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Palo Alto goes to bed early, but its dessert counters do not. After dinner downtown, a short walk along University Avenue gets you to taiyaki soft serve, liquid nitrogen ice cream, sweet crepes or an old-fashioned sundae, several of them open until 10 or 11 p.m. Earlier in the day the options turn French, with pastry cafes that close in the afternoon. A newer cake shop on El Camino Real adds tea-flavored cakes in the Asian bakery style.
This page covers places where dessert is the point and where you can usually sit or stand around with it. For loaves, bagels and holiday cake orders, see our bakeries and desserts guide. For scoop shops in depth, see ice cream and frozen treats. Every place here was confirmed in October 2026 through its own site or a verified page in our business directory.
Dessert by time of day
| Place | Where | Dessert | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mademoiselle Colette | Lytton Ave. | French pastry, tarts, entremets | 4 p.m. (1 p.m. Sunday) |
| Topi | 2305 El Camino Real | Tea-flavored and character cakes | 6 p.m. |
| La Baguette | Stanford Shopping Center | Pastries, cakes, coffee | 7 p.m. (6 p.m. Sunday) |
| Crepevine | 367 University Ave. | Sweet crepes with ice cream | 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday and Saturday) |
| Palo Alto Creamery | 566 Emerson St. | Sundaes and milkshakes | 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday and Saturday) |
| Scoop Microcreamery | 203 University Ave. | Liquid nitrogen ice cream | 10 p.m. most nights, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday |
| SomiSomi | 440 University Ave. | Taiyaki and soft serve | 10:30 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday and Saturday) |
Scoop closes at 8 p.m. on Monday. Marvel Cake and Bistro Maxine do not publish fixed hours in our directory, so check their sites before a late visit.
Cake and pastry cafes
Marvel Cake, 250 University Avenue
Marvel Cake is a boutique patisserie and cafe founded in 2009 by Maryam Menbari, who began with cakes for friends and family in her home kitchen. It also runs cafes in Campbell and Walnut Creek. The case holds 6 and 8 inch daily cakes, including chocolate with chocolate mousse, vanilla with strawberries and Bavarian cream and red velvet. Flat phyllo number cakes, layered with cream, berries, macarons and flowers, are its party centerpieces. Cupcakes, macarons, croissants and coffee fill out a casual visit. Custom cakes need about two to three weeks' notice.
Mademoiselle Colette, Lytton Avenue
Mademoiselle Colette is a French pastry shop and cafe modeled on Parisian cafes, founded by Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef Debora Ferrand. The dessert counter carries a chocolate entremet, lime tart, strawberry vanilla tart, fraisier, chocolate eclair, Basque cheesecake, Parisian flan and macarons. It opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday, so this is an afternoon treat rather than an after-dinner stop.
La Baguette, Stanford Shopping Center
La Baguette is an independent French boulangerie and patisserie inside the shopping center. It is one of the few places at the center where you can sit down with a pastry and a coffee without ordering a full meal. It is open until 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Topi, 2305 El Camino Real
Topi opened on October 8, 2025, from best friends Tiffany Xing and Ivy Ling, according to The Almanac. Tea runs through the menu: Black Tea Cake, Matcha Yuzu, Hojicha Genmaicha, Peach Oolong and Jasmine Green Tea. Character cakes such as The Bear and The Doggie suit a child's birthday. Daily desserts are sold alongside whole cakes. It is open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and online orders need at least two hours' notice. Its planned cake decorating classes were still listed as coming soon in late October 2026.
Crepes
Bistro Maxine at 548 Ramona Street has made French crepes since June 2006, on griddles imported from France. Sweet crepes cover the French cafe standards: lemon with honey or sugar, banana with Nutella, sautéed apples with cinnamon and caramel and a Suzette with butter, sugar and orange juice. Bistro tables, rattan chairs and sidewalk seating on the car-free block of Ramona Street make it a pleasant place to linger.
Crepevine at 367 University Avenue is a family-owned Bay Area group known for crepes and breakfast. Its sweet crepes come with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. It serves from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, which makes it a dependable dessert stop after a movie.
After-dinner dessert on University Avenue
SomiSomi at 440 University Avenue is a soft serve chain built around taiyaki, the fish-shaped Japanese waffle pastry. Its signature is a taiyaki cone stuffed with a filling and topped with soft serve in flavors such as milk, chocolate, ube, matcha, Oreo and milk tea. Plain taiyaki and drinks are also sold. It opens at noon and is the latest dessert counter downtown, open until 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Scoop Microcreamery at 203 University Avenue freezes each batch with liquid nitrogen behind the counter, which the shop says makes a denser, creamier scoop. Its website posts the current flavor list. A Stanford Daily profile in April 2026 reported that Jennifer and Benjamin Cochran bought the shop and kept the original recipes. Classics include bourbon vanilla with salted caramel, Speculoos and banana. Recent specials have included black sesame, Thai tea, ube and buko, young coconut.
Palo Alto Creamery at 566 Emerson Street is an old-fashioned diner and soda fountain. Sundaes and milkshakes share the menu with burgers and all-day comfort food. It is open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Sweets to take home
Some of the best dessert in town is sold to go. K. Minamoto at Stanford Shopping Center sells wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets of rice, sweet bean paste and fruit made in its own factories in Japan. Kara's Cupcakes at Town & Country Village bakes gluten-free and vegan cupcakes and takes same-day pickup orders placed by 2 p.m. Antoine's Cookie Shop, also at Town & Country, sells about ten kinds of warm, crisp-edged cookies until 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
Dietary notes
- Gluten-free: Kara's sells gluten-free cupcakes. Crepevine offers a gluten-free crepe as a swap. Bistro Maxine's buckwheat galettes are savory, so ask about sweet options.
- Vegan: Kara's bakes vegan cupcakes. Scoop marks its fruit sorbets, such as peach and mango, as vegan and most classic flavors as gluten free.
- Nuts: Nutella, Speculoos and pistachio appear on several menus. Ask about shared scoops and equipment.
Planning a dessert stop
- After dinner downtown: walk to SomiSomi or Scoop, both open past 10 p.m. most nights.
- After a show: the Stanford Theatre is in the 200 block of University Avenue, steps from Scoop.
- Afternoon tea break: Mademoiselle Colette before 4 p.m., or La Baguette while shopping.
- Birthday cake: order from Topi or Marvel Cake ahead of time.
Our date night ideas pair dinner and dessert downtown. If you are staying overnight, you can compare hotels near downtown Palo Alto and walk home from University Avenue.
Good to know
- SomiSomi is the latest dessert counter downtown, open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- Scoop closes early, at 8 p.m., on Mondays.
- Mademoiselle Colette closes at 4 p.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
- Hours change around holidays. Check before a late visit.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get dessert late in Palo Alto?
SomiSomi at 440 University Avenue serves taiyaki and soft serve until 10:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Scoop Microcreamery at 203 University Avenue stays open until 10 p.m. most nights and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Crepevine and the Palo Alto Creamery serve until 9 or 10 p.m.
Where can I sit down for cake in Palo Alto?
Marvel Cake at 250 University Avenue is a patisserie and cafe with daily cakes, macarons and coffee. Mademoiselle Colette on Lytton Avenue has a dessert counter of tarts, eclairs and entremets with tables. La Baguette at Stanford Shopping Center is a French bakery cafe where you can sit down with a pastry.
Where can I get crepes in Palo Alto?
Bistro Maxine at 548 Ramona Street is a small French creperie open since 2006, with sweet crepes such as lemon with sugar, banana with Nutella and a Suzette. Crepevine at 367 University Avenue serves sweet crepes with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream until 9 or 10 p.m.
What is taiyaki soft serve?
Taiyaki is a crisp, fish-shaped Japanese waffle pastry with a filling. SomiSomi on University Avenue uses it as a cone, filling the fish and topping it with soft serve in flavors such as milk, ube, matcha and milk tea.
Which dessert places are open in the morning?
Mademoiselle Colette opens at 8 a.m. daily, La Baguette at 8 a.m. and Crepevine at 8 a.m. The Palo Alto Creamery also opens at 8 a.m. Most ice cream and soft serve shops do not open until noon.