The 6 best places to enjoy a big, bold dessert in Inverness

From fluffy pancakes and silky-smooth ice cream to exciting cheesecakes, there are a wealth of businesses in the Highland capital known for serving tasty desserts.

To make life that little bit easier for you (when you next need to curb your sweet tooth), I’ve listed them below.

Here are all the places I’d recommend visiting for a generous-sized dessert in Inverness.

Harry Gow

Harry Gow offers a wealth of baked goods that are hefty in size, to say the least. But if you’re after something sweet, then we have a few products in mind.

Look out for the dream rings, cream chocolate eclairs and fudge doughnuts, and be sure to stop by one of the various branches with an empty stomach.

Click here for the full list of Inverness locations.

Strawberry tarts from Harry Gow are just one of the many Inverness desserts — Harry Gow strawberry tarts. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

XOKO

At XOKO, you have the opportunity to watch sweet and savoury bakes being made right in front of your eyes in the kitchen, which is set on open plan with the café area.

I had the pleasure of trying a selection of products from the bakehouse at the tail end of 2022. What a fantastic experience it was.

My favourite product was the cinnamon roll, XOKO’s most popular menu item. It was soft, fluffy, sweet and large.

Address: 13 Bridge Street, Inverness, IV1 1HG

A cinnamon roll from XOKO, a great place to get a dessert in Inverness — A XOKO cinnamon roll. Image: Karla Sinclair/DC Thomson

Miele’s Gelateria

If ice cream is what you’re after, then put Miele’s Gelateria on your radar.

The venue serves Italian-style gelato in a vast variety of flavours, including Reese’s peanut butter, millionaire’s shortbread, whisky, sticky toffee pudding, and chocolate orange.

However, you can also bag yourself a waffle, doughnut, cake or Italian cannoli.

Address: 92 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1EP

Miele’s Gelateria offers unique flavours, too… Pictured is its Christmas dinner gelato in December 2021. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

Perk Coffee and Doughnuts

Perk Coffee and Doughnuts has considerably grown in popularity since its inception, which is no surprise given how incredible its doughnuts are.

Not only are they visually appealing, but they taste the part too.

Expect everything from Biscoff and Oreo-filled varieties to crème brulee, lemon and sugar, and classic sugar flavours.

Address: 36 Church Street, Inverness, IV1 1EH

The bright and modern interior of Perk Coffee — If a dessert in Inverness is what you’re after, then consider Perk Coffee and Doughnuts. Image: Jason Hedges/DC Thomson

Shakes ‘n’ Cakes

Open daily from noon to 11pm, there is a big window of opportunity to pop in past the Shakes ‘n’ Cakes Inverness branch.

The outlet serves a wide selection of sundaes, milkshakes, hot cookie dough, waffles, ice cream and other sweet treats – the perfect pitstop for satisfying your sugar cravings.

Address: Unit 1 Culduthel Mains Avenue, Culduthel, Inverness, IV2 6JG

A chocolate and strawberry crepe next to a chocolate flake crepe from Shakes 'n' Cakes — There are plenty of crepe options on the menu at Shakes ‘n’ Cakes, one of the best places to stop by if you fancy a dessert in Inverness. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson

The Cake Shop

The Cake Shop has a combined following of more than 2.8k followers on Instagram and Facebook – and for good reason.

Owner Poppy Baker-Spink always keeps the pages up-to-date with pictures of new, mouth-watering bakes.

For those keen to get their hands on one of their big, bold desserts, there is plenty to choose from. Cookie sandwiches, tarts and cinnamon buns are among them.

Address: 3 Tomnahurich Street, Inverness IV3 5DA