Cowgirl’s Baking

I am devastated! i loved the blackened fish tacos!!!

As of September 27, 2011, Cowgirl’s Baking is closed permanently.
Sad to see you go…

Sadly, it appears Cowgirl’s has up and left us. I’ve been passing by for the past few days, and the store is totally shuttered; they’re not answering the phone. Today, I ran into someone who had worked the counter up until a few months ago, and she said, «Oh – I guess Lidia went to the West coast. And darn – because I was looking forward to a donut!»
I guess there had been signs things were unstable here, but no clear warning. There also wasn’t a «For Rent» sign or anything, so no one knew for sure. I miss them already.

I’ll give this place two stars instead of one because their vegan cupcakes are quite good. However, their donuts and attitude has made me never want to give them another chance. Last week was my birthday and since I’m vegan, my fiancé got some cupcakes from Cowgirls Bakery. The cupcakes were really good and when I saw online that they had vegan food as well, I suggested that we get dinner there sometime. I couldn’t figure out why, but my fiancé was dead set against going back there and eating. He said it was cramped inside and the servers didn’t seem to care about being at work.
Last night I attempted to order from them through
. After about an hour I received a call from delivery saying that they have been unable to get anyone at Cowgirls to answer the phone so we had to cancel the order. This morning we decided to get some donuts and walked over there. When the issue from last night was mentioned, the response was just «oh, we have issues with our phones» in a flippant sort of way. No apologies, only attitude. Then when ordering their donuts, there were only a few to choose from. They had just opened their doors and I wrongly assumed that donuts on a weekend morning would be fresh. These were far from fresh and served anyway. Skip this place unless you are in dire need of a cupcake.

I found this place on a web search and had to visit during my recent trip to New York. It’s very small, unfortunately, and I just bought 4 cupcakes to take back to the hotel.
There were these odd pink balls in the display case which the guy told me were donut holes sweetened with kool aid. And who likes these — people strung out on crack? Like, aren’t people vegan for health and ethical reasons? He stressed that there wasn’t any sugar in them… like, what the hell does Kool Aid have in it? I dare to even think about the ingredients.
So, the Kool Aid should have been a giveaway for me. I was really swept up with the variety of vegan cupcakes. Well, they were okay but just had too much icing and I felt kind of guilty and dirty after eating each one — over three days.

There’s only one reason for me to enter a vegan bakery, and that’s deep fried kool aid.
For $ 1 you get a super-​munchkin sized ball infused with a flavor of your choice. I went with fruit punch.
When you first bite into it, it tastes like a plain ol’ munchkin, but a bit chewier. Let the magic work, and then it’s like you are eating Pop Rocks, without the pop. Just a nice after taste of flavored sugar, but not nearly as good as I had hoped.
Overall, I was satisfied with the treat. It won’t make it onto my «Must-​try desserts» list, but you can’t go wrong for $ 1. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out of his or her way to try this, but if you are in the area, go for it!
+0.5 Taste
+1 Value
+1 options (I went late when they only had 2 flavors, but I hear they usually have lots)
–2 Vegan. Yeah, that’s right. MINUS TWO. Ok I take that back. –2 because there were no cowgirls.
Glad I came. If you are in the area, then go and try the kool aid balls. Non-​vegans have not other reason to come here, especially since there are no cowgirls.

Going to Cowgirl’s is like going to a dinner/​potluck at your scatterbrained, well-​meaning vegan friend’s house. She may be a solid cook, but her apartment is cramped and poorly laid out, dinner is taking too long, and you find yourself using a lot of your energy to reassure her that its ok, you’re not really that hungry, your in no rush, and you don’t mind sitting on someone’s lap while you eat while she gets increasingly flustered and self-​conscious.
The staff was super sweet and helpful when I went in with some kind of Groupon situation. I got a burrito (for later) 3 Tacos (for the moment) and 3 cupcakes (for a friend). While they’re nice, patient, and accommodating, I was the only one in there, and the order took a seriously long time. The ingredients for a single taco seemed to scattered throughout the space in about 12 different and hard to reach locations. After my order came out, I left, got about 12 blocks away and noticed they forgot my burrito. When I came back fearing that they’d suspect that I had eaten it («Nice try fat boy. No free extra burrito for you!»). but they offered free cupcakes and discounts later to make up for it, that I refused (mostly because I was too relieved that they believed me). To sum up the service: Friendly, apologetic, and completely inefficient.
And this joint won’t hold more than 2 people for eat-​in, so best to go in with every expectation of take-​out (just make sure they include all of your order).
But $ 3 a taco ($ 2 on Tuesday) is pretty awesome, and the blackened fish taco was a big win. Chorizo burrito also decent, and my (non vegan) friend was all about the cupcakes, which are also very fairly priced ($ 1 mini cupcakes when you’re cash strapped and don’t want to totally pig out? Hell yeah!).
And re: the previous review: Yes, the tortilla isn’t dry at all even though its vegan! Pssst: Pretty much all tortillas are vegan. I love when non-​vegans seem to think anything vegan= dehydrated flavorless stale dog biscuit. But y’all and your low expectations make me feel better about my shoddy dinner parties. «OMG, he made a fruit salad and it was totally vegan but you couldn’t even TELL!!! It wasn’t even dry, and was bursting with flavor. How did he do it?!?»
Conclusion: Use yr livingsocial deals before these guys sink, expect to wait, expect to take out, and enjoy some pretty stellar cupcakes and solidly decent tacos for a reasonable value.

Ugh… As a vegan, I hate trash talking vegan establishments because there are so few of them. However, I also totally hate wasting my money. That said…
The staff here is terrible. I don’t expect people to do cartwheels when they wait on me. I mean, service jobs suck. It’s a given. However, both times I’ve been here the staff has gone back and forth over who will prepared the ordered items. Guys, please quit wasting my time and do your jobs. And when you do them, could you speed it up a little? The wait is way too long. Oh yeah, and keep your hair out of it. My friend’s tacos had a hair in the guac. He pointed it out and they replaced it. Still, gross.
The second problem is the space itself. There’s really not much seating. And they don’t seem to have a/​c. Really super unpleasant given how long you end up waiting for your order.
I’ve sampled a few of the cupcakes and found that they were pretty good. The savory items, however, leave a lot to be desired.

I am seriously suspect of vegan desserts, but Cowgirl Bakery has totally changed my perspective. Their carrot cake cupcake beat out most of the non-​vegan versions I’ve tried! The cake was moist and full of flavor, and the frosting was perfection. They have an enormous selection of cupcakes, and some unique flavor combinations. They’re also so reasonably priced — $ 3.00!
We also had the vegan burritos, which were a bit spicy for my taste, but my boyfriend loved them. All the components tasted pretty close to the real thing, minus the cheese (there is just not a lot that can be done about vegan cheese). The tortilla was especially impressive, as it wasn’t dry at all. Their real food is pricey (the burrito was around $ 8.00 and wasn’t very big), but the baked goods are really reasonably priced. The staff is very nice, but a bit disorganized/​scatterbrained, so don’t go there if you’re in a hurry.

I keep coming back for the donuts. +2 for awesome donuts. But:
Ten bucks for a meatball sub: it should be heated past «lukewarm.»
Knish: heavy as a brick, so I forwent eating it. I don’t like bricks in my stomach.
Stay away from the funnel cakes ew oozy oil ewwwwww.
Some stuff I’ve bought (cupcake, biscuit, mini donut on top of the donut cupcake) has been so inedibly dry/​old that I have asked several times «were these baked today?» The most popular response is «I don’t know, I can call the kitchen and ask.» No. You’re a BAKERY. It should be baked today, or else sitting in a special case on sale for half price.
Yes, vegans are a niche market; that said, the «Field of Dreams» approach isn’t a sustainable long-​term business plan. You’ve gotta try harder than that.

PB Bomb, Red Velvet… all the cupcakes I’ve tried there have been amazing. Cotton Candy wasn’t my thing, but to each his own.
Burritos are great– good size for the price and packed with vegan «meat».
The people that work there are really helpful and friendly too!!!

I’ve been here twice so far and that’s enough.
The first time the owner told us they weren’t open yet (it was 11:05). No «hello», no «thank you for coming», just: «We’re not open yet» when, in fact, they should have been. We left empty handed.
The second time the owner walked unsmiling by my group inside, as well as blatantly ignored a group outside deciding whether or not to come in. The other staff members seemed annoyed by our questions. Tip: if you don’t want people to ask what things are, label! And don’t act surprised by the fact that it’s confusing to find pastries and a burrito bar in the same place, cupcakes hanging out next to pot pies. Cool ideas, but execution is key.
Overall, nothing looked or tasted like anything I couldn’t make at home– only mine would be fresher. I’ve heard good things about selections from Cowgirl’s, but it hasn’t been my experience. Judging by these reviews, I’m not the only one. There are plenty of other places that are welcoming wtih better snacks.

Dear Cowgirl’s,
You have so much potential. Your name is adorable. Your Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars are amazing. But you’ve been open four months and you can’t even put labels in your bakery case with names and prices so every person who walks in doesn’t have to ask «uhhh what is everything»? The homemade signs everywhere? Having a Burrito Bar that isn’t actually a burrito bar, but is a guy who goes in the back to make the burrito and occasionally comes out to get some ingredients from the actual bar in front? Maybe you don’t know what a Burrito Bar is? You definitely don’t know what a knish is. Here’s a hint: it doesn’t look like a poptart. And it doesn’t taste like butter pastry. And it isn’t pronounced «kuh-​neeesh.» Get it together, Cowgirl. There’s too much potential to be hidden behind handwritten signs that look like my campaign posters for president of the 5^th grade.

Warning, I’m super harsh in this review. Only read if you can deal with constructive criticism.
I got the coupon, because I knew I wanted to try them out. But from the get go I was thinking, «I don’t know about this.» You know, cupcakes, burritos, knishes, sandwiches, and on and on. It’s a bit much, it’s hard to tell what the focus is. So everything is done to mediocrity, instead of anything standing out.
Ok, here’s where I’ll get on my high horse and tell you about what’s wrong witht he burritos. What’s up with the burrito bar? It looks like it belongs in a senior center. Not cute, put it in the back. What’s up with keeping the guac and daiya in the front end fridge. So not cute. You think these things don’t matter? Seriously, they matter. The burrito it’s self didn’t taste bad, it just wasn’t special in any certain way. And the puffy flour tortilla they used was so fresh outta the plastic… it was just so obvious. When you go to get out, you want at least the illusion of freshness. These guys need to shape up the burrito bar, it’s a luke warm mess.
Oh and the service was after. They asked at least five times what kind of burritos we ordered, yet still managed to get one wrong. And the girls working there seemed like they really didn’t want to be there, which isn’t cute. And they referred to my boyfriends burrito as «um, like, blackbeans or whatever. i don’t care.» SERIOUSLY.
Oh and we ordered a cupcake with a doughnut on top of it. Cupcake was good. Doughnut was inedibly stale.
I”m only being a total bitch in this review because I actually want these people to shape up and succeed.
Here’s what they should do. And in this order:
Hide the burrito bar and it’s fridge-​kept fixins in the back. Get that shit outta sight.
Hire staff with a little more enthusiasm and a lot more knowlege about the products.
Get some cutesy labels in your display case and stop selling stale shit!
Start steaming your tortillas. And think about getting a small self serve salsa bar where the burrito bar currently is. Or just stop serving burritos, which is probably smarter.
Start calling your knishes «gringo empanadas» because that’s what they look like.
Hire an interior decorator. The place looks like it was decorated exclusively from Bed, Bath & Beyond. And sandblast that exposed brick that’s currently painted white. Get some character up in there.
Only if they do all that stuff, would this place have a chance of making it. I just find it fascinating that as difficult and expensive as it is to open a restaurant in New York, there are still people half assing it.

Cowgirl’s delicate simplicity appeals to me. Their modest digs are host to playful affectations: high stools and a framed sign declaring «Simplify», to name a few. Vegan donuts aren’t quite my thing, but thankfully they have sandwiches.
Despite not being in this East Village bakery’s target demographic — I’m no vegan, nor do I have a sweet tooth — sandwich lovers may find something to like. Sandwiches in a bakery, you say? You betcha. Try their XXX sandwich, or their peanut butter and jelly. By the register, there’s a big honking jar of pickles. Adopt one today; they need love too.

A friend told me about a new cupcake shop in the east village, so we headed over there since I love cupcakes.
The shop is a little bear, and there is one display of baked goods and a burrito bar across the small store. I was a little confused when I walked in and thought I walked into the wrong store. The person working the counter was really nice and explained the different baked goods in the window. I ended up going with the chocolate cake and vanilla frosting and the coffee donut cupcake.
The chocolate cake with vanilla frosting was interesting. Knowing these are not regular cupcakes they were tasty. The chocolate cake had extra chocolate in it and the vanilla frosting was not too sweet.
I gave the coffee donut to a friend of mine and I’m waiting for her feedback.

This was our last stop on the @scoopst food crawl, and let me just say, I am very disappointed. Not only did the run out of the «vegan doughnut» deal we were supposed to get, but then we were offered a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie was so hard to bite into, that I almost chipped my teeth! I could not even break it off with my hands to give to anyone to share.
I also made the mistake of purchasing two full size cupcakes from here. One was a vegan gluten-​free chocolate with chocolate frosting — Tasted like cardboard and absolutely not edible! Didnt even want to lick anymore of the frosting either. The second one was a vegan red velvet. The red velvet had no flavor and nothing similar to what it should of tasted like. It had a little more fluff to it, but also one bite was enough for me to throw the rest out.
The star rating would NOT go to the product, but maybe to the friendly guy at the counter and the cleanliness of the store. I guess my eyes were deceived by the pretty little cupcakes. $ 3 a cupcake is a bit much for something thats not tasty. I would change some recipes or make it taste better if I could!
Note to vegans: I LOVE vegan baking, and compared to other spots I love, such as Babycakes, Tu-Lu’s. This one is definitely on the bottom of my list. Sorry…

I was SO excited when I saw that Living Social had a deal for this place last week. $ 10 for $ 20 worth of vegan goodies at a new vegan bakery? What’s not to like? I bought it right away and yesterday finally went down to check it out.
When I first walked in, I was slightly underwhelmed, to say the least. The place has no character whatsoever. The display of vegan cupcakes, scones, donuts looks lame. There are no signs to tell you what’s what. The staff seemed kind of bored. What’s up with that? This place is new! They should be super enthusiastic. In the corner they had a burrito bar that did not look appealing at all. They sell drinks out of a fridge next to the counter where they also store huge bags of Daiya cheese. For their burritos or sandwiches, I assume. It was just all kind of weird.
The whole place is just not put together very well and seems like it’s lacking some love by the owner. I honestly thought about just walking out, but I had that $ 20 coupon, so I thought I should give it a try. We got three different cupcakes. One with lemon frosting, a small chocolate one and one with a donut on top. We got two chocolate covered pretzel sticks, a scone and a peanut butter and jelly bar.
The pretzel sticks were stale, the chocolate looked white (old). The lemon cupcake was super sweet and the frosting was a bit much. The chocolate cupcake was pretty good and it’s the only thing we actually finished. I had one bite of the one with the donut on top, but the donut was stale and dry, so I couldn’t finish it. PB&J bar was salty and rich, but not too bad. We didn’t try the scone yet, but I don;t think we will.
I really wanted to give this place a chance, but I’m not sure if I’ll go back. I think I’d rather go downtown a little further and go to Babycakes. It’s sad, because I want to support all (new) vegan places, but I also expect some good quality food.
Sadly, everything seems a little off about this place.

Cute spot, I had a chocolate cupcake with a cappuccino frosting, it was pretty tasty, especially the cake part. In fact, I’d rather that be made bigger, without the frosting and let’s call it a muffin! :)
I tried a bit of one of the donuts too, the texture was a bit funny, but the frosting was yummy. Sweet!
Better bring your sweet tooth! :)

Wow!!!
Sooo happy to stumble upon this spot today. Thought I was not awake yet as I was walking down E10th this morning and saw a sign for a «100% Vegan» spot.
Could it be!!!
A sweet new vegan spot that I hadn’t tried yet?
Awesome!
I went in super hungry and could barely keep myself from drooling while looking at the display. The most adorable cupcakes alongside cookies, tarts, biscuits, sprinkly doughnuts and goodies that are all wonderfully animal free!
I ordered the first sandwich on the list because every single one sounded good and I couldn’t decide. My bf ordered the humongo make-​your-​own burrito awesomeness and I must say it’s amazing. My patsy cline sandwich was equally as amazing and I’m pretty sure it was on my plate for less than a minute. Yum.
We got a huge box of treats to go – a cotton candy cupcake, mint choco cupcake, pbj bar, two doughnuts and some cookies. The cupcakes didn’t make it out the front door. The cotton candy cupcake is the best thing in the galaxy. And girliest. And I loved it!
This spot is a fantabuloustic addition to the vegan group! Can’t wait to try more sugary sweets from cowgirl’s!