There are many successful bakeries in NYC, but Zaro’s stands out as one that has lasted for nearly a century, thanks to delicious treats, friendly staff and family tradition.
Zaro’s Family Bakery is a quaint sweet shop anchored in Manhattan’s bustling Grand Central Terminal. Open since 1927, this family-owned and operated business specializes in breads, snacks and desserts. It offers an array of bagels, pastries, cookies and more treats that even a New Yorker with the pickiest sweet tooth would likely enjoy.
“The items that we’re most well-known for are our black-and-white cookies, challah bread and rugelach,” fourth-generation owner Scott Zaro explained. “A new item that I love, that is near and dear to me, is our salted pretzel.”
The bakery also offers a wholesale line of classic baked goods to local stores.
Zaro shared the deep history of how his family started the successful baking business in the Roaring 1920s, at a time when Calvin Coolidge was U.S. President and the national economy boomed ahead of the Great Depression.
“My great-grandfather came over from Poland through Ellis Island. He brought his Old World recipes with him and moved into what we call a double-decker in the Bronx,” said Zaro, who owns the shop with his brothers Michael and Brian. “The upper level was for sleeping and the lower level was for baking.”
The baking talents were passed down from generation to generation, with the family bakers mastering a recipe for success that has worked for nearly 100 years and counting. Not only do they offer products at a reasonable price point, but they do so with a list of recipes that pay tribute to their family’s heritage.
“We’re honoring the recipes that our grandfather brought from Poland with no money to his name,” Zaro said. “Over time, we’ve stayed true to our family roots, and our baked goods have become time-honored traditions for families all over New York and beyond.”
Zaro’s has 14 locations throughout NYC and New Jersey, but its Track 34 location in Grand Central Terminal is the flagship location. It’s prime real estate as approximately 600,000 people travel through the area daily. During the holiday season, that number can increase to nearly 1 million.
“When our grandfather opened the store in 1978, he felt that there was something special in the Grand Central Terminal business,” Zaro said. “He put every last penny towards the Track 34 location, and it’s turned out pretty well.”
Zaro bakeries are located in other transportation hubs around the Big Apple, including LaGuardia Airport, Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
In business for nearly 100 years, the shop offers a sense of local and world history, too.
“We’ve existed through massive world events, world wars, depressions, good times and bad times, and we’ve managed to continue through all of those and add something special for people no matter what’s happening in the world,” Zaro said.
For more information, including locations, visit zaro.com.
