After college, I lived in New York City for a year. People always ask me what my favorite restaurant was, but honestly, I loved trying new places so much that I seldom went back to a single restaurant enough times to call it my favorite. But when it comes to bakeries, I definitely found several that became my regular spots. I’m such a sweets girl, I would often (okay, probably too often) treat myself to a pastry on the way home from work or a workout.. counter-intuitive, I know. Here are a few of them!
Levain Bakery
Home of literally THE BEST chocolate chip cookies. They’re massive and studded with chocolate chunks and walnuts. The cookies are so popular that they bake them all day long, so you’re usually lucky enough to get a warm one fresh out of the oven! There are a few other variations of cookies, and I think I’ve tried them all, but if you’re gonna go for one, you have to get the chocolate chip. The others are great, but on the Levain cookie scale, nothing compares to chocolate chip! If you feel like getting something in addition to your cookie, I also love their sour cream coffee cake. There are two locations in NYC, one on the Upper West Side, perfect for after a visit to Central Park or the Natural History Museum. The other is in Harlem right across from Marcus Samuelsson’s new restaurant, also worthy of a trip. Both of which, by the way, were walking distance from my NYC apartment 😉 http://www.levainbakery.com/
167 West 74th St. New York, NY, 10023
2167 Frederick Douglass Blvd. New York, NY, 10026
Breads Bakery
If you’ve never tried babka, then I order you to get on a plane to NYC stat and head straight to Breads, known for their chocolate babka. It is actually a life changing experience. Babka is a traditional Eastern European and Jewish pastry made from a yeast dough and chocolate or cinnamon. It’s kind of like if you took croissant dough and braided it into a loaf with layers of nutella and chocolate chips in between. There’s really nothing like it. You can find babka at a lot of bakeries in NYC, but I promise nothing compares to Breads. They also have a cinnamon raisin version in addition to a ton of other delish pastries and fresh baked breads. You can also grab breakfast or a sandwich for lunch in their cafe in Union Square. If you can’t make it to NYC, Breads actually ships their babka all over the country! I swear the shipping cost is worth it. http://www.breadsbakery.com
18 East 16th St. New York, NY 10003
Doughnut Plant
NYC has a plethora of fancy doughnut offerings… and I tried most of them, but found the number one to be Doughnut Plant. I’m a cake doughnut kinda gal, and they have the most moist, rich cake doughnuts. It’s truly the best way to eat dessert for breakfast. Doughnut Plant has unique flavors like matcha, carrot cake, tres leche, peanut butter and banana creme and even an avocado toast doughnut! Like I said, the cake are my fav, but they also have yeast and creme-filled. I honestly could recommend any flavor I’ve ever tried, but if I had to choose one would say to go for the tres leche. http://doughnutplant.com/
220 W 23rd St. New York, NY 10011
Mille-Feuille
Another one of my favorite Upper West Side haunts, this French bakery and cafe is a cute spot for grabbing breakfast or a mid-afternoon coffee and a sweet treat. My parents and I stumbled upon it when we were visiting NYC before I made the move there, and I made sure to return multiple times in my time as a NYC resident. They do a stellar job at all the French pastry staples like macarons and croissants, but they also have probably the best chocolate brownie I tried in New York! It’s dense and fudgey. Just add a glass of milk and you’re set. http://www.millefeuille-nyc.com/
Hope you’ll get to try some of my favorites the next time you’re in the city!
Biscuits & Blessings,
Leels
