Park News Article
9 Must-Visit Spots for Sweet Treats in Albany!
December 20, 2024
Craving a sweet treat? There are several amazing eateries located throughout the City of Albany each with their own special delicacy! Check out our list below featuring various shops to satisfy your sweet tooth:
Starting off at a renovated gas station thanks to a $5 ice cream making class and a $12,000 investment, Ben and Jerry’s is now a multi-billion-dollar, multi-national corporation! Named after its founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, Ben and Jerry’s is best known for their wide assortment of delicious ice cream flavors with imaginative names! With flavors like “Chocolate Therapy”, “Netflix & Chilll’d”, and “Lights! Caramel! Action!”, their creativity is second to none and their work goes beyond just ice cream! Ben and Jerry’s believe that ice cream has the power to change the world and uses their business to make an impact on the community and the world. You can find this iconic ice cream store at 467 Madison Avenue between Lark Street and Washington Park!
Scrumptious sweets aren’t only for after dinner! Take a trip to Albany’s “Village in the City” and enjoy a delicious vegan breakfast treat! Previously known as Birch Bark Eatery, Bitchin’ Donuts is a plant-based donut shop owned by Tania Sharlow. Located at 193 Lark Street, this one-of-a-kind eatery creates a variety of handmade tasty donuts such as “French Toast Roll”, “Strawberry Basil Lemonade”, “Poison Apple”, “Cinnabun” and more! And the best part is, donut flavors change weekly, so every visit is a surprise! Check out this unique treat shop from 7:00am to 7:00pm Wednesday through Sunday. On-street metered parking is available on Lark Street, free after 5:00pm weekdays and all day on weekends!
Booze and ice cream don’t go together…right? Wrong! Owner and founder Leyla Kiosse opened “The Yard – Hatchet House & Bar” in early 2020 and after some experimenting with leftover alcohol during the pandemic, Kiosse created her now famous booze-inspired ice cream, Boozy Moo! Compliant with New York State law, the ice cream has no more than 5% of alcohol in it but with flavors like “Kentucky Butter Pecan”, “Mint Chip Julep”, and “Dublin Double Chocolate”, you are sure to enjoy this tasty treat. Along with ice cream, Boozy Moo also offers cakes, ice cream sandwiches, and pies, along with a number of vegan options. Located at 16 Sheridan Avenue, Boozy Moo is open 3:00pm until 10:00pm Tuesday through Thursday, 3:00pm until 11:00pm on Fridays, and 12:00pm until 11:00pm on Saturdays. On-street parking is free after 5:00pm on weekdays and all day on weekends, and additional parking is available at the nearby Quackenbush and Riverfront Garages!
With their award-winning cheesecakes, owners Lynn and Bam turned their hobby into one of Albany’s favorite bakeries! Using over 600 flavors including Peanut Butter Cookie, Cookie Butter Hazelnut, and S’moreo, Cheesecake Machismo definitely has the recipe for success! They have been ranked as the number one cheesecake in the state of New York by both Delish.com and Yelp.com, making this Albany bakery is a must-see on your next trip to New York’s Capital City! You can find this legendary shop at 293 Hamilton Street Wednesday through Saturdays from 12:00pm until 8:00pm, or until they sell out!
Listed as one of the best pizza shops in the state, DeFazio’s is best known for their delicious pizzas and quality toppings. However, don’t let the name fool you; DeFazio’s Pizzeria is also home to some delicious, sweet treats! At this award-winning pizzeria you can find desserts such as their famous Italian Hangover Cake, fresh Italian Cannolis and Lemon Ricotta Gennettes! Stop by DeFazio’s Pizzeria at 75 Livingston Avenue for some tasty pizza and stay for their amazing, sweet treats. This Italian eatery is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:00pm until 9:00pm and Friday and Saturday from 4:00pm until 9:30pm.
Created in Boston in 1975 to be a late-night musicians hang out by music lawyer Bob Rook, Emack and Bolios is now a beloved ice cream chain with locations all over the world, including right here in Albany, NY! Fun fact: Emack and Bolio are the last names of two homeless individuals who asked that the original store be named after them when the founders did some pro bono work on their behalf! Serving ice cream, smoothies, cakes, and more, you are definitely in for a treat anytime you visit! You can find this delicious ice cream shop at 366 Delaware Avenue, Sunday through Thursday from 11:00am until 9:00pm and Friday to Saturday 11:00am until 10:00pm.
Albany’s newest sweet treat destination is now open! Located at 61 North Pearl Street with an entrance on Steuben Street, Fat Boy’s Sugar Shack has recently made their debut in New York’s Capital City! With homemade cheesecake, banana puddings, cookies, and more, owner Anthony Coleman wants to make sure everyone that visits his store enjoys a yummy treat! Fat Boy’s Sugar Shack even received an amazing review from Primetime Emmy Award nominee and The Cosby Show star, Phylicia Rashad! You can visit this new eatery in Downtown Albany, just a few minutes away from the nearby Quackenbush and Riverfront Garages!
All your midnight cravings can now be fulfilled thanks to Nocturnal Cookies! Opening in November of 2017, Nocturnal Cookies was created for all the hungry midnight owls. At this late-night eatery, you can find delicious fresh baked cookies in flavors like gourmet lemon, almond joy, gluten free chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and more! You can enjoy these tasty treats as individual cookies, in warm boxes, or even with sides of milk and ice cream. As of January 2021, Nocturnal Cookies resides in their current storefront at 5 Clinton Square, and you can visit them Monday to Saturday 11:00am to 5:00pm and Monday through Sunday 7:00pm to 1:00am. And don’t forget, nearby on-street metered parking is available for free after 5:00pm on weekdays as well as all day on weekends!
Created in June 2003, Skinny Pancake has grown from its humble beginning to multi-location brick and mortar restaurant with locations throughout the Northeast! With the opening of their Albany location in 2021 Skinny Pancake showed both visitors and residents that crepes, both savory and sweet, weren’t just for breakfast t and quickly became a must-visit restaurant in New York’s Capital City. Home to sweet crepes like “Hot Apple Crumble”, “Choco Nutty”, and “Lovemaker”, along with savory crepe flavors like the “Lumberjack” and “Popeye”, there are a variety of delicious options that keep bring guests back! Visit this Albany favorite at 1 Steuben Street at the corner of North Pearl Street and Steuben Street from 8:00am to 3:00pm Tuesday through Thursday and 8:00am to 8:00pm Friday through Monday. On-street metered parking (which is free after 5pm on weekdays and all day on weekends) is available on North Pearl Street, additional paid parking can be found at the nearby Quackenbush and Riverfront Garages.
