Best of NH 2025 Desserts, Ice Cream Stands, Coffee & Bakeries
Craving something sweet? Maybe a big scoop of homemade ice cream or delicious pastries? Here's where to indulge your sweet tooth, from baked goods to cupcakes, plus where to find coffee to wash it all down.
Editor’s Picks
Fresh Fuel
Next time you’re rolling through Candia along Raymond Road, make a quick stop at Just the Sip for a refreshing, mid-morning pick-me-up. This elegant, upgraded food truck offers specialty coffees and unique bites perfect for your next craving. With clever-sounding smoothies like Sip Happens, Thank You Berry Much, the Class Clown (made with key lime and Italian lemonade) and the Stress Free (with strawberry, mango and banana), Just the Sip promises an unforgettable experience. Facebook
North Country Sweets
Tori’s Place
Tori’s Place (previously known as Tori’s Homestead Doughnuts), is fairly new to Colebrook and has been dishing out delectable doughnuts ever since, quickly becoming a favorite with locals in the process. And since May, they’ve been dishing out hard-serve and soft-serve ice cream as well, adding yet another yummy reason to visit the North Country. Their hearty build-your-own breakfasts, acai bowls, coffee and lattes round out the fare. Facebook
Bubble Tea
If you’re new to the fun and tasty world of bubble tea, why not start at Matcha in Derry? To find your favorite, choose from their wide variety of bubble teas, milk teas, fruit teas and more. What goes great with Matcha’s boba tea? Mochi doughnuts: a fusion pastry that’s a cross between American doughnuts and Japanese mochi — doughnuts made with rice or tapioca flour. matchaderry.com
Extraordinary Coffee
World-class coffee has come to New Hampshire. Jonathan Hutchins, the brainchild behind William & Sons Coffee, sources only the best farmer-grown beans to create the smoothest, most memorable cup this side of New England. Hutchins’ career as a coffee connoisseur began when he opened a humble boutique coffee shop in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and later opened a modest roasting lab in the small town of Loudon, proudly naming it after his father. Catch them in Manchester and Concord. wsonscoffee.com
Inspired Sweets
XO Custom Cookies
Put a little love into your gift-giving with decadent cookies from XO Custom Cookies. This May, the Derry-based cookie and pastry shop celebrated its fifth anniversary, and customers couldn’t be happier. Try their sugar cookies delicately laced with royal icing or their sinfully rich brownies, or choose a dozen of their cupcakes, which can be customized to your liking. Better yet, go straight to the source and try one of their chocolate chip cookie cakes — the crème de la crème of the cookie world. mycustombakes.com/xocustomcookiesandsweettreats
Mini Pies
Northeast Pie Company
A whole pie to yourself? Sign us up. Well, mini pies that is (but don’t tempt us to have more than one!). Northeast Pie Company in Durham offers scratch-made mini pies perfect for breakfast and lunch, as well as desserts and handcrafted coffee drinks. The seasonal food truck is open on the University of New Hampshire campus during the school year. Facebook
Artisanal Confections
A café based around chocolate? Count us in. Chocolatier Bob Bitterli brings sophistication and a French vibe to Bob’s Chocolate Café at The Barn in Francestown. As soon as it opened, the shop became a hit with locals. Bon-bons are the order of the day here, in flavors like pistachio, passion fruit, yuzu, peppermint and chile pepper. Bitterli hand-paints the confections himself using Belgian chocolate, then hands out samples to customers, putting his treats to the test. Pair your chocolate treat with a warming tea, coffee or espresso. bobschocolatecafe.com
Readers’ Poll Winners
Best Bakeries
Bakery – Concord Area
The Crust and Crumb Baking Co.
Concord
www.thecrustandcrumb.com
Bakery – Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region
Blue Loon Bakery
New London
www.blueloonbakery.com
Bakery – Great North Woods Region
Polish Princess Bakery
Lancaster
www.polishprincessbakery.com
Bakery – Lakes Region
Yum Yum Shop
Wolfeboro
www.yumyumshop.com
Bakery – Manchester Area
Bearded Baking Co.
Manchester
www.beardedbaking.com
Bakery – Monadnock Region
Eat More Cake
Keene www.eatmorecake.org
Bakery – Nashua Area
Buckleys Bakery & Café
Merrimack
www.buckleysbakerycafe.com
Bakery – Salem Area
Klemm’s Bakery
Windham
www.klemmsbakery.com
Bakery – Seacoast Region
Popovers
Epping and Portsmouth
www.popoversonthesquare.com
Bakery – White Mountains Region
Crumb Bum Bakery
Littleton
www.crumbbumbakery.com
Best Cakes
Frederick’s Pastries
Bedford and Amherst
www.pastry.net
Best Chocolatier
Van Otis Chocolates
Manchester
www.vanotis.com
Best Coffee Roaster
Flight Coffee Company
Bedford
www.flightcoffeeco.com
Best Coffee Shop
Coffee Shop – Concord Area
Revelstoke Coffee
Concord
www.revelstokecoffee.com
Coffee Shop – Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region
The Works Bakery Café
Hanover
www.workscafe.com
Coffee Shop – Great North Woods Region
The Granite Grind
Lancaster
www.facebook.com/thegranitegrind/
Coffee Shop – Lakes Region
Gusto Italian Café
Center Harbor
www.gustocafenh.com
Coffee Shop – Manchester Area
O’Shea’s Caife & Tae
Londonderry
www.osheasnh.com
Coffee Shop – Monadnock Region
Union Coffee Company
Milford
www.unioncoffee.co
Coffee Shop – Nashua Area
Riverwalk Bakery & Café
Nashua
www.riverwalknashua.com
Coffee Shop – Salem Area
Pressed Café
Salem
www.pressedcafe.com
Coffee Shop – Seacoast Region
Flamingos Coffee Bar
Hampton and Exeter
www.flamingoscoffeebar.com
Coffee Shop – White Mountains Region
Mad River Coffee House
Campton
www.madrivercoffeeroasters.com
Best Cupcakes (tie)
Jack & Fin’s
Littleton
www.jackandfins.com
Queen City Cupcakes & Gift Shop
Manchester
www.qccupcakes.com
Best Doughnuts
New Hampshire Doughnut Co.
Bedford and Concord
www.nhdoughnutco.com
Best Ice Cream
Ice Cream – Concord Area
Richardson’s Farm
Boscawen
www.richardsonsfarmnh.com
Ice Cream – Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region
Sanctuary Dairy Farm Ice Cream
Sunapee
www.sanctuarydairyfarmicecream.com
Ice Cream – Great North Woods Region
Moose Alley Cones
Pittsburg
www.partridgecabins.com
Ice Cream – Lakes Region
Kellerhaus
Laconia
www.kellerhaus.com
Ice Cream – Manchester Area
Puritan Backroom
Manchester
www.puritanbackroom.com
Ice Cream – Monadnock Region
Kimball Farm
Jaffrey
www.kimballfarm.com
Ice Cream – Nashua Area
Hayward’s Ice Cream
Nashua
www.haywardsicecream.com
Ice Cream – Salem Area
Moo’s Place Homemade Ice Cream
Salem
www.moosplace.com
Ice Cream – Seacoast Region
Lago’s Ice Cream
Rye
www.lagosicecream.com
Ice Cream – White Mountains Region
Super Secret Ice Cream
Bethlehem
www.supersecreticecream.com
