Address: | 189 Spring St, New York, NY 10012, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-219-2773 |
Site: | dominiqueansel.com |
Rating: | 4.3 |
Working: | 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 8AM–7PM 9AM–7PM |
AN
Ann Hua
once cronut pre-ordering became an option, i was on it for my next trip to new york. the first time i got pre-ordered cronuts was in feb 2014 and i dont remember exactly how long it took, but the website definitely crashed a few times even though i was on it at 11EST on the dot. i remember it being way easier than i thought though, to order my 3 cronuts. i dont think it took more than 10 min. i tried again today (nov 2014) and the website traffic was crazy until ~11:45EST. cronuts are growing in popularity?! or maybe more people have found out about pre-ordering. there were at least 10 times when the order page finally loaded. i would select that i wanted 2 cronuts, and then it would proceed to load the checkout page for so long it would either time out or the cronuts would be released from my cart (due to the 10min timeframe in which you have to complete your transaction). i scrolled through yelp and some people said that 10-20 min after the website opens, traffic dies down. that gave me hope, but it certainly was not the case today. by 11:20, the page was still loading super slowly, and it kept saying that they were sold out. i figured that the people who had cronuts in their cart were probably having trouble checking out too and wouldnt be able to do so within 10 minutes, so i kept refreshing the page in hopes that the items would be released back into the system. it wasnt until 11:45am that people started giving up and the site actually started working. and at that point, the website showed availability for all the dates. so if you get a sold out page but the website traffic still seems really heavy, keep refreshing! basically, if you want a cronut, its a game of patience and persistence! 45 min of sitting at home refreshing browser pages on my laptop + iphone is still much better than getting up at the crack of dawn on a cold new york morning to stand in line, even if they are offering winter passes now. funny thing is when one of my checkout pages finally loaded, it was the one on my cell phone, which obviously has slower internet than my computer. but yay, success! i even went back and bought an extra one because, why not? at that point the site was running just fine. checked back at 10-15 min later (just before noon) and at that point, everything was sold out for reals. okay but what about the cronut itself? i honestly dont think it lives up to the hype. thats what i hate about things getting so much of the spotlight! your expectations grow exponentially, and when you finally taste it, its just alright. i would never ever wait in a long line for a cronut, especially after tasting one. but if i randomly stumbled upon the cronut and no one had made a big fuss about it, i would say its good, but even more so, unique. i think that even if dominique ansels pastries can be matched in skill and taste, his creativity and daringness to try crazy things is what sets him apart. the first cronut i had was on the sweet side, and it was honestly kinda stale. maybe it was because i picked it up later in the morning-- people do say that theyre only good when theyre fresh. the layers were not as delicate as i had imagined, and the presentation was a tad sloppy. however, i still give dominique ansel credit for sparking the trail of ideas for new hybrid foods and baked goods. although the cronut was not mind-blowingly good or best-thing-i-ever-ate-worthy, it is certainly still good and worth trying if you can get your hands on one without too too much effort. :) plus, the flavors change every month! im hoping for something super yummy when i go in dec! the flavor hasnt been released yet soo itll be an interesting surprise. oh and this is totally unrelated, but while youre in the area, hop a couple blocks down the street to the newer laduree and grab some macarons. whatever your opinion of dominique ansel bakery and his cronut turns out to be, laduree macarons will surely make your day that much better! :)
ED
Edward Frazier
I heard all about this place and the cronut, so I decided to give it a go on Thursday 10/17. I arrived via subway @ approximately 7AM, which there was already a line but allbeit not a long one. I wasnt sure if they accepted credit cards (Amex) so I went on a hunt to find an ATM within walking distance. I found an ATM about half a block away and returned to the back of the line which had only increased by 2-3 people @ 7:15 AM. The line stretched from the edge of the park to the corner of Spring and Thompson St. so maybe less than half a block. In all honestly I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that the line was not that long at all based on what I had expected. Maybe it was because of the slight chill in the air for the beginning of fall. About 30 min prior to opening a young female employee came down the line to tell everyone the rules and answer any questions: 1. Only two Cronuts per person 2. The line was moved to fill the store, once the store was empty of the previous line she would come out to get more people. (So you move in groups of say 20-30 at a time). 3. There are other tasty products in the store besides cronuts 4. Keep the line tight and move close to the park to keep the sidewalk open for pedestrians. *There is also a security guy there to keep people from cutting in line. Once the store opened I was in the 3rd group I think to go in the store by approximately 9AM and had my 2 Cronuts in hand/mouth by 9:15AM! Not so bad of a wait IMO!!! The key is to go on a weekday when the weather is not so nice! As when I left the store a little before 9:30 AM the line was ALMOST GONE and there were still plenty of Cronuts to be had in the store!!!!! Now the Cronut itself was NOT what I expected! The ones I have seen online did not have a cream filled center. The two I received DID have a cream filled center. When I initially bit into it I honestly didnt expect it and I had stuff all over the place! Not to mention it is really sweet! Basically I took this as a jelly donut with the center missing! Im not sure what flavor it was and maybe that was the difference as the flavors switch monthly. All in all it was a tasty treat indeed but IMO not worth waiting anything over an hour for. Find yourself a DD and take back 1-3 hours of your life. Oh and yes they do take AMEX and other CCs. *The egg sandwich was slamming BTW!!!
JA
Jacob Topic
I went to this bakery with the highest hopes after reading reviews, it seemed to be nothing but superb. First thing, it was no later than 11AM when Id arrived, and already they were out of their "famous" cronuts. Youd think that at 11AM, with such a popular item, that theyd bake more than enough to not run out at least before lunch time, but no. Then came lunch, Id ordered some chicken salad sandwich. I waited what they said to be 5-6 minutes, but what was actually well over 15 minutes for a sandwich that was smaller than the palm of my hand, but came at a cost of $10, but understandable nonetheless. I bit into it, expecting it to be delicious, but Id nearly gagged on it. It left a horrid taste in my mouth. The mayo was obviously old, the "fresh" ingredients were just the opposite, and the chicken was so tough, youd honestly question whether or not it was chicken. I went to order madeleines for dessert, and once again, what was promised to be a 5-6 minute wait once again turned out to be nearly 20 minutes. Id ordered the 20 piece, which cost about $6.50, which was much more reasonable. These were tasty at best. Small little cookies, which reminded me of fried dough, with a lemony aftertaste, and some powdered sugar on top. While waiting for and eating my food, there was a line of 10-15 people for a bathroom down the entire corridor, so people were lined alongside my table, bumping me while letting others pass. Overall, this was a terrible experience, and I completely do not recommend going to this bakery. If you want their "famous" cronuts, youd best be there the second they open.