Patisserie Claude, 187 west 4th street, one of the finest French bakeries in all of Manhattan that is a local secret due to its unassuming presence. Tiny and quaint you might walk right by and not even notice Claude’s, which is too bad because the pastries, cookies, croissants and brioches are delectable.

What you’ll find at Patisserie Claude

A warm Patisserie Claude croissant will bring a smile to your face. Light & buttery on the inside and crispy on the outside. His angel wing cookies so delicate and light they could quite possibly be the wings on heaven’s angels, if heaven angels have cookie wings. It is the perfect place to find solitude from a hectic city day and enjoy a cup of coffee with anyone of Claude’s delicious baked goods.

I like that Patisserie Claude is never overly crowded and that you won’t find anyone hooked up to the internet on their laptop. Being a New Yorker I also like that the original owner Claude was as full of character as the city itself. He also took extreme pride in his baked goods. I remember one day while purchasing a morning croissant, and a small bag of delectable angel wing cookies, a customer entered asking for bagel. I have never seen Claude react so outraged. “Bagel!” he said, making the word sound dirty. “I don’t sell no stinking bagels!” The customer quickly realizing his mistake and  chose an almond croissant instead. After his first bite he grinned and said I may never eat another bagel again. Needless to say I have run into that customer many times since then.

Patisserie Claude

I can’t remember Claude taking a single day off in over the 10 years that I have gone there. He recently retired and his assistant, who he trained for many years, Pablo has taken over and he continues to bake the same fine French pastries , cookies, chocolate and coffee eclairs, raspberry tarts, chocolate, almond & plain croissants & brioches with the same sense of pride, care and quality ingrediants.. If you want a taste of Paris, without the journey, step into Patisserie Claude.

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About The Author

Resident Tourist

Born here. Lives here and never leaving. The nicest person to ever not speak in public. Loves New York