Best cereal restaurant spots NYC families will love

Most of our early years were fortified with sugary cereals from the Kellogg’s family: Corn Pops, Cocoa Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Raisin Bran, on and on. So when the brand opened up a store near Times Square in 2016, they made all our childhood dreams come true with our favorite flavors and “Kid at Heart Boosts” like chocolate sauce, cookie dough, graham crackers and Pop Tart crumble. Mix your own bowl or select one of their own, such as Birthday Cake (Frosted Flakes, yellow cake mix, vanilla syrup and rainbow sprinkles) or Life in Color (Fruit Loops, lime zest, marshmallows and passion fruit jam). Recipes were developed by Milk Bar’s own cereal milk genius Christina Tosi so you know it’s going to taste better than you remember.

A new addition to the budding cereal bar craze, this Little Italy cafe dishes out 18 types of cereals, including faves like Trix, Lucky Charms and Honey Nut Cheerios. Top your pick with drizzles or any of 18 toppings, which include other cereal to mix into your bowl. Pick from a menu of specials that include The Big Apple Pie, a blend of Apple Jacks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and granola topped with apple and caramel drizzle. Or just convert your cereal bowl cravings into a taste for cereal ice cream or milkshake instead.

When street gear and sneaker store Kith opened up shop in Prospect Heights, it added a cereal bar to the mix. Kith Treats Cereal Bar offers 23 different cereals, including classics like Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 21 toppings and four milk options. Not only can you make custom cereal combos, but other cereal-based goodies like cereal ice cream swirls and cereal milkshakes are also on the menu. The Brooklyn shop features a menu of special mixes created by celebs and friends of the brand while their newest location, Nike x Kith Shop in Lower Manhattan, is a partnership that combines the sneaker brand’s iconic elements with Kith’s rise in cereal expertise.

Momofuku’s sister dessert shop has been driving the masses crazy with its cereal milk, which tastes like the milk at the bottom of a bowl of cornflakes. You can drink Milk Bar’s cereal milk straight up (there’s even a DIY cereal milk mix) or in a cup of soft serve ice cream made with the special milk, cornflakes, brown sugar and salt.

The cross between ice cream and shaved ice has made a tasty impact on the NYC dessert scene, largely thanks to success of Snowdays. The company puts an unconvential twist on typical ice cream parlours with its shaved cream offerings—ranging in flavors from chocolate and mint oreo to roasted black sesame and sweet milk. Speaking of milk, what goes better with the dairy product than cereal? Choose a flavor as the base of your dessert, add a breakfast vibe with Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms or Cap'n Crunch and don't forget to sweeten things up with marshmallows, wafers, M&Ms, fruit and drizzles of honey, fruit puree and more. These dessert-breakfast hybrids are welcome at any point during the day! 

From acai bowls and breakfast burritos to smoothies and muffins, The Bean is the ideal place to make a pitstop first thing in the morning. Whether you're craving something sweet or healthy, you're bound to find a new favorite order. Kids will swoon over the cereal bars—made from Rice Krispie Treats, Fruity Peebles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch respectively. Plus, the shop's version of PopTarts make for a super sweet start to the morning. You'll probably have a difficult time making a selection, so we recommend the acai bowls during the week and sweet and savory treats to summon those weekend vibes. 

When a banana split won't cut it, spice up your dessert with a visit to Sam's Fried Ice Cream. The Chinatown staple is well-known for its atypical take on ice cream—a crunchy exterior and cool, creamy interior that begs you to take a bite. Customers can opt for a breakfast twist on their selections with treats such as the vanilla Fruity Pebbles milkshake, Fruity Pebbles crust, strawberry ice cream with cornflakes and much more.