Best Cheesecake in NYC?
 

Hi

I will be visiting NYC in November and was wondering whether anyone had any recommendations for the best New York cheesecake please?

Cathy

JR's. It is based out of Brooklyn, but there is a small store in Grand Central - AMAZING! :-)

The full name is Junior's in case you spend hours looking for a sign reading "JR." In Grand Central, they have a sit down restaurant in the bottom level right next to the south ramp that leads to the Oyster Bar. The sign is Orange and White striped. They also have a take out place on the main level of Grand Central on the west side. I don't know if it is the best or not, but everyone seems to like it enough to keep recommending it.

How did you know that the New York Times was doing an article on this very topic today?

http://tinyurl.com/l2jrz

Meanwhile, I think the place is a real "hole-in-the-wall" today, but about a year ago we stopped in at Lindy's right near Times Square to kill some time, and had cheesecake that was as good as I've had.

Veniero's in the East Village gets my vote.

Funny, I was going to say Lindy's because I have their recipe from years ago!!! I didn't offer right away because I haven't been to NY in just years so didn't know if they were still there. That cheese cake is fabulous..have lemon cookie crust rather than the usual graham cracker and has orange and lemon zest..when I make it I need sherpa porters to get it too the frige..it is HUGE!!! Anyway, if you're in the neighbor hood, give it a try.

I would love to try a slice of pineapple cheesecake.....haven't had it in years, but the past memories of it still linger......

This whole thing is making me want cheese cake. I haven't had one in a long time. Maybe I need to head for the store: hmmmmm lets see...5 8oz. cream cheese, a dozen eggs, oranges, lemons............LOL

Veniero's on 10th St. and 1st Ave - one of the best in Manhattan.

Da Roberti's, the much smaller but more neighborhoody-type place on 1st Ave, bet. 10th and 11th (across from Veniero's) - I actually like this one more than Veniero's.

I highly recommend against the cheesecake at Lindy's. In fact, I recommend staying away from that place at any cost. I may not be an expert, but the one and only time I had cheesecake there, it was dry and tasteless. The whole place is grossly overpriced and the quality of food is poor.

travelbear,

You mean all those hordes of hungry tourists who gape mouth wide-open when they enter Lindy's in Broadway or the one in/near the Empire State Building are lying?

bill_boy,

Hordes of hungry tourist are also the reason Times Square has a Red Lobster, Applebees and Olive Garden. If one wants to follow the tourists, then by all means, enjoy the $15 chicken fingers at Lindy's.

crefloors~ you're a riot!!

Also, you people make it very hard to stay focused on healthy eating.. is there such a thing as tapas sized cheesecake bites?.. I used to get a Christmas catalog(Balducci's?) with the multi variety full sized cheesecake. I'd spend hours drooling over the pictures..

:)well thanks for testing my willpower. I have a fantsatic Bailey's recipe for cheesecake but haven't made it for ages, since I'm the only one who appreciates it. J.

Okay there are lots of different kinds of cheesecake. I like mine very firm. Sometimes I just find it too soft. What do you think? I think real cheesecake should be firm.

jetset1, if you don't want a large slice, Junior's has a cupcake size cheesecake available at both of those Grand Central locations, in many flavors :-)

Barb

I think cheesecake should be firm and thick on the palate, but not too sweet or too soft, like the frozen kind or the kind you get at a drive thru...

I made some very nice minicheesecakes for friends...and since I didn't do a waterbath and the tops cracked, I simply covered the tops with fruit! Yu,!

STOP! Its too late for me to bake and this is making me hungry.
Im agreeing that for me too sweet is not good and the store bought ones are gelatin like.

Anyone willing to bet that those who scream about Lindy's being a tourist trap haven't eaten cheesecake there in years if at all? I thought I made it clear that it is a real hole in the wall, and I would not normally eat there -- in fact I never have, except for that piece of cheesecake. But fair is fair -- their cheesecake was delicious. And yes, I like mine firm and "dry" if you want to call it that.

Sort of like the people who have never eaten french fries at a Paris MacDonalds, yet KNOW that they have to be terrible.

It's called food snobbery.

Actually, I am a snob and I agree with Neo that Lindy's does have good cheesecake.

I can remember as a teenager stopping by Lindy's in Port Authority for a piece of cheesecake to take home with me.

another vote for firm.. nothing sadder than an emergency thawed job with ice crystals in it!!

So for the bakers, do you prefer the oven door open for an hour(doh! after the initial cooking time) or the other method for baking?

If anyone says, "it's the best cheesecake -- lighter than air" forget it. To me that's not cheesecake!

And thanks, marginal. Sometimes we just have to swallow our pride and admit when something we thought would be terrible is in fact really great.

Another vote for Lindy's. I've never had Junior's, but I hear good things.

Neopolitan posted a wonderful link from the NY Times in the paper's quest for the best NY cheescake. Nowhere in that entire article is Lindy's mentioned. I suppose it is just a vast conspiracy by all of us NY-based food snobs to keep Lindy's a secret and prevent if from being overrun by tourists.

My suggestion to the original poster is to take the NY Times article and go to one of their suggestions. What makes NYC so wonderful is discovering new places.

Once the original poster is back, be sure and post an update.

On our last trip to NY we went to Lindy's in Times Sq. and had them pack several different slices of their cheesecake to take home. I was very disappointed with their cheesecake. Our friend in NY recommended going to Grand Central instead but we didn't have time. I am making a point of going to jr's next time. I've had great cheesecake in Herald Sq once but don't remember the restaurant name.

I always go to Junior's. (As a Brooklyn girl, how could I not?) And I love every morsel. I would also recommend Eileen's in SoHo, the first cheesecake I ever ate in NYC, and still a favorite. Eileen's is a tiny shop tucked on the corner of Lafayette Street, not far from Balthazar's. The only thing better was my grandma's... (sigh).

So travelbear, using your logic I guess Juniors is a tourist trap too since they aren't mentioned in that article either?

You've told us what you DON'T like (although why you ever went to that tourist trap to eat cheesecake I'll never know -- I'm assuming you've eaten it since you know so much about it). How about YOUR recommendation for cheesecake.

Neopolitan,

From your NY Times article recommendation:

"Americans understand this and champion it. When representatives from Junior's restaurant on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn appeared on the home shopping channel QVC last Christmas to advertise their wares, they were able to sell 70,000 cheesecakes in 24 hours."

Why did I ever go to Lindy's? Because someone recommended the cheesecake to us. NYers live and die by restaurant recommendations. This is one I wish I had not taken.

I don't have a recommendation for the "best New York cheesecake place..." My suggestion is for the original poster to take the recommendations given by the NY Times article you posted and try one of those out. As I clearly stated, I don't know if Junior's is the best, but it keeps getting recommended by people on this travel board. I fully recognize that I am far from an expert on NY cheesecake (even though I live in NYC). Junior is just my best bet of the places I have been. Is it the best? That is up to others to decide.

Yes, I thought it was interesting that the article mentioned that about how many cheesecakes Juniors had sold, but thought that made it even more interesting that they never gave it a recommendation -- not even a comment using an adjective like "good" or "wonderful", and then they totally ignored it in their list. It seemed only to point out how popular cheesecake is in general -- not how good Juniors is, which seemed really strange.

I have no idea which is the best either, which is why I clearly never made a recommendation for the "best". I only mentioned that the one I had at Lindy's was as "good as I've had" and I've eaten more than my share of New York cheesecake.

There's now an outpost of Junior's in Times Square. It's not directly in times square but just off and I dont' know on what street. but you don't have to treck to Grand Central anymore. Haven't had the cheesecake so I can't comment.

I don't know what the BEST cheese cake is. I know when I like a particular piece of cheese cake. I feel it is my duty to try as much cheese cake as possible, some I like better than others. I have never set foot in Lindy's but have had the cheese cake recipe for about 25 years now. It's the one I like to make. I don't know how they make it at Lindy's, this was supposed to be the recipe they use. I like my cheese cake plain with just the sour cream topping..not chocolate, no strawberry, no nothin but the sour cream. I try to let the cake age for a couple of days before eating..hard for me to do...it's very dense, heavy, and smooth. I love the flavor of it..orange zest, lemon zest, and I have learned to add just a little vanilla. I think cheese cake is like wine, everyone has their own standards. A lot of people rave about the Cheesecake Factory, and frankly, I don't find it so awsome. If I were CathyY, I would make it a point to visit as many places serving cheese cake as possible and make up my own mind. LOL

creflors, I'm with you. The only thing I can say about Cheesecake Factory's is that the pieces are huge -- I guess that's supposed to be a good thing? It's all right, but nothing special.

And I'm a purist too. These concoctions with pumpkin, Bailey's Irish Creme, raspberry swirls and chocolate chips may be interesting desserts -- but they can't match up to the real thing -- pure and simple cheesecake.

And that's bad news about Juniors opening a Times Square Branch. As we all know (wink) the cheesecake there will have to be awful because no one but tourists will go there and there is no such thing as good food in touristy Times Square. Maybe the good news is that they will make a special cheapened version for there and still serve their good version elsewhere. I'd like to try Juniors, but I'm sure the one in Times Square will just be another tourist trap.

Oddly enough, I love the Cheesecake factory.....but only had their cheesecake once, and it during a catered lunch.
I will say that their shrimp blt double decker sandwich is heavenly!

Like I say cheese cake is like wine. Also, I have the phlosophy of "any port in a storm". I was watching Tyler Florence on the Food Network about a year ago and he made what looked like a pretty good cheese cake. Then, I could not believe it, he poured a blueberry topping all over the top. I was screaming at the TV..NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! As the credits rolled I was muttering to myself "the horror", the horror." LOL

Have eaten Lindy's, Cheesecake Factory, Veniero's, Juniors and others. For me Juniors wins hands down. Plain is the best, though I once had their pineapple topped with pasty crust crossed over - haven't seen it since and that was a darn good cheesecake.

Guess it's in the palate of the person eating the cake.

I happened to be watching QVC before Christmas last year, and when the Junior's cheesecakes were shown, it took every muscle of restraint not to pick up the phone!

What are some of your favorite flavors of Juniors(in case I don't keep my resolve this time;)..

hey Neo, I hear you on the purity factor, but that Bailey's recipe with the semi-sweet chocolate glaze has never failed to please my friends!

Neo, I was about to disagree with you, thinking if anyone could surmount the excesses of Times Square, it would be Junior's, not to mention that there are actually some decent places tucked into the corners there (Jimmy's Corner is one of my favorite dive bars). BUT sadly, I think you're right! For it's not just a bakery in Times Square; it's a full-on restaurant. I have yet to see it (45th betw Bway and 8th Ave for those who care), but I can only imagine what kind of a theme park it must be... The saving grace of the other two full restaurants is that the Flatbush one is the original and thus has its charm, and the one on the dining concourse at Grand Central is nicely restricted in its size and decor. I notice the TS one doesn't have good reviews so far on Citysearch... Such a shame - so go for the cheesecake only! :D

Another vote for Juniors - plain, no topping. I haven't had Lindy's - next trip we'll try it.

I've ordered several Junior's cheesecakes for family holiday dinners. In fact one year, it was DH's Christmas gift. I had it sent to his parents' house in Ukiah, California about two hours north of San Francisco.

Despite _repeated_ reminders - when it arrived, his mother put it in the freezer, and totally forgot about it for three days.

I took it out about two or three hours before dinner. What a hassle trying to do a quickie defrost without DH seeing it.

He really was surprised and said that it was the best gift that I had ever given him. I wish that I had known that years before - I could have saved a fortune on watches, video equipment etc..

At first I thought he wasn't going to share it :-)), but we pried it out of his hands, and it was enjoyed by all.

You can order on line or by phone - just be sure to defrost it or you'll be eating cheesecake popsicles!

You can refreeze any left-overs or just cut off what you want for that night. RIGHT..... eat it all it one sitting so it doesn't get stale :-))

Nina

eat it all AT one sitting..

The bottom is a very very thin slice of sponge cake. instead of a harder crust.

Nina