Ellis HartGot a sweet tooth that refuses to quit? You’re in exactly the right place. Music City is packed with treats that will make your mouth water, ranging from gigantic, gooey cookies to elaborately towering milkshakes.
As someone who constantly craves sugar, I set out to find the best dessert shops in Nashville. Whether you’re wrangling kids for a family outing or simply a tourist exploring downtown, these spots will satisfy your cravings.
How Much Do Desserts Cost in Nashville?
Dessert shops in Nashville typically charge between $3 and $7 per person for single items, while gourmet or specialty baked goods will cost more depending on the design complexity.
| Dessert Type | Cost |
| Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt | $4.50 (single cup) to $6.50 (milkshake) |
| Bakeries/Cafes Pastries | $3.00 to $6.00 each |
| Specialty/Custom Cakes | Starts at $8.00 per serving |
| Gourmet Cookies | $3.00 per cookie or $12.00 per dozen |
1. The Baked Bear
Website: https://www.thebakedbear.com/nashville/
Address: 1809 Division St, Nashville, TN 37203
Contact: (615) 730-6991 | [email protected]
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM; Friday – Saturday: 12:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Customizing massive ice cream sandwiches with fresh-baked, original recipe cookies and super premium craft ice cream is exactly what The Baked Bear does best. You get to completely build your own masterpiece by mixing and matching different cookie tops with various flavors.
During a recent visit, I asked them to hot-press my cookie sandwich, and the contrast between the warm, gooey exterior and the freezing center was incredible. It’s a brilliant concept that works flawlessly.
They even offer gluten-free (GF) and vegan options, so nobody in your group feels left out.
The only catch is that eating these towering creations outdoors during the summer turns into a spectacularly messy race against the melting ice cream. Grab a massive stack of napkins before you start eating.
One of our favorite dessert spots.
A great place to sit for a treat after dinner. Decor is hip, clean and spacious and it smells like a cookie factory. Fresh baked cookies and brownies served with ice cream in a variety of ways. We got fast friendly service and the brownies were heavenly. Yes its just a sweet dessert but skillfully made so it doesnt just taste like a glob of sugar. One of our favorite dessert spots
- peter jazwinski | Google Review
The butter cake cookie is to die for!
Came here for dessert after Hattie B’s. I got the DIY ice cream sandwich to start. I got a gooey butter cake and a chocolate Nutella cookie with cookie butter ice cream. The cookies outshined the ice cream, but it was still good! The butter cake cookie is to die for! I ended up bringing two home 😂
- Zachary Frieben | Google Review
2. Mattheessen’s – Ice Cream, Cookies, Fudge
Website: http://mattskeywest.com/
Address: 123 2nd Ave N fl 1, Nashville, TN 37201
Contact: (305) 923-5418 | [email protected]
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM; Friday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 AM
Finding a place that serves gigantic, half-pound chocolate chip cookies alongside small-batch homemade ice cream crafted with old-world family recipes feels like striking gold. Mattheessen’s delivers massive, thick treats that are perfect for sharing after finishing dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.
Their rich, creamy fudge is made entirely in-house and available by the slice for easy snacking. You get an exceptionally creamy texture with their ice cream thanks to the high butterfat content.
This spot caters heavily to night owls and tourists, staying open until 1:00 AM on weekends for those sudden midnight sugar cravings.
Just be prepared to wait in line, as its prime downtown location draws massive, packed crowds during peak tourist seasons.
So many choices and options.
Matheesen’s is everything dessert related. And the best part for me is they’re open late for a snack or post dinner treat. The space is so cute.Very bright with wonderful decorations and design. I had ice cream and a cookie. Heavenly! So many choices and options. The service was alright. Not overly friend though the service was satisfactory. But the food and space made up for it. 5 x 🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦
- Wes Inaba | Google Review
High quality and unique. Worth a visit.
Another great over the top (in an excellent way) place for dessert. There’s excellent ice cream to usual ways (cones, cups, etc) but then also various other creative combinations with giant fresh baked cookies of various types combine with fudge, peanut butter sauce, and other delights. They also have freshly made key lime pie whole, busy the slice, or on a stick dipped in chocolate! Very clever and different. Anyway, high quality and unique. Worth a visit.
- Robert Gray | Google Review
3. Mike’s Ice Cream
Website: http://mikesicecream.com/
Address: 129 2nd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201
Contact: (615) 742-6453
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM; Friday – Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Stepping into this historic, nostalgic downtown staple gives you a classic, old-school ice cream fountain experience complete with handmade waffle cones and a full espresso bar. Mike’s Ice Cream fills the air with the aroma of freshly baked cones that provide an outstanding crunch with every bite.
Families flock here for the charming, retro parlor atmosphere that feels like a trip back in time. It’s an excellent destination to check out when you are exploring other local restaurants in the area.
You can order signature regional flavors like Tennessee Fudge while sipping a perfectly brewed coffee from their espresso bar.
That said, because the historic building is quite compact, seating is highly limited and lines frequently spill out onto the sidewalk.
The servings were generous and the flavors were excellent.
What a great place to visit for dessert. Ice cream is excellent and the gals working the counter area a trip. Green and purple hair was the norm. Great crowd. Located in the Honky-tonk district of Nashville. The servings were generous and the flavors were excellent. Will go there again when in Nashville.
- David Gubanc | Google Review
Great service and nice place.
This place legitimately blew my mind. I love a good ice cream. It was PI day (3/14) so I wanted some dessert and I was here for a party. This place has FANTASTIC I’ve cream. I had the praline and cream (nut and caramel) and my buddies got Tennessee fudge. We had a double scoop of them and we almost went back for second seconds! Great service and nice place.
- Peter Ildefonso | Google Review
4. Legendairy Milkshake Bar
Website: https://www.legendairymilkshakebar.com/
Address: 171 3rd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201
Contact: (615) 750-5843
Hours: Monday – Sunday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Serving extravagant, over-the-top, highly photogenic mason jar milkshakes piled high with whole slices of cake and toasted marshmallows is the main draw here. Legendairy Milkshake Bar turns dessert into a visual spectacle.
When I ordered a custom build, the monstrous, elaborately decorated shake arrived looking like a modern art piece, and I totally understood why these are so popular on social media. You even get to keep the branded glass mason jar as a fun souvenir.
They also cater to lactose intolerances by offering dedicated dairy-free and vegan ice cream bases.
Naturally, because these shakes are piled high with baked goods and include a keepsake jar, you will pay a significantly higher price than you would at a standard parlor.
Hands down the best dessert I’ve ever eaten.
Taylor went above and beyond to ensure my cousin and I were well taken care of — we both have food allergies and she thoroughly explained all of our menu options. She even made sure to be the one to make our milkshakes in a separate allergy area so we felt safe knowing there was no cross contamination. The milkshakes were DELISH. Hands down the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. Omg. I will never get over this!!!!!😍
- Sammi Tatarsky | Google Review
Overall good dessert location.
Outlandish shakes with lots of goodies. Extra sugar rush, messy. Fun atmosphere. Coffee and doughnut or Death by chocolate with a big brownie added. They do add frosting inside cup rim with coinciding flavors. Whipped topping and drizzle to finish off. Staff friendly. A little pricey for shakes, but overall good dessert location.
- Jessica M | Google Review
5. Café Intermezzo – Nashville
Website: https://www.cafeintermezzo.com/
Address: 205 Demonbreun Street, Nashville, TN 37201
Contact: 615.840.7933 | [email protected] or [email protected]
Hours: Monday – Thursday & Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Friday – Saturday: 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Experiencing an immersive 19th-century European coffeehouse vibe is easy here, especially with their massive pastry showcase featuring dozens of elaborate, rotating European tortes and cheesecakes. Café Intermezzo provides an unmatched dessert variety through an illuminated display case that holds upwards of 70 different rotating cakes at any given time.
You can also pair your treats with hundreds of global coffees and specialty cocktails from their extensive beverage book.
The dimly lit, sophisticated interior sets an upscale, romantic mood that works perfectly for date nights or celebrating special occasions.
Just keep in mind that they operate as a full-service sit-down cafe, so the service pace is intentionally relaxed and not ideal for grabbing a quick sweet to go.
They absolutely lived up to the hype.
I can’t say much about the full dining experience since I came here just for the desserts, but they were highly recommended, and they absolutely lived up to the hype. Each dessert was incredible, beautifully made, and packed with flavor. I’ve already been back twice, and I’d easily give this place a 10 out of 10 for its desserts alone.
- Quintin Perez | Google Review
Cute dessert restaurant located downtown.
So good we came back two days in a row lol cute dessert restaurant located downtown. Their desserts are displayed out front. They do have a good menu as well. The mussels were cooked well and tasted amazing. The cakes are decadent but well worth it. Their bathroom had some learn Italian tapes playing which was kinda fun and funny.
- maryroselol | Google Review
