Spotlight on MilkBar: A Sweet Detour for Kiddos

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since MilkBar catapulted onto the American consciousness as a bakery and desert chain. Founded in New York City by pastry chef Christina Tosi, it was originally launched as the dessert arm of Momofuku, David Chang’s restaurant group. Since then, it’s become a standalone phenomenon with about a dozen locations throughout the country, online orders, and online baking classes, and a half-dozen cookbooks.

Photo: https://milkbarstore.com/

If you’re planning a trip to New York, DC, Chicago, LA, or Los Vegas, consider adding MilkBar to your family-friendly itinerary. See all locations here.

Here’s what to expect:

DIY Treat Stations

The flagship locations offer an immersive experience so that you can build your own dessert, whether that’s a cookie or a cake. You can pick the mix-ins, toppings, frosting, and even the dough flavors.

The same goes for soft-serve sundaes that you can customize with sauces, sprinkles, and every topping imaginable. MilkBar is famous for its Cereal Milk flavor, and you’re not gonna want to skip it.

Baking Classes

We’ve already mentioned the online baking classes and at-home cookbooks. We picked up a copy of Milk Bar: Kids Only on our first visit, and it’s a family favorite.

Kids Only is a favorite family cookbook.

When you’re at one of the in-person locations, though, it’s worth it to consider an in-person workshop or baking class. There are public and private options available. Children 12 and younger can sign up and learn how to roll birthday cake-flavored truffles or build and decorate confetti cookies.

With older kids and teens, parents can join in on the fun for a case assembly class that includes full three-layer MilkBar Birthday Cakes.     

See the offerings here: https://milkbarstore.com/pages/classes-experiences

Guilt-Free, Nostalgic Flavors

There’s nothing pretentious about the MilkBar locations or experiences. From the get-go, this brand has been about leaning into the things and flavors we loved as children. We normally talk about kid-friendly experiences; well, this is a version of the inner-kid-friendly experience.

Tosi’s menu is all about childhood flavors and favorites.

• Cereal Milk tastes exactly like the sweet, cornflake-soaked milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl.

• B'Day Cake Truffles & Unfrosted Cakes are packed with vanilla funfetti crunch and rainbow sprinkles.

• Compost Cookies were one of the first favorites to come out MilkBar, and they offer a blend of salty pretzels, potato chips, coffee grounds, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips all in one treat.

Parent Pro Tips

• Target Flagship Hubs: If you want the full interactive experience with seating, classes, and build-your-own bars, make sure you visit a flagship store rather than small counter-only pickup spots.

• Book Classes Ahead: Family classes and private events often sell out weeks in advance for weekend slots.