Manhattan’s City Bakery Closes After Nearly 30 Years in Business, Owners Say

What to Know

City Bakery has closed its doors after nearly three decades in business
The bakery known for its pretzel croissants and hot chocolate topped with homemade marshmallows opened in Union Square in 1990
Sunday’s news came less than two weeks after the business posted on Instagram warning customers it might shutter amid financial woes

New York’s beloved City Bakery has closed its doors after nearly three decades in business.

The bakery’s owners announced the closure on Instagram Sunday.

“It’s true. City Bakery has closed,” the post reads. “We’ll miss this forever. Thank you New York.”

View this post on Instagram

Time has come to post this news, although the community has already done so, which feels exactly right. This is not what we wanted. Not what we expected. It’s where a bad path has led. A loss in so many layers. The city dies a death with us. The faces and voices in front of our empty storefront in just the last two days already make that clear. This shouldn’t have been, and there is much to say about that, but not today. For now, two things: first: thank you all for the outpouring of affection and support. Every word read, every idea registered [including the bank robbery, and the brilliance of the bake sale!]. It’s a powerful communal message. Second: we will return. We will absolutely, positively return. Not as City Bakery - our good name has been taken from us in this saga - but the spirit, the creative, the pleasure, the surprise, the hands and heart that built City Bakery will be back. Please watch this space. Meantime, if you’re a retailer with an interest in our products, or have interest in being involved with our reset, please DM and email mauryrubin.nyc@gmail.com. #hostiletakeover #freshstart

A post shared by City Bakery (@citybakerydaily) on Oct 20, 2019 at 9:22am PDT

The bakery known for its pretzel croissants and hot chocolate topped with homemade marshmallows opened in Union Square in 1990.

Sunday’s news came less than two weeks after the business posted on Instagram warning customers it might shutter amid financial woes.

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“We have too much debt, debt which is like quicksand,” its Oct. 10 post read. “Incredibly, no matter that we are a two-generation NY favorite, normal debt relief has not been an option.”

In Sunday’s post, the bakery said the closure was “where a bad path has lead” and alluded to a dispute over the “City Bakery” name itself.

“This shouldn’t have been, and there is much to say about that, but not today. For now, two things: first, thank you all for the outpouring of affection and support,” the owners wrote.

"Second: we will return. We will absolutely, positively return. Not as City Bakery - our good name has been taken from us in this saga - but the spirit, the creative, the pleasure, the surprise, the hands and heart that built City Bakery will be back,” they added.