Few places in Chicago have consistently executed at the high level that Blackbird has since opening nearly two decades ago. The Michelin-starred restaurant continues to innovate and pastry chef Nicole Guini's current dessert offerings include chocolate a sourdough pot de crème and a chocolate-passionfruit ice cream bar.

Bomboloni, gelato, and Italian ice, oh my. Satiate the sweet tooth while on the go at this walk-up dessert stand next to Bar Siena. It’s convenient, too, since patrons can take a nice stroll as they eat to burn off the calories.

When in Little Italy, carbo-load on pastas and pizzas before finishing with an irresistible selection of desserts. This Taylor Street standout makes a killer brown butter blondie, topping the whole thing with caramel sauce, almonds, and maple gelato. Other highlights include a cannoli cheesecake and doughnut affogato.

Anna and David Posey have been rocking Restaurant Row since their highly-anticipated project arrived at the end of 2016. The couple is turning heads with a hygge-fueled experience that blends fine dining cuisine with an approachable atmosphere. Anna, who was previously the pastry chef at The Publican, keeps her dessert menu short but oh-so-sweet. The constantly-changing creations have included a frozen raspberry meringue with vanilla and brown Norwegian cheese.

The West Loop Italian restaurant does a splendid job of recreating red sauce favorites from grandma’s kitchen. It’s probably safe to say, though, that nonna never made a chocolate cake this rich and decadent. The multi-layered beauty is a cocoa lover’s dream: Chocolate pudding and hazelnut praline interweave to form the base of the dessert and it’s topped with a chocolate ganache coating. It’s a can’t-miss but don’t sleep on the other Italian twists, including salted caramel panna cotta and tiramisu cheesecake.

法國菜是一種永恒的快樂和stalwart bistro has been faithfully cooking the classics for almost two decades. Its soufflés are the crème de la crème—fluffy desserts that are baked to perfection and available in flavors such as chocolate with crème anglaise or Grand Marnier with raspberry sauce. They’re backed by equally solid lineup of creme brûlée, ice creams, and sorbets.

Stephanie Izard’s West Loop diner encourages guests to embrace their inner children. Dessert for breakfast? Sure thing. Indulge in a smoked pork and toffee crunch milkshake or try a Choco Taco sundae that blows away the grocery store variety. The Top Chef’s ingenuity also shines through on a Cheez-It sundae, made with Cheez-It and strawberry gelato, chocolate-covered Cheez-Its, milk chocolate, strawberry sauce, and whipped cream.

No steakhouse experience would be complete without a lavish sundae service. At this stylish meat haven, diners take dessert to the next level by building the whimsical sundaes of their dreams, teeming with hot fudge, salted caramel, whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts, fruits, and much more. If ice cream isn’t enough, savor pastries such as coconut cream pie and raspberry peach puff.

It’s only fitting that Lettuce Entertain You’s extravagant chophouse would have equally exquisite dessert service. Enjoy over-the-top sundaes, such as the cookies and cream (ganache ripple, sweet cream ice cream, magic chocolate shell), or baked Alaska that’s flambéed tableside. Even an otherwise ordinary chocolate cake gets the royal treatment, coming covered in “14K” gold flakes.

The Boka Group’s ambitious steakhouse offers all kinds of delights and the fun doesn’t stop at dessert. Pastry Chef Lauren Terrill prepares a chocolate trolley full of mini candy bars, cakes, macarons, éclairs and other treats for guests to choose from. Inspired by Parisian pastry shops and dessert carts from the days of yesteryear, it’s a real throwback. Of course, traditional sweets like berry pound cake and cherry cheesecake are available as well.

If any restaurant could make this list based off the efforts of one dessert, it would be The Bristol. That’s because the signature basque cake might be the pièce de résistance of the entire menu. The buttery last course features moist, pillowy cake topped with blueberries, candied almonds, and vanilla Chantilly cream. It’s not the only sweet, though, as there are other options available like homemade Nutter Butters served with chocolate crémeux.