Many times friends visiting me will comment that I walk them around the city simply to get from one feasting spot to another, and that their tours of the city tend to consist of 10% tourist attractions and 90% “you HAVE to try this” eateries.
The beauty of this New York City is that no matter what kind of dessert you’re craving– whether it’s wonderfully simple chocolate chip cookies or delicate macarons, or cloud-like green tea mousse cake or dense and rich cheesecake, there are numerous places that totally nail it. Here are a handful of bakeries in the city that definitely deserve to be called the best bakeries in the city:
167 West 74th St
You will need a friend as there is no way one person can finish these monstrous mounds of heaven. While there isn’t a lot of seating, it’s only a couple blocks away from central park, so I would highly recommend grabbing their signature chocolate chip walnut cookie, walking over to the park, and realizing just how darn lucky you are.
17 Cleveland Place
If you have friends from out of town visiting, this is the perfect place to take them to get a true taste of the city. Nestled on the corner of pretty little Petrosino Square and just out of the bustling SoHo, Eileen’s is the perfect pit stop when cruising around the trendy area. You are welcome to go out of the box and have, say, a coffee or amaretto cheesecake, but my go-to is the classic plain cheesecake, and it has never let me down.
9 Clinton Street
Talk about innovation, this place will have you rekindling your precipitously dimming love for cupcakes. If you’re into sweet and salty combinations, a new favorite is without a doubt the pretzels & beer cupcake that features the ever-loved nutella and a local beer, what’s not to like? Prohibition Bakery has raised the bar for cupcakes and has best executed pushing the boundaries of cupcake flavors.
251 East 13th St
Do not get distracted by the desirable items like the crack pie or compost cookie (get those for later). Just ask for the cereal milk soft serve with any topping or no topping (I’ll let you take the wheels on that one). This soft serve is brilliantly refreshing and indulgent at the same time. Ours TS users show nothing but praise for this bakery, saying it’s a “favorite dessert place in the city” and “dangerous if you live nearby.”
Tagged: best eats, cheesecake, cookies, cupcake, East Village, eileen's special cheesecake, ice cream, levain bakery, lower east side, momofuku milk bar, prohibition bakery, Soho, upper west side
