The Best Places for Dessert in Manchester, UK

If it’s ice cream that’s tickling your taste-buds, climb the staircase in Afflecks to the first floor to discover the most eclectic selection of flavours imaginable. Chances are that you’ve seen Ginger’s ice cream van at one of the city’s many events, festivals or markets, but for an ice-cream hit whenever you fancy, their base in Afflecks is a dessert lover’s heaven. With flavours including baked apple sorbet, black treacle and parkin, and the iconic Chorlton crack, you’re not going to find bland vanilla here. Choose to enjoy your ice cream on its own, in a traditional cone, with a toasted brioche, on top of a hot pudding or in a milkshake. Yum!

Home Sweet Home has grown from humble beginnings to many locals’ favourite eatery that now boasts two locations in the city. Whether you opt to eat in the original Northern Quarter branch or the newer venue in Great Northern, expect a huge focus on dessert alongside the equally impressive savoury menu. The ice-cream shakes hark back to the 1950s in the best possible way, American style pancakes are the ultimate breakfast treat and their deep dish cookie pie is to die for – and that’s not even mentioning the incredible array of colourful sugar-covered pimped out cakes that sit tantalisingly in their dessert bar. You could come back here every day of the week and try a completely different cake every day – now there’s a mission we’d like to accept!

If you like your cake served on chintzy china with afternoon tea vibes, or you’re gluten-free but still want to have your cake and eat it – head to one of Sugar Junction’s two locations in the Northern Quarter and Altrincham. There are sumptuous scones, creamy milkshakes and steaming hot puddings galore, but it’s the cake counter that catches our eye. If you simply can’t choose from the diverse selection of scrumptious cakes (again, it’s worth noting that they always have excellent gluten free options), then opt for the cake platter and share three slices of your choice with a friend.

A collaboration between Gingers, Lushbrownies and Bakeorama, Milk Jam brings three of the city’s most beloved dessert connoisseurs together to create the ultimate dessert parlour. Combining tantalising ice-cream, delicious brownies and some of the most beautiful cakes you’ve ever seen, you can go all out and get a bit of everything. The pop-up is only around for a limited time only, so don’t miss out on the ultimate sugar fix currently taking up residence on Oxford Street. Oh and the best bit? They’re on Deliveroo, so you can get your brownie and ice-cream delivered to the office if you’re feeling peckish in the afternoon!

The recently opened Altrincham eatery, Fireworks, bills itself as the UK’s first dessert restaurant. Expect to be blown away and probably stuck for choice at the impressive array of sweets on offer. There’s ice-cream, brownies, tarts, pancakes, macaroons, waffles and milkshakes – all boasting an incredible range of flavours and options for different dietary requirements. It’s the sundaes that we’ll be heading for however: monstrous in size, dramatic in appearance and utterly delicious. A word of warning – you may need to take a friend to share one with.