9 Famous Restaurant Desserts From the Past That Diners Still Talk About

Some desserts are remembered long after the restaurants that served them have closed their doors. Ask anyone who grew up eating at a certain diner, ice cream parlor or Hollywood hot spot, and they can describe that one sweet treat in perfect detail. It might have been a towering sundae, a slice of pie from a coin-operated window or a cake made for a movie star.

These desserts were part of special nights out, family road trips and birthday celebrations. Many of the chains and landmark dining rooms behind them have faded, but the memories are still strong. Here are nine famous restaurant desserts from the past that diners still talk about today.

1. Howard Johnson’s Ice Cream

For decades, the orange roof of Howard Johnson’s was a welcome sight along American highways. The chain was famous for its 28 flavors of ice cream, which was an impressive number at a time when most places offered just a few. Families stopped for fried clams and a scoop of something new on long road trips.

At its peak, Howard Johnson’s was among the largest restaurant chains in the country. CNN reported that the last restaurant, in Lake George, New York, closed in 2022. The name lives on through hotels, but the classic ice cream counter experience is gone.

2. Horn & Hardart Automat Pie

Horn & Hardart’s Automats in New York and Philadelphia felt like the future. Customers dropped coins into a slot, opened a small glass door and pulled out a hot meal or a fresh slice of pie. Apple, cherry, coconut cream and other pies were among the most popular items.

The pies were baked in central commissaries and delivered fresh throughout the day. The design podcast 99% Invisible tells the story of the Automat and how it changed the way Americans grabbed a quick meal. The last Horn & Hardart Automat in New York closed in 1991, but people who ate there still talk about the pie and coffee.

3. The Brown Derby’s Grapefruit Cake

The Brown Derby was the place to be seen in old Hollywood. The first location opened in 1926 on Wilshire Boulevard, and a second location at Hollywood and Vine became a favorite with stars and studio executives. It’s also famous as the birthplace of the Cobb salad.

According to the popular story, owner Robert Cobb created a grapefruit cake after gossip columnist Louella Parsons asked for lighter grapefruit dishes. The layered cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh grapefruit became a signature dessert. PBS SoCal includes it among Southern California’s famous vintage cakes, and a replica Brown Derby at a Disney theme park still serves a version today.

4. Lindy’s Cheesecake

Lindy’s opened on Broadway in 1921 and became one of New York’s most famous delis. Its creamy cheesecake was considered by many to be the best in the country. It was even mentioned in the musical “Guys and Dolls,” which helped make it a legend.

The original Lindy’s locations closed by 1969, though the name was later revived for several restaurants in New York. Those newer locations also eventually closed. Even so, “Lindy’s-style” cheesecake recipes still circulate in cookbooks and family recipe boxes.

5. Delmonico’s Baked Alaska

Delmonico’s in New York is one of the most storied restaurants in American history. It’s widely credited with popularizing Baked Alaska, a dramatic dessert of cake and ice cream covered in meringue and browned in a hot oven. The name is often linked to the U.S. purchase of Alaska in 1867.

The restaurant closed during the pandemic and reopened in 2023, much to the delight of longtime fans. Baked Alaska returned to the menu along with its classic steaks. For many diners, it’s a dessert that still feels like a grand occasion.

6. Chi-Chi’s Fried Ice Cream

Chi-Chi’s was one of the most popular Mexican restaurant chains of the 1980s and 1990s. Founded in Minneapolis in 1975, it was known for big margaritas, sizzling fajitas and a dessert many people still crave: fried ice cream. A scoop of ice cream was coated in a crunchy shell, quickly fried and topped with whipped cream, honey or chocolate sauce.

The chain shut down in 2004 after bankruptcy and a devastating hepatitis A outbreak linked to one of its restaurants. Restaurant Business reported in 2024 that the founder’s son planned to bring Chi-Chi’s back as a restaurant brand. For fans, fried ice cream was always at the top of the wish list. It’s one of many classic 1980s foods people still remember fondly.

7. Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour’s Zoo

Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour was a birthday party destination for kids in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Servers in old-fashioned outfits sang, banged drums and made every celebration loud and memorable. The star of the menu was the Zoo, a massive sundae served to large groups.

The Zoo was famously carried through the restaurant on a stretcher, often with sirens and staff running alongside it. It included many scoops of ice cream with toppings and was meant to be shared by a crowd. The last Farrell’s location, in Brea, California, closed in 2019, but people who grew up with it still describe the Zoo as the highlight of their childhood birthdays.

8. Bennigan’s Death by Chocolate

Bennigan’s was a popular Irish pub-style chain known for its Monte Cristo sandwich and a dessert with a dramatic name: Death by Chocolate. It combined chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, cookie crumbs and a hard chocolate shell into one indulgent treat. Couples and friends often split one at the end of a night out.

In 2008, the chain’s parent company filed for bankruptcy, and its corporate-owned restaurants closed almost overnight. The Takeout tells the story of the rise and fall of Bennigan’s and the handful of locations that remain. For many people, Death by Chocolate is the dish they remember most.

9. Big Boy Hot Fudge Cake

The Big Boy chain and its franchise operators served a dessert that many Midwesterners still crave: the Hot Fudge Cake. Vanilla ice cream was layered between slices of chocolate cake and smothered in warm hot fudge, then topped with whipped topping and a cherry. It was big enough to share, though many people didn’t.

Frisch’s Big Boy in Ohio made it a signature item around 1970, and it became one of the chain’s best-loved desserts. Even so, many of the Big Boy restaurants people grew up with have closed. For families who celebrated report cards and birthdays there, a slice of hot fudge cake is pure nostalgia.

Why These Desserts Still Matter

These desserts were part of the experience of eating out. They came with singing waiters, coin-operated windows or Hollywood glamour, and they turned an ordinary meal into an event. Many people associate them with specific moments, such as a first date, a road trip or a childhood birthday party.

Many of the diner classics Americans love are still around, but these famous desserts remind us how quickly favorites can disappear. Home cooks have kept some of them alive with copycat recipes passed around online and in community cookbooks. Which restaurant dessert from the past do you still think about?