The other week Megan asked me if I’d be interested in doing a random cupcake crawl with her that she found on the Internet, and obviously I’m not one to turn down a cupcake crawl. If you missed either of them, you can read about our last two cupcake crawls here and here. The newest cupcake crawl was organized by Walking Tours Manhattan and featured the following four bakeries:
- Babycakes NYC – 248 Broome St (Near Ludlow St), New York
- Sugar Sweet Sunshine – 126 Rivington St (Near Essex St), New York
- Butter Lane – 123 East 7th Street (Near Avenue A), New York
- Chikalicious – 203 E. 10th Street (Near 2nd Ave), New York
The official cupcake crawl finished up at Crumbs, but we decided to skip it and hit up Big Booty Bread Co. instead. Anyway, here’s a quick rundown of the three new bakeries that we’re adding to our list of conquered cupcakes (we’ve already reviewed Sugar Sweet Sunshine).
#3 (bad batch of cupcakes?) Chikalicious – East Village in New York City
I heard so many good things about Chikalicious, so our group was quite surprised that when we got there at just how bad the cupcakes were. The s’mores one that I had was dry and fairly unpleasant to eat. As you can see from the picture below of Megan, the cupcake at Chikalicious made her really sad. That large piece in her hand is actually what she ended up throwing away. I’m thinking that we might have to go back and give this place another try. People think so highly of Chikalicious that it must have been just a bad batch of cupcakes. Right?
#2 (it tastes so… healthy) Babycakes NYC – Lower East Side in New York City
These cupcakes weren’t bad, they just tasted strange… maybe different is a better word. The cupcakes at Babycakes are refined sugar-free, vegan, gluten free, wheat free, kosher, egg free, and soy free. Yum?
#1 (can I have another please) Butter Lane – East Village, NYC
Butter Lane is a quality bakery that comes awfully close to beating Big Booty Bread Co. for best cupcake in NYC. If you look at the pictures below, you’ll notice that at Butter Lane there is a large chalk board in the front with the icings and cupcakes that they are serving that day. After you tell one of their super friendly staff members what you’d like, they go and prepare it for you. If you ever decide to go on a cupcake crawl in NYC yourself, make sure to put Butter Lane on your list of destinations.
Here’s an updated list of what we consider the best cupcakes in NYC based upon the 12 bakeries that we’ve been to so far:
- Big Booty Bread Co in Chelsea, NYC – been there four times and still holding on to the top spot
- Butter Lane in the East Village, NYC
- Amy’s Bread in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC
- Baked by Melissa in SoHo, NYC
- Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in the Lower East Side, NYC
- Magnolia in the Upper West Side, NYC
- Buttercup Bake Shop in the Upper West Side, NYC
- Crumbs in the Upper West Side, NYC
- Kyotofu in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC
- Babycakes in the Lower East Side, NYC
- Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea, NYC
- Chikalicious in the East Village, NYC
Start of the cupcake crawl at Babycakes in the Lower East Side, NYC
showcase of the vegan, gluten free, wheat free, kosher, egg free, and soy free cupcakes
Red velvet cupcake at Babycakes in NYC
Sugar Sweet Sunshine in the LES, New York
Ooey Gooey cupcake from Sugar Sweet Sunshine in New York City
Megan enjoying her cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in NYC
trip to Butter Lane in the Lower East Side in New York City
Menu at Butter Lane in Manhattan, New York
Vanilla with chocolate icing at Butter Lane in NYC
Dessert Club, Chikalicious in New York City
S'mores cupcake at Chikalicious on the East Side in NYC
Look how sad Megan is with the cupcakes at Chikalicious
Red Velvet cupcake at Big Booty Bread Co. in Chelsea
Yellow cake cupcake at Big Booty Bread Co. in New York City
Orea cupcake at Big Booty Bread Co. in Chelsea, NYC
[...] If you’d rather look at some cupcake porn, go check out my new post this morning – Cupcake Crawl NYC – New York. Heartland Brewery in Union Square, New York City Where the beer gets made at Heartland Brewery in [...]
I am inspired to do a cupcake crawl of my own, here in Champaign, IL. Oh wait, we only have one (over-priced) cupcake shop. Toooooo bad.
I loved reading this! The girl with the sad cupcake at Chikalicious made me sad too though. There is nothing worse than a bummer cupcake.
Nice. So real men do eat cupcakes!
@Mica – come to nyc already
@cakespy – i love your enthusiasm. come back often.
@sophia – why thank you
Yay for cupcakes. Boo for lines. Which may explain why I may never do a cupcake crawl.
Now if there was some korean bbq action going on… I would be all over that.
Great idea, How many cupcakes did you eat? That must have been one heck of a sugar rush.
I’m sorry that I didn’t get to comment before you went on this second cupcake run. I used to live on UWS near Magnolia’s, and I’ll have to say that the cupcakes there are a bit crumbly. However, the banana pudding is “to die for!” as are their mini-cheesecakes. Should also add that the apple pie at Buttercup is one of the best I’ve had….but since this was a cupcake run, I understand why you didn’t have enough insulin for the non-cupcake goodies.
Your next cupcake run should include Alice’s Teacup (on Columbus & 73rd). Everything in that place is just “Yummy!” Also, Two Little Red Hens (2nd ave at 86th street), is one of my favs! Can’t wait until you do a burger run! =)
[...] the 9 dumpling houses / restaurants in Chinatown that we went to on our dumpling crawl. As was the case with the cupcakes, this list may be amended in the near future to include any places we may have missed. If you [...]
Anyone who comes into Butter Lane and mentions they saw us on your blog gets two for one cupcakes Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays through the month of February. (Limit two per day.) At the end of the month, the blogger with the most mentions wins a dozen cupcakes!
Maria Baugh
I am a new reader but I’m loving your NYC reviews and can’t wait to do a dumpling tour of my own when I get home from school!
I do have a suggestion for your next cupcake crawl:
http://www.outofthekitchenonline.com/