The Resy Guide to Incredible Desserts Around D.C.

A classic neighborhood Italian restaurant, the Red Hen stays fresh with its seasonally changing antipasti and pasta dishes. But one dish that never leaves the menu? Their beloved maple panna cotta. The creamy texture, the crunchy, sticky hazelnut crumble, the fluffy whipped cream — it’s all a dream, but the best element is the maple. Delicate, sweet, with hints of caramel and vanilla, there’s nothing quite as distinctive or as nostalgic. Pro tip: The Red Hen-suggested pairing for this dessert is a glass of caramaro, an oaky digestif that marries perfectly with the maple in the panna cotta.

Everything about Stable evokes a sense of coziness: the small “chalets” for dining; the pots of steaming fondue; the glowing glühwein. The Toblerone chocolate mousse is similarly designed to bring out a feeling of contentment. Although it is simple in presentation — a scoop of mousse, topped with a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with some nuts, and garnished with a few crescents of orange — it is a dessert to be savored. Each bite of the rich, nutty, honey-tasting mousse offers a close-your-eyes-and-sigh kind of moment. Take your time with this one.

Casual and fun, many of the best dishes at Mola happen to be fried: empanadas; patacones; yuca frita; and hojaldra dulce, their only dessert. Described as a “Panamanian beignet,” this sweet treat is exactly that. A big hunk of Panamanian fry bread is dusted with cinnamon sugar, offering an impeccable sweet and crunchy ending to your meal.

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You may come to Arrels for its gorgeous artwork and light fixtures and sumptuous Spanish tapas, but it’s the churros that will turn you into a regular. These golden batons of fried perfection are served with their ridged exterior glistening and still radiating from the fryer. The accompanying chocolate sauce is infused with smoky espelette pepper and has a luxurious, thick consistency; it’s as if chocolate ganache and Mexican hot cacao had a love child and passed on only the best of their respective attributes.

There’s a party vibe at Selva, and their tres leches follows suit with a decadent, celebratory feel. The classic three milks (condensed, whole, and evaporated) cake at Selva is dangerously moist, and comes surrounded by strawberries and crowned with a succulent piece of grilled pineapple. What sets this tres leches apart from others is the addition of horchata to the recipe. Made with roasted rice, cloves, and cinnamon, it adds a warm, toasty note to the cake.

With its Italian-Spanish-Lebanese influences, River Club serves one dessert that represents each of those countries. From Lebanon, it is a Mahalabia tart; from Italy, a classic affogato; and from Spain is the iconic Basque cheesecake. Known for its signature caramelized, charred top, the latter is creamier and fluffier than its American counterpart; less sweet and more luscious. The bittersweet, lightly crackling burnt crust is not only the defining feature, but also the best part of the cake; like the way the burnt edges of a lasagna are the best part of that dish. Beneath that lies impossibly silky cream cheese mousse that’s lighter than air yet intensely creamy. At River Club, the wobbly slice is embellished with ribbons of rich caramel — infused with Pedro Ximenez dessert wine.

This dessert is as pretty to look at as it is scrumptious to eat. Served in a small lug soup bowl, this sweet, creamy, hazelnut-infused Italian dessert is like a Nutella chocolate mousse, complete with a cloud of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

The apps and entrees at the Vietnam-inspired Doi Moi are excellent, but don’t sleep on this dessert. Their deconstructed mango and sticky rice dish brings together a small bowl of sticky rice, a hedgehogged mango, and a bowl of butterfly pea sauce. It’s a tropical delight, and you get to decide how much rice, mango, and sauce you want in each bite.

Due to its enduring popularity, the team at Pascual knows their buñuelos can never leave the menu. The uber-crunchy, cinnamon-dusted less-famous cousin of the churro consist of fried dough in the shape of a flower and has more of a crackle in the bite. Pascual’s serves theirs with finger-licking good cajeta and melted Mexican chocolate on the side. Give it a try next time you’re there; you won’t miss the churros.

Everything touches upon Demetri Mechelis’ Greek heritage at this Greek-ish pizzeria; there are Greek wines by the bottle and the glass, vegetable-forward snacks using ingredients like olives and feta and hummus, pizza made with halloumi, and for dessert, a chocolate cake made with Greece’s most beloved ingredient, olive oil. The dense, slightly fruity cake arrives with a chocolate ganache coating and a sprinkling of shiny flakes of sea salt.

There is no dessert on this list quite as addictive as these Italian donuts. Made with ricotta, infused with a hint of citrus, and dusted with sugar, they are light and wonderfully fluffy. Served with a duo of dipping sauces (dark chocolate and caramel), you’ll need an entire order just for yourself.

Everything at Ben’s Next Door is big and bold. So too, their bread pudding. Dense and chewy, this pudding has a lovely golden crust, layers and layers of bread, and a sweet and heady whiskey glaze. With this dessert, you go big and then you go home.

Since everything at L’Ardente is fabulous, from the fashionable vibe to the attentive service, it’s no wonder their tiramisu is deliciously dramatic. It arrives as an eye-catching gold-dusted sphere, filled with mascarpone, coffee-soaked lady finger cookies, and passion fruit granita. The filling is only known to you when the sphere is flambeed with rum and the chocolate starts melting and exposes the delicacies inside, all of which are made in house. The dessert has been on the menu since L’Ardente opened and predates current Pastry Chef Kaity Mitchell, but it has become a signature dish that fans refuse to allow to leave the menu.