City Cakes

New York, United States

4.3

Closed now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 646-688-2286
Website:
citycakes.com
Address:
251 W 18th St Lower Level, New York, NY, 10011
b/t 7th Ave & 8th Ave
Chelsea
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
680 ft18th Street (1)
0.2 mi23rd Street (C,E)
0.2 mi14th Street-8th Avenue (A,C,E,L)
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Bussiness info

Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Bitcoin
No
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (New York) 9:50 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Come in and try our amazing cupcakes and best cookies in NYC. Visit us on the web to see our basic and custom cakes — just search City Cakes on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Email all cake requests to us so we can get the quoting process started.

Famous Half Pound Cookies include flavors like:

Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter half pound cookies

Bittersweet Rich Chocolate Chip half pound cookies

Hearty Oatmeal Raisin half pound cookies

Triple Chocolate Spice half pound cookies

Killer Red Velvet stuffed half pound cookies

Signature Sugardoodle half pound cookies

Our amazing daily cupcake flavors include:

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Crème Cheese Buttercream

Chocolate Decadence Cupcakes with Choc and Original Sinful Buttercream

Precious Yellow Cupcakes with Choc and Original Sinful Buttercream

Lush Amaretto Cupcakes with Original Sinful Buttercream

Salted Caramel Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream & Drizzle

Monthly specialty cupcakes are made too!

Come in and see us in our cute little basement shop. Small businesses are the life blood of this city — help us survive by visiting, supporting and reviewing us :)

History

Established in 2007.

Chef Benny Rivera and Marc Matthias started City Cakes as a private custom cake business in 2007 (also under the name Diverse Desserts). The response to the hidden business was huge, and they have since appeared on TLC’s Fabulous Cakes, Food Network Cake Challenge and even E! Network’s The Soup. In Summer 2010 they crammed a little counter into their W 18th Street basement studios and started selling cupcakes and ½ pound (now-​famous) cookies to the public. With buy-​3-​get-​1-​free cupcakes every day, to the ½ Pounder Cookie Club, City Cakes has a steady, loyal following and continues to grow as a leading cake design company in New York City!

Meet the Business Owner

Benny R.

Business Owner

Chef Marc started City Cakes with cake expert Chef Benny Rivera back in 2007. They moved into their Chelsea basement in 2009 and opened their doors to the public as City Cakes in 2010. Chef Marc is executive manager of City Cakes and is a business professional with a spectacular sweet tooth and love for people and hospitality. Chef Benny Rivera is an esteemed professional in cake decorating, teaching courses around the world, and also taking extreme pride in each and every cake we push out of our basement doors.

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21 reviews of City Cakes

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Place rating: 4
Manhattan, NY
Good cookies. Friendly service. They had a choc chip cookie out to sample (yay!) and I ordered a red velvet. The red velvet cookie had cream cheese frosting filled in the cookie which is kind of neat and makes for less messy eating. It was good. But I would probably get the chocolate chip next time, I liked that better as it turned out. Thy had a couple of other cookies that looked good too though.
Place rating: 5
West Hollywood, CA
I came across City Cakes when planning a birthday for two of my closest friends. I was in search of an amazing bakery that could great delicious beautiful cakes and I must say, City Cakes hit the nail on the head.
I contacted Chef Buddy and only had a 4 day window to create a custom cake for 15 people that I had mocked up. I ordered a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and a design on the top that included a 3d flower.
When I went to pick up the cake, I was amazed. It was beautiful and the flower looked so real. Even better, when the birthday girls saw the cake, they had tears and still haven’t stopped talking about it.
The cake was definitely one of the party highlights and people couldn’t stop commenting on how delicious it was.
I highly recommend Chef Buddy and City Cakes for any of your cake needs!
Bonus: I arrived at the bakery with a handful of balloons and the staff was so accommodating. They walked me to the car and helped me not ruin the cake or lose the balloons!
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
It’s a popular notion that the bible was the greatest book every written, the same ambitious statement can confidently be made of CITY CAKES, producing the greatest desserts every created. City Cakes is Willy Wonka’s wet dream! I have had the sweet pleasure of sampling all of their cookies and cupcakes, everything there is great along with the staff, while singling out Chef Benny Rivera. Chef Benny Rivera is a true artist in every sense of the word, with a deep dedication to his craft, taking the time to research and understand each cake he’s commissioned to create, always with skillful perfection. So, do yourself a favor and walk down 18th street and into the magical delight that is City Cakes and prepare for your life to change… for the sweeter!
Place rating: 2
Queens, NY
We came here for their famous half pound cookies. They’re approximately the same size as the cookies at Levain Bakery but definitely not as good. We shared the triple chocolate spice cookie and it was quite bland. I liked how it wasn’t too rich or sweet but there was also no spice to it at all.
We also had their tiramisu cupcake. It tasted like tiramisu. I liked the bold espresso flavor. The frosting is gorgeous as well, topped with a round ladyfinger-​like cookie (that was stale). Their other cupcakes also looked very creative and pretty.
Note: there are no seats in here, just standing room (no table/​counter) that comfortably fits 2 people. City Cakes is a few steps below ground level and a take-​out place.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
how do they get these cookies to be so heavy and soft without falling apart? i came here on a friday evening to get dessert for our train ride home. i ordered two cookies (red velvet and snickerdoodle). the cookies were almost the size of my face and smelled so good. i gave the red velvet cookie to my friend and she fell in love with it. she didn’t even bother to share it with her bf and ate the whole thing! as for the snickerdoodle. i finished it in one sitting: X (HALF A POUND!!). will i come back to try their other cookies? yup. will i feel fat? probably. is it worth the trip to the west side? definitely. no regrets at all.
Place rating: 3
New York, NY
Location: don’t get surprised that they are in a basement. Basement always comes up with good stuffs like doughnut plant, iPod etc. this is also the case of city bakery. It does not have any decoration but full of bakery tools. It does not have seats and for the most cases. You have to wait in line. You might get surprised by how big their cookies are and how delicTe their cupcakes designed.
Food: I had red velvet cookies. It lost the flavor of red velvet but if you like sugar, this is your spot. And be seated that their cookies are soft. I mean, when I try to eat it while walking, my red velvet just collapse. I guess it was because the cream inside makes it hard to stand like chocolate cookies?
Idk, maybe
Price: it’s ccheap.
Overall; I may come back because their cookies are too attractive.
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
These cookies are no joke. The half pound cookies are huge. My friend got me a red velvet half pound cookie and a nutella cupcake. I didn’t get to enjoy the red velvet cookie until 2 days later but it was still so soft and delicious! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t suppose to finish the whole thing by myself. but I did.
The nutella cupcake on the other hand was WAY too sweet. I couldn’t even eat all the frosting.
So DEF try the cookies! They seem to hold up for a few days!
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
This is my «Go To» cookie place/​sweet treat place! I work in the Flat Iron District and take a nice walk to get to this little spot that, yes, if you don’t look carefully, you may pass by it.
Try anyone of their Half-​Pound Cookies if you’re one who likes soft, thick cookies and you will not be disappointed! They also have a punch card for returning customers to get a free cookie after a few visits ;) I am a registered Cookie Monster and love them all. I pick based on what I’m in the mood for that day or what they have… either way, I have never been disappointed, just experience happy taste buds!
Their cupcakes are also good! Icing is just right, perfectly matches the cake portion. They have unique flavors so always read the little labels they have to find one that fits your fancy for the day! I’ve gone in there just for a cookie and have left with that and a few cupcakes because of the creative selections that day.
I have tried other places in the vicinity of City Cakes, but this is the place I keep coming back to! Friendly employees each time I have been there also. At some point soon I will be getting a cake from these folks… even if it is a cookie cake too! ;)
Place rating: 4
Staten Island, NY
Excellent moist cookies! Literally the size of your face. I loved their signature snickerdoodle and the oatmeal raisin as well.
I’m having a hard time deciding between citycakes and levain.
The soaked tiramisu cupcake with delish and tasty. Be sure to pick up a citycakes loyalty card, buy 9 get 1 free!
They are literally situated under a narrow staircase and in the basement. Easily missed! Across the street is a HS and can get quite crowded and rowdy during school hours. Beware.
Please be nice and share your cookies!
Place rating: 3
Knoxville, TN
We came here after eating dinner and gelato for the triple chocolate spice half pound cookie and soaked tiramisu with espresso cream cheese butter cream cupcake. The cake part wasn’t moist but the frosting was very appetizing. The cookie was kind of disappointing; the texture was not a chewy kid or a crunchy adult, it was a teenager — the in between phase.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I stumbled upon this place completely by accident. It’s the tiniest little shop that can barely hold 3 (average sized) customers, BUT the half-​pound cookies are crazy good. I know, a half-​pound cookie sounds like a lot. And it is. But it’s worth it. Trust me. This is the best cookie I’ve ever had and that is saying A LOT. You will not regret it.
Remember: there are no calories in anything when you’re on your period.
Place rating: 5
Rocklin, CA
This hidden gem is located down a few stairs. If you aren’t looking you may walk right past the place. Always DELICIOUS treats from City Cakes. Every time my husband and I visit the city, we stop to get some cookies. These half pound cookies are a must have treat in the city. We have tried many different flavors, but our favorites are the chocolate chip and the snickerdoodle. They call the Snickerdoodle something slightly different, but it is the cookie with cinnamon and sugar. In addition to great cookies, the customer service is SUPERB. When you purchase 9 cookies, the tenth one is FREE! Score!
Place rating: 4
Glen Burnie, MD
When Im back in olé NYC, Im coming back! We were on our way out of the city from visiting to see Rockefeller Center. We all wanted something sweet. I pulled up my Unilocal app and City cakes pulled up in my top 4. So I read reviews and I chose City Cakes.
I have absolutely no regrets. except… read below for that
Here’s are the flavors we got:
Vanillla/​Vanilla
Chocolate/​Chocolate
Apple Pie
Red Velvet
We all loved our cupcakes except my hubby claimed his vanilla was dry. As a cupcake snob but also verry plain with his choices he always gets vanilla he always claims they are dry. So I pay no attention to him.
I devoured… listen to me devoured my chocolate/​chocolate cupcake. The icing was so smooth and buttery it was crazy. Just sweet enough and proportioned just enough.
My daughter was literally begging me to go back to get her another apple pie flavored, it had apple filling in the middle. Yuuummmmyyyy!
The red velvet was awesome. That cheesecake icing was perfect and the cake was baked to perfection. It was moist but not falling apart. It had spring to it .
We did not order any cookies, I am now regretting that decision.
The customer service was awesome. The woman behind the counter took her time with us and didn’t even rush us when there were ppl waiting.
If you haven’t read any of theother reviews. It’s a super teeny tiny place … at max 6 ppl standing waiting to order.
Place rating: 2
New York, NY
I received a note from the owner asking me to revise my review. I cannot revise my last visit, as I did not think this tasted like a cookie made with all natural ingredients. He said my review is ‘misleading the public’. I was only guessing it was a chemical flavor or preservative. I have never had a choco chip cookie with that sort of flavor, and tried it on two visits (first try my fiancé liked it, second time not so much). I only stated my opinion and did not consider this to be one of the most delicious cookies ever, as so many on here have and I can’t deny the strange flavor. I am all for small businesses and I wish them luck– many people love their cookies– I wish I liked the cookie (and the other flavor that was on sample) more, so I could have rated higher. (Ginger cookie looked incredibly good!)
I am told there are no chemicals added, and they use the highest quality chocolate (Callebaut — which is one of the best, I have used it myself but did not think much of the choco chips in this cookie). I will add we visited both times at night, so maybe the cookie was sitting around long. Do suggest you heat it a few seconds in microwave for a few seconds to melt the chips, as our chips inside were too hard.
So I was wrong on the chemicals. I cannot change my opinion on flavor though. We are all entitled to our own opinions and that is what makes Unilocal (and the world!) go around.
Place rating: 5
Arlington, TX
How have I not wrote a review about the big cookie place. That is how I lovingly refer to this little tiny bakery. I walked right at closing and the lady behind the counter was so friendly in helpful. I felt like this was a sign that the desserts were going to be good. I tried a huge cookie and it did not disappoint. Of course, that soft peanut butte chocolate chip cookie just about melted in my mouth. I wished I had a big glad of almond. Sheesh I was not prepared on the NYC streets. Back to the cookie that I shared with the guy and he too could not eat the whole thing. Talk about value. This place is my must stop in NYC. See ya next time.
Place rating: 5
Hanson, MA
Best cookies and cupcakes on earth.
It’s like every time I eat there my stomach gets an erection.
The only people who don’t like this place are people who hate cookies, which makes them insane, and people who aren’t allowed to use scissors.
If you’re within a 4 hour drive of NY city you need to drive there for these cookies.
If your over 4 hours, fly.
Place rating: 4
Midtown West, Manhattan, NY
These cookies are gigaaantic. I was starving when I picked up one on my way to work, and after eating a third, I was so full. They only had a triple chocolate when I popped in, but it was fresh out of the oven. So ooey gooey, half baked deliciousness.
They do have a buy 9, get 1 free deal. But I don’t know how often I’d be inclined to come here to split a cookie with a friend.
The staff members were all very nice in assisting me, so plus points!
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
Definitely lives up to the hype! The cookies are so gooey, cookie doughy, and gigantic.
The red velvet one was heaven. It didn’t have the artificial flavor which makes some poorly made red velvet desserts way too sweet. The cream cheese filling in the middle was amazing!
Side note: it still tastes just as amazing a day later after it survived a 4 hr bus ride ^__^v
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Before last week I had no idea that there was a bakery in the city that made half pound cookies. Half. Pound. Cookies! Now that I know — my life is forever changed.
Just so we’re clear here — these are the dimensions we’re talking about: 6″ diameter by nearly 1″ thick. At $ 4.50 a pop I was concerned that the cookie wouldn’t be worth the price tag — after my first bite I wasn’t concerned anymore.
Sugardoodle — perfect amount of cinnamon, big sugar crystals on top, and so chewy! And my favorite of the day.
Reece’s Pieces — a little crumbly but packed with candy.
Oatmeal Raisin — well, I didn’t actually have any of the OR. I got that one for the Hubs and he made it verrry clear that next time I’m in the neighborhood he’d love another cookie.
I can’t wait for my next visit to the neighborhood… yay for ginormous cookies!
Place rating: 4
Lyon
Bön accueil, tout donne envie, personnellement je préfère le cookie après quelques heures au frigo quand il a durcit! Très bon :)
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
City Cakes is so hidden in it’s little basement outpost that if you blink, you might miss it. You’d better tape your eyes wide open for this gem of a place in Chelsea that serves probably the best red velvet anything I’ve ever had. Move aside, red velvet cake, red velvet cupcake, red velvet ice cream, red velvet whoopie pie… behold:
THE RED VELVET COOKIE. I first tried these when I was at Tea and Milk’s grand opening in Astoria and asked them if they baked these delicious things in their kitchen. Nope — City Cakes, they said, and I immediately bookmarked this place.
$ 3.50. Half a pound. HALF a pound of delicious, cream cheese stuffed insides, soft, moist, middle, and crispy, sugary coated outside. This is a piece of heaven in your hand… or not, in my case, since this thing was bigger than my hand.
I ate the whole thing by myself. The entire thing in one sitting. And I feel no shame. It’s not like when you eat a giant slice of RV cake with globs and globs of overly-​sweet cream cheese frosting or when you have more frosting than cake on your RV cupcake. This is the perfect ratio of cream cheese frosting to amazing, moist cookie.
I also had the strawberry shortcake cupcake that was far too sweet for my tastebuds, but who cares. I got the damn good red velvet cookie.