Best Pastries in NYC: Croissants, Babka & More (2026)
The best pastries in NYC right now span four obsessions — flaky croissants, frosted cinnamon rolls, classic cupcakes, and chocolate-veined babka — and the ten bakeries below nail at least one of them cold. L’Appartement 4F in Brooklyn Heights pulls crackly, butter-heavy croissants that people queue down the block for. Breads Bakery off Union Square bakes the chocolate babka New York Magazine called the city’s best, at $14.95 a loaf. Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street has been swirling buttercream onto cupcakes since 1996. This is our running list of where to actually eat well across all four categories — viral drops, century-old institutions, and the spots worth standing in line for.
Quick reference: 10 bakeries across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Most pastries run $4–$8; a babka loaf is $13–$16. Croissants and cruffins sell out fastest — go before noon on weekends. Don’t-miss pick: the chocolate babka at Breads Bakery.
The Best Pastries in NYC Right Now
L’Appartement 4F
Cult French bakery · 115 Montague St, Brooklyn Heights (plus a West Village window)
What started as a pandemic pop-up out of apartment 4F is now the croissant most NYC pastry obsessives name first. The plain croissant is crackly outside and stretchy inside; the almond version bakes Nutella into the layers. Regulars also come for the tahini chocolate chip cookies, the kouign-amann, and a cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting that gets called divine more than it has any right to. The Brooklyn Heights shop is a two-story stunner; the West Village takeout window on Little West 12th Street moves faster. Either way, expect a line down the block on weekends.
Breads Bakery
Babka, full stop · 18 E 16th St, off Union Square
Breads put babka on the modern NYC map when it opened in 2012, and its chocolate version — spread with a blend of Nutella and dark chocolate, baked fresh several times a day — has been voted the city’s best by New York Magazine. A loaf runs $14.95, or two for $22. There’s also an old-school cinnamon babka with currants and walnuts, plus Parisian croissants, rugelach, and a seasonal cheesecake babka. With locations in Union Square, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, and uptown, it’s the rare spot where the line moves and the quality holds.
Supermoon Bakehouse
Lab-grade laminated pastry · 120 Rivington St, Lower East Side
Supermoon invented the cruffin and never stopped tinkering. The menu rotates monthly through croissants, cruffins, éclairs, and doughnuts in flavors that lean tropical and Southeast Asian — pandan kaya, ube, yuzu, banana split. Everything is technically flawless, which is the point: this is the place for people who get nerdy about lamination. They run weekly pastry drops with swaggy packaging, so weekend lines are long and the best items sell out by early afternoon. Open 8am to 10pm, seven days a week, which is later than almost any serious bakery in the city.
Magnolia Bakery
The original cupcake icon · 401 Bleecker St, West Village
The 1996 corner shop that helped kick off the whole cupcake craze still does the classics better than the imitators: soft vanilla or chocolate cake under a thick swirl of pastel buttercream, not too sweet. Yes, it’s on every tourist’s list — go anyway, ideally to the original Bleecker Street location rather than the busier Rockefeller outpost. While you’re there, the banana pudding (from $5) is the actual sleeper hit, a layered cup of cookies, banana, and cream that locals quietly rate above the cupcakes.
Ole & Steen
Danish cinnamon perfection · 873 Broadway, Union Square (plus multiple)
Known as Lagkagehuset back in Denmark, Ole & Steen makes the Cinnamon Social — a coiled, custard-laced cinnamon pastry that staff call their most labor-intensive and most popular item, and it shows. If you want something flakier, the Cinnamon Swirl layers cinnamon paste, vanilla custard, and icing. The Scandinavian café setup also does soups and sandwiches, so it’s an easy all-day stop. With locations around Union Square, Flatiron, Bryant Park, Tribeca, and the Upper East Side, there’s usually one near wherever you are.
Russ & Daughters
Appetizing institution since 1914 · 179 E Houston St, Lower East Side
The century-old Lower East Side appetizing shop is better known for lox, but its chocolate babka belongs in any serious pastry conversation — dense, marbled, and the foundation for their cult babka ice cream sandwich. Round out the order with rugelach and a proper black-and-white cookie, two more NYC classics done right. The Houston Street counter is the move for grab-and-go; the nearby café does sit-down. It was Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s favorite, which tells you something about its staying power.
Molly’s Cupcakes
Build-your-own, swings at the counter · 228 Bleecker St, West Village
A few doors from Magnolia, Molly’s takes the opposite approach — playful and over-the-top. The Cookie Monster stuffs vanilla chocolate-chip cake with a raw cookie-dough center, then piles on buttercream and a whole cookie. There’s a proper crème brûlée cupcake with torched sugar, plus a build-your-own option where you pick cake, filling, and frosting. Counter seats include actual swings. It’s a little hokey and completely charming, and the cupcakes back it up. Open late on weekends, which makes it a solid post-dinner West Village stop.
Bourke Street Bakery
Sydney import · 15 E 28th St, NoMad
This Australian bakery brought its flaky, layered cinnamon-raisin scroll to NoMad and quietly became a go-to for both pastries and savories. The croissants hold up against the French heavy-hitters, the ginger crème brûlée tart has a following, and the sausage rolls make it an easy lunch stop, not just a sweets run. It’s calmer than the viral spots — no hour-long line — which is part of the appeal when you just want a great pastry and a coffee without the production.
Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery
Weekend cinnamon roll worth planning around · 28 Greenwich Ave, West Village
Mah-Ze-Dahr’s cinnamon roll only shows up on weekends, sitting on a cooling rack by the register with frosting dripping down the sides — flaky-edged dough, deep cinnamon filling, and a cream cheese drizzle that balances it instead of burying it. It’s about as close to the platonic cinnamon roll as the city gets. The rest of the week, the brioche doughnut and the chocolate chip cookies carry the case. Small shop, high standards; come early before the weekend roll sells out.
Little Cupcake Bakeshop
Brooklyn Blackout headquarters · 30 Prince St, NoLita
The NoLita outpost of a Bay Ridge original, Little Cupcake Bakeshop is built around the Brooklyn Blackout — moist chocolate cake, dark chocolate ganache, and a double-chocolate frosting that Food & Wine once named the best chocolate cake in America. It comes as both a cupcake and a full slice. The Mott Street cupcake is their tiramisu riff: espresso-soaked vanilla cake under mascarpone frosting. Everything’s baked on-site in small batches, no shortening or preservatives, in a black-and-white-tiled room that’s easy to linger in.
Best Croissants in NYC
For the best croissants in NYC, start downtown. Lower East Side spot Supermoon Bakehouse is the technical pick — flawless lamination and a rotating cast of cruffins — while L’Appartement 4F’s crackly, butter-forward croissant is the one people cross boroughs for. In NoMad, Bourke Street Bakery quietly turns out croissants that hold up against either. If you only have one stop, go early: croissants are the first thing to sell out at all three. For more downtown grazing before or after, the West Village has a dense run of bakeries and bars within a few blocks.
Best Cinnamon Rolls in NYC
The best cinnamon rolls in NYC split into two camps. The Danish, custard-laced version lives at Ole & Steen near Union Square, where the Cinnamon Social is the headliner. The American, cream-cheese-frosted version peaks at Mah-Ze-Dahr in the West Village — but only on weekends, so plan accordingly. L’Appartement 4F’s cinnamon roll splits the difference with a flaky, French-leaning crumb. Bourke Street’s cinnamon-raisin scroll is the dark horse if you like raisins in the mix. None of these are the mall-style Cinnabon; they’re all worth the extra few dollars.
Best Cupcakes in NYC
For the best cupcakes in NYC, the West Village is the epicenter — Magnolia and Molly’s sit a few doors apart on Bleecker Street and represent opposite philosophies. Magnolia is the restrained classic: soft cake, a clean swirl of buttercream, nothing fussy. Molly’s is maximalist, with stuffed centers, torched crème brûlée tops, and a build-your-own option. Over in NoLita, Little Cupcake Bakeshop counters with the Brooklyn Blackout, a chocolate-on-chocolate monster that doubles as a full cake. Three very different cupcakes, all worth the calories.
Best Chocolate Babka in NYC
The best chocolate babka in NYC comes down to two institutions, both an easy walk apart. Breads Bakery, off Union Square, makes the modern benchmark — Nutella and dark chocolate, baked fresh all day, around $15 a loaf. Russ & Daughters on Houston Street makes the old-guard version, denser and more marbled, and turns it into a babka ice cream sandwich if you’re feeling reckless. While you’re at Russ & Daughters, it’s also one of the city’s great bagel counters — see our guide to the best bagels in NYC.
Best Pastries in NYC by Neighborhood
If you’re mapping a pastry crawl, NYC clusters helpfully. The West Village alone covers Magnolia, Molly’s, and Mah-Ze-Dahr within a few blocks. The Lower East Side pairs Supermoon’s cruffins with Russ & Daughters’ babka. Union Square gives you Breads Bakery and Ole & Steen side by side. For croissants worth a dedicated trip, head to L’Appartement 4F in Brooklyn Heights — start your day there and work back into Manhattan. Most of these spots open by 8am, so a morning crawl beats both the lines and the sellouts.
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Best Pastries in NYC: FAQ
What is the most famous pastry in NYC?
The Suprême croissant and the Cronut both started in NYC, but for everyday fame it’s a tie between Magnolia Bakery’s cupcakes and Breads Bakery’s chocolate babka. The babka, spread with Nutella and dark chocolate and baked fresh all day, has been voted the city’s best by New York Magazine.
Where are the best croissants in NYC?
L’Appartement 4F in Brooklyn Heights and Supermoon Bakehouse on the Lower East Side top most croissant lists. L’Appartement 4F leans classic and butter-heavy; Supermoon leans technical and inventive, with rotating cruffins. Bourke Street Bakery in NoMad is the calmer, no-line alternative. Croissants sell out fastest, so go before noon.
Who has the best babka in NYC?
Breads Bakery near Union Square makes the modern favorite — a chocolate babka voted the city’s best, at about $15 a loaf. Russ & Daughters on the Lower East Side makes the classic, denser version and a famous babka ice cream sandwich. Both are walkable from each other.
What’s the best cinnamon roll in NYC?
For Danish-style, Ole & Steen’s Cinnamon Social is the pick. For an American cream-cheese-frosted roll, Mah-Ze-Dahr in the West Village makes one of the best in the city — but only on weekends, so time your visit. L’Appartement 4F’s flaky French version is a strong third.
Are NYC’s best bakeries expensive?
Most individual pastries run $4–$8, and a babka loaf is $13–$16. The viral items cost more and come with a line. Cupcakes at Magnolia or Molly’s are the cheapest reliable splurge at a few dollars each.
Last updated: June 2026. Deals, hours, and menu items are subject to change — many pastries are baked in limited daily batches and sell out, so confirm with the venue before making a special trip.
More NYC guides: West Village Happy Hour · Lower East Side Happy Hour · Union Square Happy Hour · Best Bagels in NYC · Manhattan Happy Hours · Brooklyn Happy Hours
Salswee is the Flatiron patisserie behind the trompe l’oeil fruit desserts and the viral Flatiron Croissant.
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