Magnolia Bakery
New York, NY 10014-2452
Phone: (212) 462-2572
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- 11th Street
- Directions:
- A, C, E at 14th St; L at 8th Ave
- Best of Citysearch:
- Bakery 2004, Bakery 2004
- Hours:
- Mon 12pm-11:30pm, Tue-Fri 9am-11:30pm , Sat 10am-12:30am, Sun 10am-11:30pm
Editorial Review for Magnolia Bakery – by Dan McAlvanah
The Scene
Entering this neighborhood treasure is like stepping back in time to a favorite college-era bakery, where pretty women in bandanas worked behind the counter to make enough money to ride off with Jerry and company during the summer. The vibe is hard to resist, and there's a single small table for anyone who wants to linger.
The Food
These desserts have a cultish following, and it's easy to understand why--nothing on the menu administers anything less than a spectacular dose of sugar. Addictive red velvet cupcakes come slathered in an icing that's as pure an expression of sugar, vanilla and butter as you're going to find. Or try a slice of the decadent "cherries jubilee," a moist mini cheesecake or the legendary banana pudding. Cakes are also excellent, particularly the gorgeous German chocolate cake rich with coconut, caramel and pecans.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoDon't get greedy. Patrons may only buy one dozen cupcakes at a time.
Fun Fact"The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook" was released in 1999 to help patrons emulate the sweetness at home.
The ExtrasNot in the West Village? Get cute cupcakes and fancy old-fashioned cakes at Buttercup Bakery in Midtown, which was opened by former Magnolia co-owner Jennifer Appel in 2000.
User Reviews for Magnolia Bakery
05/08/2008 Posted by annuhlie
I am a longtime Magnolia fan and I'm really surprised by all the negative press the cute little bakery is getting on this site. Out of all the many, many times I've been there I have had ONE bad experience, and that was when my mom mistakenly got cake with whipped cream frosting instead of buttercream, which she then refused to eat. However, that was HER mistake, not the bakery's. First of all, Magnolia's "small size" "long line" "self-serve" etc. are part of its APPEAL. It's an old-fashioned bakery with none of the presumptuousness to be found uptown or in LA. It's a little baby mom and pop Bleecker Street kind of a place, what do you expect?! It's staffed almost entirely by funny, kind, interesting college kids/artists, has a park that's PERFECT for sitting and eating right across the street, and if you really hate waiting in line you can always order ahead of time or just have a nice conversation with the nice kid manning the door. As for the food, it's great! The cupcake cake isn't ambrosia or anything, but it's delicious nonetheless. The cakes themselves are, in my opinion, better. The real reason to go is the frosting: it's perfect! It's sweet and smooth and soft, but develops enough of a shell to not get ruined if you smoosh it accidentally or something. The Red Velvet cakes are especially fantastic. Of course you're going to be disappointed if you go expecting a lifechanging experience. I love Magnolia because of its old school charm, great friendly staff, and delicious food. If you can't appreciate Magnolia's unique brand of cute lil' bakery, get yourself back uptown and stop going places just because they're featured on SATC.
Pros: Food, staff, charm
Cons: No place to sit if it's raining I guess
05/03/2008 Posted by cupcakefiend
Whether you and your friends are ripping a bong or hitting the fattest blunt of your life, as I am currently about to do, Magnolia will treat you right. I typically don't go for oversized pieces of cornbread dowsed in sugar, but when the grass beckons, it beckons hard. First things first, the worst part about Magnolia has nothing to do with its cupcakes. Oh no, my friends -- it's the customers. That one couple from Oklahoma who gleefully watches batch after batch of diabetes being placed on the filthy window sill will irritate you during your hour wait. For example, I just went tonight and watched two pedophiles engage themselves in me and my friend's conversation, enter Magnolia, swipe about 75 cupcakes, and then lick their fingers dry. Mmmm. Once you're inside, it only gets better. At the window, you get to choose from about three cupcakes because it would obviously make too much sense for the lackadaisical employees to actually enforce the limit rule. Or for them to keep a continuous flow of cupcakes coming. It's not like they are short on five-day old batches. I'll end my rant by saying one good thing about this hellish, overglamourized establishment. When you have that carving late at night and every other legitimate bakery is closed (Amy's Bread, Buttercup Bakeshop, or hell, even Gristedes), Magnolia will be open late so you can spend $2 on a cupcake and then $20 more on the gram you now have to smoke to consume it.
Pros: Good for munchies and laughing at tourists
Cons: Everything
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful
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