12 June 2026
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There’s something undeniably comforting about retro desserts — the kinds of sweets that call to mind birthday parties, family restaurants and convenience store snacks. Across New York City, MICHELIN Guide restaurants are putting refined spins on nostalgic favorites, from towering baked Alaskas and sticky toffee pudding to sheet cake and upside-down cake. Whether rooted in childhood memories or classic Americana, these desserts prove some classics never really go out of style.
Baked Alaska
Gage & Tollner
While the martinis, raw bar and steaks are a major draw at Gage & Tollner, Brooklyn’s historic oyster and chophouse also shines when it comes to dessert — a course MICHELIN Guide Inspectors consider essential. In the beautifully preserved century-old dining room, it’s hard not to notice the giant baked Alaska making its way to tables across the space. Inside, layers of fresh mint, dark chocolate and Amarena cherry ice creams are tucked between chocolate cookie crunch and finished with a dramatic crown of toasted Swiss meringue.
Cherries Jubilee
Cafe Carmellini
At Café Carmellini, Chef Andrew Carmellini serves a modern, sophisticated combination of Italian and French cooking with a classic New York sensibility set in a glorious neoclassical landmark mansion. Executive pastry chef Jeffrey Wurtz provides desserts that match the vibe as well as the stellar savory options, including a dramatic cherries jubilee for two prepared tableside. The dessert features flambéed cherries spooned over a decadent chocolate dacquoise and finished with red Burgundy wine. 
Chiffon Cake
The Grill
Opulence is the word when it comes to The Grill, the luxe chophouse in Manhattan’s Seagram Building and the lauded successor to the famed Four Seasons restaurant. The kitchen serves an all-American menu with many beloved classics, including desserts that throwback to another era, like a grasshopper charlotte and a flaming baked Alaska. Inspectors call out the chiffon cake, layered with lemon curd and frosted with buttercream, which tastes of the good times gone by.
Cosmic Brownie
Tatiana
At Tatiana, Chef Kwame Onwuachi draws on his West African roots and memories of growing up in the Bronx to shape the menu. It was the borough’s bodegas that inspired the “Bodega Special,” a nostalgic dessert reminiscent of packaged treats Onwuachi bought as a kid. The dish features a deliciously fudgy riff on a Cosmic Brownie paired with powdered sugar donut ice cream, playfully shaped like miniature donuts.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Dame
A modern English restaurant, Dame has made its mark with classic British-style fish and chips, but diners know there is far more to the menu, which has an appealing variety of fresh seafood and wines. Once you’ve had your fill of Dover sole and proper English chips, make room for sticky toffee pudding: warm brown sugar date cake with crispy edges, cloaked in bourbon caramel and finished with crème fraîche and Maldon salt.
Texas Sheet Cake
Yellow Rose
Cake never goes out of style, but sheet cake feels especially nostalgic. MICHELIN Guide Inspectors suggest that those with sweets on their mind should go straight for the classic Texas sheet cake that’s a highlight at Yellow Rose. The cake itself might vary, from a chocolate layer cake with candied pecans to a pink layer cake with blueberry jam and sprinkles, but if it’s sheet cake you seek, you will find it. The food and drink here are inspired by owners Dave and Krystiana Rizo’s South Texas roots and they’ve created standout pressed-to-order flour tortillas, which show up in a variety of dishes, from quesadillas to tacos.
Upside-Down Cake
Gramercy Tavern
Gramercy Tavern remains one of New York City’s most iconic restaurants, thanks in part to its ever-evolving seasonal menu that offers something for nearly every diner. In the more casual Tavern room, the à la carte menu features enticing, seasonal desserts from pastry chef Karen DeMasco, including a mango upside-down cake with brown sugar, lime and coconut. It’s a small, round single-serve portion, so if you have room for more, other highlights include a chocolate chunk cookie served with malted chocolate milk and a cherry rice pudding sundae.
Hero image: “Bodega Special,” a nostalgic dessert reminiscent of packaged treats Onwuachi bought as a kid. © Alex Staniloff/Tatiana
