The Resy Guide to Excellent Bakeries in New York


Agi’s Counter in Crown Heights keeps a tight but totally dialed-in pastry menu, meaning you absolutely should try one of everything. Their take on a New York-style cheesecake, sitting in a pool of olive oil, is extraordinary, as is their buttery, soft spanakopita babka, which may be sold out if you get there later in the day. Fank, their Hungarian-style donuts, are fried to order and come with a side of seasonal jam and sweet butter, reminiscent of a jelly donut.

If you’re ready to brave some lines, do consider stopping by Eleven Madison Park on a Saturday morning beginning at 11 a.m. when they host their Bake It Nice bakery pop-up right outside the restaurant’s front doors. There, executive pastry chef Laura Cronin and team offer their plant-based takes on an assortment of flaky laminated croissants and cookies. Cookie flavors rotate each week, but you can expect to see flavors like blueberry and sweet corn, and peanut butter miso.

Walk-ins only.

Chef Dan Kluger’s newest restaurant, Greywind, also has a sister bakery that’s open in the daytime. Don’t miss the blueberry and polenta muffin and the strawberry yuzu tart. And if you’re more of a savory pastry person, their breakfast sandwiches are excellent as well, especially the egg sandwich with chicken and herb chorizo and housemade hot sauce.

Walk-ins only.

A trip to the Upper East Side to eat at Café Sabarsky transports you to Vienna without having to set foot on a plane. They have an extensive sweet and savory menu, but it’s really the pastries that you come here for. The warm kaiserschmarren, feuilletine, Linzer torte, and Sacher torte are not to be missed.

Note: Café Sabarsky is temporarily closed through Aug. 31.

Tucked inside an office building in Tribeca in what was once home to another very excellent bakery (Arcade, how we miss you), Frenchette Bakery excels in artisan breads, viennoiserie, sandwiches, and pizza. If you can get there before they sell out, the twice-baked pistachio croissant is not to be missed, and the jambon beurre laced with generous amounts of Ploughgate butter is one of the most satisfying sandwiches you can get in the city. During the colder months, they sell a luxurious hot chocolate topped with a brûléed chartreuse marshmallow.

Walk-ins only.

Note: If you’re wondering how to get into Frenchette, we’ve got you covered here.

Inside Olly Olly Market on the west side, the same team behind Michelin-starred restaurant Joomak Banjum quietly opened JM Bakery in January, where they excel in putting an Asian spin on classic French pastries. Don’t miss the decadent chocolate pecan financier, seasonal donuts, and cookie bread. And if you’re a dessert devotee, consider booking yourself for a weekend baking workshop.

Walk-ins only.

Located in The Hoxton, Williamsburg, you’ll find this Philadelphia transplant from acclaimed chef Michael Solomonov, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, you’ll want to go early in the day to snag one of their outstanding pistachio sticky buns. Their Jerusalem bagel, a lighter, oblong cousin to a New York-style bagel, is the ideal vessel for either of their breakfast sandwiches, too.

Step inside La Cabra and you’ll first be taken aback by the beautifully designed interior. But what’s even more impressive are their textbook laminated pastries and the fragrant cardamom buns, their signature item. If you’re into coffee, they have a thoughtful and impressive coffee program as well — the perfect pairing for a great pastry, of course.

Walk-ins only.

For an elegant breakfast any day of the week, Le Crocodile, located in the Wythe Hotel, is the place to go. They’re putting out some of the most beautiful breakfast pastries in Brooklyn. Baked fresh in-house daily, you can expect things like blueberry and vanilla cream buns or almond croissants, made from their sourdough croissants, which get brushed with vanilla milk and filled with whipped almond cream.

A woman-owned bakery that draws inspiration from Danish technique and Middle Eastern flavors, Librae packs their pastries full of flavor, offering specials that rotate often. The options here can be overwhelming in terms of size, but rest assured that anything you try here will be delicious. The rose pistachio croissant and flavor-of-the-moment babka bun are popular choices for a reason.

Walk-ins only.

While it still might be near impossible to snag a prime-time reservation at Lilia for dinner, even years after the restaurant first opened, Lilia Caffé’s housemade pastries and focaccia are available starting at 8 a.m. everyday. Like the pastas at Lilia, the pastries here are simple but brilliantly executed. The olive oil cake is particularly lovely.

Walk-ins only.

An oasis in the heart of midtown, Lodi mills its own flour each day, and you can taste it in the quality of their baked goods. Reservations can be made all day, starting at 8 a.m., which means you should go early and order the light-as-air bombolone and maritozzo con panna. Later in the day, the colossal, three-ingredient fior di latte gelato with chocolate salami is an absolute dream.

Chef Eunji Lee’s pastry boutique and cafe in the Flatiron district offers some of the most stunning and thoughtfully crafted desserts in the city. Reservations are available for dining in, and they’ve recently added wine pairings to the menu, too. For to-go options, the viennoiserie are outstanding, especially the pain au chocolat and kouign amann, and the corn mousse cake is iconic for a reason.

You can’t go wrong with anything at Mah-Ze-Dahr, now with three locations in the city. Their cinnamon rolls, only offered on the weekends, are heavenly, and worth an earlier wakeup call. Their butter croissant, Devil in Ganache chocolate cake, dark chocolate explosion cookies, and light and fluffy cheesecake are also standouts.

Walk-ins only.

Combining European-style pastries with Japanese flavors, Patisserie Tomoko creates exquisite pastries and desserts in Williamsburg. Keep an eye out for the salty caramel nut tart, chestnut tart, or any of their chewy mochis. In the summertime, the ice cream sundaes are delightful.

Walk-ins only.

If you’re in Prospect Heights, you’ll want to stop by Patti Ann’s in the morning for their homemade pastries. Their pastry offerings rotate fairly often, but the maple cruller is a particular highlight and, lucky for us, it’s a menu staple. The double chocolate chip cookie is one of the most buttery and gooey, not to mention largest in the city, and it’s also offered at sister restaurant Five Acres at Rock Center. If you’re at Patti Ann’s for brunch, make sure to order the pastry basket to sample an assortment of their baked goods.

Walk-ins only.

From the team behind Rolo’s, highly anticipated Radio Bakery in Greenpoint lives up to the hype, turning out glorious versions of your favorite laminated pastries, baked goods, breads, and sandwiches. When you step inside, you’ll see the bakers hard at work and immediately be hit with the irresistible smell of freshly baked breads and pastries. You can’t go wrong with any of the selections here, but don’t miss their seasonal danishes or any of the focaccias. Oh, and the spicy muffuletta is also not to be missed.

Walk-ins only.

Pastry chef Camari Mick’s stunning pastries are on full display and primed for the taking from the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, over at Raf’s. The expertly laminated pastries are a reflection of Mick’s many years of pastry experience, and it’ll be hard to choose between all of the delightful croissant offerings. There’s also a solid selection of breads, from focaccia and baguettes to pain au lait. P.S. At dinner, you’ll want to come back at night for the irresistible caramelized white chocolate budino and sleek chocolate torte.

Michelin-starred One White Street has a neighborhood market available everyday outside their restaurant in Tribeca, ideal for a quick bite or grab-and-go options. Don’t sleep on their ham-and-cheese croissant, hazelnut croissant, (or really any of their croissants), and pick up some gorgeous produce from Rigor Hill Farm while you’re at it. They bake some of the best muffins around, and their loaves of bread, sold by the half or whole loaf, are delicious.

Walk-ins only.

Just across the street from sister restaurant Win Son, Win Son Bakery has an extensive sweet and savory menu, putting out exemplary versions of Taiwanese American treats like bolo bao (pineapple buns) and egg custard tarts. The egg-and-cheese scallion pancake sandwich, both donut selections, and the red date cake (a true sleeper hit), are all excellent.

Walk-ins only.

This Tex-Mex hot spot, known for their fresh pressed-to-order flour tortillas and unbeatable tacos has an equally impressive pastry menu of kolaches, donuts, and cake slabs, where the flavors change seasonally. If they have it on the menu, the Texas sheet cake is one of the most outstanding desserts in the city, and you would be remiss not to order it. Keep an eye out on Instagram for pastry specials.