Nashville runs on more than music and hot chicken. Somewhere between the honky tonks, this city has built a dessert scene that’s worth exploring beyond Broadway. A pastry chef with James Beard recognition, a cookie bakery that names every flavor after a musician, and a walk-up soft serve stand that’s been open since 1951. None of it gets talked about as much as it should. This list moves through Nashville neighborhood by neighborhood, starting downtown and working outward, so you can treat it less like a list and more like a route. Save it for your next trip, or use it as an excuse to plan one!
D’Andrews Bakery and Cafe
D’Andrews Bakery and Cafe brings serious pastry credentials to downtown Nashville. Founder David Andrews, a native Nashvillian and former New York City executive pastry chef, blends classic French technique with Southern sensibility across a menu of flaky croissants, hand-painted macarons, including a signature French Bulldog design, and made-in-house sandwiches, soups, and salads. The bakery has earned real recognition too, having been named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery.
Tipsy Scoop
For the twenty-one-and-up crowd, Tipsy Scoop brings a boozy twist to ice cream night from its spot in SoBro. This liquor-infused barlour serves up frozen treats with up to five percent ABV alongside dessert cocktails and sundaes, just a short walk or five-minute drive from Lower Broadway. Flavors lean creative and local, like a Dark Chocolate Whiskey Salted Caramel or a Mango Margarita Sorbet, plus options infused with Jackson Morgan’s Salted Caramel whiskey cream. Traveling with kids? Tipsy Scoop still has you covered with non alcoholic Cool Kids Sundaes, though you’ll need a valid ID to order anything boozy.
Goo Goo Chocolate Co.
No Nashville dessert list is complete without a stop at the birthplace of America’s first combination candy bar. The Goo Goo Cluster, a mix of caramel, marshmallow nougat, roasted peanuts, and milk chocolate, was invented in 1912 at the Standard Candy Company, and the brand’s flagship shop on 3rd Avenue South in SoBro turns that history into an experience. Inside, guests can build their own custom candy bar at a design station, watch chocolate get poured and shaped at the full-service chocolate bar, or take a hands-on class to learn the story behind the cluster. Adults can even book a chocolate and whiskey or wine pairing. It’s a fun, family-friendly stop just steps from Lower Broadway, whatever you decide to build.
Legendairy Milkshake Bar
Just off Broadway on 3rd Avenue North, Legendairy Milkshake Bar has built a reputation on milkshakes that are as much a spectacle as they are a dessert. Served in oversized mason jars and piled high with toppings like whole slices of cheesecake, cookies, and brownies, these shakes have been featured on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Favorites include the Death by Chocolate and a New York Cheesecake shake topped with an actual slice of cheesecake, and there’s a build-your-own option for anyone who wants to design their own creation. Vegan options are available, and the shop is a popular stop for families and anyone looking for a photo-worthy treat.
The Baked Bear
The Baked Bear sits in Midtown, and if you’ve never had a warm pressed ice cream sandwich, this is the place to fix that. The concept is simple and endlessly customizable. You pick your top and bottom, choosing from cookies, brownies, or even donuts, then choose from a rotating lineup of craft ice cream flavors and load up on toppings like hot fudge, sprinkles, or cereal. The signature move is the warm press, a specialty heated press that warms the outside of the cookie or brownie just enough to get gooey without melting your ice cream into soup. Regulars tend to steer newcomers toward the Bear Batter, a cake batter ice cream with brownie pieces and sprinkles, or a Cookie Monster ice cream sandwich stacked between a half cookie, half brownie combo. Plan on getting a little messy. That’s part of the fun.
HiFi Cookies
Music and cookies collide at HiFi Cookie, an artisanal, music-themed bakery founded by husband and wife team Sean and Kristin Newsome. Every cookie on the menu is named after a legendary musician, and the flavor combinations are just as bold as the branding. The Marvin is a nod to Marvin Gaye, loaded with pretzels, potato chips, butterscotch, and toffee. Even the packaging is on theme, with boxes designed to look like retro cassette tapes, and customers are invited to build their own mixtape of cookie flavors. It’s a fun stop for music lovers and cookie lovers alike, which in Nashville is basically everyone.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Jeni’s has grown into a national name, but its Nashville roots run deep. The East Nashville shop was the brand’s first location outside its home state of Ohio, and the city now has several scoop shops spread across neighborhoods like 12 South, Hillsboro Village, and downtown. What keeps people coming back is the flavor lineup, which mixes buttercream base classics like Brown Butter Almond Brittle with rotating, sometimes unexpected creations like Brambleberry Crisp and Gooey Butter Cake. There are usually dairy-free and vegan options in the mix too, and seasonal releases tend to draw a line out the door. With this many locations around the city, there’s almost always a Jeni’s within reach wherever your day takes you.
Wanna Spoon Cereal Bar
Founded by musician Kira Lynn, Wanna Spoon Cereal Bar in 12 South is less a quick dessert stop and more a full hangout, the kind of spot that’s built for lingering. Inside, you’ll find over twenty cereals, cereal-infused lattes, milkshakes, and soft-serve swirls, including standouts like the Fruity Pebbles Cereal Milk Latte and the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Milkshake. Out back, the patio has firepits, giant Connect Four, picnic tables, and a life-sized cow you can pretend to milk for a very Instagrammable photo op. It’s a great pick if you’re looking for a dessert stop that doubles as an activity.
Five Daughters Bakery
Named after founders Isaac and Stephanie Meek’s five daughters, Five Daughters Bakery in 12 South built its reputation on the 100 Layer Donut, a croissant donut hybrid that takes three days to make and results in a pastry that’s flaky, airy, and completely worth the wait. Popular flavors include Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Lemon Icebox, with pricing generally running about $5.50 to $6.55 per donut, and specialty items like cinnamon rolls run up to $8. The bakery also stands out for its inclusive menu, with an extensive selection of vegan, yeast-raised donuts and paleo and gluten-free options, so nobody in your group has to sit this one out.
SusieCakes
Tucked next to the Mall at Green Hills, SusieCakes is a female-owned bakery built around nostalgic, one hundred percent from-scratch desserts made without preservatives. Founder Susan Sarich named the shop after her own childhood nickname and modeled the menu after her grandmother’s recipes, and it shows in the classic, comforting lineup of layer cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and pies. The Nashville location was the brand’s first in Tennessee and spans a spacious 3,000 square feet with an open kitchen where you can watch the bakers at work. Fan favorites include the Vanilla Celebration Cake, Southern Red Velvet, Classic Carrot Cake, and Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake.
Baked on 8th
Baked on 8th is a women-owned bakery that functions as a one-stop celebration shop, rotating out Southern-style cakes, cupcakes, and frosted sugar cookies alongside its sister party store, Electric Mixer. The Strawberry Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter cake, and Millionaire Shortbread all have a loyal following, and the bakery also turns out cookies, brownies, and Hello Dollies for anyone who wants a little of everything. Ordering ahead is easy thanks to online ordering and curbside pickup, which makes this a convenient stop if you’re short on time.
GelatoPazzo
Nashville’s Italian gelato scene just leveled up with GelatoPazzo, a new authentic gelato concept from Rony Stark, the owner of local Italian favorite PennePazze. The shop sources many of its ingredients directly from Italy and blends traditional flavors with chef-driven fusion creations, and early buzz has centered on the tiramisu gelato, with affogatos reportedly on the way. Since this is one of the newest additions to the Nashville dessert scene, it’s already shaping up to be one of the city’s most exciting sweet openings.
Bobbie’s Dairy Dip
For a taste of old-school Nashville, head to Bobbie’s Dairy Dip in West Nashville’s Sylvan Park neighborhood. This walk-up soft serve and burger stand has been serving the community since 1951. The shop was originally Harper’s Dairy Dip before owners Lee and Bobbie McWright renamed it in 1986, and it’s remained a community gathering spot ever since. The must-order here is the dancing dip, a soft serve cone dipped in a hardened chocolate or cherry shell and covered in sprinkles, alongside classic griddle burgers and crinkle-cut fries. Bring some patience during warmer months. The retro pink and green shack draws a crowd.
Hattie Jane’s Creamery
Hattie Jane’s Creamery is a female-founded, Tennessee-born scoop shop making scratch-made custard ice cream with local milk, plus a solid lineup of vegan and dairy-free options for anyone in your group with dietary restrictions. The flavor menu blends Southern nostalgia with genuine culinary creativity, from Nana Puddin’ and Brown Butter Pecan to a Goo Goo and Jack flavor that pays tribute to Nashville’s own candy bar. With three locations around the city, it’s easy to work a stop into pretty much any day of sightseeing.
With a dessert scene spread across Midtown, East Nashville, 12 South, and beyond, the best way to check off this list is to stay somewhere central and give yourself time to explore. GoodNight Stay puts you close to Nashville’s sweetest stops while giving you plenty of space to bring the whole crew, store your dessert haul in a full kitchen, and settle into the neighborhood. Planning a fall getaway? Book by September 27 and save 15% on select Tennessee homes with code TNFALL15, valid for stays September 1–30, 2026.
