Lights, camera, dessert! — Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Everything is bigger and more decadent in Las Vegas, so it should come as no surprise that dessert options often contain more than a full day’s recommended calories or that a single portion can be shared by an entire family. In other words, yum!
Here are some desserts that are so over-the-top in both appearance and taste, you’ll have a hard time choosing whether to Instagram them first or just dig in.
Warning: Grab a napkin because you’re likely to start drooling.
Summer Ice Cream Truck Pastry Collection at Dominique Ansel Las Vegas at Caesars Palace
Works of art — Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Dominique Ansel, the mastermind behind the “cronut,” has a bakery in Caesars Palace, and the pastries are so jaw-dropping that the shop could be mistaken for an art gallery. At Dominique Ansel Las Vegas, everything, from the Frozen S’mores to the Cookie Shots to the iconic DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), is so inviting, it’s almost impossible to pick just one confection.
Vote Now: Best Ice Cream Shop (10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2023)
Instead, come with a group so you can share the new Summer Ice Cream Truck Pastry Collection, which includes seven sweet delicacies. Inspired by traditional ice cream truck treats, these are ingenious pastry recreations that include a banana split made with homemade banana bread and scoops of raspberry, vanilla and chocolate mousse; a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich made with a flourless chocolate biscuit, gooey salted caramel and cookie dough ganache; and the cutest ever orange vanilla popsicle, featuring chiffon cake, yuzu curd and candied orange peel.
The CrazyShake at Black Tap at The Venetian Las Vegas
All the toppings — Photo courtesy of Black Tap
To simply call this amazing concoction at Black Tap a “shake” is the definition of understatement. Sure, its foundation is a nostalgic and comforting blend of milky ice cream-iness, but when it comes to toppings, we’re talking so much more than whipped cream and a cherry — although those are there, too.
Vote Now: Best Chocolate Shop (10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2023)
The Brooklyn Blackout is topped with a couple of full-size brownies. An ice cream sandwich tops the Cookies ‘N Cream Supreme. The Sweet ‘N Salty is crowned with a Sugar Daddy and pretzel rods, and there’s a slice of funfetti cake on the CakeShake. That’s not including assorted sprinkles, drizzles and crumbles – or the fact that there are four other flavors from which to choose.
Razzle Dazzle French Toast Box at Bacon Nation at The D Las Vegas
Breakfast of champions — Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International
Serving a baker’s dozen of gourmet varieties of honey-cured, thick-cut bacon, including chocolate, candied and everything bagel, Bacon Nation is basically hog heaven. But the magic doesn’t stop there.
Vote Now: Best Cookie Shop (10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2023)
Their Famous French Toast Box is just that — a box formed entirely out of French toast and loaded with goodies, like warm caramel apples and peanut butter mousse. Because this is Las Vegas, go for the Razzle Dazzle, which comes with vanilla ice cream, marshmallow fluff and fruity cereal. Call it breakfast, so you can still have dessert later.
La Flama Blanca at Casa Playa at Encore Las Vegas
An Instagram-worthy dessert — Photo courtesy of Lois Alter Mark
Get out your phone because you’re going to want to capture this dramatic dessert at Casa Playa on video as it goes up in flames.
Vote Now: Best Dessert / Treat Chain (10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2023)
A heady mixture of caramelized banana ice cream and dulce de leche and pecans, this perfect orb is placed in the center of the table only to be doused with flaming rum to melt it into all of its delicious elements. This memorable dessert may be inspired by Mexican coastal cuisine, but its appeal is truly universal.
Martha Stewart’s Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie at The Bedford at Paris Las Vegas
A class act — Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Martha Stewart’s first-ever restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart, features a delightful dessert based on her popular recipe for Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie.
It’s fitting that this is the same dessert she might serve you if you were lucky enough to be invited to dinner at her home, because the restaurant was designed to replicate the dining room in her house in Bedford, New York. A twist on the classic pie, the meringue shell is filled with lemon curd and topped with whipped cream and lemon zest. It’s one of Stewart’s favorites, and it’s likely to become one of yours.
Sticky Toffee Pudding at Ramsay’s Kitchen at Harrah’s
Sticky goodness — Photo courtesy of Manny Rodriguez for Gordon Ramsay North America
Ramsay’s Kitchen, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, is a must-try, and the Michelin-starred chef’s signature dessert is served here, too — because it’s just that delicious and guests have pretty much demanded it.
Sticky Toffee Pudding may be a traditional British dessert, but Ramsay’s heavenly version is the stuff of legends. It’s made with dates, English toffee sauce and crème fraîche ice cream — and it’s just plain perfect. (If you dine here in the morning, you can also have a taste of this famous dessert, as Ramsay’s Kitchen also serves up Sticky Toffee Waffles dessert for breakfast.)
Strawberry Blond ‘Milkshake’ at Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace
This milkshake brings everyone to the yard — Photo courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
At Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace, you’re going to be tempted to take a sip of this refreshing-looking dessert — but be prepared for a surprise when you discover you have to take a bite instead! Yes, this delightful creation is really a vanilla sponge cake made with strawberry mousse and Chantilly cream.
You (and guests at the tables around you) are sure to smile as you suddenly understand the validity of the hit Netflix game show, “Is It Cake?” Yes, it is, and, once you taste it, you’ll be grateful for that!
Hit Me Cake at CATCH Las Vegas @ARIA
A tower of sweetness — Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International
This dessert at CATCH Las Vegas, considered one of the most “Instagrammed” in Las Vegas, is satisfying in so many ways. Not only does it taste divine, but it’s made to be smashed, which is rewarding in its own way.
Vote Now: Best Candy Store (10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2023)
The four-layered cake starts with a fudge brownie, topped with chocolate crumbles, followed by a layer of roasted, white chocolate ice cream and a square of chocolate cake. All of it is crowned with a liquid Klondike bar (white chocolate ganache dipped in chocolate). Chocolate sauce is poured over the whole thing. When you hit the Klondike bar with a fork, everything starts oozing out in all its chocolate goodness. Consider it dessert therapy.
The Cigar at The Mayfair Supper Club at Bellagio Las Vegas
A smoke after a good meal — Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International
What better way to end dinner and a show in front of the Bellagio Fountains than with a good cigar? A good chocolate and hazelnut cigar, of course. This masterpiece at the Mayfair Supper Club is so much better than good.
The deceptive — and edible! — cigar arrives at your table under a smoke-filled glass cloche to set the mood. When your server removes the cover, the burnt hickory scent wafts from the cigar, which sits on a glass ashtray-like dish, covered with chocolate crumbles and a base of pear and chocolate panna cotta. This dessert is smokin’!
Gelato Cart at Toscana Ristorante & Bar at Park MGM
A front-row seat to sweetness — Photo courtesy of MGM Resorts International
Tableside dining experiences are common in Las Vegas, but this new one in Park MGM’s Eataly is anything but. The Toscana Ristorante’s Gelato Cart is a real showstopper. It’s wheeled to your table to complete your Italian dinner.
A mountain of house-made gelato is scooped in front of you and garnished with your choice of gourmet toppings, like Amarena cherries, crumbled cannoli shells and flourless chocolate crumble. Mangia!
