Buckle up. This isn’t just dessert — it’s a full-throttle joyride through chocolate rivers, pistachio waterfalls, and strawberries so glamorous they deserve their own agents. Welcome to The Dirty Cheesecake, where every bite is a curtain call, and sugar isn’t just an ingredient — it’s the headliner.
🎤 Meet the Man Behind the Madness
Tarek Hassanin landed in America in 1998 from Egypt with nothing but guts, grit, and a dream you couldn’t shake with a jackhammer. He hustled through the New York limo business, navigating the city one passenger at a time.
Then came Uber — and it bulldozed everything.
But Tarek? He didn’t flinch. He pivoted.
In 2016, he opened a tiny dessert shop in Times Square. It had no foot traffic. No visibility. But it had one priceless ingredient: his daughter, Layan — or Lili, a baking prodigy with fire in her heart and flour on her sleeves. She believed. He believed. And out of that bond came a brand:
“The Dirty Cheesecake – Made by Lili.”
Then came COVID.
Times Square turned into a ghost town. Rent stayed sky-high. And still, Tarek showed up. He baked. He hoped. He stayed open.
One day, a Fox News crew walked by and asked the question everyone was thinking:
“How are you still in business?”
His answer? Raw and real:
“I don’t know.”
That honesty hit different. The clip went viral. Suddenly, deliveries were flying out every hour. They opened a commercial kitchen in Long Island City. Demand exploded. It was dessert mayhem.
And then — just as fast — disaster struck: an electrical fire shut down the kitchen for two months.
Most would fold. Not this duo.
They went back to basics. Back to their home kitchen. Back to invention. And then — lightning struck again:
Cheesecake. On a stick.
Dipped. Drenched. Decadent.
Word spread like buttercream. They shut down the Times Square location and opened a new store in North Babylon, then expanded to Smithtown — and friends, this location is next-level.
🍠Step into The Dirty Cheesecake, Smithtown
It’s not a shop — it’s a dessert cathedral. Clean lines. Turquoise walls. Floral pops. Immaculate counters. And a staff of 32 dessert warriors, every one of them brimming with pride like they’re part of a Michelin-star pastry mission.
Tarek doesn’t just hire people. He builds a family. A team. A dream in motion.
🍡 The Main Event: Cheesecake. On. A. Stick.
You’ve never had dessert like this:
- Reese’s Riot – A peanut butter masterpiece topped with whipped cream and mini Reese’s raining from the heavens.
- Chocolate Avalanche – A dark chocolate shell so glossy it could double as a mirror, buried in crushed candy carnage.
- Strawberry Pistachio Dream – A salty-sweet bombshell dripping in pistachio, crowned with hand-picked strawberries, and more decadent than prom night in Paris.
It’s not just food. It’s edible spectacle. Performance art on a stick.
🍓 The Dubai Strawberries: The Crown Jewel
These aren’t just berries. They’re high society.
Drenched in dark chocolate, jeweled with pistachio crème and crumble, these beauties are limited, luxurious, and absolutely outrageous. Think Willy Wonka x Dubai — but classier, and without the singing workforce.
🎨 Macarons, Baby. All the Macarons.
Front and center stands a tower of macarons so gorgeous it might qualify for landmark status.
Every color. Every flavor. Crispy on the outside, chewy inside, with a center that’ll have you questioning every macaron you’ve ever met. As my daughter whispered after her first bite:“It’s like heaven, Dad.”
She’s not wrong.
🍪 Cookies, Brownies, Black & Whites all at The Dirty Cheesecake
Ready to deploy like sweet commandos:
- The chocolate chip? Soft, classic, flawless.
- The black & white? Straight outta Brooklyn’s Hall of Fame.
- The brownie? Oh, just hiding a whole cheesecake inside. NBD.
❤️ Built on Family
This isn’t just about sugar — it’s about soul.
A father. A daughter. A dream that refused to die. A team that feels like home. A brand that turns survival into celebration.
Tarek’s not running a bakery.
He’s building a legacy of joy.
And you feel it in every warm greeting, every gooey bite, every story shared over the counter.
💥 Final Glutton’s Take:
This isn’t dessert.
It’s a declaration.
A declaration that hustle still matters.
That family still wins.
And that the sweetest stories are born from struggle.
Rating: 10 out of 5 cheat days
Order: Any cheesecake on a stick, a side of Dubai strawberries, and a tower of macarons (don’t be shy).
Pro Tip: Ask for Tarek. Let him tell you the story. And if you’re really lucky?
You might spot Lili — home from college, all grown up, still inspiring magic behind the scenes.
To learn more about The Dirty Cheesecake, click HERE!
