Disclaimer inbound! I am not a huge fan of sweets. Desserts I like are sometimes not even considered as “sweet” by certain cultures, like milk porridge. I just love my milky and not too sugary treats. With that being said, we all crave something sweet every now and then and thus during the eight months I got to spend in Nizhny, I had to find a few places to go in case of such emergencies. You can read below a short list of spots where you can enjoy some desserts, often with some hot drinks on the side. Though I will never understand how most of these places can just get by selling literal pockets of tea with a glass full of boiled water as “tea” on their menu, they do get the thumbs up for their desserts. Read on!
Cinnabon – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUOMWc2hD
Cinnabon is a special place. If you know it, you know it, and chances are, you do know what it is. If you do not, well, it is basically a joint that specializes on cinnamon rolls. These are not your “grandma’s” cinnamon rolls though. They are smothered with a ton of icing that will certainly make you reconsider some decisions you made until that point, like buying such a sweet thing to eat just recently… Yeah it is sweet, like too sweet. Despite liking the overall taste of their pecan bun (mostly due to my love for pecans) I could not eat it more than three times in the last six months. It is just too sweet for me to be eaten regularly, and its rather high price does not help the situation. A bun and a tea often cost you somewhere around 400 roubles, which is more than enough to have a decent meal outside. With that being said, I suppose you should consider trying it at least once and see if it is for your or not.
Croissant Dore – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUOMWslgC
This one is a literal hidden gem, and hits that sweet spot of good performance for a decent price. Are these the best croissants that I ever had in my life? No. Were they superb? No. Were they good? Well, yeah! I would not say that they have a good “performance” otherwise. To be fair, we were there quite late, so that may have affected the quality a bit. If they were fresher perhaps, I could call them superb. Furthermore, this place does have a ton of desserts, and not just croissants. They even have some saltier options, which is great if you want to have a more balanced “meal” there. I for one went for two desserts because it was a rough day and I needed the pick me up, but to be honest I must have opted for a salty and sweet combo instead.
Coffee Cake – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUOMWDEpC
Coffee Cake is one of the more “affordable but hip” places in town. It is not cheap, in fact, for people like me who are not really into sweets and/or drinking coffee/tea outside, it is expensive. Expect to pay at least 500 roubles for a small dessert and some hot drink to go with it. However, compared to some other recommended cafes in town, it is not ungodly expensive. It basically faces Kremlin too so you know that you will not have to leave the center to visit it, making it convenient for tourists. Their cheesecake was good but not mind-blowing, though I must say that their teas are on point. They are quite exotic, and you can ask the waiters for a refill once you use up all the water in the jug.
P. S. Konditerskaya Studio – https://yandex.com/maps/-/CCUOMWgjcC
This small hole in the wall is by far my favourite café in town for some quick but delicious desserts. Being so close to my campus in Gorky Square and having some of the finest desserts in town for very reasonable prices are certainly an advantage, though what really stole my heart was the humility of the shop and its owners. P. S. are the initials of the couple that founded the place, and you can certainly taste their love in their own products. It is crucial to note that the sweetness of desserts is much more to my liking in this establishment, meaning that they are less sweet than most other items on this article. This is a huge plus in my book, as then you can just enjoy having a sweet snack without feeling like you need to sleep when you go back home. You must go to this place and try their Napoleon, pictured on the left in the photo below!
