re’s something so nice about wandering back out into the city after a dinner at home and stopping by a bakery for a sweet treat, no? This summer I’ve found myself wandering quite often to the gorgeous, brownstone-lined UWS neighborhood, and stopping at one of these five spots for a little something, something.
1. For Cookies: Levain Bakery
Dense, moist, gooey…yep, pretty much describes the four cookie flavors on tap at Levain Bakery. An UWS institution, this small bakery (easy to miss if you’re not looking!), makes in-house legendary cookies in the flavors of: chocolate chip walnut (my fave), oatmeal raisin, dark chocolate chocolate chip, and dark chocolate peanut butter chip. One will set you back $4, but there’s enough ingredients packed into that thing that it’s totally worth it, promise.
2. For Crepes: Crepes & Delicies
I stumbled into this place after yoga one night, and have been returning ever since. There’s not too much that can top my dessert choice over a solidly made Nutella Crepe, and at $7.50 a pop, these guys do them right. If you’re into the whole wheat crepe, they’ll make that for you, too. The savory options are also delicious, I love the goat cheese, honey, and spinach.
3. For Rice Krispies Treats: Treat House
This place will transport you back to your childhood in seconds. Remember afternoons melting down marshmallows and stirring in your favorite cereal? Yep, this place is all that, with some grownup twists. With flavors like Caramel Sea Salt, Chocolate Pretzel, and Birthday Cake (my fave), there’s really something for everyone. Bonus: all treats are certified Kosher (meaning no yucky meat products in those marshmallows!), and are also dairy-free and gluten-free…almost making up for the fact that one bitesized treat will set you back $2.25.
4. For Cream Puffs: Beard Papa’s
“World’s Best Cream Puff”, anyone? That’s the motto this place boasts, and I have to say, they’re pretty spot on! These little guys are light, fluffy, and filled with creamy sweetness that will make you want to waddle back up to the counter to order just one more. I love the original ($2), but there’s plenty of other flavors to try, such as the chocolate covered Eclair Puff.
5. For The Sweetest Parisian Cafe Vibe: Cafe Lalo
I’ve never had anything on Cafe Lalo’s menu I didn’t love, so I’d say it’s pretty hard to go wrong here (cheesecakes, tarts, mousse, you name it!) You’ll probably recognize this twinkle light-strewn cafe as the backdrop in scenes of the movie You Got Mail. While it’s small and there may be a bit of a wait, it’s seriously such a cute and delicious way to wrap up a summer night.
Where’s your favorite place to grab a sweet treat? Share below!
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
