The Pretzel Croissant at City Bakery

It's been pretty much established that City Bakery makes the best cookies in town: dense, sweet, gooey, crunchy, the Chocolate Chip and the Oatmeal Raisin are equally delicious.* Also amazing is their Carmelized French Toast... add a few strips of Niman Ranch bacon to your plate, and you won't have a better breakfast for months. The hot chocolate, too, is remarkable: rich and sludgy, you can double the decadence by adding a huge, freshly-made, melty marshmallow.

So, yes, City Bakery does sweet treats exceptionally well. But if you're craving something savory (and don't feel like tackling the vast and acclaimed salad bar in the back), may I suggest one of my favorite snacks these days, the Pretzel Croissant. True, they really don't look like anything special—in fact, I didn't even try one until my 20th or so visit—but I've become addicted to their intense hit of salty, buttery goodness, packaged in an unbelievably crisp and flaky shell. It's almost as if, by combining these two different bread-foods, they've doubled the pleasure inherent in each. It's really unlike anything I've ever had before.

Of course, I also always get a cookie, too. You know... for dessert.




* City Bakery is on 18th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. You can also get their cookies and other pastries at Build a Green Bakery, a tiny storefront on 1st Avenue, just south of 14th Street, whose interior is entirely made from recycled/repurposed materials.