Michaeli Bakery — Restaurant in New York

Hidden gems still exist in NYC--welcome to Michaeli Bakery. the slender bakery offers a menu of shapely pastries. located on the border of the Lower East Side & Chinatown. the sweet + savory eats are a mix of pastries, breads, and more with Israeli and Eastern European influences. this is a takeout / to-go spot as space is limited. the interior is neat, clean, and brightly lit. the scents of deliciousness layer the air as everything is baked onsite. coffee beverages are available.

recently, stopped by to escape from the cold and pick up some sweet calories. and it's then that i discovered that there's a Hannukah menu being offered... which means SUFGANIYAH (traditional Jewish doughnut) season. these fluffy pillow doughnuts have several different flavors/fillings from dulce de leche to strawberry jam and more. there are also a few vegan versions of these doughnuts. enough about the doughnut, and more about eating the doughnut: GET THE BANANA PECAN SUFGANIYAH--it does not disappoint. a balanced sugary fried treat with everything you want in a doughnut--sweetness (but not overly so), carb-y fried fat comfort, a smooth flavorful filling, and texture from the airy dough to the pecan crumble crunch. the banana creme filling was great bc it was NOT too banana-y--had the right amount of the fruit notes without any chemically elements that you'd find in store-bought pre-packaged desserts. Aaaand if doughnuts are not your thing, there are pies, rugelach, and other bites to satisfy even the pickiest of sweet-tooths. sufganiyah, $4.50

PRO TIP: these doughnuts sell fast. come early as the tasty pickings are slim later in the evening.

staff is...

There are lots of appetizing pastry posts from Michaeli Bakery on Instagram recently and we were so excited before our visit. The exterior decor is humble but the interior is artsy, bright and cozy.

There was a great variety of options and we had a hard time making up our mind. The staff was friendly and introduced all their signature pastries with patience. We ended up bringing home 4 pieces: Almond Croissant, Pizza Burekas, Potato Burekas, Kugelhupf and one loaf of Halva Babka.

Their pastries were overall delicious and the texture was delicate. Our favorites were their savory options, Pizza Burekas and Potato Burekas. The Pizza Burekas was flavorful, filled with cheese and bacon. The layer of Potato Burekas was so crunchy and matched with pumpkin seeds.

The Almond Croissant and Kugelhupf wasn’t our type, we prefer the texture to be more crispy for croissant, soft for Kugelhupf, so we were a little disappointed. Even with the not-so-perfect part, it’s still a place we will visit again shortly to try...

I came here around 4pm so there weren't many options. I saw a tray of what I thought were huge chocolate rugelach, because it was right in front of the sign with the cost of $2. Heard positive things about the donut so I got that as well. To my surprise, the total was around $8. No way the donut cost $6. When I looked it up online later on, it cost $3.50, so the rugelach wasn't rugelach. The lady didn't say anything when I ordered it.

Anyway the donut wasn't good at all. The outside was very chewy and the inside was dry. It tasted like it was overcooked. Maybe because it was sitting there for a while? There wasn't much of a jelly filling.

The "rugelach" or maybe a chocolate croissant was delicious. It's the same size as the donut. It was so chocolaty, buttery, and flaky. I would order this again.

I'm giving this place 3 stars for now. I do want to come back and try their savory pastries which they...