Profile

Husband-and-wife team Mia and Jason Bauer opened this invitingly bright and uncluttered Upper West Side kosher bakery in 2003. Black-and-white tiled floors, butter-colored walls, and marble-topped tables transformed a once-dreary space into a welcome respite. And while the nostalgic décor lures passersby, an almost overwhelming array of baked treats keeps folks coming back for cakes, muffins, pastries, and pies. Over twenty varieties of cupcakes—custardy Boston cream, gooey fluffer nutter—entice with their tantalizingly moist bottoms and not-too-sweet tops. (All cupcake flavors are available in cakes by the slice, or by special order as layer cakes.) The thirty-plus varieties of cookies, brownies, and bars vary in quality, but the buttercream-frosted pistachio cookies and the tender-textured hamantashen more than compensate. The sister shop across town now also keeps Upper East Siders sated with Crumbs baked goods. — Kim Steckler

Crumbs specializes in decorate-your-own cookie, cake, or cupcake parties.