Apple Pie Bakery Café

A wonderful spot for breakfast or a light lunch. The cafe is located inside Roth Hall at the Culinary Institute of America. It is operated by the culinary students as part of their course. It is fully accessible and attached to a parking garage with an elevator. The cafe offers a variety of pastries as well as sandwiches, fresh fruit and other lighter fare. They also offer a full selection of specialty coffee drinks with all the alternative milks. You can take your food to go or have a seat in the dining area which looks out to a lovely courtyard garden with a fountain. You can also purchase whole cakes here that can be ordered in advance for special occasions.

What a fantastic place this is! A beautiful space, sort of Parisian cafe-like, with endless choices of pastries, breads, gorgeous cakes, small cakes and torts, and take-out sandwiches, salads, etc. We ate one breakfast there (pecan sticky bun AMAZING with 3/4 cup pecans on top!!; house-made English muffin breakfast sandwich with FOUR slices of bacon, breakfast burrito great), two lunches (Quiche was EXCELLENT, like custard, I don't know how they do it; beef short rib and melted cheese sandwich, yum; red curry coconut soup EXCELLENT, roll EXCELLENT). Student servers are so friendly, it will make you believe in this place. DON"T MISS.

Wow! Delicious foods, excellent service, no wait, no reservations. Loved it. Really loved their broccoli cheddar quiche, mini frech-press coffee. The desserts are incredible. Highly recommended place to visit on a whim.

I normally love coming here it's my once a month splurge with my fiance. we get different stuff to try each time. I was a little disappointed by the mac and cheese we got today, very dry and the crumbs on top were burnt. it's alright everyone got to learn everything else we got though was delicious

We decided to visit the CIA during the week, which is typically open to the public. While none of the main restaurants were open, we ended up choosing to grab a quick snack. We were pleasantly surprised when they had table service & dine-in, after ordering at the counter! All of our options were delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed the Croque Monsieur, plus the shrimp & grits! Staff was extremely kind and friendly during our experience - highly recommended!

We went on weekdays in the late morning for casual brunch and did both dine-ins and take-outs. Students were extremely polite and served customers with great care. All tables were kept very clean. And we enjoyed our pizza, bao buns, and pastries. Overall a lovely experience.

Came to the restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America for a holiday lunch and had a blast. Made sure to stop by the bakery before the lunch to secure the goodies. The biscotti, part tart, pistachio gateau were my favorites. For lunch, we had a private room as we were a big group and Monica took care of us. I had the charred octopus for starter which was delicious. It was the most tender octopus and well seasoned. For main I had the grilled strip loin which was another great dish. For dessert, the Warm Apple Crisp was to die for. I'm not a dessert person and I absolutely enjoyed and devoured it. Well thought out menu with a good variety for different diets, and very well executed dishes. Top tier hospitality: Monica made sure we always had everything we needed and checked in on us.

Apple Pie Bakery, which is run by students at The Culinary Institute of America, has been on our to-go list for a while. As super fans of pastry, it’s definitely our must-try. We arrived in the afternoon which was too late for their pastries, so we only had their Chocolate Chunk Cookie and Lemon Lavender Bavarian. The texture was extremely delicate with reasonable price. I am usually not into lavender dessert but I liked their Lemon Lavender Bavarian. The cream was light and refreshing with jelly-like texture.

When we go to the culinary for lunch we get to come to this incredible bakery. The bad news is we take almost everything we can see! Maybe that's the good news also. This time around we got the pistachio thing don't even know what to call it! Also got a blueberry crumb cake or pie and a chocolate bobka. All YUM

First time back here in a while. Greeted right away when entering the building with a friendly student to help direct non students. Went to the bakery- beautiful space flooded with natural light. Display case of bakery items looks inviting. I was looking for a sit down lunch meal as I had last time I was here. I was disappointed as most items were cold in a cooling display case. They had 3 fresh items to choose from- pizza, pot pie or soup. Non of which I wanted. I wanted a freshly made salad and was unable to get that. I went with two chips and dips as to grab something. My guest was there for the bakery items. They had many options. The sweet treats had beautiful presentations to them, but while eating they would fall apart and did not wow us. I unfortunately will not be returning. I do love the culinary and will select one of the sit down restaurants as opposed to the bakery.

Reached at 8.05 am while they were still bringing their breakfast cakes out. We ordered a Southwest breakfast burrito and 3 cheese breakfast burritos. Both were delicious. I loved the southwest burrito more since it has a lot of veggies with eggs. The staff was really sweet. I was confused about what cake should I order and with their suggestion ended up ordering peach cornbread cake that was good and a bit dry because of corn flour but peaches complimented it well. The ambiance is beautiful. It feels like you are walking in some fancy restaurant space.

Went back to our alma mater for a fresh taste of deliciousness and old memories. The service was excellent, even for an informal cafe! The food, excellent! I always love coming back home for real food! Thanks AP!

I had the best cortado I've ever had...ever...this past week when visiting this bakery at the CIA! The chocolate dipped almond biscotti were also amazing! I would drive back from RI just to have a couple more!! Thank you for the friendly service and a delicious snack!

Stopped in here for a late lunch with some friends. Good thing we got there before two because that's when they stop making hot food. They seemed to be out of the things that I wanted to try but I was very happy with what I ordered. The chicken pozole soup was AMAZING! Lots of chicken with tons of flavor and a little kick! The broth was full of flavor too. Loved it. The cauliflower pizza was also great. The little honey drizzle sweetened up the pizza more than I'd like normally but it was a nice touch. For dessert (I finally made it), I had a huge biscotti half dipped in chocolate with a cappuccino. A perfect ending.

Stopped by for dessert after eating at American Bounty. We got the last available apple pie and it was one of the best I've ever tasted. Must try!

Excellent Bakery! Been here numerous times for breakfasts, meetings, coffee or to chat. There are no reservations required. This bakery changed since like 2010 - it's now more modern and has less tables. It seems more geared towards Culinary Institute of America students these days, too. When I came here 4 weeks ago at about 11am the baked goods were already sold out! What gives? Get those bakers and cooks to make 10 more items a piece so that the public, staff and visitors don't come here and leave disappointed. That's important!!! Even if superiors and superintendent think they can not afford the sugar, flour and spices.. Bake a few more items in the morning, instead of running out and looking like deadbeats to the public who want to visit and walk away with nice memories. Running out of breakfast items during breakfast at a Culinary Institute is, well: unacceptable! Review: 5

Delicious pastries and beautiful space, as always. But they need to salads and sandwiches on plates. Packaging these and so many other items in plastic containers is terrible for the environment -- especially when people are buying food to eat at the tables. It is also a bad model to promote in an institution of culinary education.

Love the architectural details of this campus. The food is good and the students/staff were very friendly. I had the vegetable cream soup. Great

Went for lunch on Monday (the restaurants were closed so we were very glad that the cafe was open). We made it just in time and even though it says take out only, they do have an indoor area where they let people sit. We both had the lemon chicken with orzo, which was delicious, and I'm not a big orzo fan. The soup came with their crusty rolls (saved that for later). I ordered the cauliflower flatbread, which I was expecting to be vegetarian. I didn't read the list of ingredients close enough because it turned out there was prosciutto on it. It looked beautiful, but gave that to my friend since I don't eat pork. Instead I ordered the tomato tartine, which was on great bread! For dessert we tried a couple of baked goods. I had the beautiful lemon tartine (even the top was edible!) and my friend had this lovely concoction with bananas. The massive chocolate chunk cookie was for the road. I would definitely like to go back and try the restaurants as well as return to the cafe in a different season.

This place is amazing. Every dessert and pastry is to die for with such a steal price. The intricacy and uniqueness of each of the cake were impressive. The lemon cake had such a unique flavor of spices that I never thought would pair so well - lemongrass and ginger. The apple cake had really nice filling in the inside. Croissants weren't bad but definitely better quality than most places. I would past on the small Ferraro rocher cake. The bigger cakes are definitely a better value. They're only open Monday thru Friday and sells out quickly, come early!

I don't really recommend. I once lived in Hyde park NY while my BF attended the culinary institute. So went back for a visit. That day the bakery cafe was the only one open. I got a premade chicken wrap. $13. Huge (too big) chunks of chicken. Cut on the wrong grain (direction) making them very difficult to eat. Not really very good. You'd think a culinary institute would know how to cut up chicken!! That's all I had so can't comment on other items

How are they out of most things on Fri at 1 PM? You know that school is out, and many people are travelling, you have to be better prepared. No beef pies, no mac and cheese, last grilled cheese sandwich? And the best part is, we ordered the mac and cheese, paid for it, sat down and then a worker comes (don't think she was a student) and says, "We are out of mac and cheese" and just stands there, without offering to either process a refund, or offer us an alternative, until my friend literally asked her, "So what are you planning to do about it because we paid for it already?" and only then did she start offering us alternatives. No sweets left either. We wanted a chocolate croissant, none was left. We returned to this place because we had a great experience last year and I brought friends, who have never been to CIA, and I was raving about it and so wanted them to enjoy it. We were unable to score a restaurant reservation, so ended up at the cafe.

Please make sure to get their signature apple pie macaron. It is so delicious! It has apple pie filling in the center and the buttercream filling tastes just like apple pie. The other treats were just as good but the signature macaron is the clear winner. It was recommended to us by the student in The Bocuse and he was absolutely right!

i guess i expected alot but this time were kinda disappointed?This is my 2nd time here, last time was 10 years ago, there used to be alot more pattessieries to choose from, not this time. Lunch menu is very simple, mostly pizza and cold salad. The pumpkin tart has nice texture and flavor, but a bit too sweet for my taste. Pork tostadas is loaded with pork, but the cheese ans the green sauce are soooo salty that covered all other tastes....parking is ample and self seating is ok but no one was there to wipe the tables.......wish they have some outdoor seating though.

Visited this sit down restaurant during our tour of the CIA. Our group was not very pleased with the quality of the food the students delivered that day, but we'd definitely give it another chance the next time we're driving through town! Depending on what time of day, you'll likely miss out on a few menu options because they sell out of the most popular items. Our group tried a variety of mini desserts (~$3) and regular options (~$5-7). The mini desserts included the carrot cake and macron, while the regular options included the chocolate chunk cookie and apple pie slices. Since we arrived around 2pm, they were out of several other dishes. The macron was tasty, but none of us were fond of the carrot cake or cookie. They lacked taste and were both pretty hard to chew. Still worth a stop to learn about the school and famous chefs that got their starts!

A small cafe located within the CIA. We dropped in to pick up pastries to go. My two daughters and wife picked up four different ones to try at home. I went with a bag of salt & pepper potato chips. All were very tasty. Everyone were informative, helpful, and friendly. No idea of the cost since my oldest daughter treated us. There were hot and cold sandwiches as well as other light options for a meal. Plenty of tea and coffee options. The small interior was nicely decorated. We love to return to try all the other pastries.

It's like being a kid in a candy shop, but with wonderful baked goods instead. I wanted to try everything, but had to control myself. The lemon tartine was my favorite, very light texture and a very fragrant lemon and lemongrass flavor. Get a few pastries with a cup of coffee and it's a perfect way to start the day.

Finally got to go to Apple Pie Bakery Cafe, which is only open on the weekdays. This is the last of the 4 CIA dining places - already been to the American, French and Italian restaurants... and this was the most disappointing of them all especially having been to the all the other 3. Although service was good, food was just ok. Décor is nice with the plates right and left of the chefs...see if you can name them all. If not, the place settings will tell you who they are. For me, the best dish was the sweet potato fries. Had the philly cheesesteak and this was actually the worse of all philly cheesesteaks I've ever had. Sorry, but please do not use mornay cheese with a philly cheesesteak. Presentation of the sandwich was not great either...the cheese was thick and overspread the sandwich. Don't ruin a classic sandwich by using cheese that doesn't appeal with the taste. please come up with something more creative esp given this is the CIA. The bread was also over toasted - it was hard and hard to eat. Classic chips were just ok. Short rib tacos were cold. Guess the most popular dish is the duck gnocchi as it was sold out by the time we sat for lunch at 12:45pm. Service tip for the CIA students: If someone orders soup with a dish and asks to have it served 1st, it should be served as you would an appetizer dish. It should not come out with everyone's main dish. Shisito peppers were ok - some were not spicy and some were. Desserts: Many of them were sold out by the time we got to dessert. so if you want dessert, go early and do take out! Seriously! Brioche pecan sticky bread - hard to cut at it was hard like a rock and a bit dry...baked a little too long. Grasshopper was better - mint, chocolate and raspberry. Cute design, but very small dessert for $7.

We'll of course I wanted to love this spot. D walking around the building looking at students cook us great! That said I had a small order:sesame bagel and coffee. Bagel was very very hard to chew. Coffee was fine. You want to go, so do it! Five stars on atmosphere!

We got there around 10am, and even though the Café was open, the dining area was still closed. The dining section don't open until 11am. But, you can still get their baked goods and sweets from there, just have to find a place to sit to eat them. They had muffins, scones, croissants, cookies, etc., etc... And of course, desserts! Very fun, colorful, elegant and all looked really good! We got a few drinks and desserts, went outside by the beautiful fountain with several benches. We got hot Café Latte and an Earl Grey Tea, which came in a HUGE paper cups. For food, it somehow ended up being all desserts...LOL. Blueberry Cobbler Cheesecake, Raspberry Grasshopper, and Milk and Cookies. They were all beautifully made and tasty. Cheesecake was very elegant and tasty, high quality dessert. Grasshopper was a-ok, I wanted more of the mint and Crème de cacao flavor. Milk and Cookies reminded me of Cookie Monster for sure. It had brilliant blue color, which transferred onto your finger and anywhere and everywhere it touched. It needed a really good, thorough, long wash time with soap to get most of it off... The student staffs at the Café were not very friendly...but rather cold. Maybe they are not morning people??? Anyways, I am glad I got to try out their beautiful and tasty desserts!

This cafe used to be my favorite place to go before the "renovation". I am beyond disappointed at what has happened to this once cozy CIA cafe. The quality of food here has gone down dramatically .Their menu used to be fun and full of variety. After the renovation it's now boring and low standard. There are only sandwiches and some very standard salads. I had the burrata salad yesterday and it was hardly anything but a piece of very hard burrata on a bed of bland zucchini. There is nothing worth coming back for anymore. Their Belgian fries also used to be amazing and they used to give you generous portions. Now for $6 you get a tiny portion that would rival maybe a McDonald's happy meal. I'm so so sad about this place but I won't be coming back if the food stays this way. Its obvious they're pinching pennies. It's also doing a huge disservice to their students, I guess they'll only be learning how to assemble salami on sandwiches from now on. This review is so wordy because this cafe was really one of my favorites and it made me genuinely so upset to have such a bad experience here. Service has also become dismissive, not so much with the students but with the man who is in charge of the main dining area. Nobody seems to care about the dining experience anymore and these new changes will do nothing but lose them valued customers.

Food was delicious, staff was friendly and pleasant, and the entire dining area immaculate.

Apple Pie is the quaint, casual cafe/bakery at the Culinary Institute of America. The place is staffed by the school's pastry students! You give your order at the counter, take a number, and your food will be brought to you. No reservations are taken. The line can get very long at lunch time but is shorter or non existent at off hours. Apple Pie serves a variety of items including coffee & sweets, soups, sandwiches, salads, and a few entrees such as MAC & Cheese, Crab Cake, Quiche, & Carnitas Tostada. Going into Apple Pie is like going into a candy store. All the items displayed are absolutely beautiful! The pastries are so pretty that they look Louie works of art you do not want to ruin. I guess CIA is doing a great job in the pastry department! 12 year old and I stopped at Apple Pie for a little afternoon pick me up. We shared an Orange & Yogurt Savarin: a gluten free vanilla cookie, Greek yogurt panna cotta, citrus jam, with puffed grain granola. It was with it's edible gold it was much prettier than it tasted. The Red Velvet Macaron was much better. It was elegant looking and pleasing in taste and texture. My son got a Bubble Tea. It was not a frozen drink and I have had better boba. These boba were very chewy. I went with the special Granita of the day, Vanilla/Grapefruit. I thought it was an interesting combination and yes, I could taste both flavors. The drink was frosty but light, and very refreshing. We ended with a French Press coffee which was excellent. It reminded me that I should be ordering French Press Coffee more often. The prices at Apple Pie are very reasonable. If you want to visit CaiA, but don't want to spend a lot of money at the more formal restaurants, you can still try some quality items here.

Management is cranky, and it results in a stunted work environment - only fueled by the social energy of the students. Engagement between workers and patrons is sad, not a single student seems to feel comfortable enough to build any sort of rapport with customers - likely a result of the hawk-eyed tight ass managers. Food is okay, most items are overpriced and subpar. Example - these $12 pork belly bao buns. Dry, empty, and sad. I've been wanting to leave a review of how disappointing this cafe is for a while, but these bao buns are what finally did it. No hate to the bakers that call this place home - it's cozy for what it is, but spending money here is really hard to justify. Do NOT recommend other than for students using meal points.

Great quality sandwiches, salads, and sweets on the wonderful campus of the CIA. Students are waiters and they do a great job.

Great soup and sandwiches in the sit down cafe. The Mac and cheese is extraordinary. Smooth and creamy and not too heavy. Services is friendly as well. The bakery next door has great treats as well. The crueler and the sticky buns were our favorites!

"If you pay less to get your hair cut by stylists in training at a beauty school, why do you pay more for a sandwich made by chefs in training at a cooking school?" That was my friend's question as he munched his roast beef sandwich during our lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery a couple of weeks ago. Good enough question. Easily answered by looking around at the incredible infrastructure of kitchens and campus and the lovely setting offered diners. We were very happy to have enjoyed lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery as part of a visit to the remarkable CIA campus. Buildings, views of the river are all incredible and it is particularly "cool" that you can wander the halls of the building where the restaurant is located and see in the windows where the chefs are working. We came away with mixed emotions about the food though. Two of our party of four are serious "foodies" and the other two not as much but we all had the same outcome about the food...some hits, some misses. I guess we were expecting all hits and so it was not that we were disappointed by anything but aside from one sandwich we weren't "wow'ed" either. Mac n cheese was good, roast beef sandwich was good enough, banh mi was great, tempura calamari stuffed with crab and chorizo was a miss - from texture to the separation of the coating from the squid to the temperature at service.. Desserts were great through (two choices - chocolate bombe and lemon tart) and the bread on the sandwiches top notch. As one might expect given Apple Pie Bakery is associated with the pastry chef training It was evident that the servers were all in learning mode. No worries though, because we know that is the point of this - to learn - and table service in "order at the counter and we'll deliver it to your table" places has a different standard no matter where one goes. As for mechanics, at Apple Pie Bakery you... ... take a menu at the entry and signs ask that you have choices for order made before you get to the counter. (The menu does a great job of describing the items and helps move along the long line not to have folks asking the counter staff "what's in this...". :-) ) ...will find tables are first come so a tip is if you're with multiple folks have someone snag a table on the window side of the room where you'll be able to look into the lovely courtyard. ( Be prepared for "sardine can" seating.) ..may find the experience most enjoyable if you go earlier in the lunch hour when crowds are less. ...have the advantage of "no dress code" as in some of the other restaurants. We hope to return to CIA and visit the American Bounty restaurant for lunch next time. But we recommend Apple Pie Bakery as a good lunch or "coffee and treat" location. And take out from the bakery is a very good thing to plan to do!. ...

By far the most casual and least expensive of the CIA's four restaurants. No dress code here and we ordered a bunch of different things where our total came out to under $40. By comparison, we previously had to dress up a bit for lunch at American Bounty and our tab came out to over $80. No reservations at Apple Pie Bakery, so brace yourself for a long wait. For a minute, I wondered whether I was standing in line at the soup kitchen. But, at least students come by every few minutes offering you samples while you wait. The strawberry shake (special that day) was awesome and the dark chocolate was good as well. About 20-30 minutes passed before we even got through the front door, then another 5-10 before we could order, then within 5-10 minutes of sitting down, we progressively got served. It was kind of like a strip tease, but with food. Everything on display is visually appealing. It was truly difficult to decide what to order despite the small menu size. Other than the Apple Pie, the menu seems to change pretty regularly so there's probably no use in telling you what we loved and what we weren't overly thrilled with, but here goes anyway. What we loved: Truffle parmesan fries Stuffed pretzel (with andouille sausage, garlic, and peppers) Apple cider What we just liked: White bean and pesto soup (soup of the day) Mac and cheese (overwhelmingly heavy; heart attack in a bowl) Apple Pie (Remember, they call themselves Apple Pie Bakery, but they don't even have vanilla ice cream to give you the option of Apple Pie a la Mode.) Similar to my experience at American Bounty, I left here just as surprised over how little the students serving us knew the menu. We asked some questions about the food in both places and none of the students knew off hand. (No, I wasn't being a jerk and quizzing them; I was really just curious.) Would I go back? In a heartbeat. Assuming it doesn't stop beating from the mac and cheese they served me.

Tried their donut today and had to add a star...delicious!! So was the apple pie! The tofu sandwich was nice and flavorful. We also tried the heirloom/pesto/mozzarella dish which was delicious, just wish there were bigger pieces of the mozzarella.

This bakery has, hands down, the best American/ French style baked goods I've had in America. I've never tasted such light airy cake with such flavor. I'm a brownies fanatic. This is by FAR the best brownie I've ever had in life. The soups are lovely as well, as are the seasonal jams that they sell that they make on campus. All of the ingredients taste very fresh, and that makes all the difference. The technique is second to none. The trailblazer cookies are the best. They have coconut in them. The chocolate chip weren't bad but unremarkable. The brownies were the show stoppers as was the mousse, cake and other treats.

Just had one of the best salads I've ever had! The southwest chicken salad was absolutely delicious. We had a side of the sweet potato fries and they were also perfectly cooked and came with a sweet sauce side. So different but in a good way. The waiters and waitresses were so sweet and you could tell they were genuinely interested in their job.

this is absolutely our favorite place in Poughkeepsie and we had to keep going back every week day that we were in the area while my sister was in college at Marist, even if it was just to pick up macarons to go! The chicken sandwich was my favorite! I would recommend going in the afternoon for lunch to avoid the crowds and get dessert for later! - visited 5/5/17

We arrived for lunch. Six of us meeting family from far away. We had high expectations. I mean this is the Culinary Institute of America. The menu was surprisingly limited. We arrived at 11:30 and they were out of many items even though they only opened at 11 am. The service... eyes rolling in the back of my head, was disappointing. The server couldn't answer most of our questions. Came back many times to tell us they were out of the items we ordered. And orders arrived 10 minutes apart. (no... we didn't order appetizers) Each order arrived at a different time and in pieces and not to the right person. You'd think that get one out of six correct. No apologies ever offered. ORDERS: BTT - Bacon, Turkey, Tomato was below average and the bread was nasty. The turkey and the bacon were decent. Caeser Salad listed breadcrumbs as an ingredient and not chicken.​ It arrived with a ton of chicken salad on top but no breadcrumbs​​. We were told later that the menu had errors. We ordered mushroom soup but it was never served. The chicken​ salad was ordinary. We ordered three desserts. Apple Pie, Milk & Cookies, and Operetta Cake. The Operetta Cake looked like a Tide Pod, shiny even... taste was not extraordinary. The Milk & Cookies was the size of a pool ball. It was blue tinted chocolate, filled with Chantilly cream claiming to be sitting on a brownie. The brownie was actually ~5 little cubes (smaller than sugar cubes) and two little cookie monster eyeballs. The "Apple Pie Bakery Cafe" uses canned apples in their apple pie... really? It was horrid. We sent it back uneaten... wait... they kept it on the bill. Incredibly disappointing. Food mediocre, Service HORRIBLE... I suppose it could be worse. The food did arrive... well most of it.

This bakery café at the NY campus of the Culinary is a true treat! I have yet to eat something there that was sub-par. All the deserts are done to perfection. They have a great selection but be sure to arrive early to have your pick ; their desserts tend to sell fast. They also have a variety of 'different' desserts such as peanut butter and caramel donut, an orange eclair, or a daikon sandwich . It can be a strange combination but yet very delicious. The café is under renovation at the moment, so they have a small selection for now. But by 2018, they should re-open with a new decor. I cannot wait to see it. Until then I will keep eating my macaroons.

Not crazy about the new set up, but the food is pretty good. Part of the allure before was that you got to see all of the pastries as you were waiting to order, and it had a very relaxed feel. Now you get seated and never get to interact with anyone except your waiter, and there is no pastry display case. The food is good, and I would definitely go back, but I miss the old set up.

We arrived at 2 on a Friday trying to beat the crowd. We had asked if we could order our meal and finish before our scheduled tour of the school in 2 hours. They said they would try. That was our first clue. We waited awhile for our drinks to arrive as water an iced tea take time to brew you know. We ordered our food and sat patiently anticipating our food and discussing the tantalizing food descriptions we saw on the menu. Our waitress returned to inform us that the flatbread was out but the Mac and cheese was good. Ok. Mac and cheese it is. We continued to wait discussing our food selections. Our waitress returned several minutes later with the news that they were out of Grilled cheese. GRILLED CHEESE! How the hell do you run out of grilled cheese?!? What part did you run out of? The grilled or the cheese?? We were again informed that the Mac and cheese was good. Hmmmm. They seem to have cheese to go with the Mac? Oh well. We waited expectantly dreaming of a great meal of Mac and cheese The Mac and cheese, nothing special, with fries and crispy Brussel sprouts that were good. We looked forward to what was yet to come. Dessert! Our server brought over the dessert menu and left us to make our selection. She returned to inform us that SURPRISE they were out of a few of the menu selections. She ended up telling us what they still had. It was a shorter list. Now, the name of the restaurant is the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe. One of the deserts is a slice of apple pie. Guess what one of the desserts they were out of. Yep. Apple pie. We gave our server our desert order and you guessed it, waited expectantly for our delicious sounding deserts. Our waitress returned........ No peaches and cream dessert. But the cowboy cookie is good. We waited with reduced anticipation. Our waitress returned........ No strawberry cake dessert. Our waitress returned........ No chocolate donut dessert. Our waitress returned........ No ice cream dessert. But the cowboy....... What the hell is this? Howard Johnson and Whales. Fortunately, they hadn't run out of checks. By the way. The men's room was out of service!

I knew the food was going to be good but I didn't expect it to be GREAT! Located at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) this is not an easy place to get to for NYC city dwellers. It's a drive. Like rent a zip car and spend the day in the country side kind of drive. The whole cafe operation both FOH and BOH is student run. This is their last leg in the culinary program and they greet you, serve you and cook for you. Totally awesome so don't forget to throw a few bucks in the tip pot up front. I had a huge day of eating ahead of me so I wanted to eat on the lighter side for lunch. The Pork Belly on top of grits with a fried egg and other goodness sounded divine (it was as my friend ordered it and I of course had to snag a few bites) but I settled on the Soup which happened to be a Spicy Black Bean, a cornbread muffin and Bulgur Wheat Salad. Black Bean Soup: BEST black bean soup I have ever had. It was phenomenal. Hearty, spicy and the chunks of chorizo were a great surprise. I guess this is a signature item of the Cafe and believe you me they have nailed it. It has ruined all other black bean soups for me and now writing this review has me craving it. On the side it was served with a perfect brioche dinner roll. Heavenly but I had to save my carbs for the Cornbread Muffin. Eat it as is. No butter. No honey. It is so refreshing to be able to eat a baked good as it. Love. Bulgur Wheat Salad: I love pepper. Put it on everything whether it is needed or not. At first "au natural" bite I was blown away on how this simple blend of bulgur wheat, bell peppers, cucumbers and red onions was perfectly seasoned. Like perfectly seasoned. Just the right amount of salt. The right amount of a light vinaigrette. No extra pepper was needed. This was great on a chill November day and would be my salad of choice especially during the summer months. Since I "ate light" for my meal it was time to splurge on dessert. Macarons galore! Classic flavor and creative ones lined the case. I went for the Spiced Butternut Squash and the Goat Cheese Apricot. The texture of the macarons were the best I've had thus far (sorry 'Lette). The flavors were mind blowing. Goat Cheese Apricot, life changing. Still on our Panna Cotta kick, the Maple Panna Cotta was calling our name with its stunning presentation for a dessert that was sitting behind a display case. The texture was perfect and the flavor was subtle but the oat-mealy crumble bits on top were not my fave and made this just ok for me. Plus it didn't really stand a chance after the Goat Cheese Apricot Macaron. Last but not least, yes Craig R. I am making you wait til the end of my long ass review to read about the Pumpkin Square. I had no clue what this spongy dusted pink box on a bed of "grass" held until first bite. I honestly do not know what it was or really how to describe it. The pumpkin flavor was spot on. The cake itself was hardly a cake. To me it had the textures of pudding/mousse mixed with tres leches. There were these crunchy bits in it that were a wonderful textural surprise. the "grassy" bed it sat on was the softest whipped cream. Visually stunning and just as tasty. Service was also wonderful. Even though everyone working is pretty much BOH focused I felt they did a super job working FOH. Most Chefs could give a crap about FOH but a great Chef has presence in both. The students here are on the right track. A pretty spectacular meal and a must visit if you feel like getting out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

The Apple Pie Bakery & Cafe was a great addition to the Culinary Institute's other restaurants. I only live 5 minutes away, and each time I visit, I kick myself for not coming here more often. A little history: Until the mid-1980s, there was a diner on campus. It was primarily for the students, but it was also open to the public. You could get a full meal here (appetizer, entree, beverage, dessert) for a very reasonable price. I was sorry to see it go when they expanded, but the Apple Pie Bakery & Cafe was a smart move on their part. The order-at-the-counter, eat-at-the-table ambiance allows you to enjoy your meal for as long as you like. There are plenty of regular items and daily specials to tempt you, as well as a decadent pastry display, and packaged spices, teas, etc. Hopefully everyone in your group can find something appealing in the variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees, and beverages they serve. A couple of tips for less frequent visitors: 1. If you're going for lunch, the earlier you can get there the better when the weather is very nice. 2. On Friday afternoons, they stop restocking after lunch, so when they run out of something, you're out of luck. Expect some selections to be unavailable on Friday afternoons.

Amazing food!!!! I always love everything I get here.... the cookies and milk dessert was probably the best dessert I have ever eaten in my life!!!

I had their HUGE caramel apple...and it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I also liked their tiramisu, cupcake, etccc. Such pretty lookin' and tasty sweets!

Oh the CIA Apple Pie Bakery. Aka heaven. Not only am I obsessed with visiting there (partly because I could not afford to go there fo college). It's absolutely beautiful. It's located in the main building on campus.. you cannot miss it. Enter in through the stained glass wooden doors and veer to your right and bam, you're there. The very cool thing about this bakery is that the students run it. The actual students going there work at this cafe and get graded on their work. It's neat. The place inside is BEAUTIFUL. They have an assortment of desserts and entrees that are made with high quality ingredients and made with love. It's more than just food it's a work of art. Here are a few items I recommend: -The Mac and Cheese: it's baked in ceramic ware and served in such a pretty way! (check out my photo on here). It's that creamy, silky, bubbly gruyere cheese that tops it off. And with crispy panko breadcrumbs. Yes. -The fries: simple and classic. You'd think... hey how can they make it better? Well somehow they do. It's perfectly crisp and cooked to perfection. -Turkey Cucumber Sandwich: Fresh ingredients and the good balance of turkey and crisp fresh cucumber. Now... for desserts: -Passionfruit Rice Pudding:Amazing. It's creamy and light. Just delicious. -Chocolate XS Cake: HIGHLY Recommended. It's chock full of rich cocoa. Love. -Peanutbutter Banana: I don't know if this is still there but if it is... look at my photo, so worth it. -Apple Pie: Again, classic and well done! All in all..... just check this place out. It will blow your taste buds away!

I want to change the name of this restaurant - No Apple Pie for You. Can you imagine a restaurant that is called the Apple Pie Bakery and it has no apple pie. That is what we discovered when we went there. I found that the most bizarre experience ever.

Stopped by for a macaroon & a quick bite before we left out of town. The croissant is probably the best I have ever had & I have had a lot of croissants both in the locally & in Europe. It was definitely worth it & I will be back next time I visit!

Attending school in the area, I had the opportunity to visit Apple Pie on multiple occasions - each visit serving as a tasty memory! Located on the scenic Culinary Institute campus, this casual lunch cafe/bakery is run by the greatest culinary students in the world. There are plenty of outstanding lunch options to choose from and choosing just one dessert is a challenge. I wish the bakery would remain open on weekends, as finding a weekday to visit can be inconvenient. Definitely worth the visit!

Lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery always holds such great promise, but in the end it has consistently left us with mixed feelings. The sandwich and soup options are simple but always sound good, especially with a side of truffle fries. When it arrives, it's always kind of disappointingly plainer than expected: the bread is really standard (not bad, but not great), the filling is reasonably tasty but nothing incredibly stand-out. Grilled cheese with decent but not earth-shattering cheese, reuben with modest meat and way too much horseradish. For the price (sandwiches ~ $10), I end up feeling sort of ripped off as we console ourselves with fries. The salad is particularly egregious in this respect-- $9.50 for a niçoise salad with like 4 leafs of lettuce, two tiny pickles, 6 olives, and a big heap of canned tuna? The pastries, on the other hand, are very good, and some of the savory baked goods look great (e.g., onion bialy). I'd recommend going early enough to get the quiche of the day and some specials (e.g., patê), or get soup and fries or some a la carte baked items, and avoid the overpriced sandwiches and salads. Or, go for a coffee and pastries and fill up on sweets :) I'd give 3.5 stars if possible-- I think the food is reasonably good, but doesn't live up to the location, the hype, and the price.

Stopped by for lunch with friends. Wait staff was very friendly and mostly attentive. Tried the apple pie and was a little disappointed with the crust. Coffee could be improved.

Great selection of baked goods and coffee for dine in or take out. The apple pie was particularly good. Prices are reasonable considering the quality.