William Greenberg Desserts is an iconic Upper East Side bakery celebrated for its heavenly black-and-white cookies, balancing cakey goodness with soft frosting.
"There’s no cookie with an identity so inextricably bound to New York as the black and white, and the best ones are found at William Greenberg Desserts on the Upper East Side. They’ve been making these since 1946, so it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing. The cake base has a deep vanilla flavor and manages to be appropriately dense yet implausibly light at the same time. The frosting is on the softer side (if you like the snap of royal icing, this is not the cookie for you), but it’s well-balanced. If you’re not much of a chocolate person, they also sell the Amerikaner variation, which is essentially an all-white black and white." - carina finn koeppicus, neha talreja
"There’s no cookie with an identity so inextricably bound to New York as the black and white, and the best ones are found at William Greenberg Desserts on the Upper East Side. They’ve been making these since 1946, so it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing. The cake base has a deep vanilla flavor and manages to be appropriately dense yet implausibly light at the same time. The frosting is on the softer side (if you like the snap of royal icing, this is not the cookie for you), but it’s well-balanced. They also sell the Amerikaner variation, which is essentially an all-white version of a black and white. Crumb cakes, challah, rugelach, and strudel should not be skipped here, either." - willa moore, carina finn koeppicus, kenny yang
"The Dish: Black-and-White Cookie With the exception of the almighty bagel, the black and white might be the most quintessential New York City baked good to emerge from an oven anywhere in the five boroughs. (Sorry, cheesecake.) And this Upper East Side bakery—with a second location on the Upper West Side—has had plenty of time to perfect its recipe since opening in 1946. William Greenberg Desserts' classic rendition has a fluffy, cakey base, and the soft fondant frosting is bisected between vanilla and chocolate with surgical precision. Look to the cookie." - bryan kim, sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja
"For many, William Greenberg’s name is synonymous with the iconic black and white cookie. Opened in 1946, the Upper East Side bakery’s classic take on these deceptively named, cake-like cookies boasts a moist and sponge-like texture. The team recommends the less commonly found schnecken, a kind of pecan cinnamon twist, as well as pecan brownies that made an appearance on Mad Men. There are several locations in Manhattan." - John Tsung, Eater Staff
"There’s no cookie with an identity so inextricably bound to New York as the black and white, and the best ones are found at William Greenberg Desserts on the Upper East Side. They’ve been making these since 1946, so it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing. The cake base has a deep vanilla flavor and manages to be appropriately dense yet implausibly light at the same time. The frosting is on the softer side (if you like the snap of royal icing, this is not the cookie for you), but it’s well-balanced. If you’re not much of a chocolate person, they also sell the Amerikaner variation, which is essentially an all-white black and white." - Carina Finn
