6 Must-Try Russian Bakeries in NYC
Photo by Kirill KukhmarTASS via Getty Images
They say New York City is the place you can find whatever you want – and this is definitely true – but some things are harder to find than others, and Russian breads and pies fall into that category. They’re not as well known in NYC (or as easy to find) as many foods of other global cuisines. Bakeries and shops where they’re sold are generally found in neighborhood enclaves where for the most part their customers are local – and thankfully, loyal. It’s also not uncommon that little or no English at all is spoken in these wonderful bakeries and shops.
Russian bakeries do open in different locations of the city – sometimes successfully, sometimes not. We’ve asked Rich Sanders, a long-time connoisseur of the global cuisines in NYC, where to find the best Russian bakeries in the city and what he thinks about the Russian food scene. Read on to see six great places where you can find Russian breads and pastries in NYC.
Paste: You’ve been exploring the cuisines of NYC for a long time now. Do you think Russian cuisine is changing, or growing, in any way in the city? If so, how?
Rich Sanders: One of my favorite cuisines! But at the outset, let’s stipulate that by “Russian,” we’re including all of the Former Soviet Union countries since Central Asia (Uzbekistan for example), Eastern Europe (notably Ukraine), the Southern Caucasus (more about Georgian breads in a minute) and the Baltic States have each had their own delicious impact on Russian cuisine.
There may have been a small overall increase in Russian culinary presence although I don’t have data to back that up: new markets, bakeries and restaurants come just as old ones go; but it feels like the newer markets are more contemporary – larger, shinier, and they embrace more regional cuisines. You’ll see a tremendous amount of prepared food in these venues and many of them have a baked goods department that rivals the tiny, scattered bakeries.
Of all the FSU countries, Georgian cuisine seems to be gaining in popularity (which makes me happy). The food is delicious, of course, but the breads are incredible.
Paste: Where are some of your favorite places in the city to get Russian breads and pastries?
RS: As with any ethnic group, there are Russian enclaves in New York City. Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach area, aka Little Odessa, is certainly the motherlode, but there are others to be found in Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Sheepshead Bay, Bath Beach, Midwood and Forest Hills, Queens. On any given day, I’ll choose a neighborhood, poke around all the food establishments, and buy anything I haven’t already enjoyed on a previous visit. That’s the best way to make discoveries and perhaps ferret out a new favorite.
Paste: I remember talking to you about Russian breads and pastries and you rattled off a long list of breads or pastries I didn’t know by name. Can you give us a shortlist (or a longlist) of some of those different types of breads or pastries to be found in the city?
RS: Let’s talk about Georgian breads first. The overarching term is khachapuri, literally “cheese bread,” and there are at least a dozen kinds that I know of. They’re commonly filled with tangy, salty sulguni cheese and imeruli, a fresh crumbly cheese which when melted together combine to make stretchy, cheesy nirvana.
Two of my favorites are adjaruli and megruli. Adjaruli is shaped like a kayak, the center of which is filled with cheese; a raw egg and a chunk of butter are added just as it’s removed from the oven. Stir the mixture: the egg cooks and combines with the butter and melted cheese. Break off pieces of the bread and dip them into the cheese mixture. Now picture hot bread with melted buttery cheese, fresh out of the oven that you eat with your hands – what’s not to like? Megruli is a little more self-contained: cheese bread filled with cheese and then topped with more cheese and baked. Did I mention cheese? Think Georgian pizza.
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