In the bustling croissant landscape in New York City, Mah Ze Dahr is that girl. You know the one. The one who lives in the West Village and makes her whole personality getting matcha and a pastry after pilates on a random Wednesday. But with such perfectly laminated layers, who can be mad? Mah Ze Dahr came onto the bakery scene with a splash. The James Beard award winning founder Umber Ahmad is an enterprising mind behind the bakery named after the Urdu word describing the elusive magic that makes something special, like the je ne sais quoi that elevates an everyday pastry to an art form. The nuanced flavors and perfected textures of each pastry makes every visit something to look forward to.
The pastry case is filled with the classics, but elevated. There’s decadent layered chocolate, tender brioche doughnuts, chewy salted chocolate chip cookies and the aptly named heavenly cheesecake. And then there’s the ones with a bit more creative liberty: croissant monkey bread, ratatouille croissants, and a cookie brownie hybrid. Whether it’s a spontaneous mid week pick me up or a pre-ordered holiday baked special, Mah Ze Dahr is guaranteed to satisfy any pastry or sweet craving.
Update: in May 2025, the West Village location of the bakery suddenly shuttered, and there has been some swirl about financial issues and eviction. The Brookfield location is still open.
the details
| Address | West Village: 28 Greenwich Ave, New York |
| Website | https://mahzedahrbakery.com/ |
| Yelp | https://www.yelp.com/biz/mah-ze-dahr-bakery-new-york |
| @mahzedahrbakery | |
| Hours | 7am – 8pm weekdays, 8am – 6pm weekends |
| Price | $$ – pastries are $5-10, coffee is $4-6 |
| Aesthetic | clean and contemporary, simple branding to let the pastries shine |
good to know
Go here for: a sweet treat, a morning coffee and pastry, a lovely gourmet host gift
Order this: you can’t go wrong with their sourdough and salted butter croissants, and the sticky sweet and crunchy croissant monkey bread. Get the granola for a treat you don’t feel guilty about eating first thing in the morning
Amount of time to spend: 10-15 minutes for takeaway, 30 minutes to sit down
When to come: mornings can be busy but are best since they often sell out of popular pastries by midday
Getting here:
- West Village: just a few minutes from the Christopher St 1 station or the West 4th St A/C/E/B/D/F/M station
- Brookfield: this location is in the Hudson Eats food court in Brookfield Place, which is connected to the Oculus transportation hub. The closest walk would be from the World Trade Center 1 train or the PATH, as well as all of the other stations that connect to the Oculus (R/W, 4/5, A/C/E, J/Z, 2/3), it’s about a 10 minute walk from Fulton, but all indoors so it feels less bad
Other things to note:
- They often have holiday specials, which you can pre-order online.
- They also do nationwide shipping.
Last visited: February 2025
Last updated: May 2025
while you're here
