4 new dessert spots open on Long Island this summer

Summer and sweets just go together. Whether it’s the school-vacation mentality that persists into the seasonless slog of the grown-up work calendar, or that more daylight means more time for dessert, our defenses are lowest when the temperature rises. It’s always the right time for ice cream, but don’t sleep on pies, cannoli or cookies either.

3 Sons Ice Cream, Kings Park

625 E. Main St.

The ice cream shop marks the third business in the growing 3 Sons empire in a Kings Park shopping center, joining the existing 3 Sons Delicatessen and 3 Sons Pizza Kitchen. Owner Rock Massa indeed has three sons, but only the youngest, Frank, who also manages the pizzeria, is involved in the businesses. He’s joined at the ice cream shop by Tom Green, who manages the deli. "It’s the perfect complement to our other businesses," he said. "We already had breakfast and lunch covered," Green said. "Dessert seemed like a natural."

3 Sons doesn't skimp on ingredients: Real coffee for the coffee ice cream, Bordeaux cherries for the black cherry, Dutch process cocoa for the chocolate, dark chocolate Barry Callebaut chunks wherever chips are called for. There are always around 35 flavors on offer (including dairy free and no sugar added) plus soft-serve chocolate and vanilla; cups and cones range from $4.17 to $13.02 (waffle cones, naked or dipped, are $2.60 more). Also find sundaes ($10.42 to $14.48) and shakes ($5.73 to $12.50) on the menu. 

More info: 631-377-5151, 3sonsicecream.com. Open Sunday to Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m.

Mighty Fine, Huntington

43 Green St. 

Daria Lamb’s pie-centric "all-day-cafe" offers sweet and savory pies, quiches, sandwiches, roast chickens, cookies, coffee, a full bar, a kids play area — all contained in the stately old house that, for more than 30 years, was Finley's of Green Street.

Pies here bear the unmistakable stamp of human hands: The crusts are super flaky, thanks to a mostly butter crust that uses some shortening for stability, and baked just past golden brown. The sweet fillings are fruit-forward, with no glop; the savory fillings (including classic chicken, chicken tikka masala and filet mignon-mushroom), thick but not stodgy. Flavors change but you’ll usually find apple (packed to the gills with Honeycrisp for flavor, Granny Smith for texture) and maple-bacon-walnut pie (because Lamb considers pecan pie "a little one-note") and, perhaps, blueberry-cinnamon crumb, strawberry-rhubarb, mixed-berry "Pop-Tart" pie topped with rainbow sprinkles or an open-faced zesty lemon custard pie crowned with whipped cream.

If the regular lineup is classic, the design-your-own pie bar is a true innovation: Choose your crust (7- or 10-inch) and then, Chipotle-style, direct a server to scoop in your desired fillings from buckets of fruit in the repurposed ice-cream display case. Next, would you like your pie topped with crumb or streusel or more pastry? Or with no topping at all? Forty-five minutes to an hour later (depending on the size) your pie is ready to be eaten or taken home. A 7-inch pie is $21, 10-inch is $34, a slice is $7.50.

"When you get people talking about pie," Lamb said, "everyone has their own favorite. I thought, why should they be limited to what we make?"

More info: 631-683-5500, mightyfinecafe.com. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

Dolce Bella, Smithtown

85 E. Main St.

Friends Brandyn Williams and Tim "Big Red" Downey have opened the second location of their TikTok-trendy cannoli spot, Dolce Bella. Joining the original in Oceanside, the new spot mixes up irresistible options. Give in to your inner Italian child and order a three-, six- or 12-cannoli sampler. Mix and match flavors like rainbow cookie, Reese’s (peanut butter cup), Nutella, birthday cake, cookies and cream, fudge cookie butter, pistachio, or for purists, original with plain cannoli cream and chocolate chips adorning the ends. Not too sweet and with just the right creaminess, cannoli run $5 for a regular size, $3.50 for a mini. Mini three-, six- and 12-packs run $10, $18, and $35, respectively. Regular size three-, six- and 12-packs run $14, $26 and $55. If you just want the cream, there are $5 cups, plus gelato starting at $4 per scoop and Italian ice — from The Lemon Ice King of Corona (Queens) — starting at $3. Wash it all down with a dirty soda.

More info: 516-988-8302, dolcebellany.com. Open Monday through Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Gluten Free Treat Shop, Massapequa

518 Broadway

Jenna Vanacore had always enjoyed baking but when she was diagnosed with celiac disease 12 years ago she went into overdrive. "I was frustrated with the lack of choices," she recalled, "and not happy with most of the products." If her sweet tooth was to be satisfied, she was going to have to do it on her own.

From baking for herself, Vanacore went on to selling her products on Etsy and at local farmers markets, to adding wholesale accounts in 2022 and then, last fall, launching her Massapequa shop. It’s a light-filled, welcoming space, done up in pastels and white marble.

One signature item at the shop is the big, diner-style cookie covered with sprinkles. "That’s what every kid wants at the diner," Vanacore said. She views children as her toughest customers because "they will always be honest if they don’t like it." All the cookies — sprinkles, traditional chocolate chip, dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips — are $6.50 apiece, three for $10, a platter of nine for $28. The shop's offerings change with the season and her whim, but you’ll always find platters of rainbow cookies ($22), individual cakes ($8), packs of biscotti ($15), muffins ($4.50), bagels and breads ($3 to $9.75).

More info: 516-804-0250, theglutenfreetreatshop.com. Open Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.