1) Rose Bakery at Dover Street Market: Sip Harney and Sons tea and nibble peach streusels and green tea crème brulee within fifty feet of Prada dresses and Delfina Delettrez jewels. Rose Bakery inside of Dover Street Market keeps us coming back—whether we load up on Prada or not. Browse the bakery's own cookbook while sitting in the playful space.
2) Breads Bakery: We love this Union Square spot for its beautiful bread. From baguettes to North Sea rye, walnut loaves, sourdough and challah, Breads has it all. The freshly baked almond croissants and chocolate babka are well-loved by New York cognoscenti.
3) Café Sabarsky:Viennese Café Sabarsky stays true to type, and is styled in antique objects, from the lighting fixtures down to the upholstery. The cakes are lush and very Viennese—a surprising rarity in New York City. The sachertorte or mozarttorte pairs wonderfully with iced coffee.
4) Bien Cuit: Bien Cuit takes an intense and serious approach to bread baking—each batch takes three aromatic days to make from start to finish. The homey location has all the charm of its Brooklyn neighborhood. A large rye & sunflower loaf, strawberry lychee tarts or a batch of salted buckwheat chocolate chip cookies make for a lovely addition to any summer soirée involving food.
5) Patisserie Tomoko: We can't decide what we like best about Japanese-inspired Patisserie Tomoko in Williamsburg—the fact it's open late until 11pm on weekends, or that they serve spectacularly unique macaron cakes and donuts alongside wine and sake pairings. The interior is modern with futuristic furnishings. Add this to your list for a sweet weekend treat.
6) Lafayette Grand Café & Bakery: Part restaurant, part café, Lafayette's artisanal selection of pastries and breads changes with the seasons. The seating area offers great people watching with its Old World European feel. The pineapple coconut daupine alongside a flute of Billecart-Salmon champagne makes for the ultimate post-brunch sweet.
