Billy's Bakery

(212) 647-9956

184 9th Ave
New York, NY 10011 40.7454 -74.0019

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Neighborhoods: Chelsea, Midtown

BILLYSBAKERYNYC.COM

Price:

$

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Bakeries, Restaurants, Dessert Shops

Payment Methods:

Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Quiet, Cheap Eats

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Billy's Bakery

The Owner

Billy's Bakery

Owner

Billy's Bakery was founded in 2003 with the mission of providing our customers immediate gratification by offering classic American baked goods in a friendly, small town environment. Billy's truly harks back to the warm feeling of a 1940's American kitchen at a time when gathering around homemade treats was the center of life. At Billy's we keep it simple fresh products, baked onsite, using the highest quality ingredients. Visit us at our West Chelsea flagship store or give us a call so we can deliver to your doorstep.If you're interested in participating in the future growth of Billy's,…

Provided by CityGrid

Read more from the owner

Featured Review

Allison Austin

Contributor

The Scene – Poodle skirts and Mary Janes would be perfectly appropriate in this lovely little shop, where the brick walls are painted a soft yellow, the wallpaper looks like grandma's and everything from the antique ovens to the bottle-green pie dishes is retro bakeshop done just right. Friendly counter help furthers the small-town impression. – – The Food – It's the baking equivalent of shabby-chic: Polka-dots of pink and turquoise frosting turn an otherwise plain yellow cake into something more charming; desserts come in old-fashioned flavors like chocolate cherry.…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Most cakes can be ordered one day in advance, but for special requests, such as elaborate decorations and personalized messages, allow at least two days.
ambiance
88.10000419616699% positive
  1. “Friendly staff and great decor.”
  2. “The decor is charming and the cookies are fabulous!”
  3. “When finally ordered, all they had was cupcakes, I thought what yahoo waits 30 minutes for a cupcake, then I realized how delicious the cupcake was, how cool the atmosphere was.”
  4. “Billy's Bakery is truly better than Magnolia's, the employees are nice and the location is crucial.”
  5. “The cupcakes seem OK - I am no expert - and the decor is great, but why did I get such poor service with a real dose of attitude?”
  6. “We have always been more than satisfied with the lovely atmosphere, darling service and the delectable desserts!”
  7. “Service and food were great however I was very disappointed that Billy's was not more authentic in it's 50's atmosphere.”
dessert
76.14999771118164% positive
  1. “After reading so many good posts about this place I decided to go order a cake from Billy's.”
  2. “Be sure to grab a utensil on your way out, as eating such dry cake is virtually impossible without one.”
  3. “The cake is yummy, the frosting is yummy, and they seem to be baking all day so you can get 'em fresh.”
  4. “bought 3 pcs of cake for my friend and I and to our dissappointment all 3 of the cakes were overly sweet and 15% too dry.”
  5. “They informed me of their 24 hour policy for orders, then when I did call to order a cake (luckily a few days in advance) they told me they couldn't accommodate me on the weekends!”
  6. “went back again just to be sure, and although this is a cute place, the cupcakes and cakes are extremely dry and tasteless under the icing.”
  7. “The icing on the cupcakes for me were a little bit too sweet, the cake is a little dry so order a cup of milk to go along with it.”
  8. “Their cake is good but they are not the only bakers in the city.”
  9. “love a good cupcake but at Billy's prefer the the banana cream pie of everything I have tried.”
  10. “The coconut cake would have been perfect except for the meringue topping is just wrong.”
  11. “What if all 4 of us walked in there to order individual slices of the same cake - would they realize we were all together and make us buy the entire cake?”
  12. “The cake itself was really dry and didn't have the moist fluffiness that you would expect in a good cupcake.”
  13. “have friends who don't even like bananas and they loved this cake.”
  14. “The frosting on the cupcakes lacked falvor and the cake part was pretty dry.”
  15. “In short, the other cakes on the counter looks pretty good, but I wouldn't get cupcakes here at all.”
  16. “The desserts are incredible (very fresh, great designs on the cakes, unique products) and the staff is sooo friendly.”
  17. “had to order a birthday cake from out of state for a meeting at my company's NY office, and staff in that office recommended Magnolia's first.”
  18. “The icing is delicious, but someone should be informed that you need to have good, moist, delicious cake underneath it.”
  19. “One time, they forgot to mention to me that they would be closed on the day that I was scheduled to pick up my cake(and they didn't bother to tell me this until it was too late to order a cake from a different bakery).”
  20. “I'm well aware of their 24 hr rule to order a cake, but the cupcake rule is new, not posted, and aribitrary.”
  21. “cake texture is somehow moist but inappropriately crumbly/chalk like -- it falls apart like a good biscuit should when you bite into it.”
  22. “The plain jane vanilla and chocolate cupcakes were not very good.”
  23. “While their cakes are amazing, their service is another story.”
  24. “The German chocolate cake and the pineapple upsidedown cake are the best, though.”
  25. “The cake portion was rich and almost fudgey, and the frosting was a delicious creamy buttercream.”
  26. “The frosting is way too buttery and doesnt resemble the traditional cheesecake frosting that is an integral part of a great red velvet cake.”
  27. “The cake is so dry.”
  28. “Upon the staff's recommendation, we got the pumpkin cheesecake, which was really really good with the whipped cream.”
  29. “The vibe was great, the service was friendly, and the dessert was out of this world.”
  30. “If you are looking for fresh from the oven cookies chocked with flavor and mixings - this is the place!”
  31. “Not being able to eat anymore cake I asked the short hair lady behind the counter for suggestions on which cake would be less sweet, but instead of helping me I think she took my question as an insult and gave me a nasty look then with rude body language ”
  32. “We had a chocolate cupcake and a slice of German Cake, which was very good, especially when you wash it down with a cup of Billy's coffee.”
  33. “love german chocolate, and this was probably the best I've ever had.”
  34. “:) Finally, the german chocolate cupcake was so yummy I've been dreaming about it (and drooling) ever since.”
  35. “Billy's is best for other desserts.”
  36. “The desserts here are decent sized and the portions of frosting is a guarantee for diabetes.”
  37. “Great cake!”
  38. “The cupcake icing is wonderful, but the actual cake is very dry.”
  39. “The consistency of the cake seemed like that of particle board and dry wall mixed together with no adhesive.”
  40. “have tried a dozen other dessert places in the city and this one had the best cupcakes and cakes.”
  41. “Also favorites of my family are german chocolate cake, all cookies and the delicious babana cream pie.”
  42. “My colleagues and I have been big fans of Billy's and would often buy our desserts or afternoon treats from them.”
  43. “We have always been more than satisfied with the lovely atmosphere, darling service and the delectable desserts!”
  44. “and their hot chocolate is the best I've had in the city.”
  45. “The place is adorable and the peanut butter pie is great, but the cupcakes are disappointing.”
  46. “the service -- or lack of. they frost c-cakes right there in front of you. when asked for one w/o sprinkles was told they COULD NOT DO IT. whatever.”
  47. “ordered a birthday cake and it was a great dessert ending to the party.”
  48. “Yep, this one's definitely a winner and is going down in my book as the best banana cake ever.”
  49. “The cupcakes and cookies and their various cakes and pies are all fine and have satisfied my sweet tooth in the past, but I continue to have bad experiences there with rude staff.”
  50. “The decor is charming and the cookies are fabulous!”
  51. “There are too many bakery's that actually have good cakes/cupcakes in the city WITH a helpful/pleasant attitude to go with it.”
  52. “The red velvet cake was pretty good and moist - burgundy red and sweet white icing.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “We had a chocolate cupcake and a slice of German Cake, which was very good, especially when you wash it down with a cup of Billy's coffee.”
food quality
97.6200008392334% positive
  1. “When finally ordered, all they had was cupcakes, I thought what yahoo waits 30 minutes for a cupcake, then I realized how delicious the cupcake was, how cool the atmosphere was.”
  2. “:) Finally, the german chocolate cupcake was so yummy I've been dreaming about it (and drooling) ever since.”
  3. “The girl who picked it up for me also picked up some cupcakes for her office, and she reported no problems with the service, only delicious cupcakes.”
  4. “None of the cupcakes were fresh: the vanilla ones actually had a hard crust just under the frosting.”
  5. “Also favorites of my family are german chocolate cake, all cookies and the delicious babana cream pie.”
  6. “The cake portion was rich and almost fudgey, and the frosting was a delicious creamy buttercream.”
  7. “The vanilla cupcake was tasty but nothing special.”
  8. “The desserts are incredible (very fresh, great designs on the cakes, unique products) and the staff is sooo friendly.”
  9. “The cake is yummy, the frosting is yummy, and they seem to be baking all day so you can get 'em fresh.”
  10. “Service and food were great however I was very disappointed that Billy's was not more authentic in it's 50's atmosphere.”
  11. “If you are looking for fresh from the oven cookies chocked with flavor and mixings - this is the place!”
  12. “If you want to be able to get as much as you want, you have to consider that that is going to apply to everyone else as well, and the bakery will either run out (which is likely to be a point of complaint as well), or they will have to bake larger quantit”
  13. “Banana Cake was absolutely delicious”
  14. “The icing is delicious, but someone should be informed that you need to have good, moist, delicious cake underneath it.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “two other options in the immediate neighborhood wins HANDS DOWN for truly awesome sweets and treats, so it's a no-brainer.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “After reading so many good posts about this place I decided to go order a cake from Billy's.”
  2. “Cute environment, nice staff who always has a smile on their face, the smell of this place is AMAZING.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “Although I wish they had a delivery service (we needed to pick up the cupcake tower, cupcakes, and return the tower after the wedding), their customer service was excellent and more than made up for that.”
service
60.59000015258789% positive
  1. “The vibe was great, the service was friendly, and the dessert was out of this world.”
  2. “Though it was a bit busy, the service was friendly and attentive.”
  3. “The service was good, though, and the staff is quite friendly.”
  4. “Friendly staff and great decor.”
  5. “Average sweets poor service”
  6. “It's seems from past posts that maybe the staff wasn't quite as friendly before, but the guy who helped me was very sweet.”
  7. “The girl who picked it up for me also picked up some cupcakes for her office, and she reported no problems with the service, only delicious cupcakes.”
  8. “the service -- or lack of. they frost c-cakes right there in front of you. when asked for one w/o sprinkles was told they COULD NOT DO IT. whatever.”
  9. “The staff was more than friendly and the store was clean.”
  10. “Although I wish they had a delivery service (we needed to pick up the cupcake tower, cupcakes, and return the tower after the wedding), their customer service was excellent and more than made up for that.”
  11. “didn't like these cupcakes or the customer service”
  12. “We have always been more than satisfied with the lovely atmosphere, darling service and the delectable desserts!”
  13. “Upon the staff's recommendation, we got the pumpkin cheesecake, which was really really good with the whipped cream.”
  14. “Just stop in or give em a call a day or two ahead, and it will be no problem ( I know for a fact that most employees HATE having to tell customers they can't have however many of something they want).”
  15. “Not being able to eat anymore cake I asked the short hair lady behind the counter for suggestions on which cake would be less sweet, but instead of helping me I think she took my question as an insult and gave me a nasty look then with rude body language ”
  16. “Bad service=Bad business”
  17. “Place is cute, staff is nice, but if they ain't got the goods, why bother?”
  18. “Billy's Bakery is truly better than Magnolia's, the employees are nice and the location is crucial.”
  19. “Cute environment, nice staff who always has a smile on their face, the smell of this place is AMAZING.”
  20. “friendly staff and very reasonable!”
  21. “bad customer service”
  22. “Light cupcakes, perfect frosting and great service was the highlight of this bakery.”
  23. “had to order a birthday cake from out of state for a meeting at my company's NY office, and staff in that office recommended Magnolia's first.”
  24. “The cupcakes and cookies and their various cakes and pies are all fine and have satisfied my sweet tooth in the past, but I continue to have bad experiences there with rude staff.”
  25. “While their cakes are amazing, their service is another story.”
  26. “The cupcakes seem OK - I am no expert - and the decor is great, but why did I get such poor service with a real dose of attitude?”
  27. “Third, the customer service was great.”
  28. “The desserts are incredible (very fresh, great designs on the cakes, unique products) and the staff is sooo friendly.”
  29. “The manager of Billy's was pretty rude and arrogant when I tried to place an order.”
  30. “It's a shame people focus on that and not the fact it is a true gem in an up and coming neighborhood.”
  31. “was disappointed by the rude service and attitude their cashier girl gave us.”
  32. “Are they going to do anything about the poor service?”
  33. “The service was outstanding, and I couldn't help but make a daily trip to Billy's Bakery during my stay in New York City!”
  34. “Why the attitude (and poor service)?”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “The desserts here are decent sized and the portions of frosting is a guarantee for diabetes.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “When finally ordered, all they had was cupcakes, I thought what yahoo waits 30 minutes for a cupcake, then I realized how delicious the cupcake was, how cool the atmosphere was.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/20/11

Come in for a cupcake- leave with a pie!

by Straight to the Chase at Citysearch

Billy’s Bakery bills itself as “Old-fashioned Baked Goods Made from Scratch”- no artificial ingredients here! Their pies are my favorite… do you know how hard it is to find an old-fashioned pie, made with real, crispy, fresh fruit (not sugary crap) here in NYC? Or anywhere? They’ve also got cupcakes, cookies and bars (such as lemon bars), cakes (in varieties such as Red Velvet, German (or regular) Chocolate, Banana, Carrot, Yellow Daisy, Pineapple Upside Down, etc), cheesecakes and breakfast goodies like muffins and lemon loaves.

Their trademark cake is “The Icebox Cake”… it’s made with “Fresh dairy whipped cream layered between chocolate wafer cookies”. They’ve come up with very creative and unique ingredient combinations- I have never heard of butterscotch gingerbread cookies before, or cherry muffins, outside of Billy’s. Their cheddar cheese biscuits really hit the spot when you’ve got the (salty) munchies too.

They also do catering, and if you order online, you can have cakes and other products shipped to that special someone.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/22/11

Amazing!!!

by Jenny212 at Citysearch

Love it, Sooo GOOOD!

2 Star Rating: Below Average

03/08/10

Not a bakery for cupcakes

by silverblue , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Billy's cupcakes were one of the contenders at my 18-cupcake-store blind tasting party and it wasn't rated very highly on the scoring sheets. I decided to give it another try, this time at the Chelsea store itself. The interior is cute and reminds me of my grandmother's kitchen with the kitschy wallpaper. And it smelt just like that too.

Upon the staff's recommendation, we got the pumpkin cheesecake, which was really really good with the whipped cream. It was a little harder than I expected but the it tasted just as you think it would - pumpkin pie with cheesecake. We almost ordered another one, but decided to try to vanilla cupcake instead, upon the staff's recommendation.

Unfortunately, my verdict still stood by what we rated it at the party. The frosting was way too sugary, I could

almost taste the sugar grains in there. The cake itself was really dry and didn't have the moist fluffiness that you would expect in a good cupcake. I didn't even finish my half.

In short, the other cakes on the counter looks pretty good, but I wouldn't get cupcakes here at all.

snob now.

  • Pros: Pumpkin cheesecake
  • Cons: Cupcakes are actually not good at all
1 Star Rating: Poor

10/21/09

terrible attitude

by libertygirl1 at Citysearch

In a city where service is king,I find it hard to believe Billy's is still in business. Their average cupcakes are not worth being belittled and snapped at my their surly staff. (I'm English, polite is in my blood - I did nothing to antagonise these wankers, bar having the temerity to enter their store)

  • Pros: none
  • Cons: the people who work there
2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/06/09

Average sweets poor service

by halovete at Citysearch

I have been to Billy's several times and each time I walk away wondering why I came back. In a time when the cupcake is king of the hill Billy's is at the bottom of the heap. I love a good cupcake but at Billy's prefer the the banana cream pie of everything I have tried. The coconut cake would have been perfect except for the meringue topping is just wrong. I've had it twice and both times it did not sit well. Most of all each time I have been there the staff has been preoccupied. There always seem to be lots of young people behind the counter but every time I am there I feel like I am interrupting social time and putting them out of their way to assist.

Even though from the outside Billy's looks so inviting and the enticing aromas inside seem to beckon decadence... I say walk on by and go to one of the many other better bakeries in the city.

  • Pros: Cute Shop
  • Cons: Inattentive and rude Staff

The Details on Billy's Bakery

Place Categories:

  • good cupcakes
  • poor customer service
  • nice staff
  • dry actual cake
  • highly recommend lovely bakery
  • great place
  • bad experience
  • really enjoy instore billy
  • incredible desserts
  • rude attitude
  • moist red velvet cake
  • great decor
  • really disgusting frosting
  • delicious cupcake icing
  • fabulous cookies
  • too dry look
  • great peanut butter pie
  • tasty vanilla cupcake
  • arrogant manager
  • unique products
  • absolutely delicious banana cake
  • like act
  • order german chocolate cake
  • dry wall
  • rich cake portion

As Seen In…

Best of Citysearch

New York

Message from Billy's Bakery

  • Cupcakes, Cookies, Layer Cakes
  • Pies, Bars
  • Delivery to 5 boroughs & more

Billy's Bakery was founded in 2003 with the mission of providing our customers immediate gratification by offering classic American baked goods in a friendly, small town environment. Billy's truly harks back to the warm feeling of a 1940's American kitchen at a time when gathering around homemade treats was the center of life. At Billy's we keep it simple fresh products, baked onsite, using the highest quality ingredients. Visit us at our West Chelsea flagship store or give us a call so we can deliver to your doorstep.

If you're interested in participating in the future growth of Billy's, please email us at info@billysbakerynyc.com.

We look forward to seeing you soon at Billy's, where life is a piece of cake.

Marc and Wayne

Co-founders

Billy's Bakery