Nick + Sons Bakery

"Even at 10am on a Thursday, people line up at Nick + Sons in Greenpoint, typically for the croissants, which are dense and chewy, with a rounded shape that makes it look like they’re ready to burst. More crackly than they are flaky, the crescent-shaped pastries have one main, very appropriate tasting note: butter. For something more substantial, try the ham and cheese kind. There's also a Jersey Shore location, and the Williamsburg original, which is temporarily closed." - willa moore, bryan kim, sonal shah, will hartman

"Nick + Sons Bakery is a house of worship for butter. They make some of the best croissants in Greenpoint—and across the city. The plain croissant here is a next-level lamination achievement, but we also love the za’atar croissant—which packs so much fragrance into every layer of the dough—and the fig danish, with not-too-sweet preserves and silky cream cheese. While the original bakery in Williamsburg (temporarily closed—there's also another Nick + Sons on the Jersey Shore) hardly fit one customer at a time, this third outpost near McCarren Park comfortably accommodates a flotilla of baby strollers and the entire graduating class of a doggy obedience school, with plenty of room for their respective adult humans. There’s no indoor seating, but lots of counter space to eat standing up, staring into the open kitchen, and hoping that in your next life, you're reincarnated as a cinnamon roll. photo credit: Molly Fitzpatrick" - Molly Fitzpatrick

"It’s always a happy day when a bakery with one of our favorite croissants opens up another spot, this time with prime access to McCarren Park. Nick + Sons now has a second location in New York—this time in Greenpoint. It’s well-located for picking up pastries for a picnic, or a ham and cheese croissant if you commute from the area." - will hartman

"The menu plastered on a sandwich board outside of Nick + Sons has the power to, if not make or break your day, at least leave you wondering what could have been. Items are crossed off as they sell out—but, crucially, the plain croissants remain a constant. Founded by a former photographer who apprenticed at a bakery in Reykjavik, this Williamsburg spot sells some of the city’s finest pastries out of a space with just enough room for one customer at a time. They’re mostly known for their bouncy croissants that are fully possessed by the spirit of butter—try the ham and cheese—but other offerings include biscuits, buns, baguettes, and a rotating supply of danishes. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a line down the block." - Bryan Kim

"In case you haven’t been keeping up with the food scene in Reykjavík, their (and now our) new obsession is a charming pastry-by-day, pizza-by-night cottage restaurant called Baka Baka. You can get a taste tomorrow at the Icelandic bakery’s popup at Nick + Son’s in Brooklyn. The two bakeries will be serving a mashup menu from 8am-1pm. " - neha talreja