15 Rainbow Foods to Celebrate NYC Pride — Updated June 2024
The unicorn food fad may be over but Pride is always in. And as we celebrate Pride Month here in NYC, what better way than by indulging in rainbow foods that scream love, happiness and equality?
Many NYC businesses are celebrating Pride—or celebrate it every day—by offering rainbow foods and desserts that make the perfect colorful addition to your celebratory picnic, backyard BBQ or summer gathering.
Here are 15 rainbow foods in NYC to pick up for your next Pride party. Do call ahead to make sure the rainbow desserts are available and in case you have to pre-order.
1. Rainbow Bagel – Liberty Bagels
These days you can get rainbow bagels in multiple shops but it all started right here in Brooklyn when bagel artist Scot Rossillo created them more than 20 years ago at The Bagel Store. Unfortunately, the store has since shuttered. But you can still get rainbow bagels at a few stores including Liberty Bagels in Queens.
Liberty Bagels
82-10 Roosevelt Avenue
Elmhurst, NY 11373
2. Rainbow Cake – Betty Bakery
Photo courtesy of Betty Bakery
At Betty Bakery in Brooklyn, you can indulge in a variety of cakes, cookies, pies, twinkies and rice krispy treats, among other tasty desserts. But its their rainbow cake that’s sure to be a hit at any Pride party this summer. The white cake is layered in rainbow colors sandwiched between vanilla buttercream and topped with rainbow sprinkles.
Betty Bakery
448 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
3. Classic Rainbow Cookies – Veniero’s
Head to any Italian-American bakery and chances are you’ll find rainbow cookies—aka tri-color cookies, Italian flag cookies, Napoleon cookies, Venetian cookies or seven-layer cakes. Whatever you call them, they’re cake-like and delicious. The seven layered ingredients are typically dark chocolate, green almond cake, jam, white almond cake, jam, red almond cake and dark chocolate.
Veniero’s
342 E. 11th Street
New York, NY 10003
4. Rainbow Cookie Cheesecake – Fortunato Brothers
If you’re closer to Brooklyn, head to Fortunato Brothers for your rainbow cookie fix. And while you’re there, pick up their unique Rainbow Cookie Cheesecake, which they invented back in 2017. Rainbow cheesecake topped with chocolate, rainbow cookies and rainbow sprinkles.
Fortunato Brothers
289 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
5. Pride Black and White Cookies – William Greenberg Desserts
Photo courtesy of William Greenberg Desserts
On Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side, you’ll find beautiful sugary treats at William Greenberg Desserts, including Pride black and white cookies and rainbow layered cake. Follow their Instagram to see what else pops up on their bakery shelves.
William Greenberg Desserts
1100 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10028
6. Pride Cupcakes – Baked by Melissa
When you shop the celebratory Pride Cupcakes at Baked by Melissa, you’ll also be supporting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in NYC—they donate 10% of net proceeds to the organization. And there are many festive boxes from which to choose.
Baked by Melissa
(Multiple locations throughout NYC.)
7. Rainbow Cookie Dough – DŌ
Cookie dough lovers will be happy to know that DŌ offers a limited time rainbow option (sugar cookie topped with rainbow sugar) while the Oatmeal M&M flavor features colorful M&M candies tucked into the dough and many other flavors are topped with colorful sprinkles.
DŌ
550 LaGuardia Place
New York, NY 10012
8. Over the Rainbow Cake – Serendipity 3
The Upper East Side’s Serendipity 3 is always cooking up colorful creations so big that they’re often sharable. Their Over the Rainbow Cake is a party on a plate with rainbow layered cake, ice cream, candies and an ice cream cone. Their frozen hot chocolates and ice creams are topped with a variety of sprinkles, fresh fruit and candies that will bring plenty of color to your summer party. Follow their Instagram for the latest creations.
Serendipity 3
225 E. 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
9. Rainbow Cake – Buttermilk Bakeshop
Photo courtesy of Buttermilk Bakeshop
From the outside this beautiful work of art looks like an elegant birthday cake, enrobed in white frosting and a tasteful portion of rainbow sprinkles. Cut it open and you’re treated to the big reveal—five layers of colorful cake that pretty much cover the entire ROYGBIV spectrum. And each layer is separated by butter cream. The cake comes in 6-, 8- and 10-inch varieties.
Buttermilk Bakeshop
260 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11215
10. Rainbow Cupcakes, Cakes & More — Huascar & Co Bakeshop
Winner of Cupcake Wars and passionate baker Chef Huascar’s shop in Hell’s Kitchen offers cupcakes, cookies, flans, cheesecakes, brownies and French macarons often with a Latin twist. Their towering rainbow cake and rainbow cupcakes make a great addition to any Pride gathering, as does anything from their jam-packed dessert case. See what’s coming out of the oven on Instagram.
Huascar & Co Bakeshop
453 W. 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
11. Anything from Flour Shop
These statement confections are especially suited to the party-goer who not only volunteers to bring dessert but is looking for conversation pieces. From the towering rainbow tiered cake and the pinata-esque explosion cake, to the non-traditional rainbow push pops and the cakewhich, each menu item is an explosion of color that will enhance the celebratory Pride vibe. Though they’ve closed their NYC location since we first wrote this blog post, we’re keeping them on the list since you can order online.
12. Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookies – Baked in Color
Said to be the “happiest cookies on earth,” these confections range from rainbow chocolate chip cookies to rainbow brookie cakes, and funfetti cookie cakes to bite size rainbow cookie tubes.
Baked In Color
(Available to order online.)
13. Rainbow Black & White Cookies – Dana’s Bakery
Photo courtesy of Dana’s Bakery
These sweet treats really outshine the typical black & white cookies we’re used to seeing at every bakery—especially if they’ll be at the dessert table during your Pride event. Technically Dana’s Bakery is headquartered in South Hackensack, NJ, but that’s close enough for us.
Dana’s Bakery
(Mail order only.)
14. Rainbow Sliders – Sugar Factory
Those of us willing to brave the crowds are rewarded with vivid rainbow sliders. Where else can you get five cute miniature hamburgers on multi-colored buns? Perfect for those who don’t have a sweet tooth but still want to celebrate, or just as a nice break in between sugar courses on a Pride dessert crawl.
Sugar Factory
1991 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
15. Unicorn Poop Cruff – Stuffed Ice Cream NYC
On the Stuffed Ice Cream website, they define cruff as: A perfectly toasted, glazed donut stuffed with your ice cream flavor and toppings of choice. And the Unicorn Poop Cruff? Well that’s made of white chocolate lavender and Thai tea ice cream coated in Fruity Pebbles. They also serve up rainbow ice cream bouquets consisting of either 7 or 21 brightly colored scoops.
Stuffed Ice Cream NYC
139 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003
6805 Bay Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11204
Bonus Shout-Outs
Since this post is an update to a previous one and we didn’t want to remove any still-open shops from the list, here are some shout-outs to a couple more NYC places featuring treats that scream Pride: rainbow truffles and cake pops from Mini Melanie, the Rainbow Monster Shake at Bill’s Bar with a portion of proceeds donated to Ali Forney Center, the viral rainbow cookie croissant at Settepani, and the Pride rainbow cake and rainbow and unicorn cookies at Padoca Bakery.
For more Pride-inspired desserts, check out The Infatuation’s second annual Pride Bake Sale benefiting The Queer Food Foundation.
Need more rainbow dessert recommendations? Ask our knowledgeable Park Slope-based real estate agents the next time you’re looking to buy, sell or rent in Brooklyn. We know the neighborhood and we love sharing our favorite places with clients.
Buying, selling or renting a home in Brooklyn this summer?
