When you move countries there are some things that you never thought you'd have to consider, and this particular query feels especially strange, but where can you buy a loaf of good bread in New York?
I'm a toast man. I love it with butter, I love it with Vegemite (more butter than Vegemite, I'm not a monster), and I love it for breakfast most days. As many of you know, a key ingredient for toast is bread, and therefore a trip to the supermarket was in order.
What you are met with, in the bread aisle of a New York City supermarket is something truly confronting. For starters, there appear to be potatoes in everything, and beyond that, it looks like you'd have to have a degree in Breadatology (ha!) to decipher what on Earth is going on.
After trialing a few different “loaves” (do blocks of sugar count as a loaf of bread?) I decided to put the call out.
If you're looking for a loaf of delicious straight from a general supermarket, then try Bread Alone (the picture at the bottom). Their whole range is fantastic, not too sweet, and goes great with everything bagel seasoning.
So here's the beginning of our list to help you find a loaf of delicious bread if you're missing the raw freshness (I miss you Baker's Delight) of Australia.
Best bread in Uptown, New York
- Milano Bakery (Morningside Heights) – Great for loaves
- Absolute Bagels (UWS) – Great for bagels
- Kura Kumo stocking Balthazar Bakery Pastries (Morningside Heights)- For delicious pastries
Best bread in Midtown, New York
- Bread Alone – Peasant Bread – A tasty loaf found at delis/supermarkets (pictured from Corner of 11th St and Ave C)
- Pain D'Avignon (LES) – Great for darker loaves. Can be found at Murray's Cheese (Greenwich Village).
- Sullivan St Bakery (Midtown/Hell's Kitchen) – “Awesome seedy bread” – Erin C
- Maison Kayser – Amazing bread
- Amy's Bread (Hell's Kitchen) – “On par with Bourke St bakery standards” – Alyson C
- Union Square Markets – Selection of great bakery stalls (eg. She Wolf Bakery)
- Tompkins Square Bagels (East Village) – Delicious but busy
- Simit Sarayi (Midtown East) – Great Turkish bread
- Breads Bakery (Union Square) – 16th between 5th ave and union square
- Green Fingers Market (LES)
Best bread in Downtown, New York
- Balthazar's Pain de Siegle (FiDi) – “Best for Vegemite toast” – Jo B. Can be found at most Gourmet Garages.
Best bread in Brooklyn, New York
- Meyers Bageri NYC (Williamsburg) – Make a great sourdough
- Roberta's (Bushwick) – Excellent sourdough (“their Sunflower Spelt is my fave and amazing toasted” – Jo B). Can be found at Murray's Cheese (Greenwich Village).
- North 8th Bakery (Williamsburg) – “Seeded rye is delicious” – Erin C
- Bien Cuit (Cobble Hill & Grand Central) – Great breads
- Bakeri (Williamsburg/Greenpoint)
- Mazzola Bakery (Carroll Gardens) – “Great sourdough and lard bread” – Aimee H
Outside of NYC? If you're in Connecticut you should check out COBS Bakery which is the equivalent of Baker's Delight!
Have you found a better loaf? I'd love to hear about it so that I can add it to the list! Add a comment below or shoot an email to [email protected] and I'll update accordingly.
Thanks to Victoria L, Erin W, Andrea K, Jo B, Erin C, Kylie F, Alyson C, Jessica B, Aimee H, & Sarah B for contributing.
Orwasher’s in the UES and UWS do amazing bread. Their pumpernickel is my go to. Having said that, Wholefoods and Fairway’s both offer a good freshly sliced pumpernickel also.
We struggled for a long time to find a loaf of non sugar bread for under $5. Then the wholefoods opened near us. Their 365 organic snappy sourdough bread is just under $4 a loaf and has no sugar (it also doesn’t have the intense sourdough flavour that could turn a lot of people off)
Thanks, Kat! 🙂