More Maps

Exceptional Willamette Valley Restaurants to Visit Post-Wine Tasting

13 Portland Food Trucks That Will Cater Your Wedding

19 Beaverton Restaurants Making the Portland Suburb a Dining Destination

More in Portland, OR See more maps
The strawberry-coconut Paris-Brest at Canard, Portland, Oregon.
Paris-Brest at Canard.
Bill Addison/Eater

11 Portland Restaurants Where Dessert Steals the Show

Find the restaurants hiding Portland's best sweet treats

by Rebecca Roland, Michelle Lopez, and Janey Wong Updated
View as Map
Paris-Brest at Canard.
| Bill Addison/Eater
by Rebecca Roland, Michelle Lopez, and Janey Wong Updated

In a city known for its many doughnuts, ice cream, and even patisseries, waiting for souffles and semifreddos in a restaurant can seem like an unnecessarily premature and unexciting way to end the night. But diners waving away dessert menus may be ignoring some of the best confections in Portland. Here are 11 full-fledged restaurants that offer some of the most satisfying desserts in the city, featuring a diversity of goods like indulgent chocolate cake, Paris-Best, and profiteroles.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Macaron Bai-Toey at Langbaan

Copy Link

Portland locals have long known that Langbaan is one of the best restaurants in town, even before the James Beard Foundation awarded it the title of Outstanding Restaurant in 2024. Though it’s tempting to fill up on the savory options, make sure to leave room for the macaron bai-toey at the end of the meal. The dessert starts with a pandan and lime leaf French macaron, to which pandan custard and poached rhubarb are added.

6 SE 28th Ave (SE Burnside), Portland, OR 97214
(971) 344-2564
(971) 344-2564

Also featured in:

Boccone Dolce at Papa Haydn

Copy Link

There’s no way to go wrong at Papa Haydn, an old-school Portland institution that’s famed for its extensive pastry case. Among the options is a boccone dolce made with layers of French meringue, whipped cream, and seasonal fruit, drizzled in semi-sweet chocolate. The stacked dessert is a showstopper, and best eaten within four hours of pick-up. The restaurant has several other desserts worth sampling as well like its famed chocolate cake, and the old-school NW location has plenty of room for groups looking to skip straight to dessert.

701 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
(503) 228-7317
(503) 228-7317

Also featured in:

Chocolate cake at Cafe Olli

Copy Link

Portland’s all-day cafe and pizza spot, Cafe Olli, also serves one of the best chocolate cakes in town. It’s simple but decadent, with double chocolate fudge frosting sandwiched between thick disks of rich chocolate cake. On top, a sprinkling of crystallized chocolate and Maldon salt round out the flavor profile into something that diners can’t resist going back for.

3925 NE M L King Blvd (NE Failing St), Portland, OR 97212
(503) 206-8604
(503) 206-8604

Also featured in:

Baked Haiti at Kann

Copy Link

Kann, chef Gregory Gourdet’s acclaimed restaurant, offers a menu of Haitian food made with local produce and ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. The menu features dishes like a local pasture-raised pork chop, crispy okra, and espageti (Haitian spaghetti). But at the end of the meal, it’s all about the Baked Haiti made with coconut sponge cake, bavarian cream, pineapple reduction sauce, charred meringue, and basil. It’s a visual showstopper that somehow tastes even better than it looks — like the rest of the menu, it’s gluten-free, too.

548 SE Ash St (SE 6th Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 702-0290
(503) 702-0290

Also featured in:

Paris-Brest at Canard

Copy Link

Delicate choux pastry is piped into a circle — representing a bicycle wheel in the Paris-Brest-Paris race — to create this dessert found at patisseries all over France. At the French-ish bistro Canard, the dessert is a menu staple that’s stuck around for the long haul, getting the occasional refresh with new toppings. Recently, diners have enjoyed it with strawberries, mandarin curd, and milk crumb.

734 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
(971) 279-2356
(971) 279-2356

Also featured in:

Fois Gras Profiteroles at Le Pigeon

Copy Link

It can be argued that Le Pigeon, a tiny, intimate restaurant almost hidden away on busy Burnside, is one of Portland’s most quintessential restaurants. James Beard-winning chef Gabriel Rucker always finds a way to give traditional French fare a Portland twist, pairing beef bourguignon with Pacific Northwest produce like corn and green beans. The foie gras profiteroles — cream puffs that are sliced and filled with foie gras ice cream — are no exception to this rule; the caramel-drenched puffs are considered one of the city’s most iconic dishes. 

738 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 546-8796
(503) 546-8796

Also featured in:

Sour Cherry Vareniki at Kachka

Copy Link

A meal at Kachka, an airy, expansive restaurant that manages to be a cross between Portland’s new architecture and a Russian grandmother’s dining room, is a celebration of Slavic food through and through. Although diners can order Russian drinking food and booze like Herring Under a Fur Coat (a Russian seven-layer dip) and horseradish-infused vodka, the dumplings are a perennial favorite. When pan-fried, the sour cherry vareniki taste like little bites of fresh deep-fried cherry pie.

960 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 235-0059
(503) 235-0059

Also featured in:

Butterscotch Budino at Nostrana

Copy Link

Iconic in its simplicity, the butterscotch budino at Cathy Whims’ lauded Italian restaurant borrows from another female powerhouse chef — Pizzeria Mozza co-owner Nancy Silverton and pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez’s budino which has earned praise for its silky smooth texture and perfect sweet-salty balance. Luckily, Portlanders don’t have to make the trip to Los Angeles to try it. Nostrana recommends pairing with a glass of semi-dry Marsala oro for maximum enjoyment.

1401 SE Morrison St #101, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2427
(503) 234-2427

Also featured in:

Flan at Pambiche

Copy Link

Dining at Pambiche always feels like a mini-vacation, thanks to its generous sidewalk seating and colorful interior set to a soundtrack of traditional Cuban music. The extensive dessert menu completes the restaurant’s vacation vibe, featuring cakes made with tropical flavors like guava, pineapple, lime, and more. The flan, however, is a traditional Cuban caramel custard with a silken texture — even considering its simplicity, it’s the star of the dessert menu. 

2811 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232
(503) 233-0511
(503) 233-0511

Also featured in:

Tarta de Queso at Urdaneta

Copy Link

There are several places that serve good cheesecake in Portland, but only one that does it in the style of Spain’s Basque region: Urdaneta. At first, Urdaneta’s version looks like a mistake, with no crust, a deflated center, and a burnt, blackened exterior — but every bite is silky soft, with just the right amount of tartness. Urdaneta’s intimate, cozy setting feels like the right fit for the velvety cake, especially with a glass of rare sherry. 

3033 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
(503) 288-1990
(503) 288-1990

Also featured in:

Es Cendol at Wajan

Copy Link

Cendol, a cold, soupy dessert popular across Southeast Asia, does well to temper the spicy flavors of Wajan’s rendang sapi or udang belado at the end of a meal. Pandan-flavored, worm-shaped jellies float in palm sugar-sweetened coconut milk, ready to be slurped, under a mound of shaved ice. The optional topping of diced jackfruit adds another layer to the dessert’s textural profile.

4611 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97215
(503) 206-5916
(503) 206-5916

Also featured in:

More in Maps

© 2024 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Link copied to the clipboard.

Macaron Bai-Toey at Langbaan

6 SE 28th Ave (SE Burnside), Portland, OR 97214

Portland locals have long known that Langbaan is one of the best restaurants in town, even before the James Beard Foundation awarded it the title of Outstanding Restaurant in 2024. Though it’s tempting to fill up on the savory options, make sure to leave room for the macaron bai-toey at the end of the meal. The dessert starts with a pandan and lime leaf French macaron, to which pandan custard and poached rhubarb are added.

6 SE 28th Ave (SE Burnside), Portland, OR 97214
(971) 344-2564
(971) 344-2564

Boccone Dolce at Papa Haydn

701 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210

There’s no way to go wrong at Papa Haydn, an old-school Portland institution that’s famed for its extensive pastry case. Among the options is a boccone dolce made with layers of French meringue, whipped cream, and seasonal fruit, drizzled in semi-sweet chocolate. The stacked dessert is a showstopper, and best eaten within four hours of pick-up. The restaurant has several other desserts worth sampling as well like its famed chocolate cake, and the old-school NW location has plenty of room for groups looking to skip straight to dessert.

701 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
(503) 228-7317
(503) 228-7317

Chocolate cake at Cafe Olli

3925 NE M L King Blvd (NE Failing St), Portland, OR 97212

Portland’s all-day cafe and pizza spot, Cafe Olli, also serves one of the best chocolate cakes in town. It’s simple but decadent, with double chocolate fudge frosting sandwiched between thick disks of rich chocolate cake. On top, a sprinkling of crystallized chocolate and Maldon salt round out the flavor profile into something that diners can’t resist going back for.

3925 NE M L King Blvd (NE Failing St), Portland, OR 97212
(503) 206-8604
(503) 206-8604

Baked Haiti at Kann

548 SE Ash St (SE 6th Ave), Portland, OR 97214

Kann, chef Gregory Gourdet’s acclaimed restaurant, offers a menu of Haitian food made with local produce and ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. The menu features dishes like a local pasture-raised pork chop, crispy okra, and espageti (Haitian spaghetti). But at the end of the meal, it’s all about the Baked Haiti made with coconut sponge cake, bavarian cream, pineapple reduction sauce, charred meringue, and basil. It’s a visual showstopper that somehow tastes even better than it looks — like the rest of the menu, it’s gluten-free, too.

548 SE Ash St (SE 6th Ave), Portland, OR 97214
(503) 702-0290
(503) 702-0290

Paris-Brest at Canard

734 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

Delicate choux pastry is piped into a circle — representing a bicycle wheel in the Paris-Brest-Paris race — to create this dessert found at patisseries all over France. At the French-ish bistro Canard, the dessert is a menu staple that’s stuck around for the long haul, getting the occasional refresh with new toppings. Recently, diners have enjoyed it with strawberries, mandarin curd, and milk crumb.

734 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
(971) 279-2356
(971) 279-2356

Fois Gras Profiteroles at Le Pigeon

738 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214

It can be argued that Le Pigeon, a tiny, intimate restaurant almost hidden away on busy Burnside, is one of Portland’s most quintessential restaurants. James Beard-winning chef Gabriel Rucker always finds a way to give traditional French fare a Portland twist, pairing beef bourguignon with Pacific Northwest produce like corn and green beans. The foie gras profiteroles — cream puffs that are sliced and filled with foie gras ice cream — are no exception to this rule; the caramel-drenched puffs are considered one of the city’s most iconic dishes. 

738 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 546-8796
(503) 546-8796

Sour Cherry Vareniki at Kachka

960 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97214

A meal at Kachka, an airy, expansive restaurant that manages to be a cross between Portland’s new architecture and a Russian grandmother’s dining room, is a celebration of Slavic food through and through. Although diners can order Russian drinking food and booze like Herring Under a Fur Coat (a Russian seven-layer dip) and horseradish-infused vodka, the dumplings are a perennial favorite. When pan-fried, the sour cherry vareniki taste like little bites of fresh deep-fried cherry pie.

960 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 235-0059
(503) 235-0059

Butterscotch Budino at Nostrana

1401 SE Morrison St #101, Portland, OR 97214

Iconic in its simplicity, the butterscotch budino at Cathy Whims’ lauded Italian restaurant borrows from another female powerhouse chef — Pizzeria Mozza co-owner Nancy Silverton and pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez’s budino which has earned praise for its silky smooth texture and perfect sweet-salty balance. Luckily, Portlanders don’t have to make the trip to Los Angeles to try it. Nostrana recommends pairing with a glass of semi-dry Marsala oro for maximum enjoyment.

1401 SE Morrison St #101, Portland, OR 97214
(503) 234-2427
(503) 234-2427

Flan at Pambiche

2811 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232

Dining at Pambiche always feels like a mini-vacation, thanks to its generous sidewalk seating and colorful interior set to a soundtrack of traditional Cuban music. The extensive dessert menu completes the restaurant’s vacation vibe, featuring cakes made with tropical flavors like guava, pineapple, lime, and more. The flan, however, is a traditional Cuban caramel custard with a silken texture — even considering its simplicity, it’s the star of the dessert menu. 

2811 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97232
(503) 233-0511
(503) 233-0511

Tarta de Queso at Urdaneta

3033 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211

There are several places that serve good cheesecake in Portland, but only one that does it in the style of Spain’s Basque region: Urdaneta. At first, Urdaneta’s version looks like a mistake, with no crust, a deflated center, and a burnt, blackened exterior — but every bite is silky soft, with just the right amount of tartness. Urdaneta’s intimate, cozy setting feels like the right fit for the velvety cake, especially with a glass of rare sherry. 

3033 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211
(503) 288-1990
(503) 288-1990

Es Cendol at Wajan

4611 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97215

Cendol, a cold, soupy dessert popular across Southeast Asia, does well to temper the spicy flavors of Wajan’s rendang sapi or udang belado at the end of a meal. Pandan-flavored, worm-shaped jellies float in palm sugar-sweetened coconut milk, ready to be slurped, under a mound of shaved ice. The optional topping of diced jackfruit adds another layer to the dessert’s textural profile.

4611 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97215
(503) 206-5916
(503) 206-5916

Related Maps