I don’t know of too many baked goods that warrant their own website comparing them to mermaids and unicorns, but City Bakery’s pretzel croissant has one, perhaps deservedly so. A dream-concoction of sweet and savory, the pretzel croissant boasts a salty, buttery, sesame seed-studded crust around a chewy whole wheat middle. A hint of pretzel leads to irresistible nibbling while the tad-buttery, doughy center leaves you oh-so-satisfied. Cult-like devotion is completely understandable.

At $3.50 each, pretzel croissants are what I’d call an affordable luxury, but if you’re really gunning to get the most bang for your buck, pack one up and pair it with a cold, hoppy beer (I like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - $2.00/bottle). Now you can call it “brunch fit for a champion.”

And for the record, the cookies, muffins, scones and tarts at City Bakery are all pretty good, but their pretzel croissants and the hot chocolate are the stuff you’ll day-dream about some day when you’re far away from Manhattan.

City Bakery 3 West 18th St. between Fifth and Sixth Avenue
Mon-Fri 7:30am-7pm Sat 7:30am-6pm Sun 9am-6pm