Padoca Bakery

I love this place! I am so happy it opened close to my office because now I have more options for sweets and coffee! :) I also come here often for the chicken salad which is delicious!

This place is a nice break from the commercial competition in the area. Im sick of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, I would rather support small business. I can only vouch for the baked goods and the Café. Im told that the café is imported from Brazil, either way its delicious. The rocky road cookie was amazing with full size miniature marshmallows, the apricot scone was also delicious. As far as this place its self, its a cozy little café with a little seating area in the back. Much easier on the eyes that the filthy old Chinese restaurant that used to be at this location.

I have been passing by this bakery for a couple of months now and finally decided to try it. Im happy that I did because I plan on coming here often. I ordered the «pdq» cheese bread which I believe was gluten free. I may be biased because I love doughy-​cheesy things but it was AMAZING! I also tried their cookies which are very good. Will be coming here to try everything else they serve. Very creative bakery and the décor inside is adorable

Very underwhelmed considering the awesome reviews I read before my visit. Now I do want to say that the 2 stars are for how friendly and courteous the staff was but as far as my food and beverage – extremely subpar.
I had a small chai tea latte that had no flavor whatsoever and that was after I added cinnamon to it. It seriously tasted like hot water with a dash of milk and you could barely taste the chai. This was a huge disappointment considering chai tea is so common in many establishments. I also had the bacon and egg brioche and it was terribly dry and also flavorless. The concept was there but again no flavor. I almost have to wonder how long the pastry was sitting there before I had purchased because it was just ok.
Paying $ 9 for mediocre food and beverage will likely have me seek elsewhere :/

Brilliant! Who doesn’t like Dulce de Leche. And warm milk. Combine them & the owners of Padoca Bakery came up with «Grandma’s Milk.» $ 4.50 Just. Order. It. Like a smooth caramel latte, without the caffeine but triple the sugar. :-P
I’d like to try their Dulce de Leche French Toast, guava swirl buns, egg & cheese brioche, German pancakes with apple, or gluten free cheese breads (a little smaller than I expected). There’s A LOT of delicious looking options, a few packaged gluten free cookies & rice crisps. Also a new weekend brunch menu.
Their pre-​made sandwiches & salads look like a healthy option also. The bakery uses local Butterfield Milk. The space can seat about 12 people in the back, the front area where you order is fairly spacious. I’m excited about this bakery & hope they so well. The service was super nice & very patient while you look at every single thing they offer.

Very cute chill spot! The baked goods are fresh and unique. I tried their coffee as well and it was amazing! The only downside is that it has no restrooms. Good for a quick coffee meet up with friends, not good as a study spot!

I think this place is super cute with a large and bright seating area. It’s rustic modern. The coffee was quite good. The pastries looked amazing, and there was even a to-​go fridge.
My main issue is the pricing. I’m not sure it’s reasonably to charge that much for standard items. Their pastries are about 20% higher in price than comparable places in the area. The drip coffee was already $ 3. I would definitely be coming here more often if it were cheaper but this place feels very gourmet. It’s good quality.

This place is going to be a problem for me.
Seriously one of the two best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever eaten and I’m a CCC addict. Having it right across the street is going to be no good for me, but I mean that like a cougar eyeing the shirtless pool boy says «Oooh, you’re TROUBLE.» I also like to buy the large coffee because I like the orange cup because those things matter to me psychologically and I am easily tricked I guess. Overall though, the coffee is good.
This little bakery has a really nice welcoming ambience. A nice place to sit and talk, or fade away into a chocolate chip cookie blackout.
Everyone has been very friendly. It’s great to have a place around that makes me actually smile when I go inside.
Can’t wait to give them more of my money.

I was early for a meeting and opted to try this cute looking bakery instead of the busy crowded and over priced Starbucks down the road, and I’m so happy that I did! The servers are warm friendly and excited to share their baked goods — which by the way were awesome! I had three of their mini muffins (I couldn’t decide which flavor to try) and they were all baked to perfection and perfect to get the day going! Will definitely be back soon.

Newly opened near my workplace and so glad there’s a friendly and delicious bakery a walk away! I was greeted immediately upon entering and that already set a good impression.
It didn’t disappoint as the Latte I ordered was really good! If not even better than Starbucks. I also tried the Brazilian cheese bread everyone is raving about… mmmm now I know what they mean! Oh so good, with yummy cheese inside a softy, crusty roll. And it’s gluten free for those who care.
I definitely will be returning and trying their other delicious goodies. Friendly, attentive service really does make things more delicious! Check it out if you’re in the area.

This place’s strength is its charm. The entrance is warm and inviting and the dining area is cozy. It’s not a great place to get work done, but it’s good for a twenty minute warm up over coffee from the outside cold, especially if you have a friend to chat with. I don’t know why, but whenever a plate is raised higher than others in a bakery display, I always think it’s better, but the apricot currant scone I had didn’t blow my socks off. It was actually a little dry, but all in all a pleasant experience.

The Cheese Bread – «Pao de Queijo” – pronounced (I’m told) pon-​gee-​kay-​jo, is so delicious. Next time, I want to try it heated up a bit. I will post photos of this delicious cheese bread, which looks like a round dinner roll, but has a perfect amount of cheese inside. It’s $ 2.50 +tax= $ 2.72. This past summer, I had an ice coffee that was very good – along with a coffee cake that was excellent. I had also tried the small pastry with chopped mushrooms inside-​very good.
During the summer, I had purchased a mini-​muffin which was extremely dry. As I was leaving I mentioned it to a fellow behind the counter, who took a guess & said perhaps the mini muffin became dry during the trip from the front display to my seat in the bakery, a few feet away. I politely explained to the fellow that I used to bake & the muffin wouldn’t become extremely dry on the short walk from the front of the store to the back.
Overall – very good ice coffee & coffee cake, & cheese bread & mushroom pastry. I will go back to try some of the other lovely looking pastries.

Oh sweet little local bakery!
I like your friendly (take a hint Starbucks) baristas and your quirky design. I especially love the pounds of carbs you may make me consume if I ever make it out here again.
As I enjoy the largest pao de quejo I’ve ever seen and my bag sits on a makeshift swing I’m thinking I need to review this experience.
The coffee is made with nobletree beans (also from Brazil) roasted in red hook.
So not busy on a Sunday morning. Wish I wasn’t awake but sitting here enjoying this delicious experience was worth opening my eyelids.
One bad thing though: no restrooms!

Everyone that works there is super friendly and knowledgeable. I know all the treats must be delicious. My problem is the price. I would pay to much to have a little of everything to eat lunch. I would spend a fortune. $ 8 for a small salad is not in my «out of work» budget. I want to go some where for a meal that fills me for the day!
Some time (when I have already had my lunch) I’ll have a taste of one of the cookies. They certainly looked delicious.
I’m doing the review with the hopes it will help bring in customers. This is a great corner. Their sign hits you when you walk up the street. It looks like a place you want to go in and check out. They have only been open since June. I’ll be sure to follow them. Plus I’ll bring friends and family when I’m in the neighborhood.

This is my new favorite bakery in the neighborhood! I came here on a Sunday morning with my boyfriend and we weren’t really sure what to expect after reading some of the mixed reviews here on Unilocal.We ended up getting the red pepper brioche and the egg and cheese brioche, and I must say we were pleasantly surprised! They both tasted really flavorful, the brioches were flaky and warm… Absolutely delicious! We requested for the pastries to be warmed up, and I think that definitely contributed to us enjoying it so much.
I absolutely love the décor — it’s sooo cute and such a good space to chill, especially on a weekend! The music selection is good (think old school sing-​along jams), tables are well spaced, you get a good view of the park, and most importantly, the service exceeds all expectations.
I can honestly say that the service here is one of the best I’ve had at a NYC bakery — we were greeted by all the friendly staff behind the counter once we stepped in. As this was our first time here, we spent some time looking through the selection of pastries and discussing what we might want to get. One of the staff approached us and asked us whether we felt like something savory or sweet, and gave us her suggestions. Also, there was something in the food display that I was curious about and asked what it was. In addition to explaining what it was, she even voluntarily offered one piece each to me and my boyfriend to try! They were also very flexible and accommodating to special requests — my boyfriend wanted a flat white (which they didn’t have on their menu) and they were very willing to make that for him, no questions asked!
Overall, REALLY impressed with my experience here and I’m 100% confident that I will be coming back here again!

This is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood!
The place is very cute and welcoming!
It is also very clean.
Good lighting and plenty of seating. The wifi password was printed on receipt which is thoughtful.
The staff is very friendly. A few of them are Brazilian which is cool, because I wouldn’t really trust anyone one else making my pão de queijo. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT PĀO DE QUEIJO IS! lol
Came by for the pão de queijo ($ 2.50), duh.
It was authentic and yummy.
Also tried the Romeu e Juliet brioche, although the lady on the register sold it to me as babka. Very good, but not babka in the slightest. That’s brioche, ma’am.
I’ll let that slide because it was yummy regardless and I appreciate that they have real freaking coffee.
Oh, try the s’more cookie.
For those who don’t know, this little area of the Upper East Side is the doom of the existence of anyone who’s a coffee snob. The closer you get to the 60something streets & 1^st ave, the more hopeless it gets when it comes to good coffee.
This is just too convenient for me now.
THIS PLACE IS AN ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS… with latte art included.
I’m so excited about coming here more often.
Will definitely come back soon to try the empadinhas.

Saying «Padoca Bakery» is almost (but not quite) the same concept as saying «chai tea» or «queso cheese» (or «ATM machine» or «PIN number»… you get the point… or not… it doesn’t matter; you might as well say «salsa sauce»).
This little Padoca recently opened up on the corner of 1^st Ave and 68^th St, a spot previously occupied by Wok & Roll, the erstwhile cash-​only, not-​so-​good Chinese take-​out restaurant that disgraced our neighborhood with its odious presence. I would describe Padoca as «cute as a button» if I genuinely believed that buttons were cute. Padoca is way cuter than any button I’ve ever seen (including, but not limited to, Benjamin Button), and is a very welcome addition to the environs of UES, arguably one of the few neighborhoods in our City that have preserved their character.
I have enjoyed the sweet and savory baked items here, but for every single one that I’ve sampled, I found out that they just don’t taste as good after sitting in the display case for even an hour. So get them when they’re freshly out of the oven or, at the very least, ask that they be warmed up for you. The egg and cheese brioche in particular does not taste very good once it has cooled down to room temperature and the yolk has hardened and dried out. It does taste great while it’s still warm and the contents (egg and cheese) have their gooey consistency.
The pao de queijo (cheese bread) is a great snack at any time of day, as is the empadinha de frango (mini chicken pie). I like my empada (and empadinha) with some kind of meat, so I haven’t tried the spinach or mushroom empadinha.
Give me anything with guava, and I am inextricably in love. Needless to state, then, that my favorite sweet here is the guava and sweet cheese swirl. Our cousins in Central and South America seem to have figured out how well guava jelly goes with any kind of unaged soft white cheese. I see that reflected in so many Cuban, Puerto Rican, Colombian and Brazilian desserts.
I cannot not say that I have irretrievably lost my heart to Padoca (yet), but I am very happy to continue to flirt with this new neighbor for a long time to come!

It’s a really nice spot to sit and just chill out because the décor is lively yet relaxing. You could have a quiet conversation, work/​play on your laptop, just bop your head to the music pouring out of your headphones. Or snap a few photos of the cool teapots strung from the ceiling.
As for the drinks and food:
Overall I think the snacks are a tad overpriced for the tiny morsels you actually receive. Their menu seemed lacking. I’m not sure if they just ran out of half their menu when I showed up a bit before 5pm on a regular Thursday afternoon, but their good-​looking sandwich menu (which is awkwardly placed as a postcard-​looking thing next to the register) might as well have been nonexistent. What snacks they did have looked good. The empanadas caught my eye in the pics posted here by fellow Unilocalers, but they were itty bitty when I actually visited them in person. I did not actually try them though.
As far as what I did consume… The cold brew was pretty good. A slice of lemon cake that had a nice outer crust and some tasteful slivers of real lemon peel covered in sugar on top. I think it was a little on the dry side, but it did the job with my coffee. Oh and they have this thing called Grandma’s Milk, which is a caramel and milk drink. Didn’t try it, but sounds like a perfect early autumn Sunday.
I would give this place 3.5 stars, which is not possible, so I’ll round to 4 for now.

This little bakery that could! And it does so well… Padoca means a little bakery in Brazil and it’s super adorable. Equipped with morning pastries that will up the ante for any breakfast coffee serving Starbucks and Le Pain. They also installed a full size swing for the kids-​at-​heart adults. It’s seriously the cutest place ever.
The egg brioche is a play on their cheesy bread, which was so light, fluffy and cheesy that you need two. Their cappuccino is the size of a grande at Starbucks for $ 2 less. The foam heart is free.
Definitely coming back to try their other pastries and find out what this «Babychino» is all about.

I usually prefer sweets, but today I was craving savory. I asked what was good and was recommended the Empadinha and the Pao de Quijo. As there were two options of the former (A Heart of Palm and a Mushroom) I ordered the Mushroom ($ 4.50), the Pao de Quijo ($ 2.25), and the egg and cheese broiche bun ($ 2.25).
With a dilly mushroom filling wrapped inside a buttery and flaky crust, I liked the mushroom empadinha best, though I suspect the use of button mushrooms led to an anemic mushroom flavor.
In the pao de quijo, a similar ingredient mistake (fontina, a melty, but mild cheese) can possibly be the cause of the weakness of a cheese flavor in this bun. This bun is definitely creamy, but the cheese topping lends a greater cheesey punch than the filling.
My least favorite was the egg and cheese brioche bun. The egg cracked into the dough wasn’t enough to satisfy my savory craving. It was mostly bun, but unlike the pao de quijo, the cheese wasn’t mixed into the dough. It was only sprinkled on top. So the bun had to make up for the bulk of the flavor and it didn’t. First of all, I wouldn’t have defined this bun as a brioche. It wasn’t soft enough, the crumb ought to have been smaller, and it should have been sweeter. I found the bread texture to be closer to a regular sweet bun.
Perhaps I’ll have better luck with their sweet options.