After spending a luxurious two weeks in Paris sampling mousse and berry tarts, coming home to a sultry New York summer replete with hour-long lines at Starbucks and crowded thoroughfares, I was desperate for a little bit of Paris in Soho. Meet Ceci-Cela: a charming, cozy (cozy in New York speak = claustrophobic) cafe that evokes nostalgia for the crowded patisseries of Paris. Maybe it’s the glass cases of impossibly delicious pastries baked by chef Laurent Dupal who was trained at the prestigious Compagnons du Devoir du Tour de France or the loaves of warm bread smothered in strawberry preserves, but this shop is the eminent destination for sweet-hounds and gourmet coffee lovers, tired of the morning coffee carts lining the streets.

Owned by two former French pastry chefs who met while working at a Club Med, Ceci-Cela boasts a loyal following of downtown hipsters, expats and anyone seeking a cafe au lait and a flaky croissant (much better than the over-hyped Balthazar down the street). Although the service is a touch on the slow side, the savory fare is well worth it.

Duck into the woody back room with your Sunday Times and treat yourself to petit fours, a hearty sandwich and quiet in a notoriously rowdy neighborhood.

Ceci-Cela
55 Spring St
New York, 10012
(212) 274-9179
Subway: 6 to Spring Street

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