Radio Bakery

Radio Bakery's seasonal croissant took first place when The Infatuation ranked the city's croissant hybrids in October 2024, and Willa Moore's line on it is This is the only alt-croissant we'd wait in line for.1 Tomatoes go in it in summer, apple slices with a bite left in them in fall, and gruyere custard under caramelized onions on the days they run the French onion soup one.1

Why go

Everything they bake goes to the retail counter on a first-come basis, and they take no pre-orders, no catering and no wholesale, so the day ends when the case empties.3 Kelly Mencin is the pastry chef and co-owner, and she has been baking here since 2023.7 Carina Finn worked through the rest of the case: the chocolate croissants carry chocolate in the dough, inside and on top, and the almond croissant is a twice-baked pistachio one.2 The same people run Rolo's in Ridgewood.2

Order this / avoid

Order: the seasonal croissant, and ask what went in it today. That is the one Moore ranked first.
Order: an nduja croissant, buttery and with a pleasant hit of heat in Finn's words.2
Order: the triple chocolate croissant if you want the one that is chocolate all the way down: chocolate dough, milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate batons.6
Order: a focaccia sandwich if you are there for lunch. Smoked salmon and cream cheese runs at breakfast, spicy muffaletta at lunch.2
Order: the turkey sandwich. Grub Street's food team made it their sandwich of the year in 2024: dressed Tuscan kale and chunky pesto over turkey galantine on sesame focaccia, with enough olive oil to hold it together.4
Avoid: the brown-butter corn cake if you want the best of what they do. Matthew Schneier calls it puddingy and underbaked and sends you to the breads instead.5
Avoid: a late arrival. The bake sells out and there is no pre-order to fall back on.3
Avoid: the wrong door. This page is Greenpoint at 135 India Street; the other Brooklyn shop is 186 Underhill Avenue in Prospect Heights.3

What locals & experts say

Willa Moore, The Infatuation (14 October 2024), first of ten: Greenpoint's Radio Bakery wins this ranking by a mile. Their seasonal croissants are oval-shaped, with a shatteringly crisp exterior and always something delectable in the middle.1
Carina Finn, The Infatuation (14 June 2023): despite having just a few counter stools and sidewalk tables and a line snaking out the door, it's a great spot to romanticize your morning coffee and pastry ritual. She adds that the line moves quickly.2
Matthew Schneier, New York Magazine's restaurant critic, on what the queue has done to the thing (26 March 2025): At what point, we have to wonder, is the product being offered the bread or the wait?5

Good to know

Timing: they bake until it sells out.3
Booking: none taken, at either door.3
Which door: Kelly Mencin told Eater the menu would be the same at both, the triple chocolate croissants and the everything breakfast focaccias, but that she hoped each shop would carry a few things of its own.8
The queue: the India Street shop answers it by printing on the menu when each thing goes on sale, croissants first and sandwiches last. When each sells out is nobody's guess.5
What it costs: Schneier paid a little over $50 for two sandwiches and three pastries in March 2025.5

Verdict

must-visit — The lunch card is the quiet half of this counter: ham with rosemary butter on sesame stirato, roast beef with radicchio and chimichurri. Coffee comes in the blue and gold diner cups.

Radio Bakery.