5 Local Bakeries That I Always Go To In NYC

In times of economic uncertainty, there is often a noticeable increase in sales for smaller luxury items: perfumes, coffees, and of course, sweet little treats from your local bakery. New York City is not, generally speaking, the place to be if you want to save money on food, but if it's baked goods you're after, you're in luck. There are hundreds of bakeries across the five boroughs, all serving up decadent cookies and finely-crafted pastries; heck, even the churros you can buy in some subway stations will rock your world if you're in the right mood.

As much as we all love Milk Bar (and its Milk Bar Pie) and Le Pain Quotidien, sometimes you want to eat something you can't get in Los Angeles or Dubai. With that in mind, I drew upon my years of visiting New York City (I live on Long Island, right outside Queens, but visit the city on a weekly basis and have noshed at plenty of bakeries over the years) and assembled this list of five terrific local bakeries. Most of these are on the newer side, but that's not to say I haven't been to the Levains and Magnolias of the world — far from it. It's an opportunity to highlight some great places that will still be here when you arrive. 

By "local," I don't necessarily mean obscure: New Yorkers may very well have heard of these bakeries before. But if you live outside the city and want to try them for yourself, you'll have to take a bite of the Big Apple.

The Pastry Box is aptly named, in the sense that you'll feel like you're enclosed in one as soon as you set foot inside. It may be a tiny store, but it's known for its truly enormous chocolate chip cookies: Coming in at ¼ of a pound, they're the sort of cookies you need both hands to eat. But goodness gracious, are they worth it. Lakes of molten chocolate ooze across the surface of each chewy-yet-yielding golden brown cookie, topped off with a careful sprinkle of sea salt. Levain may get all the press, but no list of the best chocolate chip cookies in New York is complete without The Pastry Box's offering.

When an eatery has one truly outstanding item, it sometimes lets the rest of the menu become an afterthought; happily, this is not the case with The Pastry Box. Just about everything it sells is as memorable as the chocolate chip cookies, from its sweet, modest brown butter cookies to its crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth yuzu olive oil loaf cake. On the weekends, there are even doughnuts for sale — but you better get there early before they sell out.

Opened by Gramercy Tavern alum Miro Uskokovic and his wife Shilpa, Hani's is named after Miro's late mother, who longed to run a bakery but never got the chance. "Hani" is pronounced like "honey", so it's only fitting that this East Village bakery's best dish is its medovik, or Russian honey cake. Alternating between layers of crumbled honey cookies and sour cream-based frosting, the cake knocks you over with a feather: Its airy texture and delicate flavor makes you want to sit down and give each bite your full attention.

If you'd prefer something heartier, go for Hani's cinnamon buns, which are coated in a sour cream frosting and are approximately the size of a toddler's head, or one of its savory options, like the flaky, cheesy paneer tikka pinwheels. If you're lucky, you might even get a free item with your order if something tasty just finished baking. There will almost certainly be a line outside, but don't worry about it too much — the line moves quickly, and you'll be able to go right in and order from the counter when you're ready.

No list of the best bakeries in New York City would be complete without an old-school Jewish joint, and William Greenberg Desserts would earn its place on this list with just one menu item: its justifiably famous black and white cookies. Although William Greenberg didn't invent the iconic New York treat, its version is good enough to get an endorsement from none other than Ina Garten. Before I tried a black and white from William Greenberg, I had only ever eaten the chalky, mass-produced cookies which were barely a step above those frosted sugar cookies from the grocery store; by the time the cakey texture and sweet, mellow vanilla flavor hit, I learned what I had been missing all that time.

It helps to go into William Greenberg with a plan, as the myriad of treats teeming beneath the glass display case will quickly cause decision paralysis. You won't go wrong with their individually wrapped brownies, which are mild and lovely; nor will you regret trying their fluffy, tender rugelach, which comes in several different flavors, with chocolate being the best of them.

You may have heard of the BonBon Swedish Candy Co., the New York-based candy store which went viral on social media thanks to its eclectic array of sweets. But you may not know that the team behind BonBon opened Ferrane, a bakery in Brooklyn Heights, and one which is just as worthy as their candy stores. With a name nodding to the shared Swedish-Moroccan heritage of its founders ("ferrane" means "oven" in Moroccan), Ferrane offers an assortment of sweet treats and hearty breads for you to enjoy as you sit in the cozy, welcoming seating area. Now that's what we call hygge! (Wait, hold on — that's Danish. Never mind.) 

Depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have, you'll find something to your taste at Ferrane. Probably their most eye-catching menu item is their princess cake, a trendy concoction of sponge cake and whipped cream encased in a cute little marzipan eggshell. But although it's immaculately crafted and quite tasty, it's a little too fussy for my taste; I much prefer a slice or two of sirapslimpa, a hearty, sweet-and-savory bread enriched with molasses. Their icing-free cinnamon rolls, enhanced with cardamom, are also excellent.

To paraphrase Chappell Roan, Brooklyn Granary & Mill may well be your favorite bakery's favorite bakery. As New York City's only operating flour mill, it supplies grains to a number of bakeries in the area, including at least one — Ferrane — on this very list. But they're more than just a wholesaler: Brooklyn Granary also offers a wide range of seasonal breads and pastries for the discerning customer to enjoy.

Brooklyn Granary & Mill operates on a specific schedule, meaning it doesn't serve everything all the time. If you're after a croissant on a Wednesday, you'd better come back tomorrow, friendo. Thankfully, though, you can get one of its beloved "biscones" (or a biscuit/scone hybrid) any day of the week. As far as viral pastry Frankensteins go, it's not as flashy as a cronut, but it's so dense and flaky and buttery that it makes you want to call someone and tell them the good news. Not only that, but Brooklyn Granary makes use of ancient grains, including an einkorn loaf that can only be described as "bass-boosted bread."