Bakeries

Where to buy your cookies, breads, and cakes











Vaniero's
www.venierospastry.com
Vaniero's is arguably the most famous Bakery in NYC. For Italian, and Italian-American pastries and desserts it's heaven. For me though, the stuff is hit or miss. Some is wonderful, and some just ordinary and even junky. But if nothing else, it's a NYC landmark of sorts, and the mob scene can be fun to watch.

La Bergamote
169 9th Avenue
(Corner of 20th)
Far and away the best croissants and chocolate croissants I've ever had in America let alone NYC. An amazing little fairly unknown bakery in Chelsea, they have a loyal fan base. Besides the croissants, the cakes and tarts are lovely as well, and apparently they have really nice sandwiches at lunch time too. I would highly recommend a stop in here.

Casa Cupcake (formally The Cupcake Cafe)
www.cupcakecafe.com
The home of ultra rich buttercream. This Ninth Avenue staple has been turning out the prettiest, richest, and most decadent cakes and cupcakes for years. They will pipe a cake with any colors, flavors, and flowers you could imagine, which always puts a smile on people's faces. You can't eat terribly much, but what you can is a total treat!

Soutine Bakery
www.soutine.com
This place holds a special place in my heart being the place where we always got my birthday cakes from. It was the same cake every year, white cake with lemon curd filling, white frosting with yellow flowers. It was always good and always pretty. They still churn out the cakes for Upper West Side's kids' birthdays. They'll put anything on a cake for you, and even do lovely wedding cakes now too.

Amy's Bread
www.amysbread.com
Her website says it all, but she started with one small store on 9th ave, and has created something of a bread empire in NYC. She has three stores now, and the quality hasn't changed. There is an actual Amy who actually still bakes. Her breads are excellent and are always almost completely gone by the end of the day. Besides bread she makes some really great cookies and pastries. My fave are her various Foccacia.

SaraBeth's
www.sarabethsbakery.com
Another success story. SaraBeth (again there is an actual SaraBeth), opened up a Bakery/Brunch place on the Upper West Side and now you can find her jams across the country. I put her stores on here for one reason... the Pain Matain. It's almost always sold out, but if you can get your hands on it, do it! What she very cleverly did was put all of the left over dough from the other pastries and baked them in little muffin tins – it’s AMAZING. You will start craving them, just warning you. If you go and there are none left (which will usually be the case) her Madeleine Cookies and Cheese Straws are also exemplary.

Black Bear Bakery
www.blackbearbakery.org
I can't actually vouch for very much from this place EXCEPT for the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake is fabulous! It's moist and yummy, and rich without giving you a tummy ache, and just pretty damn perfect.

*For the absolute best Chocolate cake I have EVER had, go to Blue Smoke. It happens to be an upscale BBQ joint off Park Ave South, but don’t let that stop you. You need milk with this, and you need more than once piece.

Poseidon Greek Bakery
629 9th Avenue
Bet. 44th & 45th Street
Family run since God knows when, this is one of the only places left in the country that still makes their own Phyllo dough (a flaky paper-thin dough that comes in sheets). They have all the classic Greek cookies, breads, and pastries, and are more than willing to pronounce and explain what everything is. They also have a frozen foods section, so can bring home your own homemade Phyllo and make Baklava.

Payard
www.payard.com
If you’re willing to shell out your life savings, you too can have a cake from Payard. I have to admit, He (yes there is a Payard, Francois Payard), makes a spectacular looking product, maybe the most elegant looking in the city. However, I always find it to be just "too much." They tend to be a little goopy, and quite frankly, I think you can get a better if not equally tasting cake for much much less. They have some nice chocolates and cookies too, but really, treat it like a museum of pastry and keep moving on.

Lady M Confections
www.ladymconfections.com
SO gorgeous, SO delicious, this is one of my favorite patisseries in NYC. Everything is just impeccably made, amazing looking and drool-worthy-delicious. It's not Payard prices, it's still pricey... BUT WORTH IT! Just check out the website (which could use some work I know), and tell me if you don't just want to run over right now.

Balthazar
www.balthazarny.com
Both a bakery (and one of if not my favorite) restaurants in NYC, Balthazar is always a safe bet. Their breads are amazing, perhaps more amazing than their pastry -- bread in every shape color and grain, all lovely and chewy inside, and crispy and divine outside. If you're a bread lover, go and grab a baguette or country loaf.

Magnolia Bakery
www.magnoliacupcakes.com
Made famous for their adorable and yummy pastel cupcakes, there is line around the block every night... no foolin! While I applaud them for making the cupcake cool again, I have to say, I think the hype has gotten the better of their cupcakes by now, and while it’s still fun to wait on cue for them, you can probably find a better cupcake these days.

Junior's Cheesecake
www.juniorscheesecake.com
A NY Institution. Even I, who really hates American Cheesecake, has to admit that nothing is a Junior's. I don't know what they do, and how they've been able to maintain it for so long, but it is damn good cheesecake.

Little Pie Company
www.littlepiecompany.com
Amazing pies. That's really it. Just really really good pies, and perhaps my favorite thing about them, is that the pies are seasonal. No Strawberry Pies in January, because there are no strawberries in January! They ONLY use the fruits and flavors of the season which means you can't get Key Lime Pie in January either... so there.

City Bakery
www.thecitybakery.com
It's sophisticated, sleek, modern, and happens to have the best damn Lemon Curd Tart in the whole city. I don’t know what they're putting in that thing, but it’s seriously yummy. They serve lunch too, but it’s usually too crowded to sit and stay. But get yourself a salad and lemon curd tart to go, and give me some please!

TAI Pan Bakery Chinatown Incorporated
194 Canal Street
(Between Mulberry & Mott)
I have no idea what half the things are, and the only reason I know what I do know is because I pointed to stuff and tried stuff. They have great (and usually warm) Red Bean Buns, and wonderful curry chicken pastry (which isn't a dessert by the way but a great snack). If you’re just a little bit brave, go “try stuff.” It’s incredibly cheap -- so $2 goes a long long way.