Get more for your money with our limited-time SPECIAL OFFERS!
Get more for your money with our limited-time SPECIAL OFFERS!
Panama City Beach, Florida, is renowned for its stunning beaches and vibrant atmosphere. But beyond the sand and surf, this coastal paradise offers a delightful array of places to eat that will satisfy any dessert lover’s cravings. Let’s explore some of the top spots to get the best desserts in Panama City Beach.
Located on Front Beach Road, Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar is a local favorite among ice cream parlors in PCB. This charming shop offers an impressive selection of homemade ice cream flavors. Their ice cream is rich, creamy, and comes in generous portions. Some popular flavors include Banana Pudding, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and their signature Pink Pelican, a blend of strawberry ice cream with marshmallow swirls.
Pink Pelican uses quality ingredients and unique flavor combinations, and this sets them apart from the competition They also offer dairy-free and sugar-free options, ensuring everyone can enjoy a cool treat on a hot Florida day.
Kilwin’s, situated at Pier Park, is not just an ice cream shop but a complete confectionery experience. While they’re famous for their chocolates (which we’ll discuss later), their ice cream deserves special mention. Kilwin’s offers traditional flavors alongside more adventurous options like Toasted Coconut and Sea Salt Caramel.
Their waffle cones, made fresh in-store, add an extra layer of indulgence to your ice cream experience. The aroma of these cones baking often draws passersby into the store.
While primarily known for their donuts, Thomas Donut & Snack Shop on Front Beach Road also serves up some delicious ice cream. Their soft-serve ice cream is particularly popular, especially when paired with one of their fresh-baked waffle cones.
For a unique treat, try their donut ice cream sandwich. It’s a perfect combination of their famous donuts and creamy ice cream, creating a dessert that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
The Candy Maker at Pier Park is a paradise for candy lovers. This sweet shop in Panama City offers an extensive array of handmade candies, chocolates, and fudge. Their salt water taffy, made in-store, comes in a rainbow of flavors and is a favorite among visitors.
One of the highlights of visiting Candy Maker is watching the candy-making process. The skilled confectioners often put on demonstrations, crafting delicate sugar art or preparing batches of fudge right before your eyes.
Also located in Pier Park, It’Sugar is a candy lover’s dream come true. This larger-than-life candy store offers a vast selection of sweets, ranging classic candies to unique and novelty items. It’s not just a store; it’s an experience, with larger-than-life candy displays and a fun, energetic atmosphere.
While they carry many well-known brands, It’Sugar also offers exclusive candies and novelty items you won’t find elsewhere. Their giant boxes of popular candies make for great souvenirs or gifts.
Surf’s Up Candy Shop, found on Front Beach Road, combines the beach vibe of Panama City Beach with a wide array of sweet treats. This shop offers a variety of candies, including handmade fudge, salt water taffy, and an assortment of chocolates.
What makes Surf’s Up unique is their selection of retro and hard-to-find candies. If you’re looking to relive childhood memories or try something new, this is the place to visit.
For a unique frozen treat, head to David’s New Orleans Style Sno-Balls on Thomas Drive. Sno-balls are a New Orleans specialty, similar to shaved ice but with a fluffier, more delicate texture. David’s offers a wide range of flavors, many inspired by popular desserts and cocktails.
What sets David’s apart is the texture of their sno-balls. The ice is shaved so finely that it absorbs the flavored syrup, creating a treat that’s somewhere between sorbet and shaved ice. For an extra indulgent experience, you can add soft-serve ice cream to your sno-ball.
Dolly’s Sweet Shop, located in Pier Park, is a one-stop destination for all things sweet. This charming shop offers a variety of treats including ice cream, fudge, caramel apples, and an assortment of candies.
Their homemade fudge is a standout item, available in classic flavors like chocolate and peanut butter, as well as more unique options like amaretto chocolate swirl. Dolly’s also offers a selection of sugar-free candies and chocolates.
For those seeking a more refined sweet treat, Heavenly Macarons in Pier Park North is a must-visit. This boutique bakery specializes in French macarons, those delicate almond meringue cookies with a creamy filling.
Heavenly Macarons offers a rotating selection of flavors, ranging from classic options like vanilla and chocolate to more unique creations like lavender honey and key lime pie. The macarons here are not only delicious but also visually stunning, often decorated to resemble tiny works of art.
Pino Gelato, located in Pier Park, brings a taste of Italy to Panama City Beach. Gelato, the Italian version of ice cream, is known for its intense flavor and silky texture. Pino Gelato offers a wide range of flavors, both traditional and innovative.
Compared to ice cream, gelato has a lower fat content and denser texture, which allows the flavors to really shine through. Some popular flavors at Pino Gelato include stracciatella (sweet cream with chocolate chips), pistachio, and various fruit sorbets for those seeking a dairy-free option.
For frozen yogurt enthusiasts, Sweet Frog on Panama City Beach Parkway is the place to go. This self-serve frozen yogurt shop offers a rotating selection of flavors and an impressive toppings bar.
What makes Sweet Frog stand out is the ability to customize your dessert completely. You can mix and match flavors and add as many or as few toppings as you like. They also offer no-sugar-added and dairy-free options, catering to various dietary needs.
We mentioned Kilwin’s earlier for their ice cream, but their chocolates deserve a special spotlight. Kilwin’s offers a wide range of chocolates, all made using traditional methods. From truffles to chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, the quality of their chocolates is evident in every bite.
One of the highlights of visiting Kilwin’s is watching the chocolatiers at work. They often have live demonstrations where you can see them tempering chocolate, making fudge, or crafting caramel apples.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, located in Pier Park, is another haven for chocolate lovers. This shop offers a wide variety of chocolate treats, from classic truffles to more unique items like chocolate-covered potato chips.
Their caramel apples are a particular standout. These massive Granny Smith apples are dipped in caramel and then adorned with various toppings like nuts, chocolate drizzle, or candy pieces. They’re as much a feast for the eyes as they are for the taste buds.
The Yard Milkshake Bar, located on Front Beach Road, takes milkshakes to a whole new level. Their over-the-top creations are more than just a dessert; they’re an experience. Each milkshake is served in a souvenir mason jar and topped with an assortment of cookies, candies, and even entire slices of cake.
Some of their popular creations include the “Mermaid,” a vanilla milkshake with sea salt ice cream, topped with a mermaid tail cookie and sprinkles, and the “Doughnut Touch My Coffees and Cream,” which features a coffee milkshake topped with a chocolate-frosted doughnut.
For a blast of nostalgia, visit Dippin’ Dots at Pier Park. This futuristic ice cream, made through a flash-freezing process, creates tiny beads of ice cream that melt in your mouth. The unique texture and fun flavors make it a hit with kids and adults alike.
Dippin’ Dots offers classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate, as well as more unique options like Birthday Cake and Cookies ‘n Cream with Oreo. They also have refreshing fruit-flavored ices for a lighter option.
Panama City Beach may be known for its beautiful beaches, but its dessert scene is equally impressive. From classic ice cream parlors to unique sweet shops and everything in between, this Florida destination has something to satisfy every sweet tooth.
When planning your visit, keep in mind that many of these shops are busiest during peak tourist seasons, particularly summer. Some may have reduced hours during the off-season, so it’s always a good idea to check their current operating hours before visiting.
Remember, indulging in these sweet treats is part of the vacation experience. While it’s tempting to try everything at once, pacing yourself will allow you to fully appreciate each unique dessert. After all, there’s always tomorrow to try another shop or flavor.
As you explore Panama City Beach, let your sweet tooth guide you to these delightful dessert destinations. Each one offers not just a treat for your taste buds, but a memorable experience that will sweeten your vacation memories for years to come.
If you love seafood, you’ll also find tons of seafood restaurants here. This place doesn’t just offer desserts! You’ll find lots of places to visit as well for fine dining or casual bites.
Planning your Panama City Beach getaway? Consider booking your stay through Emerald Coast Retreats. We offer premium vacation rentals, ensuring comfort and convenience during your sweet adventures.
for the latest news, local events, & more!
© 2024 Emerald Coast Retreats | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Website Terms of Use
