Like everything else in the city, when it comes to baked goods and yummy treats, New Yorkers have too many choices. To keep you from falling prey to unnecessarily long lines at Magnolia, or from eating the same old fare from Crumbs, we’ve found you some delicious and much more swoon-worthy alternatives.
Prohibition Bakery – Two words – boozy cupcakes. It’s okay, take a minute. Yup, that’s right – boozy cupcakes. Dark and Stormy, Old Fashioned, White Russian, Margarita – pick your cocktail pleasure and Prohibition Bakery on the Lower East Side will have a cupcake to match it. Smaller than the average cupcake (for obvious reasons) they’re prefect for a party for 20 or a party for one.
One Girl Cookies – This Brooklyn favorite puts places like Magnolia Bakery to shame. The cupcakes are the perfect balance of sweet and savory and exactly what we all want when we’re craving our favorite American dessert. Not a cupcake fan – then how about a whoopie pie? Whatever you choose, this little bakery is quintessential Brooklyn and the perfect place to rest your tired feet whether you’re in Brooklyn as a tourist or just out for a neighborhood stroll.
Lady M – Let’s start with the fancy one first, shall we? Lady M offers some of the richest and most decadent desserts in Manhattan and is no doubt perfectly at home in its Upper East Side neighborhood. While it would be easy to pretend a bakery like Lady M is only for ladies who own Chanel bags, the reality is that no one can deny how delicious their cakes are, and once you have then tried their star crepe – the Mille Crepe – you will be converted.
Billy’s Bakery – Old fashioned baked goods made from scratch. You can’t get much better than that. Billy’s Bakery in midtown has every baked good you can dream up but their cakes are by far some of the best in the city. Their Famous Icebox Cake is serious business and a must try for every New Yorker.
Mille-Feuille Bakery – This small and charming French bakery in the West Village looks as if it’s been plucked straight from the streets of Paris and dropped in the middle of Manhattan. Everything here is perfectly French and perfectly made, from their éclairs, to their croissants, and their famous macarons. The best part? Not only can you indulge in their delicious desserts but you can learn how to make them too! The bakery offers macaroon and croissant making classes on select Saturday mornings – what more can a New Yorker ask for?
What’s your go-to bakery?
Contributed by Adrienne Mansard
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.
