JEWISH BAKERIES IN NYC
A CURATED LIST
For generations, Jewish bakeries have been part of the fabric of New York City, bringing recipes, traditions and flavors from around the world to its neighborhoods. From old-fashioned rye bread, challah and rugelach to modern Israeli pastries, babka and creative new takes on family favorites, these bakeries tell the story of Jewish New York, past and present.
Explore a curated list of historic institutions, neighborhood favorites and a new generation of Jewish and Israeli bakers across New York City. Some are kosher certified, others are not, but each has something special to offer. Whether you're looking for a holiday favorite, a morning pastry or something new to try, you really can't go wrong with these.
By Borough. Brooklyn is at the end so the bakeries in Queens and The Bronx get some views.
A NOTE ABOUT THE PHOTOS: I've intentionally chosen images of building exteriors, storefronts and visible signage to help you recognize these places when walking by. While many have beautiful photos of their food, products and interiors, I wanted to make it easier for you to find them and explore in person!
Manhattan
WILLIAM GREENBERG DESSERTS
1100 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
285 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper Wes Side, Manhattan
A true New York bakery story. William Greenberg opened his Upper East Side bakery in 1946 after returning from service in World War II, reportedly using money he had won playing cards on his way back to New York. Generations later, it remains a classic Manhattan bakery known for its black-and-white cookies and traditional Jewish and New York baked goods.Current owner and master baker Carol Becker has run William Greenberg since 2008, and challah has a special place in her own story. She began baking loaves at home for friends before attending culinary school and eventually taking over the historic bakery. Today she continues the bakery’s Jewish baking traditions, including challah for Shabbat and the holidays.
TRY: The iconic black-and-white cookie, plus rugelach, traditional schnecken, babka and challah.
KOSHER NOTE: Fully kosher certified under National Kosher Supervision, Rabbi Aaron D. Mehlman. The bakery produces certified dairy items as well as designated pareve offerings.
HOLIDAY NOTE: This is a particularly good bakery to remember for the Jewish holidays. For Purim, look for traditional hamantaschen including poppy, prune, cheese and cherry. For Rosh Hashanah, the bakery makes round challah in plain, whole wheat and raisin, along with traditional holiday desserts. Jewish holiday specialties appear throughout the year.
PASSOVER NOTE: The bakery specifically states that its Passover desserts are kosher, but not kosher for Passover.
ORWASHERS BAKERY
308 East 78th Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Additional locations:
440 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, Manhattan
66 West 84th Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan
377 Willis Avenue, Roslyn Heights, Long Island
Founded in 1916 by a Hungarian Jewish immigrant family, Orwashers is one of Manhattan’s genuine historic Jewish bakeries. The family opened the original Upper East Side storefront to serve the neighborhood’s Eastern European community, baking the rye, black and grain breads they knew from home. Current owner Keith Cohen purchased the bakery in 2008 and has continued its Jewish baking traditions while expanding the business.
TRY: Jewish rye, pumpernickel, rugelach, black-and-white cookies, babka, bialys and challah.
KOSHER NOTE: Not kosher certified.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Orwashers takes its Jewish holiday traditions seriously. For Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, look for challah, raisin challah, apple honey cake, seven-layer cake, babka, rugelach and other traditional baked goods. Challah is also baked every Friday for Shabbat.
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ZABAR’S
2245 Broadway at West 80th Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan
A true Upper West Side Jewish institution. Louis and Lillian Zabar founded the family business in 1934, and more than 90 years and four generations later, the Zabar family is still behind it. The store has become inseparable from the food culture of Jewish New York, particularly its smoked fish, bagels, breads and traditional baked goods.
TRY: Babka, rugelach, challah, rye, bagels, mandel bread and hamantaschen.
KOSHER NOTE: Zabar’s as a whole is not a kosher-certified store. Individual packaged products may carry kosher certification, so check the specific item if certification matters to you.
HOLIDAY NOTE: One of the most fun places to browse around the Jewish holidays. Look for hamantaschen for Purim, challah and other traditional baked goods for the High Holidays, and seasonal Jewish foods throughout the year.
DON’T MISS: The appetizing counter and the upstairs housewares department.
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ELBOW BREAD
1 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
A new generation of Jewish baking inspired by the history of the Lower East Side. Baker Zoë Kanan has spoken about her Jewish identity and the significance of opening a bakery devoted in part to Jewish baking in a neighborhood that was once at the center of Jewish immigrant life in New York. Rather than simply reproducing old recipes, she uses that history as a starting point for her own interpretations.
TRY: Bialy, rugelach, challah honey bun and potato, sauerkraut and dill knish.
KOSHER NOTE: Not kosher certified.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Elbow Bread’s Jewish identity is present in its regular menu as much as in holiday specials, with bialys, rugelach, knishes and challah-inspired baking. Seasonal offerings change, so look for special Jewish baked goods around holidays including Rosh Hashanah and Purim.
YONAH SCHIMMEL’S KNISH BAKERY
137 East Houston Street, Lower East Side
One of the great surviving institutions of the Jewish Lower East Side. Yonah Schimmel was a Romanian rabbi who began selling knishes from a pushcart with his wife in 1890. In 1910, he and his cousin Joseph Berger opened the Houston Street shop that remains there today. More than a century later, it is still a family business, owned by Schimmel’s great-nephew, and describes itself as the oldest family-owned and operated knishery in America.
TRY: Classic potato knish.
ALSO: Kasha, cabbage, spinach and sweet cheese knishes.
KOSHER NOTE: Certified 100% kosher. The bakery displays its current kosher certificate.
HOLIDAY NOTE: You are coming for a food that tells the story of Eastern European Jewish immigration to New York. Knishes remain the star year-round.
VIVA LA DOUGH
160 Broadway, Financial District, Manhattan
525 Seventh Avenue, Garment District, Manhattan
501 Avenue M, Midwood, Brooklyn
4805 13th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
1700 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, New Jersey
A modern kosher patisserie bringing contemporary French-style laminated pastry to Lower Manhattan. What makes it interesting for this guide is the combination of serious modern pastry with a bakery built specifically around kosher standards.
TRY: Croissants and the bakery’s rotating pastry creations.
KOSHER NOTE: OU certified, Cholov Yisroel and Pas Yisroel.
HOLIDAY NOTE: The pastry menu changes seasonally, with special creations appearing around holidays. Because the selection rotates, check the current holiday collection rather than expecting the same traditional items every year.
MINNIE’S BAKE SHOP
10 East 13th Street, Union Square, Manhattan
Founded by pastry chef Cathy Cook in 2012, Minnie’s Bake Shop is named in part for her maternal great-grandmother Minnie, one of 12 children born to parents who immigrated to Rochester, New York, from Eastern Europe in the late 19th century. Grandma Minnie was known in the family for baking the Eastern European pastries of her heritage, including rugelach, mandelbrodt and hamantaschen. Cathy remembers standing on a stool beside her great-grandmother, cracking almonds for mandelbrodt, grinding poppy seeds for rugelach and helping pinch hamantaschen dough into triangles. She credits those childhood hours in Minnie’s kitchen with inspiring her own love of baking.
TRY: The signature Minnies, tiny two-layer square cakes topped with buttercream and elaborate toppings. Also look for Minnie Sticks, cookies, pies and larger celebration cakes.
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Dairy is organic and, whenever possible,
locally produced. -
Fruit is organic and locally grown, whenever possible.
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Nuts are organic, whenever possible;
we buy them raw and roast and salt them ourselves. -
Sugar is pure cane.
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Chocolate? Valrhona and Callebaut.
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Cocoa powder and vanilla beans are organic
and fair trade. -
NO preservatives, artificial flavors, bioengineered
or other ingredients whose names sound like they
were made in a chemistry lab.
FOOD CONNECTION: This one belongs on our list because the connection is wonderfully personal. Cathy’s baking story begins in the kitchen of her Eastern European immigrant great-grandmother, learning the techniques behind rugelach, mandelbrodt and hamantaschen.
KOSHER NOTE: I could not verify current kosher certification, so we should not describe Minnie’s as kosher.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Hamantaschen have a genuine family connection here. Cathy specifically remembers making them with her great-grandmother Minnie, including apricot hamantaschen, along with poppy-seed rugelach and mandelbrodt. Because the current menu changes and Minnie’s does a substantial amount of made-to-order baking, check the current offerings for holiday availability rather than assuming these are always available.
GOOD TO KNOW: Minnie’s specializes in made-to-order desserts, custom cakes, celebrations and dessert tables, with gluten-free and other dietary accommodations available for certain orders.
MICHAELI BAKERY
115A Division Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
401 East 90th Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Israeli pastry chef Adir Michaeli led the pastry department at Lehamim Bakery in Tel Aviv before moving to New York to help open Breads Bakery in 2013. He later created Michaeli, bringing the breads, bourekas and pastries of an Israeli bakery to both the Lower East Side and Upper East Side.
TRY: Chocolate babka, rugelach, challah, bourekas and the Galil with goat cheese, honey and za’atar.
MY FAVORITE: The pizza bureka. I am definitely more savory than sweet, and this is what I’m getting when I’m near Michaeli.
KOSHER NOTE: Michaeli publishes its current kosher-certification information through the bakery. Because certification can change, check the current certificate if the specific supervision matters to you. Both locations are closed on Saturdays.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Jewish holidays are a natural fit here because Michaeli’s everyday baking already includes challah, babka, rugelach and other Israeli and Jewish classics. Look for special challah and rotating seasonal pastries around the Jewish holidays.
KOSSAR’S BAGELS & BIALYS
367 Grand Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Founded in 1936 by Isadore Mirsky and Morris Kossar, Kossar’s is the oldest operating bialy bakery in the United States. Its story is directly connected to the Jewish immigrants from Białystok, Poland, who settled on the Lower East Side and brought the small onion-centered bread known as the bialy with them. Kossar’s still proudly describes preserving its Jewish food heritage as part of its mission.
TRY: The classic onion bialy.
KOSHER NOTE: Do not assume kosher certification based on the bakery’s Jewish history or its use of kosher ingredients. Check Kossar’s current certification information if formal kosher supervision is important to you.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Kossar’s is more about preserving an everyday Jewish food tradition than being a holiday pastry bakery. Look for challah and seasonal offerings when available, but come here first and foremost for the bialy, one of the foods Jewish immigrants brought from Eastern Europe to New York.
ALSO: Kossar’s has additional Manhattan locations on the Upper East Side, Upper West Side and at Hudson Yards.
MOISHE’S BAKE SHOP
504 Grand Street, Lower East Side
An old-school Lower East Side Jewish bakery and another surviving piece of the neighborhood’s immigrant food history. The appeal is precisely that it still feels connected to the traditional bakeries that once filled this part of Manhattan.
TRY: Challah, babka, rugelach and classic Jewish baked goods.
KOSHER NOTE: Moishe’s is identified as a kosher bakery, but I would not name a specific certifying authority unless a current certificate is displayed or confirmed.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Look for the traditional Jewish baked goods that are already central to the bakery, particularly challah, babka and rugelach, with additional seasonal specialties around the Jewish holidays.
PATIS BAKERY
1311 Lexington Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
676 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, Manhattan
266 Kingston Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
1716 Avenue M, Midwood, Brooklyn
A contemporary Jewish-owned kosher bakery and café bringing French-American pastry techniques into the kosher bakery world. Patis is known for combining classic French-style croissants, pastries and artisan breads with Jewish staples including challah, creating a bakery that feels more like a modern European pâtisserie than a traditional kosher bake shop. Patis has gone through an ownership transition and restructuring in recent years, but continues to operate multiple locations serving New York’s Jewish communities.
TRY: The hand-laminated butter and almond croissants, chocolate pastries, artisan breads and traditional braided challah. For something savory, the lox and avocado croissant is a fun combination of French pastry and a New York Jewish classic.
KOSHER NOTE: Fully kosher certified. Current Patis locations are under the supervision of Tartikov, Rabbi Yechiel Babad, and are Pas Yisroel, Cholov Yisroel and Yoshon. The retail locations are no longer OU-certified following the 2026 ownership transition, although the central commissary continues to have OU supervision in addition to Tartikov.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Patis combines its French pastry identity with Jewish holiday baking. For Purim, look for hamantaschen, including more creative interpretations alongside traditional pastries. In 2026, its Upper West Side bakery was a stop on New York's annual Jewish Community Relations Council hamantaschen crawl, where Patis created an enormous pistachio-cream, Dubai-chocolate-style hamantaschen. Challah is part of the bakery's regular lineup, making Patis a useful stop for Shabbat and the Jewish holidays as well.
GOOD TO KNOW: Patis closes for Shabbat, with Friday hours ending before sundown. Hours vary by location.
The Bronx
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S&S CHEESECAKE
222 West 238th Street, Kingsbridge, The Bronx
An extraordinary Bronx bakery story. Holocaust survivor Fred Schuster opened S&S in 1960, building a business around a cheesecake recipe that the bakery says remains unchanged. Schuster escaped Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport and eventually established this small Kingsbridge bakery, which became a destination for New Yorkers who take cheesecake seriously. The business remains family-owned and operates from its original West 238th Street location.
TRY: Start with the classic plain cheesecake. This is a specialist bakery rather than a full pastry shop, so come for the cheesecake rather than expecting cases of challah and rugelach.
KOSHER NOTE: The bakery states that its cheesecakes are certified by the Vaad HaRabbonim of Riverdale.
HOLIDAY NOTE: A particularly fitting choice for a Shavuot dessert table. Check ordering deadlines and availability directly before a holiday.
VISITING NOTE: This is a working wholesale bakery and factory with public purchasing hours, not a sit-down café.
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THE CORNER CAFÉ & BAKERY
3718 Riverdale Avenue, Riverdale, The Bronx
Established by Cochava and Ken Dubin in 1989, The Corner Café combines a kosher dairy restaurant with homemade cakes and baked goods. Originally located on Johnson Avenue, it later moved to Riverdale Avenue. Baked goods are available to take home.TRY: Homemade cakes, fruit tarts, and the day’s bakery selection.
KOSHER NOTE: The official website provides its kashrut certificate. Review the current certificate for supervision details.
VISITING NOTE: This is a café and restaurant with a bakery selection, rather than a standalone bread bakery.
GRUENEBAUM BAKERIES
5663 Riverdale Avenue, North Riverdale, The Bronx
A traditional Jewish bakery in Riverdale’s Skyview Shopping Center, Gruenebaum’s offers challah, rugelach, cakes, cookies, and pastries. Its history connects to an earlier Washington Heights bakery, continuing a neighborhood tradition of Jewish breads and sweets.
TRY: Challah, rugelach, Danish pastries, and cookies.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed in the Riverdale Jewish Center’s kosher-establishment directory. Check the shop’s current certificate for supervision and dairy or pareve designations.
MOSS CAFÉ
3260 Johnson Avenue, Spuyten Duyvil / Riverdale, The Bronx
Founded by Emily Weisberg, Moss combines kosher dairy cooking, coffee, and house-made baked goods with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. It offers a contemporary café alternative to the traditional Jewish bakery counter.
TRY: The day’s house-made baked goods and pastry selection.
KOSHER NOTE: Moss’s official kosher page directs questions to the Vaad of Riverdale and states that the café is not Chalav Yisrael.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Check the website for Jewish holiday closures and special ordering announcements.
Staten Island
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BLACK AND WHITE BAKERY AT ISLAND KOSHER
2200 Victory Boulevard, Willowbrook, Staten Island
Located inside Island Kosher, Black and White Bakery offers a bakery counter within a neighborhood kosher supermarket. The market’s online catalog lists Black and White egg challah, making this a convenient stop for bread alongside Shabbat and holiday groceries.
TRY: Black and White egg challah and the fresh bakery selection available that day.
KOSHER NOTE: Check the bakery’s displayed certification for the current supervising authority and dairy or pareve designations.
VISITING NOTE: The bakery is inside Island Kosher, whose storefront spans 2200–2210 Victory Boulevard.
Queens
QUEENS PITA BAKERY
68-34 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
An Israeli-style bakery offering much more than pita. Queens Pita brings together challah, bourekas, Danish pastries, cookies, cakes, and holiday baking, making it a useful stop for both a morning pastry and something to bring to the Shabbat table.
TRY: Bourekas, fresh pita, challah, butter cookies, and Danish pastries.
KOSHER NOTE: The bakery’s website states that it maintains Pas Yisroel and Chalav Yisroel standards.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Remember this bakery for Hanukkah sufganiyot. It also advertises a full Passover bakery with seasonal desserts. Confirm holiday ordering deadlines and the certification covering your order.
KING DAVID BAKERY
67-03 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
King David adds another Central Asian bread tradition to the Main Street bakery trail. Known for Uzbek-style breads, it is a good stop for visitors who want to explore Jewish and kosher baking beyond challah, bagels, and sweet pastries.
TRY: Uzbek-style round bread and whole-wheat bread. Ask what has most recently come out of the oven.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed by the Vaad Harabonim of Queens.
VISITING NOTE: Make this a bread-focused stop on a Kew Gardens Hills grocery and bakery walk.
ROKHAT KOSHER BAKERY
65-43 Austin Street, Rego Park, Queens
A small bakery that introduces visitors to the Central Asian side of Jewish New York. Rokhat specializes in round breads, crisp flatbreads, and savory filled pastries rather than the familiar babka-and-rugelach bakery counter. It is a worthwhile addition to a Rego Park food walk, especially for anyone exploring the neighborhood’s Bukharian food traditions.
TRY: Round bread, the thin, crisp bread known as toki, and samsa with fillings such as beef, lamb, or pumpkin. Ask which varieties are available that day.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed by the Vaad Harabonim of Queens.
VISITING NOTE: This is primarily a takeout bakery. Buy something warm and freshly baked rather than expecting a sit-down restaurant experience.
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MAIN STREET BAGELS
72-26 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, Queens
A bagel shop and bakery offering bagels, bialys, breads, and other baked goods alongside breakfast and prepared food. It rounds out a Queens bakery list with the boiled-and-baked side of New York Jewish food culture, rather than another cake-and-cookie counter.
TRY: Fresh bagels, bialys, and croissants. Arrive early for the widest selection.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher establishment. Check the current certificate displayed in the shop for its supervising authority and any standards you require.
VISITING NOTE: Some seating is available, but this also works as a quick bakery and takeout stop.
Brooklyn
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ONEG BAKERY
188 Lee Avenue, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A small neighborhood bakery with an outsized reputation for chocolate babka. Oneg belongs to the working bakery culture of Hasidic Williamsburg, where challah, cakes, and pastries are everyday purchases rather than nostalgic specialties. Its compact storefront makes it easy to overlook, but the densely layered chocolate babka makes it a destination.
TRY: Chocolate babka, challah, rugelach, and cookies.
KOSHER NOTE: A kosher bakery. Check the displayed certificate for current supervision and product designations.
VISITING NOTE: Closed Saturday.
WEISS KOSHER BAKERY
5011 13th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
An essential Borough Park stop for rich, traditional Jewish baking. Weiss is particularly worth knowing for kokosh, a rolled chocolate pastry that offers a different experience from the taller, breadier babka familiar to many visitors. It is a great introduction to the Hungarian-Jewish side of Brooklyn baking.
TRY: Chocolate kokosh, poppy-seed roll, challah, cakes, and pastries.
KOSHER NOTE: A kosher bakery. Check the current certificate and ask about dairy or pareve designations.
DISCOVERY NOTE: Buy kokosh and babka on the same outing to compare their texture, shape, and chocolate filling.
OSTROVITSKY BAKERY
1124 Avenue J, Midwood, Brooklyn
A family-owned bakery on Avenue J with a reputation for challah, chocolate desserts, breads, cookies, and pastries. Ostrovitsky is a strong neighborhood alternative to the more publicized Manhattan bakeries and a useful anchor for a Midwood bakery walk.
TRY: Challah, chocolate pastries, cookies, and the day’s cakes.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher bakery. Check the current certificate for supervision and dairy or pareve designations.
VISITING NOTE: Combine this stop with other Avenue J and Avenue M businesses rather than treating Midwood as a single-store destination.
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SCHREIBER HOME STYLE BAKERY
3008 Avenue M, Madison / Marine Park, Brooklyn
A neighborhood kosher bakery farther east on Avenue M than the usual Midwood food circuit. It is a useful addition for visitors who want to explore beyond the best-known shopping blocks and seek out traditional bakery counters serving local customers.
TRY: Browse the day’s breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries. Ask what has just come out of the oven.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher bakery. Confirm current supervision and the status of individual items at the counter.
VISITING NOTE: Use the Avenue M address carefully. There are several Schreiber bakery listings in Brooklyn.
STRAUSS BAKERY
5115 13th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
An old-school kosher bakery on one of Borough Park’s principal shopping avenues. Strauss offers another perspective on the neighborhood bakery tradition, with breads and sweets intended for family tables, gatherings, and everyday purchases.
TRY: Challah and the fresh cake and pastry selection.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher bakery. Review the current displayed certification before ordering.
DISCOVERY NOTE: Strauss, Weiss, and Sesame are close enough along 13th Avenue to form a bakery comparison walk.
TAAM EDEN BAKERY
4603 13th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
A kosher bakery and coffee stop with both traditional cakes and more contemporary takeaway offerings. Taam Eden is worth including for visitors who want to combine a bakery crawl with a quick coffee break.
TRY: Chocolate pastries, marble chiffon cake, and doughnuts. The menu includes boxes of pareve doughnuts.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher bakery. Check the current certificate, and do not assume every item shares the same dairy or pareve designation.
VISITING NOTE: Look for the bakery’s coffee and sandwich offerings if your group wants something beyond sweets.
BREADSMITH
1817 Avenue M, Midwood, Brooklyn
An artisan bread specialist offering handmade, hearth-baked loaves. Breadsmith is part of a wider bakery company rather than a historic Brooklyn family bakery, but its kosher Midwood location earns a place for readers who care as much about bread as pastry.
TRY: The day’s hearth-baked breads and specialty loaves.
KOSHER NOTE: The Brooklyn bakery states that its breads are dairy-free and kosher pareve.
VISITING NOTE: Closed Saturday, with Friday hours ending before Shabbat. Check the baking schedule if you want a particular loaf.
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ALMAH CAFÉ
87 Utica Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
A contemporary Israeli café that adds a different flavor to a Brooklyn bakery list. Almah is a café rather than a standalone pastry shop, but its breakfast-and-bakery format makes it useful for visitors looking for Israeli food outside Williamsburg’s hotel and restaurant scene.
TRY: Check the current pastry counter and Israeli breakfast selection.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher Israeli café. Confirm the current supervising authority and any standards you require.
VISITING NOTE: A good option when some members of your group want pastries and coffee while others prefer a fuller breakfast.
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CRAVE SOURDOUGH
683A Myrtle Avenue, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
A small kosher bakery focused on sourdough, offering a different branch of Brooklyn’s Jewish baking landscape. Crave is especially worth knowing for a bread-focused outing rather than a traditional babka-and-cookie crawl.
TRY: Fresh sourdough and the loaves available that day.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a kosher bakery. Confirm the current supervision and product designations directly.
VISITING NOTE: Its listed public hours are concentrated on Thursday and Friday. Check before traveling, especially if making a special trip for a particular bread.
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KERESTIR MATZAH BAKERY
32 Lynch Street, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A specialty stop for readers who want to explore Jewish baking beyond challah, cakes, and pastries. Kerestir produces shmurah matzah, the carefully supervised bread associated with Passover. This is a working religious-food business rather than an everyday café.
TRY: Ask about available handmade matzah, including regular, whole-wheat, and spelt varieties.
KOSHER NOTE: Check the certification on the specific box, including its Passover designation.
PASSOVER NOTE: Arrange purchases ahead of time. Do not assume production viewing or public tours are available without permission.
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SANDER’S BAKERY
159 Lee Avenue, South Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A historic neighborhood bakery serving Williamsburg since 1959. Sander’s is a good place to experience traditional Jewish bakery shopping without the presentation of a modern destination pastry shop. Its selection includes breads, cakes, pastries, and a line of baked goods made with spelt flour.
TRY: Rainbow cake, challah, and the spelt selection.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed as a pareve bakery under Central Rabbinical Congress supervision.
HOLIDAY NOTE: Visit before Shabbat for bread and cakes, allowing time for neighborhood shopping crowds. Confirm seasonal specialties directly.
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MANSOURA
515 Kings Highway, Gravesend, Brooklyn
One of Brooklyn’s most meaningful Jewish bakery visits. The Mansoura family brought its pastry traditions from Aleppo to Cairo, then Paris, before opening in Brooklyn in 1961. Generations later, the shop continues a Syrian- and Egyptian-Jewish baking story through handmade Middle Eastern pastries and sweets.
TRY: Pistachio baklava, ma’amoul, date-filled pastries, and Turkish delight.
KOSHER NOTE: The family’s published history describes a longstanding kosher tradition. Check the current certification and the status of individual products when purchasing.
DISCOVERY NOTE: Choose a mixed box rather than just one pastry. This is a bakery where the variety helps tell the family’s migration story.
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J. KORN’S BAKERY
5004 16th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
A longstanding Borough Park bakery associated with traditional Eastern European Jewish baking. Published accounts date its establishment to 1948. It is the kind of neighborhood shop where challah, babka, rugelach, cookies, and cakes share the counter rather than being presented as separate specialty trends.
TRY: Babka, rugelach, challah, and traditional cookies.
KOSHER NOTE: A kosher bakery. Check the shop’s current certificate and product designations.
HISTORY NOTE: This is the 16th Avenue bakery. Do not confuse it with similarly named Korn’s listings at other Brooklyn addresses.
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KAFF’S BAKE SHOP
4518 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Borough Park, Brooklyn
A traditional kosher bakery that makes a good detour from Borough Park’s better-known 13th Avenue shopping corridor. Kaff’s describes its baking as homemade, family-style food, making it a fitting stop for a guide focused on neighborhood traditions rather than only famous pastry destinations.
TRY: The day’s cakes, pastries, cookies, and bread selection.
KOSHER NOTE: This location is listed under Central Rabbinical Congress supervision. Check individual products for dairy or pareve status.
VISITING NOTE: Kaff’s has multiple Brooklyn listings. This entry is specifically for the Fort Hamilton Parkway shop.
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SHLOIMY’S BAKERY
5104 12th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
A bakery and coffee stop on 12th Avenue, away from the most obvious visitor route. Shloimy’s is a useful neighborhood discovery for travelers who want to browse bakery counters without limiting themselves to shops already prominent in citywide food guides.
TRY: Choose from the day’s fresh pastries, cakes, and cookies, with coffee.
KOSHER NOTE: Confirm the current certificate and dairy or pareve designations at the shop.
VISITING NOTE: The business also appears in ordering listings as Shlomie’s Bake Shop. Use the street address to identify the correct location.
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SESAME
5024 13th Avenue, Borough Park, Brooklyn
1540 Coney Island Avenue, Midwood, Brooklyn
A contemporary kosher bakery and café with two Brooklyn locations. Sesame combines bakery treats with coffee, sandwiches, and salads, making it a different experience from the older, more narrowly focused bread-and-cake counters.
TRY: The pastry counter, cakes, and seasonal bakery specials.
KOSHER NOTE: The Borough Park location is listed under Central Rabbinical Congress supervision. Confirm the certificate and product designations at the branch you visit.
VISITING NOTE: Choose Borough Park for a 13th Avenue bakery walk or Midwood for a Coney Island Avenue food-shopping route.
WORLD OF CHANTILLY
4302 Farragut Road, East Flatbush, Brooklyn
A behind-the-scenes discovery for visitors interested in the pastry businesses supplying New York’s kosher food world. World of Chantilly produces kosher cakes, cookies, pastries, pies, and French-style desserts, serving both individual customers and the catering and restaurant trade.
TRY: French-style pastries, dessert assortments, cookies, and celebration cakes.
KOSHER NOTE: The company identifies its products as kosher. Confirm current certification and dairy or pareve status for your order.
VISITING NOTE: Check pickup arrangements before traveling. The company’s contact and FAQ pages show different hours, so do not rely on a single published schedule.
K’FAR BROOKLYN @ The Hoxton
97 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
An Israeli bakery-and-café discovery tucked inside the lobby of The Hoxton hotel. Created by Michael Solomonov and his collaborators, K’Far draws inspiration from the bakeries and kitchens of his hometown, K’Far Saba. Alongside its restaurant, it has a takeaway coffee and nosh counter, so you do not need to book a full meal.
TRY: The morning pastry selection and baked goods at the takeaway counter.
KOSHER NOTE: This is an Israeli-inspired establishment, not a recommendation for certified kosher dining.
DISCOVERY NOTE: Walk into the hotel lobby rather than looking for a conventional street-facing bakery entrance.
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RUSS & DAUGHTERS AT THE BROOKLYN NAVY YARD
141 Flushing Avenue, Building 77, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
The Brooklyn production and retail extension of the historic Jewish appetizing business. This is not a standalone pastry shop, but it belongs in a broader bakery guide because it connects the bread and sweets counter with the working production side of a major New York Jewish food institution.
TRY: Check the current selection of bagels, bialys, babka, and rugelach alongside the smoked-fish offerings.
KOSHER NOTE: Jewish ownership and appetizing traditions do not establish kosher certification. Confirm directly if certification is required.
DISCOVERY NOTE: The Navy Yard setting gives this stop a different character from the original Lower East Side shop. Check retail access and current hours before going.
LUBAVITCH MATZAH BAKERY
460 Albany Avenue, Crown Heights, Brooklyn
A distinctive Crown Heights bakery specializing in handmade matzah. It offers a look at a different kind of baking tradition, where production is closely tied to religious requirements and the approach of Passover.
TRY: Handmade shmurah matzah, ordered ahead where possible.
KOSHER NOTE: Listed by CHK, Crown Heights Kashrus. CHK has specifically instructed customers to look for its symbol on the packaging when relying on its supervision.
PASSOVER NOTE: This is a seasonal specialty bakery, not a year-round pastry counter. Confirm production dates, ordering arrangements, and whether any viewing opportunity is available before visiting.