For those of you who say “no” when the waiter comes around to ask if you want dessert, how dare you. Whether your stomach tank is slightly full or completely stuffed, the answer to the dessert question should always be a resounding “yes,” especially in a village like Roslyn, where, on the surface, it is filled with high-end restaurants of all cultures and traditions. But, after digging deeper, one may find that Roslyn is also a land of sweets with most of its eateries containing a dessert menu filled with interesting bites that may go unasked for.
When walking the historic Village of Roslyn bundled up in one’s jacket, one may wish to pop into Diane’s Bakery Cafe for a sweet square or butter cookie to go along with a warm cup of coffee, or grab a Belgian hot chocolate with a side of cookies from Thyme, which is usually known for its exquisite dinners and brunches. Old Northern Boulevard offers cooler treats like frozen yogurts with all the fixings and smoothies from Yolo Frozen Yogurt & Desserts or nearly any ice cream your mind can imagine at CoolMess. Residents can try desserts from Mediterranean cuisine at Limani or Japanese cuisine at Kotobuki on Northern Boulevard. For those who don’t mind a quick drive outside of the historic village, one can sample a few different desserts at Mim’s Kitchen & Cocktails in Roslyn Heights or get a cup of gelato in a variety of flavors sure to appease any tastebuds at Gelateria dei Coltelli in East Williston.
So, before you say “no” when offered the dessert menu or decide not to indulge in a scoop of ice cream, check out a few of Roslyn’s restaurants with sugary fare.
CoolMess
Ice cream is a great dessert all year ’round, but ice cream is pretty simple. CoolMess takes the ice cream eating experience and elevates it to the next level, allowing customers to make the ice cream themselves in just a few easy steps. The concept goes like this: customers choose a base flavor and follow one of the store’s “messipes” or create their own flavor. The creation goes into a machine and customers watch it become their dream dessert. As for base flavors, patrons can choose from chocolate, vanilla or strawberry sorbet and then choose from more than 20 toppings including caramel sauce, pound cake, brownie bites, Snickers and chocolate coffee beans.
For those who aren’t in the mood to get creative and are on the go, pre-created options like The Bomb.com, which has a chocolate chip cookie, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and cookie dough, adorn the menu. For those looking to share a sundae, CoolMess has a list of creations from the It’s Not Your Birthday Birthday Sundae to the Monkey Business. CoolMess also has milkshake options and about 20 gelato flavors to choose from.
CoolMess is located at 1512 Old Northern Boulevard; coolmess.com; 516-801-2665.
Limani
Known for serving some incredible Mediterranean dishes, the chic restaurant also boasts a hearty dessert menu featuring 12 different end-of-the-meal must haves. The popular Baklava offers layer upon layer of almonds, walnuts, cinnamon and phyllo baked with honey syrup while the Emek is shredded phyllo and custard with an interesting twist of pistachio whipped cream. Other Mediterranean favorites include Karidopita, a walnut sponge cake with cinnamon, cloves and honey syrup served with vanilla ice cream; Loukamades, Greek fried dough puffs dripping with honey, walnuts and cinnamon; Milopita, which features Granny Smith apples and almond cream puff pastry served with pistachio ice cream. Three cookies adorn the menu: Kourambiedes (almond cookies covered in powdered sugar), Melomakarona (walnut honey and spice cookies) and Koulourakia (vanilla flavored sesame seed sprinkled cookies).
Limani is located at 1043 Northern Boulevard; limani.com; 516-869-8989.
Diane’s Bakery Café
When walking through the door of Diane’s Bakery Café, one is met with a gorgeous display of goodies from pies to tarts to squares, to individual treats, cakes, rugelach and more in display cases. Since the bakery opened in 1982, it has been making fresh baked goods each day from scratch in small batches. The bakery café offers perfect pies that look as though they’ve just been moved from a food magazine photo shoot, with flavors from apple to chocolate mousse. Plum almond, pear almond, apple and strawberry cheese are Diane’s tart flavors while brownie, raspberry cheese, chocolate cheese, lemon and apricot almond are her squares. The cheese puff is a must, with its flower-like aesthetic and flaky, soft bite filled with a light cheese and almost lemon flavor. Butter cookies in oatmeal raisin, pecan date, chocolate chip, pecan sandy, jelly and more fill another display case. While Diane’s cinnamon raisin walnut and chocolate rugelach can easily be eaten by the dozen, one might want to save room for the bakery café’s angel or marble pound cake.
Diane’s Bakery Café is located at 23 Bryant Avenue; dianesroslyn.com; 516-621-2522.
Yolo Frozen Yogurt & Desserts
Perfect for some Instagrammable desserts, Yolo Frozen Yogurt & Desserts offers frozen yogurt, gelato, crepes, smoothies and shakes. Twelve frozen yogurt flavors are always on rotation for self-serve ease at the store, with flavors ranging from the simple chocolate to the more complex cinnamon roll or chocolate caramel turtle. Similarly, eight gelato flavors, from panna cotta to cappuccino crunch, are on rotation daily. To check flavors, customers can visit the store’s Facebook page to make sure their favorite flavor is ready to swirl that day. While Yolo boasts a generous menu of savory crepes, its sweet crepes list is twice as long, including flavors like s’mores, peanut butter, sugar and butter and Oreo as well as the special flavors of cannoli cream and snickerdoodle. As for the healthier option, a smoothie, customers can grab a banana berry or mixed berry smoothie in four different sizes.
Yolo Frozen Yogurt & Desserts is located at 1355 Old Northern Boulevard; yoloyogurtny.com; 516-200-9191.
Kotobuki
The Japanese restaurant known for its sushi entrées and signature rolls, has an almost-hidden small dessert menu, offering a small taste of the culture’s sweet cuisine. Kotobuki’s ice cream comes in three flavors: green tea, ginger or red bean. Mochi ice cream, a confection made from Japanese mochi-pounded sticky rice-with an ice cream filling, and banana tempura, bananas prepared tempura style topped with chocolate syrup and choice of ice cream are also on the dessert list. For customers who want to end their meal with a fried dessert, the restaurant offers both fried cheesecake and fried ice cream, while others, who may want to end on the lighter side, can order sliced pineapple.
Kotobuki is located at 1530 Northern Boulevard; kotobukirestaurants.com; 516-621-5312.
Mim’s Kitchen & Cocktails
A Manhattan-style bistro, Mim’s Kitchen & Cocktails compiles a list of homemade desserts to please any Roslyn sweet tooth. Although one may have to put in a little work, the campfire s’mores is a treat. Complete with Hershey’s chocolate bars, marshmallows, graham crackers and skewers for roasting marshmallows, this menu item is sure to bring patrons back to their younger days around a campfire. The brownie sundae and warm apple crisp are, of course, topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Other taste bud-jittering options include the Banana Betty Parfait filled with homemade banana custard, caramelized bananas, graham crackers and fresh whipped cream; Oreo Mousse Pie, with dark chocolate mousse, Oreo crumbs and fresh whipped cream; New York Cheesecake, Raspberry Sorbet and Berries & Cream. Can’t decide on what to choose? Mim’s makes it easy with a dessert sampler featuring the Oreo mousse pie, brownie sundae, apple crisp and cheesecake.
Mim’s Kitchen & Cocktails is located at 235 Roslyn Road; mimsny.com; 516-625-7305.
Thyme
Located in the historic Village of Roslyn overlooking Gerry Park and the Roslyn Duck Pond, Thyme brings American cuisine to the area by combining wholesome ingredients with diligent preparation. While Thyme offers the usual flourless chocolate truffle torte and caramelized apple tart, it also boasts a bittersweet key lime torte with berry coulis and fresh whipped cream; strawberry shortcake made with fresh strawberries, a warm scone and vanilla gelato; and poached pear with cinnamon gelato. The glazed banana bread pudding is complete with caramelized bananas, a bourbon glaze and fresh whipped cream while the crème caramel is a rich, creamy custard layered with soft caramel sauce. To keep warm on a winter night walking through the village, one may want to stop in for some Belgian hot chocolate and warm freshly baked cookies and rugelach.
Thyme is located at 8 Tower Place; thymenewyork.com; 516-625-2566.
Gelateria dei Coltelli
From small cups of gelato to crepes and frozen frappes, Gelateria dei Coltelli has a large menu sure to satisfy any sugary craving. When walking into the cool and minimalistic establishment, one may spy a display full of gelato flavors including panna cotta, rainbow cookie, stracciatella and more. The gelato does not have to be served in scoop form with a cute little sugar cone on top, making the scoop perfect for a photo. The gelato shop also offers gelato sandwiches, pops and milkshakes. For those looking to grab something a little less chilly, Gelateria dei Coltelli boasts classic crepes in Nutella, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, butter sugar, white chocolate and dulce de leche flavors.
Gelateria dei Coltelli is located at 591 Willis Avenue, Williston Park; deicoltelli.com; 516-801-1706.
Hendrick’s Tavern
Located in the restored estate home of Hendrick Onderdonk built in 1740 in the historic village of Roslyn, Hendrick’s Tavern is a blend of eclectic and modern interior styles with historic touches. While the tavern is known for its cuisine being a mix of comfort food, prime steakhouse staples and seafood dishes, Hendrick’s Tavern boasts a dessert menu of 12 dishes from the classic cheesecake to artisanal cheese. Within the menu, customers can order a coconut layer cake, sticky bun with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, a carrot cake covered in cheesecake icing and walnuts, homemade apple crisp topped with whipped cream, a chocolate cloud cake with white chocolate cream and a chocolate ganache, key lime pie, a brownie sundae, a fruit platter, ice cream or mixed berries.
Hendrick’s Tavern is located at 1305 Old Northern Boulevard; pollrestaurants.com; 516-621-1200.
