The best bakeries in NYC in 2026 are Levain Bakery for giant chocolate chip walnut cookies, Dominique Ansel Bakery for the original Cronut, Breads Bakery for chocolate babka and Radio Bakery in Greenpoint for pastries. Magnolia's banana pudding, Supermoon's croissants and William Greenberg's black and whites are the other must-tries.
Six-ounce, molten-centred cookies that people queue for.
Levain started in a basement on West 74th Street in 1995 and became famous for its enormous, thick cookies — the chocolate chip walnut above all — crisp outside and gooey in the middle.
It now has several locations, but the original Upper West Side shop is still the one people line up at.
Good to know: One cookie is plenty for two people.
167 W 74th St, New York, NY
Home of the original Cronut, with a new flavor every month.
Pastry chef Dominique Ansel's SoHo bakery invented the Cronut in 2013, and it still sells the original, made in a new flavor each month, alongside DKA (a caramelized croissant) and frozen s'mores.
Cronuts are made in limited numbers each day.
Good to know: Pre-order Cronuts online, or arrive early.
189 Spring St, New York, NY
The chocolate babka New Yorkers argue is the city's best.
Breads Bakery was opened near Union Square by Israeli baker Uri Scheft, and its laminated chocolate babka quickly became one of the most famous pastries in the city. It also bakes rugelach, challah and excellent breads.
It has several Manhattan locations.
Good to know: Buy a whole babka to take home — it travels well.
The Brooklyn pastry shop with the city's most talked-about croissants and lines.
Radio Bakery in Greenpoint became one of New York's hottest bakeries almost overnight, with inventive croissants, laminated pastries and breads that sell out daily.
Expect a line, especially on weekends.
Good to know: Weekday mornings have the shortest line.
The banana pudding and cupcakes made famous by Sex and the City.
Magnolia Bakery's original shop on Bleecker Street became famous after an appearance in Sex and the City, and its banana pudding and cupcakes are now sold at locations across the city.
The banana pudding, more than the cupcakes, is the real reason to go.
Good to know: Order the classic banana pudding.
401 Bleecker St, New York, NY
Eye-catching, inventive croissants and cruffins.
Supermoon Bakehouse, on the Lower East Side, makes visually striking croissants and cruffins with flavors that change constantly.
It is a fun stop on a Lower East Side walk.
Good to know: Check social media for the current flavor drop.
Kosher black and white cookies and babka from a bakery with nearly 80 years of history.
William Greenberg Desserts is famous for the classic New York black and white cookie, plus babka, schnecken and hamantaschen.
It is kosher-certified, with shops on Madison Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue.
Good to know: Mini black and whites make a good gift.
1100 Madison Ave, New York, NY
The Cronut is a croissant-doughnut hybrid invented by pastry chef Dominique Ansel at his SoHo bakery in 2013. It sparked lines around the block and endless imitations; the original, with a new flavor each month, is still sold there.
William Greenberg Desserts is kosher-certified. For more, see our guide to the best kosher bakeries in Manhattan.