The City Bakery

Critics' Pick

3 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011 40.73857 -73.99187
between Fifth and Sixth Aves. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
work212-366-1414 Send to Phone

Cuisine: American Traditional, Cafes, Soup & Sandwich
Price Range:
$$
Key to Prices and ratings
Upscale

Almost Perfect

Exceptional

Generally Excellent

Very Good

Good

Cheap Eats

Best in Category

Excellent

Delicious

Very Good

Noteworthy
Very Expensive

Expensive

Moderate

Cheap
Reader Rating:
6.5 out of 10
|
18 Reviews | Write a Review

Photo by Carmen Lopez and AJ Wilhelm

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

thecitybakery.com

Hours

Mon-Fri, 7:30am-7pm; Sat, 7:30am-6:30pm; Sun, 9am-6pm; closes half an hour early daily in summer

Nearby Subway Stops

4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W at 14th St.-Union Sq.; F, V at 14th St.; 1 at 18th St.

Prices

$8-$15

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

Breakfast
Brunch - Weekend
Great Desserts
Hot Spot
Kid-Friendly
Lunch

Alcohol

No Alcohol

Reservations

Not Accepted

Profile

In a city of insipid—if not downright dangerous—salad bars, City Bakery's is a thing apart: gorgeously eclectic, culinarily inspired, effortlessly seasonal. When Mother Nature gives us juicy heirloom tomatoes, savory chef Ilene Rosen gives us delicious tomato sandwiches. She also gives us caramelized French toast and a mildly spiced Mexican tortilla soup, among too many other delectable things to mention. And once you've had your tofu-skin-and-edamame salad, you can reward yourself with a cup of Maury Rubin's signature chocolate, hot or cold. Like its pretzel croissant, the City Bakery is a true original. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Brunch

Sat.—Sun., all day

Food:	5

Service:	6

Décor:	6

Value:	2

Food:	3

Service:	5

Décor:	2

Value:	2

This place is so bad, I don't know where to start. We came all the way into the city from Westchester to try this place after seeing it profiled on TV. Obviously they did a good job of polishing up this tird for the show. To start with, there is absolutely no atmosphere whatsoever. The decor is very sterile and non-descriptive with insufficient seating. I was disappointed at the poor presentation of the food (what little they had to choose from), looking like it had been picked over and left sitting out all day. I was completely repulsed by the flies crawling all over the food on display. How they ever passed any Health Department inspection is beyond me. Maybe this place was good at one time, but don't go by any of the old reviews. Do not waste your time. You will be disappointed.

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