Who can resist Breads Bakery’s babka?
The Upper West Side is chock full of awesome bakeries. That’s why the neighborhood smells so great, except when the wind is blowing in from New Jersey.
Eater recognized four of those bakeries in a recent list of their 15 favorite bakeries in the city.
Recolte: This new bakery at 300 Amsterdam Avenue (74th) was opened by chef Peng-Chieh Wang, who “incorporates softer Japanese flours into some breads and pastries to achieve an airier texture. The flavor of the butter and fruit shines through sugared brioche sprinkled with cherries or layered with pears.”
Orwasher’s: The bakery at 81st and Amsterdam “is best known for its rugelach, pumpernickel bread, spelt loaves, jelly doughnuts, and black-and-white cookies, but don’t miss the sticky-bun babka, chocolate croissants, seeded bagels, glazed doughnuts, turnovers, or cherry cheese strudel — it’s some of the best in the city.”
Epicerie Boulud: The pastry chefs at the store on 64th and Broadway aren’t “afraid to experiment: The inside of his chocolate-raspberry croissant is plump with dark chocolate cream while the outside is a spiral of hot pink, making it an Instagram sensation.”
Breads Bakery: The chain has an outlet at 63rd and Broadway. “Breads’ babka has become a new pastry icon in a city full of black-and-white cookies and wedges of cheesecake.”
There are, of course, lots more great bakeries in the neighborhood, including Pain d’Epices at 104 West 70th Street; La Toulousaine at 942 Amsterdam (106th Street) and of course Levain at 167 West 74th Street and 351 Amsterdam (77th). Add your favorites in the comments.
Silver Moon at Broadway and 105th!
Yes! Love Silver Moon. The best challah.
Love Silver Moon but Mid-$30’s for an Apple Pie is absurd
Absolutely! Silver Moon is top notch, super friendly, and not as arrogant as some of these overpriced pretend-places like Orwasher’s.
Orwashers has the most delicious bagels I’ve ever had, the sesame is my favorite. Their dill cream cheese is incredible. For Breads Bakery, their Jerusalem baguettes are stunning, as is of course, the babka. I need these places to “Calgon Take Me Away!” from the inane spectacle that is the “Women’s March”.
… and their baguette is burned, overpriced and hard as a brick.
so untrue, you sound like a bitter competitor.
…but you sound plain old bitter.
did you mean a plain bagel with butter?
Nope, just someone who expects top quality for paying top dollar. And fact is others have better baguettes.
Wow! For a minute there I thought you were going to post something completely positive. Should’ve known better.
I agree with Ted–I had to check to make sure it was actually an UWSHebrew post I was reading. Well, it doesn’t surprise me that someone who’s a misanthrope is also against the Women’s March. The rest of us will use WSR as a forum to discuss our neighborhood and bond over it. UWSHebrew can continue to use it as a platform on which to be anti-everything (except for the things s/he likes, of course). The rest of us shall take the high road. Again.
WSR banned comments for their Women’s March article, I had to be the voice for the voiceless…
Silver Moon!!
Georgia & Aliou’s Tiny Treats
616 AMSTERDAM AVENUE (BETWEEN WEST 89TH & 90TH ST), NEW YORK, NY 10024
We’ve had very good experiences ordering cakes of several varieties, all delicious and lovely to present as well.
I second Georgia & Aliou’s!
I’m still waiting for an Italian bakery to replace Cafe La Fortuna that used to be on 71st near Columbus. All of these other bakeries seem alike to me and are rather expensive. And there are so many French ones in the 70s, sometimes two on one block.
What a great article. These bakeries are among the best anywhere in the world and they are right on the west side.
“Except when the wind blows in from NJ”
Haha I drive to Balthazar in Englewood. Much less expensive for similar quality. Smells great too.
And the gas and tolls don’t cancel out that savings?
I do other errands in NJ in addition to hitting Balthazar. The tolls are fully paid for, trust me.
Silver Moon!
Birdbath cannot be overlooked.
You forgot (and so did Eater): Silver Moon on Broadway and 105th!
Maison Kayser is my favorite. Their croissants are unbeatable and their breads are perfect.
Their baguettes (regular and olive) are by far the best of any!
We love Kirsch. Amsterdam Ave 87st. Wonderful milk bread as well as other delicious food
https://kirsh.nyc/
Love Kirsch. Their mini-baguettes (flutes) in multigrain with sesame seeds or coarse salt, & potato flour flute, milk bread, and sweets, too, such as bread pudding, are just delicious. The staff is lovely too.
The seeded sour dough bread…OMG
Silver Moon and Orwashers are off my list of neighborhood bakeries. The customer service at Silver Moon is poor. The children behind the counter don’t know where they are. Orwashers is only slightly better.
Have to say, no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to service at Silver Moon. I’ve always found the staff to be perfectly pleasant and accommodating, and doing their best to move along (deserved) long lines.
Don’t forget Mille-feuille… best croissants I’ve found in the neighborhood!
At Mille-feuille – a uniquely beautiful and delicious favorite of mine is ISPAHAN,a
large macaron filled with raspberries and Lychee with a delicate rose cream – in both individual and large size – a true wonder. Also a great lemon tart. They serve lunch, too but I have not had that pleasure.
I love recolte. I ordered a dozen croissants from them for an event and they packaged them beautifully. I stop in frequently and everything is always delicious. Coffee is good, too.
eric kayser on broadway at 75th is good, and exactly comparable, i think, to any of kayser’s branches in paris, though i have never seen a buckwheat baguette in a paris branch.
Agree Kayser’s baguettes are the best I’ve had west. If Paris.
Silver Moon!
Silver Moon!
Ahm, Orwasher’s I knew from some charity doing….Bon appetit : for Levain; &, Pain d’Epices, &, La Toulousaine. Who speaks French language w/Toulouse variety, in N.Y.C. ? Save family farms & family ranches. G.A.T.T. may harm some of France’s family farms. Any Chinese red bean buns ? England’s baps, sticky buns, simnel cake ?
Pain d’Epices is the absolute best for cookies, cakes, and pastries. Their quality is first rate and so is the chef and his friendly staff. I don’t go anywhere else.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
The Chocolate Babka at Bread’s Bakery is mouth-watering and hard not to finish in one sitting (with the help of my husband ; ) The buttery crispy croissants at Recolte remind me of the ones I used to eat when I had the marvelous luck of living in Paris. Now, I have the extraordinary joy of being a New Yorker and easy access to these four fabulous bakeries
Patisserie Margot on 74th street off Broadway in the Ansonia
Best croissants
How about listing bakeries that carry non gluten breads? I cannot eat bread but I am always looking for bakeries that carry non gluten bread. I know they exist but where are they? I live on the UWS and will go a long way to find them. The only one I know of is at Le Pain Quotidien.
Thanks, suzielub@rcn.com
By the Way bakery on Broadway and low ninety(s) is Gluten Free
Don’t forget Maison Kaiser-wonderful breads and pastries!
Since Fairway discontinued Seeded Certified Rye about a year ago, Orwasher’s is our go-to source for Seeded New York Rye. A more expensive and smaller loaf but very very good.
how could Blue Moon NOT be on this list?
I think the croissants at Mille Feuille are the best on the upper west side—-flaky and buttery!!! Everything there is wonderful.
Yes, Virginia, there is a sweet haven above 105. If you are at Columbia or the Cathedral, you must stop over at the HUNGARIAN PASTRY SHOP. A fixture for decades, the in-house pastries are transcentdentalal. You will be similarly speech impaired after one of their original creations. Dedicated artworks by Yanni.
YES YES YES! The pastry shop is heaven!
La Toulousaine have the greatest croissants and baguettes in the city. Eater are fools for not including it. Way way better than Balthazar.
Kirsch at 87th and Amsterdam!
Maison Kayser and Bouchon Bakery are hands down the best!!! Grandaisy was also great and Mille-Feuille is better than any of the other bakeries on this list!
Let’s not leave out Silver Moon on Bway off 105. Much better than La Toulousaine.
Silver Moon!
Still in search of a rye bread like we used to get from a delicatessen when ordering a pastrami or corned beef sandwich. Fine & Schapiro sells it by the slice but a total loaf is hard to come by. Any suggestions?
Rob, the rye bread with caraway seeds at Breads is excellent (as well as their olve bread).
Hungarian Pastry Shop at 111th & Amsterdam. Unparalleled.
Pain d’Epices! Excellent challah, croissants and of course the gingerbread.
Serious OMIT! Mille-Feuille B’way&77th in the Belleclaire
I love orwasher’s! It’s a wonderful neighborhood gem.
And don’t forget Keyser at Columbus Circle. They have the best baguettes!
I will always miss Cafe la Fortuna.
All of these places mentioned are quite good but we also need to include the bakery sales shop on the second floor of Citarella. I normally like to restrict myself to places that bake on site but Citarella’s fancy cakes are the best I’ve seen on the UWS. (My favorite cake there is the “Maracaibo”)
Silver Moon BAkery on 105th and Broadway has delicious baguettes with dates and figs. Their biscotti is good and a large selection of loafs of breads.
La Toulousaine at 942 Amsterdam (106th Street) for CAKES for an occasion, so special, and reasonably priced
Silver Moon
you have forgotten Maison Kayser at Broadway and 75th which makes the best brioche au sucre and the best baguette in town
There hasn’t been a good bakery on the UWS since the closing of Royale on W. 72nd street.
And what about silver moon!!!!
Pain Quotidien has the best multi-grain bread I’ve ever had. (But if you create a run on it and I can’t get it anymore, I’ll regret spilling the beans on this.)
Pain d’epices on west 70th is an absolute neighborhood favorite! These are the cookies you’ll want to send in a package to the kids away in school! The cakes are always a big hit for friends and family! Best of all, Ali and Biba have been providing Love to the neighborhood all these years with their coffee shop The muffin shop on Columbus Avenue around the corner.
Kirsch Bakery on Amsterdam Ave and west 87th is lovely for their baked breads and biscotti! A perfect place for brunch, lunch or dinner.
Pain d’Epices has the best croissants I’ve had outside of France. Lovely little shop.