Best French bakery spots in NYC for macarons and croissants (2024)

Best French bakery spots in NYC for macarons and croissants (1)

Whether you’re looking for the city’s finest croissant, baguette or macaron, these are New York’s best French bakeries

Written by

Christina Izzo
&
Time Out contributors

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New York has a lot to thank France for—the Statue of Liberty, art museums full of French masterpieces and, yes, plenty of délicieux dessert and bread. Thanks to pastry pros like Eric Kayser, François Payard and Cronuts creator Dominique Ansel, NYC is home to some of the world’s best macarons, tarts and pastries. These aren’t just the best French bakeries in New York—they’re some of the best bakeries in NYC, bar none.

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Best French bakeries in NYC

Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson
1.Bien Cuit
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Boerum Hill
  • price 2 of 4

Philadelphia transplant Zachary Golper, formerly of haute French stalwart Le Bec-Fin, brings his dough-kneading skills to Carroll Gardens. Find traditional European and American breads (pugliese, sourdough) and pastries (croissants, tarts), plus sophisticated savory bites, including a lamb-and-eggplant pizza and a quail-and-tomato breakfast sandwich.

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2.Dominique Ansel Bakery
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Soho
  • price 1 of 4

Dominique Ansel honed his skills as executive pastry chef at Daniel for six years before opening this American and French patisserie. Caramelized croissants, miniature pastel meringues and madeleines—and, of course, the blockbuster Cronut—make up the sweet selections at the counter. But the café also serves savory offerings, like roasted butternut squash soup and a pork club sandwich with pickled eggs, tomatoes and spicy mayo on sourdough.

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3.Francois Payard Bakery
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Greenwich Village
  • price 1 of 4

Pastry pro François Payard makes his first foray into the downtown restaurant scene with this casual bakery and café. The menu includes sandwiches made with the chef’s signature breads, simple salads and, of course, pastries. A glass wall lets customers watch as bakers prepare items like croissants, beignets and seasonal fruit tarts in the spacious open kitchen; stay and eat in the airy, industrial dining room, or grab items to go.

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Photograph: Michael Rudin
4.Maison Kayser
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Lenox Hill

French baker Eric Kayser—whose holdings include more than 20 boulangeries in the City of Light—opens his first stateside café, on the Upper East Side. Nab one of the brass-rimmed marble tables and choose from French breads and pastries (including lemon tarts, brioche and financiers). The 104-seat space is handsomely appointed with wainscotting and light sconces.

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5.Balthazar Bakery
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Soho
  • price 1 of 4

This box-size boulangerie—attached to the iconic Balthazar bistro—does a roaring trade with locals and tourists alike. Its flaky croissants, heavenly pastries and sturdy loaves are deployed as a mark of quality at cafés and restaurants around the city. Look out for the beloved levain, sticky dried-fruit focaccias and a raspberry studded caramel-chocolate tart.

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Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz
6.Lafayette
  • Restaurants
  • French
  • Noho
  • price 2 of 4

The most pleasurable part of eating at Andrew Carmellini’s Noho brasserie just might be raiding pastry chef Jennifer Lee's bakery counter, where cherry-almond frangipane tarts crowd wheels of puff pastry adorned with sweet figs. And don't miss the classicviennoiseries (classic croissants, almond croissants) baked up byJames Belisle, either.

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Photograph: Caroline Voagen Nelson
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Hell's Kitchen
  • price 1 of 4

Superchef Thomas Keller brings his French-style sandwiches, salads and pastries to Rockefeller Center. The classic baguettes are superb, as are sweet treats such as pain au chocolat, chocolate eclairs and macarons.

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Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz
8.Mille-Feuille
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Greenwich Village
  • price 2 of 4

Pierre Herm acolyte Olivier Dessyn, who fell in love with New York City during a vacation here, moved from Paris and opened this humble shop in Greenwich Village in 2014. Inspired by NYU's Elmer Holmes Bobst Library across the street, Dessyn named his patisserie after the mille-feuille, a layered dessert that reminded the toque of a book on its side. The baked goods are all traditional French—macarons , cheese brioche and chocolate sables )—but the real standout is Dessyn's croissant. The iconic crescent-shaped delicacy ranks among the city's best: The crisp, dark-brown shell shatters on the first bite, revealing stretchable layers of silky, buttery pastry.

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Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
9.Épicerie Boulud
  • Restaurants
  • Bakeries
  • Upper West Side

At this glimmering, 1,200-square-foot French deli and market, retail shoppers can stock their home pantries with the world-class specialty goods that chef Daniel Boulud uses at his restaurants. The fresh-baked breads, croissants and macarons are as good as any you'll find in the City of Light.

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Photograph: Virginia Rollison
10.Ladurée Soho
  • Restaurants
  • French
  • Soho
  • price 2 of 4

Modeled after the Champs-Élysées flagship, this downtown outpost from the famed Parisian macaron house functions as both a pastry shop and a full-service restaurant, with a 2,000-square-foot terrace and two private salons. The shop focuses on the brand's confections, including its world-famous and unimpeachable macarons, as well as more elaborate specialty desserts such as plaisirs-sucre and religieuses.

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Looking for more French cuisine in NYC?

Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz
Check out the best French restaurants in NYC
  • Restaurants
  • French

From Midtown brasseries to charming Soho bistros, meet the best French restaurants NYC has to offer

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    Best French bakery spots in NYC for macarons and croissants (2024)

    FAQs

    Best French bakery spots in NYC for macarons and croissants? ›

    My job would have been eliminated no matter what happened.” After closing all of their bakeries in March, Maison Kayser USA declared bankruptcy last September. They have since been bought out by Aurify Brands, which will transform their boutiques into Le Pain Quotidien locations, their former rival.

    What happened to Maison Kayser, NYC? ›

    My job would have been eliminated no matter what happened.” After closing all of their bakeries in March, Maison Kayser USA declared bankruptcy last September. They have since been bought out by Aurify Brands, which will transform their boutiques into Le Pain Quotidien locations, their former rival.

    What is a famous French pastry with a croissant shape? ›

    Kouign-amann is a french pastry with a croissant-like dough, laminated with butter and sugar for a flaky, rich treat with a caramelized outer crust. This is a perfect breakfast pastry or afternoon snack and today we are sharing the recipe.

    How do you ask for two croissants in French? ›

    Sample Phrase: Je prend deux croissants, s'il vous plaît. I'll have two croissants please.

    What cookie is NYC known for? ›

    The Story Behind The Cookie That Became A New York Institution. Baking hobbyists Pam Weekes & Connie McDonald started Levain to sell fresh-baked breads. In 1995, they whipped up a batch of big chocolate chip walnut cookies, and their neighborhood shop became so much more.

    Where does Starbucks get their croissants from? ›

    We were discussing the news that had electrified anyone who knows good pastry: last June, Starbucks paid $100 million for La Boulange, a San Francisco bakery with pastries and food that people definitely find respectable.

    Is there a Bouchon Bakery in New York? ›

    Bouchon Bakery & Café

    In March 2006, Chef Thomas Keller opened his first Bouchon Bakery in New York City. Located at Manhattan's Columbus Circle, the bakery is just one floor below Chef Keller's highly acclaimed Per Se restaurant, overlooking Central Park and the New York skyline.

    Why did City Bakery NYC close? ›

    The City Bakery closed on October 20, 2019 due to debt-related financial difficulties. Union Square, Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.

    Who bought Maison Kayser? ›

    Aurify Brands LLC has bought Maison Kayser's New York City locations out of bankruptcy and plans to convert at least 10 of them to Le Pain Quotidien restaurants, the New York-based multi-concept operator said Monday.

    What is a croissant with filling called? ›

    Cornetti Are the Stuffed Italian Croissants of Your Pastry Dreams.

    What is an almond croissant called in France? ›

    You can find almond croissants, or “Croissants Aux Amandes” in almost every French bakery.

    What is the rule for croissant? ›

    By law, only a croissant made with 100% pure butter can wear a straight shape as a badge of honor. A croissant made with any other fat, such as margarine or (sacrebleu!) oil, must disclose its impurity with a curved shape.

    Why are croissants twice baked? ›

    The reason they're twice-baked is because… they're stale day old croissants that need to be refreshed. Letting croissants go stale means they lose moisture overnight which makes them easier to cut for the twice-baked appearance. How to make twice-baked almond croissants? Take a day old croissant and cut length-wise.

    How much is a Lafayette Suprême croissant? ›

    The team launched their Suprêmes in April 2022, and it didn't take long for both NYC dwellers and social media users outside the Big Apple to take note of the visually stunning pastry, which sells for $8.50.

    What is the bakery in New York on TV? ›

    Carlo's Bake Shop in New York

    Thanks to the success of the TLC show, 'Cake Boss' and the popularity of Carlo's Bakery, in 2013 Buddy Valastro opened Carlo's Bake Shop in Manhattan. They sell Carlo's Bakery specialities, in addition to coffee and tea. Visit Carlo's New York Bake Shop on Times Square.

    Who started the cookie croissant trend? ›

    Stéphane Louvard created what he called the crookie almost a year and a half ago when he came up with the idea of putting cookie dough into a croissant and then baking it again. But demand for his crookies has exploded in recent months after TikTok videos flaunted his creations.

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