Bake It Nice - Eleven Madison Park (Flatiron)
An organization that needs no introduction, Eleven Madison Park is an institution of myth and legend within the restaurant scene. Boasting three Michelin stars, Eleven Madison Park has always been one of the best fine-dining establishments in the world, with the price tag to follow it. However, guests are now able to try the quality of Eleven Madison Park without having to spend a fortune.
Eleven Madison Park’s “Bake It Nice” is an ephemeral bakery pop-up from the restaurant that is only available for a few weekends throughout the year. In 2024, the pop-up ran from September 14-October 5, drawing in long lines for each Saturday morning that it was open during that timeframe. The pop-up bakery began in 2023 and is headed by the restaurant’s head pastry chef, Laura Cronin. This year’s main items are the Madison Squares, a cubic croissant that is often bought in pairs.
To give you an idea of how popular these baked goods are, customers begin lining up around 8 AM, and some even slightly before that. I myself arrived around 8:30 with my friends and we were already about ten spaces back in line. Now, this might not seem terrible (and it’s not), but with every passing minute, the line grows longer. The doors open at 11 AM (fitting, huh?) and by then the line had already stretched far around the building’s corner with eager customers. So, my biggest tip is to bring a book or something to keep you entertained while in line. Oh, and there’s also no chairs provided by the restaurant, meaning that you will have to either stand or sit on the ground in the morning.
Before the event officially starts, customers are given complimentary cups of granola to sample on. While not pictured, the granola certainly has a premium, yet natural taste that is a great “appetizer” preluding the baked goods. Customers are also given tickets that are redeemable for a single pair of Madison Squares, or “duos”.
The bakery itself is set up outside the restaurant’s main entrance, and customers can also purchase branded merchandise and other food-related goods (if you liked the granola earlier, you’re in luck). The duos themselves are meticulously baked, with perfect symmetry throughout the croissant. This might sound like an exaggeration, but see for yourself in the photos.
This year’s duo pairing is the chocolate (with golden sesame and & pretzel praline filling) and the sweet pumpkin (with brown sugar & spiced cream filling). The combo costs exactly $16 at the time of this writing, or $8 when purchased individually.
The Madison Squares have a nice crunch when bitten into or pulled apart, and the pastry’s quality is evident; never have I seen or felt a baked item so carefully made. The chocolate croissant filling is light and fluffy without being overly sweet, and the sweet pumpkin was my personal favorite, having a delicately balanced profile reminiscent of the fall leaves right across the street at Madison Square Park.
And while I am no expert on baked goods or Michelin-rated restaurants, and also believe that waiting a little over two hours in line for pastries is laughable, I admit that this is also part of the experience of these kinds of pop-ups in New York City. So, if you are fine with waiting in line for a few hours on a crisp and very specific Saturday morning, Bake It Nice by Eleven Madison Park is an excellent way to sample some sweet treats from one of the world’s finest restaurants.
