Where To Buy Ice Cream, Cakes, & Cookies In Madison
Over the next few minutes we will be filling you in on the best places to buy ice cream, cakes, and cookies in Madison. There are plenty of great shops selling sweets around town and this guide will try to focus on the best of the best.
We will get the ball rolling with the best ice cream shops near you. Frozen yogurt, gelato, malts, and ice cream cakes are found with ease here.
Once the frozen delights are out of the way it will be time to pivot to local bakeries where you can buy cakes, cookies, pastries, and all kinds of sweet treats. Then we will get into some specific things like donut shops, where to buy cupcakes, candy stores, and chocolate and fudge shops in your area.
Healthy dessert options in Madison like gluten free bakeries and smoothie shops are easy to find as well. And our final topic will be all about restaurants that are known for must have desserts in town.
Stick around for our local dessert map that has all these spots that we are mentioning throughout the post pinned on it. Our other posts on where to eat tasty desserts around the region can be looked through there if you are interested.
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
When you are craving the best ice cream in Madison or want some healthier frozen yogurt try:
Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co. is an old-fashioned, family-owned business that has been serving over 100 flavors of ice cream in your area since 1962. There are gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and peanut-free options available.
Daily Scoop, located in Memorial Union, is a laid-back quick-serve counter that serves ice cream, special sundaes, malts, shakes, smoothies, and cones. Culver’s is a fast-food restaurant chain known for its frozen custard and signature burgers made with Midwest beef and dairy.
Kilwins is a traditional confectionery chain that sells chocolates, ice cream, handmade sweets, and gift baskets.
Bakeries In Your Area
Expect to find great cakes, cookies, pastries, and more at the best bakeries near you:
La Brioche True Food is a Bistro and bakery that serves seasonal global dishes and pastries in a comfortable, European-style setting. Morning buns, bear claws, croissants, chocolate chip cookies, maple-nut scones, multi grain bread, chocolate intensity cake, tres leches cake, carrot cake, and more are available.
Madison Sourdough is a Vibrant neighborhood bakery that serves gourmet breakfast and lunch fare as well as French pastries and a coffee bar. Batch Bakehouse is a locally run bakery that specializes in croissants, hand-shaped bread loaves, French baguettes, and a wide range of pastries including traditional layer cakes. Their beverage menu is limited to coffee, tea, and cold beverages.
Bloom Bake Shop is a bright bakery with homey touches that serves homemade cupcakes, cakes, donuts, and biscuit sandwiches. There are vegan and gluten-free options available.
Local Donut Shops
These donut shops are a great way to start your morning:
Lane’s Bakery has been serving great donuts near you for many years as well as offering seasonal baked goods, custom cakes, and coffee. Lane’s Bakery provides nearly two dozen donut varieties made fresh daily ranging from delicious cake donuts to cream-filled long johns to incredible cinnamon rolls.
Greenbush Bakery has been a family-owned kosher bakery since 1996 that offers late hours and a wide variety of creative donut flavors and fillings. They make over 40 different types of donuts seven days a week.
Bloom Bake Shop is also known for its great donuts.
Where To Buy Cupcakes
There are some really good cupcake shops in your area:
Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery offers a variety of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options in addition to their more traditional burgers, meatloaf, and steak hash. Every day they bake ten flavors of cupcakes with flavors rotating with the seasons and always including two or three gluten-free options. They cater dessert for hundreds of events in your area like weddings, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and other special occasions.
Gigi’s Cupcakes is a bakery chain that serves a rotating selection of gourmet cupcakes as well as frosting-filled cookies. Macaroons, cheesecakes, and sweet chocolate treats are also available.
Sweet Tea Cakes is a home bakery that specializes in stunning and one-of-a-kind cakes, cupcakes, and cake pops.
Candy Stores Near You
It’sugar at 542 State Street is a candy store that specializes in unique sweets and giant candy. They sell a wide variety of candies including chocolates, lollipops, mints, and gummy bears, as well as candy-inspired fashion apparel, accessories, and novelty gift items.
Chocolate & Fudge Shops
Great homemade chocolate and fudge can be found at these shops:
CocoVaa Chocolatier creates micro-batch artisanal fine chocolates using local ingredients, the best chocolate from around the world, and flavor profiles that are one-of-a-kind. They sell handcrafted fine chocolates, caramels, truffles, bon bons, mousse, and other chocolate-related items.
Madison Chocolate Company makes its own confections, caramels, sweets, and treats. They also have a gluten-free bakery, quiche, and a specialty coffee shop. Over 50 craft chocolate bars from around the world are featured in their chocolate library.
Kilwins Madison also has a great selection of chocolate and fudge products.
Gluten Free Bakeries
For a healthier alternative try one of these gluten free bakeries in your area:
Paleo Mama Bakery is a gluten-free and grain-free bakery that serves a wide range of freshly baked and frozen Keto and Paleo desserts and snacks. Gluten-free, grain-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free baked goods are available.
Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse is a funky coffee shop that serves organic coffee, vegan soups, and baked goods that also has live music on weekends. Black Squirrel Bake Shop is a vegan bakery near you that sells great cakes and cupcakes.
Madison Chocolate Company also has a gluten free bakery.
SuperCharge! Foods specializes in juices and smoothies, juice cleanses, vegetarian and vegan foods, and nutrient-dense superfood microgreens grown on-site. Try their famous super-sweet WheatGrass shots, which are high in nutrients, as well as ginger shots, immunity booster shots, and a variety of other locally produced integral health products, drinks, and foods.
Blended is a health-conscious counter that serves fresh fruit and vegetable juices, ice- and dairy-free smoothies, and acai bowls.
Local Restaurants With Great Desserts
Many from the area would agree these restaurants have great desserts:
Bassett Street Brunch Club is a vintage-inspired diner that serves elevated comfort foods such as brunch and homemade donuts. Along with donuts they offer a variety of desserts plus pancakes and waffles.
Café Hollander Hilldale is a grand European-inspired café that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and an incredible selection of craft and Belgian beers. Their big fudge brownie a fresh baked chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and strawberries making it one of the best desserts in your area
Monty’s Blue Plate Diner is a 1950’s-style diner in a renovated gas station that serves comfort food as well as vegetarian and vegan options. They offer a wide variety of desserts including pies, cakes, brownies, sundaes, shakes, and vegan treats.
We wish we had more to share but for now that is all we’ve got. After reading about all these local shops to buy ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies, cakes, pastries, other bakery items, cupcakes, donuts, chocolate, fudge, candy, gluten free baked goods, smoothies, and even restaurants with can’t miss desserts in your area finding your next sweet indulgence shouldn’t be too hard.
Please use the comments to let us know if any shops have closed down, or if we posted anything that is incorrect. Now have fun eating your ice cream, cookies, and cakes in Madison.
