Mi gente, I need to be 1000% real with you for a minute… one of the main reasons que yo viajo, is for food. Who’s with me? In my honest opinion, comida es una razon EXCELLENTE to journey to new places… or to go BACK to certain places! Food, delicious sweets en particular, can be life-changing when you experience them in a wonderful place.
They can be worth returning for, amiright?
I’ve traveled through a lot of the US and western Europe and unfailingly, lo que yo extraño the most when I’m back home (aside from the views) son los “yummies” that I enjoyed while I was there. Memories de esas delicias are the thing that usually gets me looking at return flights. Hahah, I aint even gunna lie.
So, tuve una idea – why don’t I share with you guys my favorite sweet treats that I’ve eaten en mis aventuras? You know, the ones que fueron so scrumptious, that I’d absolutely go back just to taste them otra vez! YAS!
I’m salivating just thinking of them, tbh.
Come with me on a sweet journey, y si quieres, bring a note pad. You’ll probably wanna jot these life-changing travel sweets down for future travel reference, amores! 🙂
Vamonos!
“Dessert is like a feel-good song and the best ones make you dance.”
-Chef Edward Lee
1. Beignets at Café Du Monde, NOLA
Primero con lo primero – Beignets, baby!
You really CAN’T go to New Orleans and NOT try one of these. Yo creo que that’s undoubtedly in “sinful” territory, for sure.
Beignets are as NOLA as you can possibly get. Deveras!
In case you don’t already know, beignets basicamente son deep fried dough squares coated in powder sugar. Seems simple enough, right? WRONG.
They are next level sorcery… magic, if you will… mystical pockets of joy.
Furthermore, they make a multiple pleasurable sensations happen in your mouth at once. That’s why I love them. Primero, you experience the crunch. Then the burst of sweetness que viene del powdered sugar. Then the chewy, pillowy dough takes center stage for a minute. BUT when all those things se combinan… WATCH OUT! Yum!
Now, I won’t sit here and debate about who makes the best beignets in the French Quarter, lo unico que se, is that I went straight to the name I knew from stories upon stories: Cafe Du Monde. Y que te digo? As I expected, the experience was everything I’d hoped. Partly because the beignets son deliciosos, yes, but also because of the music nearby, the views all around, and the warm Cafe Au Lait you can sip whilst you nibble. Superb!
Put this one on your list, fam!
- Have you eaten a beignet? Are you a fan?
2. Maple Bacon Donut, Voodoo Donut, Austin, Texas
Mira, I have to say, straight off that bat, que yo no soy that kind of eater who loves to mix crazy flavors. If I’m REALLY honest, I am not even that big a fan of bacon (I know, I know), PERO este Maple Bacon doughnut is truly legit!
Para empezar, it’s Voodoo Doughnut. I mean, come on, ese lugar is totally Iconic!
You’ve probably seen the shop on TV, blogs, or Insta for SURE and for good reason. Son los mejores!
Voodoo Doughnut in Austin does doughnuts right. Periodt.
El sabor es perfecto, but the doughnut texture is also spot on (not too greasy, or dried out, or dense). A good doughnut is light, soft, and totally addicting. Cuando lo hacen correcto, every bite makes you contemplate going back in to buy another one. That’s the sign for sure! HA. If you aren’t debating getting another doughnut while you are still chewing on your first one, they aren’t doing it right. Es la mera verdad.
Now, this maple bacon beauty – es decadente, es preciosa, y she’s a tasty juxtaposition of flavors. The sweet and salty queen of doughnuts. Ella merece atención; she deserves all the attention. I’d go back to Austin, just to indulge once more!
Maple and bacon just WORK together, folks.
- What say you? You down for the maple-bacon glory?
3. Coconut Cream Pie Yogurt, Ellenos, Seattle
This one shocked me, de verdad. Guys, A mi no me gusta Greek yogurt, not typically. Truthfully, I tend to find it bland and sour. Ellenos changed that for me… for reals.
If you have ever traveled to Pike Place Market in Seattle, tu sabes que es food chaos. There are so many options, the choices feel overwhelming – almost rendering you incapable of making a decision of where to eat. Gracias a Dios, tuve una amiga, Sarah, who worked in events there and had an in. She knew what we just what I couldn’t miss on our Pacific Northwest tour and took us all to Ellenos.
I laughed. “Greek Yogurt?” I scoffed! Boy was I wrong.
La cosa es que, this is not your ordinary Greek yogurt… its the authentic, hand-crafted good stuff. Ellenos yogurt esta hecho en familia with a secret recipe that surpasses all the rest. It’s thick, creamy, flavorful, sweet, AND it has delicious add-ons. Tu sabes de que me recuerda? ICE CREAM!
It’s essentially a healthier, yummier ice cream alternative. HERE FOR IT!
I got the coconut cream pie flavor y no me da pena to tell you that I actually moaned when put it in my mouth for the first time. No regrets, hahah!
If I ever make it back to Pike Place Market, Ellenos is the first place I’m running to.
- Are you a Greek yogurt lover? Do you like it more than ice cream?
“That’s what dessert means to me: a dollop of sweet love in an otherwise cold world.”
Sarah Strohmeyer
4. Pastel De Nata, Santa Nata, London
Hold up, Joana is about to get HELLA HYPE!
Este es mi dulce favorito! MY favorite, I tell you. Of ALL TIME!
Pasteis De Nata!
I’ve said before, pero estoy muy obsesionada con pie. In fact, pie is my go-to desert for all occasions, so it should come as no surprise for me to tell you that this treat right here was/is/will forever be the best sweet thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. It’s essentially an open-face, hand-held pie pastry done in an exemplary fashion. It’s pie on rocks!
Pasteis de Nata is a Portguese delicacy made by accident in a monastery in Lisbon ages ago, pero yo lo comí por primera ves in London, England. I had actually researched “best desserts in London” and Santa Nata (in Covent Garden Market) kept showing up on all of the “best of” lists. Yo sabía que I had to taste it for myself (being a pie stan and all). Upon first glance of the store front, I knew que iba a ser fantástico; you can watch it being made my a master chef from the WINDOW, guys!
Omg, it was love at first bite.
La cosa es que the pastry is small, smaller than your hand. It’s like a soft, flaky pastry bowl filled with solidified sweet egg custard. No frills necessary… the simple flavors do all of the heavy lifting. El sabor de vanilla, y butter, y canela (cinnamon) tickle all of the taste buds in your mouth. The result, for me, is a bonafide foodgasm.
Admittedly, I would gladly, GLADLY take the flight all the way back to Britain solamente para ese pastel. I’m dead ass.
Jot this one down!
- Have you ever taste Pasteis de Nata? Do you want to now?:)
5. Fresh Coconut Water, Labadee, Haiti
OK, ya lo se. This next one is not exactly a “dessert” per say. Lo se. Pero escuchame… it’s still a sweet treat!
Fresh Agua de coco is the SHIT! Full stop!
If you have tried it, you know. If you haven’t… you should.
Whereas los otros dulces are man-made works of sweet art, this is nature’s delightful bounty. Clearly, it’s as natural as you can get. I have tried coconut water de el supermercado (from a can) but I can assure you – that aint it, friends. There’s just something about seeing the fresh coco being cut from the tree, put on ice, and then cut right in front of you. No sé, como que eso, well, it enhances the whole experience…and the taste.
Ice-cold, sweet, liquid out of a straw on a beach. That’s the stuff of paradise-themed dreams.
To be perfectly candid, this is the kind of experience you can really only get on an island, preferably a Caribbean one. Para mi, the place fue Labadee, Haiti. I sat by the ocean shore and drank my agua de coco and felt all the euphoria that came from knowing that all was right in the world for that one moment.
Yes… fresh coconut water is THAT good. And NO, I’m not exaggerating.
Go! Vete a una isla en el Caribe, and see for yourself. Matter fact, take me with you. I want one too!
- Have you ever had fresh coco? What were your thoughts?
“You can’t make everyone happy. You are not ice cream.”
-Anonymous
6. Pineapple Dole Whip, Walt Disney World
I think I’ve mentioned this before, pero, nosotros somos a bonafide “Disney Family”. Passholders and repeat visitors so trust me when I say, we KNOW what’s good at Disney and what’s not. There are items on the Disney menu that even Die-hard Disney fans debate about (best restaurant, best cocktail, best quick service meal etc.) pero hay una cosa que nobody debates y eso es: Dole Whip.
Dole whip as a sweet treat has a legit cult following, friends. Yep, it’s that good! Riquisimo!
Why? What is it? Ok, Déjame explicar.
Well, Dole Whip is essentially pineapple soft-serve made with ingredientes como pineapple juice, frozen pineapple chunks, non-dairy vanilla ice cream, lemon juice, and sugar. Pretty simple, actually. Es creación de the Dole Food Company; they invented it in 1984 and sponsored an attraction in Disney where they eventually began selling it.
Unsurprisingly, fue un éxito tremendo! Such a hit, in fact, that Disney has made it a featured snack at all of it’s parks and tourists scour the parks, willingly waiting in crazy-long lines solamente para probarlo. People have even taken to trying to create copycat recipes for it, guys. It’s THAT big of a deal.
I’m not saying que we go back to Disney time after time, just for Dole Whip. But, I’m not *NOT* saying that, either.:)
- Have you ever had Dole Whip? What say you?
7. Cinnamon Roll, Little Goat Diner, Chicago
Mi marido can tell you, I’m not big into sweets for breakfast; en realidad, I tend to skew more towards savory foods. I almost ALWAYS forgo los dulces para algo ensallado, but when I traveled to Chi-Town, I knew I was gunna have to change up mi estrategia for breakfast.
Because I heard so many reviews about these cinnamon rolls at The Little Goat Diner saying that were to DIE FOR, I decided to make that my first food stop.
Escuchame bien, friends, the reviews were not wrong.
Muchas veces, no me gustan los cinnamon rolls for 2 reasons: they are dry and they are dry. That’s it. That right there can make or break the whole cinnamon roll experience para mi. Yo necesito qué my rolls are soft and chewy, that the cinnamon flavor is infused in each and every bite, and that the cream frosting is smooth, creamy and not crusty.
Yo no creo qué that’s too much to ask, amiright?
The Little Goat Diner showed me how they should be done, fam. They literally ruined me para todos los cinnamon rolls en el mundo. Periodt. We actually got the roll you see pictured to share, y adivinen que? I ended up stealing all of it for myself! 🙂
It was the type of cosmic experience that makes time stands still. Where every bite takes you somewhere else…
I’d go back to Chicago in a minute (I love that city), and I already know tha the first place I’d get a reservation for is without question, The Little Goat Diner. YUM!
- Are you into cinnamon rolls? What’s your criteria for cinnamon roll goodness?
“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen — a happily-ever-after to supper.”
– Terri Guillemets
9. Lavender Latte, Chambar, Vancouver
Is coffee a sweet treat? Does it qualify?
Yo pienso que si! For me, un cafésito after a meal takes the edge off of my sweet cravings. Also, without question, it tends to have sugar in it or tiene algo de dulce en el sabor. No to mention, que cafe has the power to put an exclamation point at the end of a dining experience… OR… be the sole reason for visiting an establishment. AND we have gotta admit that coffee is most definitely rewarding.
So, claro que si, a great cup of coffee can absolutely be considered a life-changing travel sweet treat!
This cup you see right here, fue algo sensacional, algo muy differente. Not your average cup of joe at all.
I enjoyed this beautifully-decorated Lavender Latte at a trendy place called Chambar in Vancouver. When I went it, I thought I would be enamored with the charming decor, the bite-sized waffles, or the savory meal that I ordered- nope- fue el café que me tomo por sopresa.
It’s quite the masterpiece, amores. Espresso made with the ideal strength/flavor, luxuriously creamy milk, temperature just right for immediate sipping AND a pump or two of delicious, house-made lavender syrup.
I sipped so slowly. No quieria que se acabara; I dreaded finishing it.
That’s the level of NOM were talking about. That’s why I still dream about returning to Chambar. AND That’s why Vancouver is on my “must return” list. All because of Lavender latte. 🙂
- What’s your favorite kind of cafe? And where is your favorite coffee spot?
Gracias, my loves! Gracias por venir conmigo on a tour of all my very favorite travel sweets. As you can probably imagine, this list is only scratching the surface of yummy travel foods I’d return for, so we will definitely do more of these types of lists in the future.
No te preocupes. I’ll send you to all of my life-changing spots before we’re through! No stone will be left unturned!
I love sharing my love of comida con ustedes, it’s incredibly fun. To be honest, it’s also incredibly inspiring. It reminds me of all of the amazing places I’ve been able to experience and all of the delicious food I’ve been able to enjoy. Todo TODO de eso- that’s a gift; one that I do not take for granted for a single second.
I think you know this, but it’s a gift I want to share. That’s why I write this blog. Para que podemos viajar juntos!
Sending you the biggest abrazos, my friends! I’ll be back soon with a post about MIAMI!
Stay tuned!
Con mucho cariño,
Joana
