This gluten-free and dairy-free bakery offers an entire array of kosher sweets, from small pastries to cakes, as well as a challah that is available in the shop on Fridays, or by custom order. While one’s mileage may vary on the gluten-free rugelach which sports a softer texture, By the Way’s menu has a number of standouts, including the mini apple bundt cake (a favorite on Rosh Hashanah), a surprisingly airy chocolate whoopie pie, and crusty, chewy almond cookies.

This glatt kosher Persian market has a bakery toward the back, with a domed oven lined with hot stones, on which bakers are making sangak, the elongated flatbread often dusted with black sesame seeds. Watch as it's made to order, pulled from the oven with a very long paddle, and then folded like ribbons on butcher paper.

For many, William Greenberg’s name is synonymous with the iconic black and white cookie. Opened in 1946, the Upper East Side bakery’s classic take on these deceptively named, cake-like cookies boasts a moist and sponge-like texture. The team recommends the less commonly found schnecken, a kind of pecan cinnamon twist, as well as pecan brownies that made an appearance on Mad Men. There are several locations in Manhattan.

Breads Bakery’s trademarked babka put this spot on the map. Decadent, sticky with Nutella, and impossible to put down, this braided, croissant-like loaf makes the perfect dinner party gift. Breads’ attention to detail and creativity extend across its French and Jewish pastry menu, from flaky cinnamon rolls and crisp butter pecan cookies to an assortment of well-executed patisserie. Their chocolate babka is a must-try; expect specials for Rosh Hashanah.

Tucked in a quiet street in Rego Park, Rokhat is a special bakery that serves the tight-knit Bukharian Jewish community from the Uzbek region. The shop features a variety of Central Asian breads, including lepeshka, a chewy, soft flatbread stamped in a variety of designs and baked in a tandoor oven; and crisp and flaky samsas, flavorful triangular pies filled with savory meat or pumpkin. Others worth trying are the massive, cracker-like dome bread that resembles a baked lavash, and patir, a coiled, layered onion bread that recalls a larger, heartier scallion pancake. Look for products freshest from the oven, as the breads harden over time, and pop into the connected restaurant if it is open. To experience food that speaks so much about this unique community— of which globally there are only a few hundred thousand living members — Rokhat Kosher Bakery is an essential visit. 

A former Breads Bakery chef is behind this establishment that brings a refined approach to pastries and adds offerings from the chef’s home country of Israel. Given his culinary pedigree, the kosher bakery naturally boasts knockout chocolate babkas — in both dairy and vegan options — and also a wide array of holiday specials. A second location resides on the Upper East Side.

Established in 1959, Sander’s Bakery in South Williamsburg is the kosher bakery that supplies Moishe’s in Manhattan, which in and of itself is a testament to Sander’s quality. Serving a variety of cookies, three types of round babka (including a rare poppy seed edition), and an astonishing seven different layer cakes in rolled, square, and triangular chocolate dipped versions, Sander’s carries its traditions proudly.

Discerning babka shoppers may recognize Green’s three-sided cardboard containers, as it’s been rumored that the bakery supplies white-labeled babkas to many of the high-end grocers and restaurants across New York City. Green’s kosher babkas are pareve, meaning made without dairy, and distinct from the more croissant-like takes made with butter and milk. While the chocolate babka wins the popular vote, the sleeper hit is the cinnamon babka, with a bold flavor that may just win over a few cinnamon skeptics. The Hungarian immigrant-founded bakery’s industrial kitchen in South Williamsburg is a not-so-hidden secret for acolytes. Ask politely, and they may just sell you a babka straight from the source

Founded in 1961 in Brooklyn, Mansoura Bakery traces its baking heritage back nearly two centuries to the family’s original bakeries in Egypt and Syria. Serving the Sephardic Jewish community in Midwood and beyond, this kosher bakery is famous for its traditional approach to Middle Eastern pastries. Must-tries include their tidy diamond-shaped baklava, their semolina basbousa cake, andas well as high-end confections and chocolates.