City Bakery

06/16/2008 Posted by Periodictable

My long, long love affair with City Bakery is almost over. I started going shortly after they opened the old place closer to Union Square, what?, ten years ago. I've eaten at CB, on average, once a week for ten years. But over the last year or so, I've slowed down to once a month. Pretty soon, I'm going to move on. What made CB so special for last ten years? First, their close association with the Green Market at Union Sq. CB was my Green Market classroom. I'd eat at CB to see what was new and wonderful at the Green Market and then head straight to the market to buy what I'd just eaten. I learned a lot. Second, the staff at CB was always very professional, educated, and friendly. The freshest employee would serve my coffee with a smile and my questions about the food were always answered with verve. Sure, it was tricky to eat on a budget at CB but the price wasn't so bad since I felt at home there. In the last two years or so, the staff has turned sour. Sure, there are still a few wonderful people working there but--and I can point to several specific staff members--questions are no longer tolerated and nothing is served with a smile. Kids used to be welcomed, now they are barely tolerated. If management is reading this, I suggest a very simple test: Send someone down the line with a medium size order and have them ask for a tray. Count the number of times they have to ask for a tray. See if the tray is clean. Look for anything resembling a smile or a kind word when the tray is handed over. It's a very, very simple thing but, IME, you have to ask a minimum of three times for a tray, it's always handed over with a frown, and half the time it's dirty. I have no idea who is responsible for managing the servers/cashiers but it's clearly time to clean house if CB is going to stay in business. Really nice food just doesn't make up for rude and unprofessional staff.

06/04/2008 Posted by plat18k

I go to City Bakery every time I go to New York, and though the staff has become more & more rude each time, I've never been disappointed by the food. My friends & I found it by mistake, had no idea of any hot chocolate hype. In fact I think I usually get a mochacino, so it's a good balance; the heavy hot chocolate with the coffee. The breakfast with the granola, yogurt, fruit and mini bagels is really a great value IMHO; I want to say I've never paid over 8 bucks for breakfast, including the coffee. Sad to see such bad reviews, honestly. Hopefully management reads the reviews and does something about it...

03/19/2008 Posted by Harmony4all

I came here because I saw City Bakery on TV show called "in your Code" CB looked delish. So ,I finally went their for what they are known for Hot Chcoclate. Yummy right? Wrong it was far from hot and had a bad after taste. I was very disappointed after wating 15 minutes on line having to listen to the emaciated counter guys all complian about how cheap theri customers are. While trying to sell you four homemade marshmellow for $10.00.

02/19/2008 Posted by olive33

This place was boggus. My friend was here from out of town so I thought we could do something fun and I had heard about the 'hot chocolate festival.' What a huge dissapointment. We ordered the caramel hot chocolate--didn't have any hint of caramel whatsoever and was to thick to actually enjoy. My friend got a chocolate chip cookie and I got an oatmeal one. We threw them both away, they tasted like they had been sitting for days! They weren't moist and weren't remotely tasty. I've made better! The whole thing ended up costing 16 bucs. We were sick for the rest of the day. Don't waste your time at this bakery. Not worth it!

Pros: good atmosphere

Cons: cookies were dry

01/13/2008 Posted by judibean

I tried their hot chocolate for the first time expecting it to taste like what I experienced in Spain. It is not that similar - this is sludgy and the taste is at first sip, very good, then the chocolate flavor becomes cloyingly bitter as you sip (or chew) some more. I had an oatmeal cookie with the drink and it was more apparent how bitter the chocolate was after eating a bite of the cookie, which was sweeter. I had to set aside the cookie in order to avoid making that comparison with my tastebuds. I do have to say the atmosphere of the place is nice with the seating area on the balcony. It's a great place for people watching.

Pros: Nice spot for people watching

Cons: Avoid the hot chocolate

08/01/2007 Posted by sara17sota

Very disappointing. For one thing, if you just wanted to buy a sandwich in the back, you're forced to wait in the long dessert and coffee line--you can't go to the register, no matter how long it's taking. It's awful, and the guy behind the counter, who described himself as the manager "John," was arrogant and rude. They appear to have some sort of exalted view of themselves that totally excludes customer service or satisfaction. Really not worth it.

Pros: They used to be better; maybe things will change

Cons: Employees more important than customers

11/20/2006 Posted by agrao05

To start off the employees here are incredibly rude - any question we had was responded to in an extremely condescending manner. the food is overpriced and has obviously been sitting out, and the hot chocolate more like pudding than like a drink. take your money elsewhere!

Pros: none

Cons: rude employees, bad food

11/17/2006 Posted by bettyo70

I like Marie Belle's hot chocolate ten times more... It's not as sweet as City Bakery's, but just as thick. I used to like City Bakery. Their servers used to be friendly and greeted me. These days, their staff seems so unhappy. There's just a bad vibe there. Too bad, cause I used to make it my routine to have my breakfast there before work. And yes, their salad bar is overpriced!

Pros: There are better bakeries in Manhattan!

Cons: prices, vibe of staff, overrated hot chocolate

09/02/2006 Posted by d84honey

the pretzel croissants were great but everything else was so-so. i really didn't like the hot chocolate - it was just much too thick to drink and i'm a chocolate lover. me and my bf ended up throwing out 2 cups of it. what a waste. the buffet sounded good but looked like it was sitting out for hours. overall, wasn't too impressed.

Pros: pretzel croissants

Cons: variety

06/15/2006 Posted by alplazas

The best hot chocolate ever. This is not for those folks raised on watered down Swiss Miss. This hot chocolate is as good as my favorite cafe in Paris except maybe better because there is nothing like City Bakery's homemade marshmallows!! Yummm. I walked in with two friends not knowing what to expect. It is a bit pricey but way worth it. We took a bit of everything. I did not taste one thing that I did not love. We were discussing taking the subway from the office in Soho to get lunch a few times a week. City Bakery, could you please open in Soho? I would just die!!