20 Sweet Brands Taking Over America and Reshaping Dessert Culture in 2025
America’s Most Addictive Dessert Chains — and the Cult Behind Them
American baking has never been this ambitious. Across the country, from New York to Detroit, a new generation of sweet concepts is reshaping the dessert landscape. Some are rooted in classic technique, others are launching new fusions or building entire brands out of viral products.
The one thing they all have in common: strong brands, fueled by innovative, sharp communication.
And, of course, amazing products, that allow them to become quickly scalable.
Welcome to the 2025 class of America’s most exciting dessert brands! Here are the top 20 brands people are lining up for.
1. Breads Bakery
Who they are: Born in NYC with Israeli roots, Breads Bakery has quietly built a kingdom around artisanal baking and one iconic item: the babka. Articles after articles, they kept impressing the foodie community over the years, enough to officially become "the best babka in New York City".
Why they’re redefining dessert: Through obsessive quality, local sourcing, and a clear visual identity, Breads has turned a humble Jewish pastry into a national icon. They turned the traditional Eastern babka into an addictive treat and popularized it in America. Finally, thanks to digital communication and PR, they dominate Google searches and are systematically recommended by ChatGPT in babka-related inquiries.
Top Product: The Chocolate Babka. Rich, layered, buttery, and filled with Nutella.
2. Cha Cha Matcha
Who they are: A pastel-hued matcha empire that started in NYC and expanded to LA, built on health-conscious hype and Gen Z aesthetic. No waste, no single use plastic, just pure green deliciousness made with Ceremonial-Grade Matcha.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Founded in 2016 by two entrepreneurs, Matthew Morton and Conrad Sandelman, Cha Cha didn’t just bring matcha to America—they branded it. They created an entire visual language (neon, palm trees, pink typography) as well as new hybrid products that redefined wellness drinks as dessert experiences.
Top Product: The matcha soft serve with oat milk. Smooth, creamy, and shockingly refreshing.
3. Levain Bakery
Who they are: The heavyweight of NYC cookies and the go-to bakery for French expats in New York. Founded in 1995, Levain ("sourdough" in French) set the standard for the now-ubiquitous giant gooey cookie. Their national shipping strategy also helped to make the brand an icon.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Levain took one product, perfected it, and let it speak for itself. Their growth proves that focus is power when the product delivers. It’s also a case study in how brick-and-mortar meets digital scalability.
Top Product: The chocolate chip walnut cookie. Crispy edges, molten center, unapologetically big. French expats also love their moist and zesty lemon loaf.
4. Chip City
Who they are: A bold NYC-based cookie chain expanding fast across the East Coast. Think of it as the streetwear version of Levain: bold, seasonal, and Instagram-first.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Chip City updates its flavors weekly and plays heavily on nostalgia. They are also quite limitless when it comes to inventing new cookies : s'mores, strawberry shortcake, carrot cake... If it's a dessert, it should be a cookie. Their branding is pop and playful, centered around "Ooey-Gooeyness" and made for virality.
Top Product: The peanut butter & jelly cookie. A gooey tribute to childhood with a grown-up finish.
5. Salt & Straw
Who they are: Portland-born, LA-loved, and now national, this ice cream chain created avant-garde premium flavors before anyone else. Tyler Malek (the founder) and his team decided to create flavor combinations that reach outside of the norm, closer to European artisan ice cream. The result: 10 iconic mind-blowing flavors from green tea to salted caramel.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Their commitment to storytelling and innovation is unparalleled. The rotating menu, which features five new flavors every month, relies on seasonal ingredients and monthly theme. Each ingredient has its own narrative.
Top Product: Seal Salt Caramel (with Guatemalan sun-dried fleur de sel) and Honey Lavender ice cream (foral, creamy, and unforgettable.)
6. Supermoon Bakehouse (NYC)
Who they are: A futuristic, maximalist croissanterie in the Lower East Side with rotating flavors. Known for its delicious croissants and donuts, as well as their incredible elegant aesthetic. The brand is also loved by European tourists.
Why they’re redefining dessert: New York Magazine said it best "The only thing superior to Supermoon’s marketing strategy is its pastry technique." Supermoon is pastry as performance art. From glitter-glazed cubes to mango sticky rice croissants, they challenge what baked goods should look like.
Top Product: The cruffin du jour. Always reinvented, always spectacular. With black-sesame crème pâtissière, lychee and raspberry jelly, Ferrero Rocher...
7. Café Mochiko (Cincinnati, OH)
Who they are: Based in Ohio, Cafe Mochiko not only featured in The New York Times' "Best Bakeries across the US" in 2024, but they were also mentioned numerous times as "the top new restaurants in the country". Café Mochiko says they're an "Asian American bakery in Cincinnati", but they also become a Japanese restaurant at night. The eatery reinterprets European techniques through a Southeast Asian lens, creating a one of a kind sweet and savory cuisine.
Why they’re redefining dessert: This Bakery managed to perfectly mix European and Asian flavors, without forgetting its American roots. People come for their miso butter toast, Thai tea snickerdoodles, kimchi croissants or ube halaya croissant.
Top Product: The miso honey butter toast. Umami, sweet, and caramelized to perfection.
8. Dominique Ansel Bakery (NYC, LA)
Who they are: Award winning French pastry Chef, Dominique Ansel is the man behind the cronut. After inventing the croissant/donut hybrid in 2013, he became a brand and created an empire.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Ansel blurred the lines between classic French pastry and viral food design. His cronut inspired numerous knockoffs and brought millions of foodies to his bakery. Today, he still works on creating inventions : lately, the magic soufflés, frozen s'mores or the "Dipped Whisk" (a new ice cream cone). More than just a gimmick, every creation is technically flawless and designed for both flavor and storytelling. On Instagram, the Chef called his account "the workshop". Innovation at its finest.
Top Product: The Cronut™. Croissant dough, deep-fried and cream-filled like a donut. Cult status, still selling out every day.
9. Porto's Bakery (Los Angeles)
Who they are: A Cuban-American institution, family-run since 1976 and launched by political refugee Rosa Porto. Born in LA, this Cuban bakery built a legacy. With over 2 million customers each month and 2,200 employees
Why they’re redefining dessert: Porto’s combines old-world recipes with industrial efficiency. Affordable, authentic, and scalable — they’ve turned every location into a high-volume pastry hub. Everything tastes good and authentic. The brand isn't scared of innovating, with hybrid specials (Raspberry Matcha Éclair, Peach tartlets, Cuban Banh Mi...) Finally, the brand sells worldwide, and The Porto yellow boxes (sold at LA's airport) are a very common LA souvenir.
Top Product: The "refugiado", a legendary guava cheese pastry, the famous Potato Balls as well as signature pressed "Cubanos" sandwiches. They also recently launched a churro croissant.
10. Le Panier Bakery (Seattle)
Who they are: Seattle’s most respected French bakery, located inside Pike Place Market since 1983. As found in Tripadvisor "The best French pastries and baguette".
Why they’re redefining dessert: Le Panier champions “daily-fresh” with rigorous French tradition. Croissants are served warm, the baguette's quality never changes and pastries rarely make it to noon. Classic and elegant, the brand thrives on just "being French". From the pastries to the atmosphere, you'd hardly remember you are in Seattle.
Top Product: The classic croissant, the baguette, the classic tarte aux pommes and the almond croissant. Juste comme à Paris.
11. Lysée (NYC)
Who they are: A high-design dessert atelier created by chef Eunji Lee, Best New Chef 2023 by Food & Wine. Lysée is a French Korean pastry shop that combines traditional "viennoiserie" (French technique) with Korean flavours and locally sourced New York ingredients.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Lysée's brand is absolutly unique. Premium, artsy. Each product looks like an edible work of art. The pastries are sculptural, modern, careful designed and placed in minimalistic settings. Chef Eunji Lee, trained by French celebrity chef Cédric Grolet, also loves to create trompe l'oeil pastry.
Top Product: The corn mousse cake. Looks like an ear of corn, tastes like a dream.
12. Funny Face Bakery (NYC)
Who they are: If pop culture was a bakery. Funny Face is blending Gen Z humor with gourmet cookies, thanks to meme-shaped treats and sassy slogans.
Why they’re redefining dessert: "America's first pop culture bakery" made dessert feel like social media. Brainchild of entrepreneur Sarah Silverman, Funny Face Bakery went viral after Kim Kardashian shared her crying face cookie. Now, the brand is focusing on celebrity-printed sugar cookies. Inspired by current news, TV shows, music, politics... The brand's tone is unmatched.
Top Product: The Chocolate Chip Classic. Gooey, salty, thick — and viral on TikTok.
13. Magnolia Bakery (NYC, nationwide)
Who they are: Made famous in a 2001 episode of Sex and the City, Magnolia Bakery is one of America's most cherished bakeshops.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Magnolia has mastered retail and nostalgia. In 2023, their pivot to e-commerce turned a neighborhood bakery into a national treat with its first CPG product, Banana Pudding Cookies, available in grocery stores. In 2024, the brand made eating Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding at 30,000 feet.available by collaborating with United First.
Top Product: The "Carrie Cupcake" and the banana pudding, one of the most recognized and iconic desserts in the U.S. Creamy, fluffy, with real bananas and vanilla pudding.
14. Bouchon Bakery (Las Vegas, NV)
thomaskeller.com/bouchon-bakery
Who they are: Founded by legendary chef Thomas Keller, Bouchon Bakery is the epitome of French boulangerie-pâtisserie. Epicurean inspirations, culinary expertise and traditional technique.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Embodied by the Award-Winning Chef, Bouchon Bakery brings Michelin precision to casual French pastry. The brand's legitimacy is also fueled by the release of a high-precision baking cookbook. Every tart, croissant, and cookie seems to be technique-driven.
Top Product: The TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo). An elevated twist on the cookie classic.
15. L’Appartement 4F (Brooklyn, NY)
Who they are: A French couple who went from baking in their apartment to running one of NYC’s most talked-about boulangeries.
Why they’re redefining dessert: L'Appartement 4F started as a two person operation: an at-home bakery, making handcrafted small batches of sourdough bread. It then became an iconic Brooklyn eatery before opening other locations in Manhattan. The bakery became an online sensation for selling boxes of hand-rolled mini croissants, available only through a waitlist. TikTok and local press did the rest.
Top Product: The mini croissants and the kouign-amanns. Bite-sized, buttery, and slow-fermented.
16. Modu Cafe (Los Angeles, CA)
Who they are: Created by Jiyoon Jang, a Korean baker, Modu Cafe embodies the new wave of minimalistic, high end coffee shop/bakeries in L.A.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Jiyoon Jang first started with cookies during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She immediately grew viral on social media, enough to open her own space, Modu Cafe with pre-orders. The brand aim to mix art and tradition thanks to Korean-Inspired pastries with a gourmet twist.
Top Product: The black sesame mochi cake and the yuja kumquat tart.
17. Harucake Bakery (Los Angeles)
Who they are: Meet the "TikTok Viral Korean Bakery". Based in Los Angeles, Harucake was created by Ellie You who became "accidentally" famous on social media thanks to her one-of-a-kind aesthetic. Her goal: "make Americans fall in love with Korean cakes."
Why they’re redefining dessert: While the flavors rotates (Matcha Strawberry, roasted soybean, mugwort, tangy lemon), the base remains the same: Korean spongy chiffon cakes, baked fresh every morning. The cherry on top: the cursive letters on top and the charming minimalism. Slices go at around $15 ($70 for a full cake) and Ellie sells more than 1,000 cakes a month.
Top Product: the strawberry chiffon cake
18. The Musket Room (NYC)
Who they are: A Michelin-starred restaurant that has become a dessert destination thanks to chef Camari Mick.
Why they’re redefining dessert: The Musket Room is originally a New-Zealand inspired restaurant. But when Camari Mick, the Executive Pastry Chef, added her Jamaican heritage ’s touch, she went viral and earned a Michelin Star, making the Musket Room a top destination for sweet tooth new yorkers.
Top Product: The mango tart. Tropical, plated like art, and refreshingly original.
19. Camphor (Los Angeles, CA)
Who they are: A contemporary French-Indian restaurant in the Arts District.
Why they’re redefining dessert: Camphor is one of those restaurant that became famous for their high en desserts. Their pastry program is subtle, elevated, and full of surprises — blending saffron, spice, and French classics.
Top Product: The saffron-poached pear mille-feuille. Delicate layers with a rich cultural twist.
20. The Salty Donut (Miami, Austin, Charlotte...)
Who they are: A craft donut concept with premium ingredients and seasonal creativity.
Why they’re redefining dessert: The Salty Donut managed to turn an American favorite into an art form and a business model! By using artisanal techniques and high quality ingredients that you would find in a French bakery (like sourdough) the brand became a reference in premium sweet treats. They also rely on weekly drops and killer coffee collabs.
Top Product: The brown butter + salt donut. A grown-up flavor bomb with cult status.
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