A festive season gift for Mumbai! New York’s Magnolia Bakery to open doors in Bandra on Nov 1

Adding an extra dash of festive cheer, New York’s Magnolia Bakery is ready to open the doors of its inaugural store in Mumbai's Bandra neighbourhood, on November 1. The story of this iconic bakery began in 1996 on a quaint, cobblestone corner in New York's West Village. And now, multiple outlets later, they are here in the City of Dreams with classic American baked goods, crafted using traditional ways!

Beckoning dessert-arians in with a series of fresh bakes, Magnolia houses a wide range of cakes, brownies and cheesecakes! However, the bakery's banana pudding, tres leches and cupcakes are customer favourites. BTW the range of cupcake toppings here, is also simply unique.

The show-stopper for us was definitely the Banana Pudding - it had a frothy, creamy base with chunks of banana cushioned inside and with crumbles on top. Rumour has it, that people in New York line up around the store's block, quite early in the morning, especially for this pudding!

Our second best would definitely be the delicious Red Velvet Cupcake capped with buttercream swirls. Another hit among the crowd has to be Tres Leches, a Latin American dessert, available in over twelve different flavours. Further, especially for India, Magnaolia Bakery has also come up with a line of eggless desserts, including ice creams as well.

Basically, the bakery feels like a place where you can spend hours with friends or a good book (is there a better companion?) paired with a choice of decadent desserts. Oh, and they have a coffee counter too, offering choices like toasted almond latte, cinnamon latte, iced Americano, Arnold Palmer and more!

Different from the previous chapters in India, this time Magnolia comes dressed in pastel green with finer details, custom tiles and warm lighting. Clearly every nook and corner captures the spirit of New York with bits of Mumbai.

For instance, upon entering, a colossal mural capturing Mumbai’s spirit demands as much attention as the array of baked goods on the left. The art also features Magnolia Bakery's first outlet on Bleecker Street in New York.

The bakery has a ground alongside a mezzanine floor and interestingly, there's an elevator inside to enhance accessibility for aged customers.

Some say that Magnolia was just a bakery in West Village until Carrie and Miranda from Sex and the City decided to lounge here and discuss former’s latest situationship while gorging on a frosted pink cupcake. And right then, it rose from obscurity to cult status. Yet the team behind the bakery says that Magnolia was already quite popular, which is why it was featured in multiple shows! But the bakery refuses to bask in its glory and makes painstaking efforts to earn the praise of its customers.

Well, now’s your chance to embrace the magical world of Magnolia and celebrate treats from the cookbooks of acclaimed chefs - right here in Mumbai. Opening doors on November 1, just in time for the festive season, Magnolia comes bearing frosted and baked gifts of happiness. Follow Magnolia’s Instagram handle for more updates.

Where: No.F/862, CTS, Maqba Heights, Sameer Rd, Bandra West, Mumbai