The best cheesecake in NYC

Peter Luger is famous for its steaks (naturally), its artery-testing creamed spinach and its luscious, meal-ending cheesecake. While you might think you feel too full after a gigantic carne-filled feast at this Brooklyn steakhouse, you’ll get a second wind when confronted with a slice. Made by Ferrara Bakery in Manhattan's Little Italy, each slice is ever-so-slightly sweet, smooth and served with some of Luger’s famous schlag (German whipped cream). 

Now, this is a classic slice of New York cheesecake. Absolutely gigantic (it’s over three inches high, and a full cheesecake weighs 7.5 lbs) and more sour than sweet from the cream cheese filling, it’s exactly the dessert you want from one of NYC’s best Jewish delis. You can get it topped with strawberries or made with crushed Oreos, but why mess with sweet success? 

Since 1894, this East Village Italian bakery has been doling out biscotti, pastries, cannoli and, yes, deliciously creamy deep-dish cheesecake, enriched with fresh ricotta and whole eggs. A glazed fruit topping just sweetens the whole deal. 

Eileen Avezzano started slinging her namesake cheesecakes in 1975, using a traditional New York recipe passed down from her mother. Now at her award-winning Nolita storefront, there are over 20 flavors ranging from classics like cherry to unique twists like salted caramel and cookies and cream.

The storied slice at Harry Rosen's Downtown Brooklyn mainstay has become synonymous with New York-style cheesecake itself. Made with humble Philadelphia cream cheese and a sponge cake base, each round is lovingly mixed and baked by hand to this day. 

Dig into the countless delicate layers of rich cream cheese and sweet blueberries of the mille crêpes cake at this Japanese cafe-bakery for a unique cheesecake experience. (The cakeshop also sells a textbook N.Y. cheesecake made with cream cheese and sour cream, in case you want the classic.) Harbs is a great place to refuel after a day spent shopping or exhibit-hopping; in addition to sweet treats, the menu offers light lunch bites like BLTs and avocado toast.

This 30-seat, blue-hued café is lined with gray banquettes and round tables facing the glass-encased treats on display, warmly lit by drop-down globe lights. While we love everything on the menu, including their flaky croissants to heavenly chocolate cake, the fittingly titled "heavenly cheesecake" stands on its own, elegantly hinted with vanilla bean and lemon zest. 

This Japanese cheesecake spot arrived in New York back in 2017; today, it continues to churn out playful shapes (like a heart-shaped cheesecake for Valentine's Day), Halloween treats and a gorgeous purple sweet potato variety. But if it's old-school cheesecake you want, get a slice of the "Original Fancy," which takes two labor-intensive days to make and consists of multiple layers of premium cheese and crème fraîche.

Head to College Point, Queens, where this no-fuss but full-delicious takeout counter offers cheesecakes in both miniature and full-size forms. The tried-and-true recipe calls for a chewy sponge cake crust, which nestles the silky smooth cream cheese core. 

The beloved Union Square-based bakery turns out a pitch-perfect Basque cheesecake — with the flavors of vanilla and lemon zest hiding beneath a well-browned, caramelized top — in addition to its seed-studded challah, sourdough bread and famed chocolate babka. Find seasonal varieties of cheesecake, as well as the occasional special of a cheescake-stuffed babka.