts and macaroons. Louie is the hub to taste new levels of richness, in an upscale, dainty setting.

It’s not an easy feat to look at the glimmering dessert case and see several hand crafted pastries, petit fours, éclairs, tarts and beignets, lined up in a meticulous, artful manner and decide on which one dessert is worth the splurge. However, it’s even more difficult to make a mistake on your choice. Virtually everything tastes even better than it looks, and its freshness is apparent. The macaroons are cooked to perfection with its firm exterior and impressively moist interior. The shop offers http://www.departures.com/articles/when-is-a-macaron-really-a-macaron)">traditional flavors like Rose, Violet Casis, Pistachio, but also feature the commonly enjoyed flavors like Vanilla and Salted Carmel. If you are a chocoholic, I would suggest ordering a Grand Cru, it’s the red macaroon that is filled with dark chocolate ganache.

Another great option for dessert is one of the various Saint Honorés, a traditional French dessert cake that features cream puffs usually surrounded by a ganache or cream filling on top of a layer of pastry dough.

Since this is the most expensive place on the list, I would suggest saving this dessert experience for a special occasion.

Price Range*: $$$   

Good for: Upscale French desserts and celebratory occasions.

Address: 700 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Porto’s

It’s the king of all things bakery in Los Angeles. When it comes to cakes, breads, sweets and more Porto’s monopolizes across the board. To begin with, the bakery shops are massive, and the place has insanely long lines that go out the door daily. But it’s not a surprise why people frequent this bakery for all of the their baked goods need.

Founded by a Cuban family, the bakery not only features American desserts, but also reins in their Cuban and Central American style offerings including their renowned Cuban Cake with vanilla custard and their Tres Leches Cake, which frequent celebrations all over L.A. Beyond the bakery’s mastery of 20 plus cakes, the shop offers hundreds of pastries, most of which are beyond the common brownie or cupcake offerings. One of their most famous treats, the Cheese Roll, surprises new comers as it is a sweet cheese pastry that tastes like custard, stuffed in a puff pastry roll. Along with the success of their desserts, costumers are drawn to the bakery in the hundreds to have their savory treats like their Potato Balls, empanadas and tamales. The bakery is housed at three locations in Glendale, Burbank and Downey.

Price Range*: $   

Good for: an everything bakery at its finest. 

Address: 315 N Brand Blvd, Glendale CA 91203 

Vanilla Bake Shop

There can not be a list of best dessert places in L.A. without at least one cupcake shop and this little cupcake hub is surely one of best ways to get a punch of cupcake flavor in a bite-sized fashion. While Sprinkles may be the original cupcake guru, Vanilla Bake Shop champions adorable, couture cupcake babies with edible daisies atop the cakes. While they do offer regular sized cupcakes for those of you who want to get a full helping, the beauty of the babies is that you can try more flavors with friends. The shop serves daily flavors like Vanilla Bean, Southern Red Velvet, Bittersweet Dark Chocolate and more. As well as the cupcake babies, the shop specializes in their unique Icebox desserts, layered cakes, creams and more served in mason jars or individual shot sizes.

The Dirt Cake, one of most popular flavors and one of my personal favorites, has vanilla bean whip cream, dark chocolate mouse, and dark chocolate cookie crumbles layered on top each other tastes delicious, as well as the Southern Banana Pudding that has Nilla wafers, vanilla bean custard, sliced bananas and vanilla bean whip cream and tastes like sweet banana cream pie, with every layer having a different texture. The original shop is in Santa Monica, and would provide a perfect way to top off a beach day, there is also one in the Century City Shopping Mall.

Price Range*: $$   

Good for: Adorable cupcakes, brownies and cold treats packed with flavor.

Address: 512 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 

Suck it Sweets & Treats

Craving a sweet treat to beat the heat? Pick up a SuckIt from Suck it! Sweets and Treats located in Studio City. These gluten-free and all natural popsicles, known affectionately as SuckIts or Sucksicles, are made from fresh ingredients and natural sweeteners. The shop also features vegan popsicles.

The differentiator of the shop is that each popsicle creates a unique experience; while Pomegranate tastes exactly like the juice of the fruit but in popsicle form, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip tastes like a popsicle, but then transforms into a cookie dough like consistency immediately after. Some other flavors include: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Vietnamese Coffee, Dill Pickle, Nutella, as well as Minted Lemonade, Cookie Dough, and Peach Cobbler. The shop itself reflects the eccentricities of the sucksicle experience with its gaudy, old theater seats and art deco décor and colored accent walls. 

Creator and owner Kaileigh Brielle opened the shop about two years ago after completing her studies at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. As their selection changes daily, I would suggest to check out their Facebook page to view their offerings of the day before taking a trip up.

Price Range*: $$  

Good for: An exotic, unmatched popsicle experience.

Address: 4361 1/2 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

*Note: price ranges are determined with respect to reviews found on Yelp and Zagat as well as in comparison to other dessert places.

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