A weekend vacation in New York City means dessert 3x a day, right?
This past weekend was a sugar fueled joy-ride, propelled by lots of buzzy city energy and cold brew coffees. New York City is truly a foodie’s playground. When my mom announced to me that she wanted to end the summer with a girls trip to NYC, I immediately got to googlin’ to curate a list of all the insta-famous, drool-worthy desserts I just HAD to eat. While exploring every nook and cranny of Manhattan, we were able to pop into some of the best bakeries, cakeries, creameries, and dough-nutteries in all of the city, nay, COUNTRY. In a three and a half day span, we managed to eat at 8 different dessert spots. Some may call this excessive, I call it investigative. #science
While each spot was unique and wonderful in its own right, I decided to be #extra helpful and set up a little @mads.eatz ranking system. Just to be clear, #1 is the best of the best and #8 is the well, not. Let me tell you, trying to rank these places felt kinda like picking a favorite child. You love them all equally, but in the end, there is always one ya like just a lil’ bit more. Fun Fact: I am definitely the favorite child. (Love you mom & dad!!!) I proudly stand behind these ranking (& I think you would too) after reading about, dreaming about, and finally eating at all of these picture-perfect dessert destinations.
SO, without further ado, I present…
Sweet Treats of NYC:
A dessert-lovers guide to conquering Manhattan
#1 : Strawberry Shortcake & Banana Nutella Cake | Little Cupcake Bakeshop | Nolita
I would like to thank the one and only @foodbabyny for posting so many drool-worthy pictures of this bakeries big ol’ slices of cake. Making a trip to the Nolita neighborhood specifically for this shop was probably our best decision of the entire trip. We ordered not one, but two phat slices of cake. Before even walking into the shop, I knew I wanted a piece of the Strawberry Shortcake-cake, but the moment I laid eyes on their Banana Nutella cake, it kinda felt like destiny was calling. And man, did the damn thing answer. What two perfectly executed, yet drastically different cake slices. The Strawberry Shortcake was light, uber-moist, and coated in what I am 95% positive is the outer layer of strawberry crunch ice cream bars. You got some crunchy, you got some creamy, you got some subtle hints of strawberry, vanilla, and what I am guessing heaven tastes like? It was perfect and I loved it so. Now on the totally opposite end of the cake spectrum sat the Banana Nutella cake. To me, the cake seemed like the best possible version of a dense-slice of banana bread. It was loaded with an absurd amount of mini chocolate chips and coated in the creamiest Nutella frosting you have ever eaten in your life. My favorite part of the entire experience was sitting in the hotel bed, passing the slices back & forth, while resting our feet from a day filled with 25,000+ steps. What can I say, we had a lot to see and even more to eat.
#2 : Birthday Cake | Milkbar Store | Chelsea
I needed, not wanted, to stop at this oh-so-famous NYC bakery because the chef, founder, & owner Christina Tosi is an absolute bad-ass baker and one of my idols. (Fun Fact: My biggest idol is Guy Fieri. If I could be anyone, I would choose to be him. My dream job is to be the mayor of Flavortown) These bakeries are sprinkled all over Manhattan, so if you find yourself in need of a slice of birthday cake at a moment’s notice, plug it in to your maps and I can almost guarantee you there is one a block-or-two away. Taking a bite of this cake felt like diving back into the warm & fuzzy memories of childhood, with added rainbow sprinkles. It was similar to the box funfetti cake we all know and love, but better. The icing-to-cake ratio was absolutely perfect, just like this cake.
#3 : Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie | Levain Bakery | Upper West Side
If you follow even one NYC-related foodstagram, you have read about & seen one of the infamously-dense Levain Cookies. Oprah even named them as one of her Favorite Things, which basically means they made it BIG time. We stopped at their OG location on the UWS after exploring the American Museum of Natural History. It was roughly 3 o’clock on a Friday and a line creeping out the door could be spotted down the block. The line moved quickly though, and we managed to yell across the counter that we wanted one of the signature Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies & I panic-picked the deliciously-decadent looking Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie (say that 3x fast). There was zero elbow room on the small interior of the bakery to pop-a-squat, so we hustled down the block a way to Blue Bottle Coffee to grab a seat, a cappuccino, and to dig into our purchase. Firstly, we cracked open the Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie. Y’all, it was still warm. I repeat, the cookie was still warm. The chocolate chip chunks were the perfect amount of sweet-gooeyness in comparison to the crunch and crisp of the exterior of the cookie and the walnuts. I really, really, really, liked this cookie, but I did not love it. I did however L-O-V-E the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie. Normally, I am not a fan of double chocolate anything. I do not like chocolate ice cream, and chocolate cake is never my first choices (unless its Portillo’s). Eating this cookie may have changed my entire outlook on how much chocolate is too much chocolate. Basically, the limit does not exist. It gave me all the brownie vibes in the best way possible and had me going back for one bite, and then another, until my poor little cookie baby was gone. I gotta give it up to Levain, the hype is well-deserved. (Fun Fact: the best cookie I have ever eaten was the Pistachio Toffee Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie from Gideon’s Bakehouse in Orlando, FL. Levain was a very, very close second)
#4 : “PB Wins The Cup” Ice Cream | Ample Hills Creamery | Chelsea
I have had Ample Hills Creamery on my radar for a couple years now. I have stalked them on Instagram, almost ordered a couple flavors online a time or two, and knew that we had to hit it up the moment we decided to venture to the Big Apple. I love ice cream and had very very high expectations upon arrival at this creamery. I was absolutely in no way disappointed. This spot would have been ranked even higher on this list, but I love really damn good cake even more than I love ice cream. I ordered a scoop of “PB Wins the Cup” & “Nonna D’s Oatmeal Lace” on a sugar cone. I was super sad about the fact that they didn’t have homemade waffle cones because that is basically 99% of the reason I enjoy ice cream so much. “PB Wins the Cup” was by far the superior flavor between the two that I chose. This vanilla-based ice cream had massive chunks of homemade PB cup in it, interlaced with even more chocolate flakes. I think the coolest thing about Ample Hills is that they are as much a bakery as they are a creamery. Basically all of their mix-ins are homemade and bursting through in every bite. They truly give you an ample (lol) amount of mix-ins. If this shop had had homemade waffle cones, it would have been my #1.
#5 : Blueberry Lemon Doughnut | Dough Doughnuts | Flatiron
While I have only been alive for 22 years, I can almost guarantee that I have eaten more doughnuts than you. Swear. My awesome auntie bought me a New York Doughnut Map so of course, I had to make a pit stop. At this point, I should just go ahead make it a life goal to eat a donut in every state. Any who, back to the doughnut. On our way to peer in the window at Kleinfeld’s Bridal (the “Say Yes to the Dress” boutique), I spotted a large sign with the word “Dough” on it. Being the dough-loving gal, I am, I was thoroughly intrigued. I whipped out the doughnut map and Dough just happened to be on the list. We strolled inside, ordered two of their seasonal doughnuts and took a seat. Mind you, this was just after having brunch at abcV, the vegan branch of the ABC home restaurants. Nothing quite says health-forward breakfast like finishing it off with a deep-fried dough hole. I picked out the seasonal blueberry lemon doughnut. It was a very well-executed yeast doughnut, but nothing to write home about. Despite my donut-snobbery coming out, I still ate basically every bite of it, so that says something about the perfection in simplicity. I can, with certainty, say that I thoroughly enjoyed their brioche-style dough that created a perfectly airy (yet somehow dense??) texture that I am oh-so all about. I can now officially cross NYC off my list of donut conquests.
#6 : “I Gotta The Panna Cotta” Rice Pudding| Rice to Riches | Nolita
If Momma Eats was the curator of this list, I am 100% positive Rice to Riches would have been her #1 spot. If you are a rice pudding fan, listen up. One of my mom’s favorite desserts in the world is rice pudding. My least favorite dessert in the world is rice pudding. So, we compromised. I sipped on a Bluestone Lane iced coffee while she nibbled on the “I Gotta The Panna Cotta” Rice Pudding with Oatmeal Coconut Crumble topping. This shop space is WILD. It sorta feels like you are stepping into a space shuttle propelled by sarcastic humor, lots of bright lights, and an absurd amount of rice pudding flavors. I am talking 21 different kinds, followed by 8 varying toppings choices. All 21 flavors are made using the same recipe base: milk, rice, sugar, eggs, and cream, with additions of real and all-natural ingredients to create the unique flavors. So basically, if you are lactose-intolerant or vegan, I would 10/10 not recommend this place. But, if you do like rice pudding, this is the place for you. My mom, who I would boldly claim is a rice pudding expert, declared this to be the “best rice pudding she has ever had”. (PS: s/o to a friend of mine @kdaus_ for the stellar dessert recommendations, you’re awesome!!)
#7 : Signature Mille Crepes Cake | Lady M Cake Boutique | Midtown
This dainty dessert just happened to be the first sweet eat of our NYC trip. After an early flight in on Friday morning, we decided to brunch at the Plaza Food Hall because Eloise lived there, duh. (Fun Fact: I probably watched the Eloise at The Plaza movie roughly 1,000 times when I was little. I was very jealous of that penthouse-residing 6-year-old) We enjoyed a very random assortment of lunch goodies at the Todd English Food Hall within the Plaza Food Hall (inception, I know) and then decided that we just had to try one of these layered crepe cakes. I am pretty positive the reason I was so intrigued by these cakes is due to the fact that people shooting ASMR videos are always eating them. I am one of those weirdos that lives for ASMR videos. Whoops, I outed myself. Ok, back to the cake. We picked out the signature mille crepes cake because if you are trying something for the first time, it is safe to assume something with “signature” in the title is gonna be pretty good. This cake was a bit peculiar. If you were not aware, crepe cakes are exactly what they sound like. Layer after layer of crepe is stacked upon one another, separated by a thin vail of whipped cream or other filling. The texture of this particular cake was intriguing, but the flavor seemed to be lacking any sort of depth. It was an interesting experience and I am very glad we tried it (living my ASMR dream), but I would probably not go out of my way for it again. I’ll take my crepes from a street vendor, stuffed with Nutella and strawberries, thank you very much.
#8 : Apple Cider Doughnut | Union Square Greenmarket | Union Square
Let me start by saying this doughnut was nothing to write home about. I took one bite, gave it a solid 4/10, and went on with my day. The only reason I am even including this doughnut in my list is because of the Union Square Greenmarket. If you have not noticed already, I live and breathe all things Farmers Markets. This market was a produce-filled, farm-to-table oasis in the middle of Manhattan on a beautiful Saturday morning. I am 99% positive the very mediocre doughnut tasted better simply due to where it was eaten. Aside, from the doughnut, I picked up a jar of local honey harvested from an NYC rooftop hive. Rooftop beehives seem to be the trend in NYC currently and I am all about it. Save those bees, baby.
So, there you have it. I hope these reviews and recommendations give you some semblance of direction on your next trip to New York City. I actually do not know how we were physically able try so many different spots in such a short period of time. I kinda feel like we may have broken some sort of land speed record. Also, I would like to give a special shoutout to Momma Eats for always being down for a foodie-filled adventure. You have shaped me into the bold, dessert-loving explorer I am today. What can I say, we love desserts and they love us back.
Let me know what you think of this list, & if you have any questions or ideas for what other places I should try next! As always, tag away on the ‘gram @mads.eatz & don’t forget, dessert is always the most important meal of the day.
XOXO,
Mads
