Celebrate This Happy, Sweet "Eat an Extra Dessert Day" in Chicago, September 4

Try some of these Chicago dessert spots, and make sure to have an extra dessert, because today you can

Natalie C. Frank, Ph.D Sept. 3, 2025

Kimberly Vardeman/flickr [CC BY 2.0]

CHICAGO - There are a many traditional holidays that occur in the fall. But there are also a lot of other special holidays, some of which are a bit silly or crazy even, but all of them fun. September 4, is a day for all you sweet tooths out there. It’s “Eat an Extra Dessert Day.” Not only do you not have to display willpower or push your dessert plate away, but you can enjoy that dessert and another one. In fact, today you absolutely should!

No one knows exactly where or when the holiday began but desserts go back many centuries. The Egyptians were known to eat sweets flavored with honey and dates, and Greece was likely to place where pie originated.

There are also beliefs and customs that involve eating sweet foods. On birthdays, many have the belief that you have to have at least a bite of your birthday cake to ensure you’ll have a year with luck and sweetness. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, people dip apples in honey for a sweet year.

If you have a ‘sweet tooth,' don’t worry your far from alone. It’s believed that humans have a genetic predisposition to have a desire for things that taste sweet because it was advantageous for our ancestors as it signaled nutrient-rich, safe and beneficial foods to eat.

While many of us are on and off diets, with desserts being the first thing to go, September 4, you are allowed, even encouraged to let go of that restriction and let yourself have not just one but and extra dessert as well. This is one day you don’t want to miss.

And if there’s one city in the U.S. that has plenty of dessert spots and special confections to try it’s Chicago. Try some of these places to indulge your sweet tooth as part of “National Eat an Extra Dessert Day.”

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